The Silver Guardian Bk. 01 Ch. 11

A huge thank you to my editor Tex Beethoven for another amazing job and collaboration, thank you Tex you rock!!

Book 1

Chapter 11

The next morning came rather too quickly for both Dante and Lily; they were both feeling the effects of the previous night's excesses when they woke up. Odin and Victoria knew what a big night it had been for the two of them as well; the walls within the Manor House were sturdy, but not that soundproof. They also knew that the prior night when the couple had met Dante's wolf for the first time, plus the mating ceremony would have been taxing, so they had decided to give the young couple a break and a relaxed day today.

They had missed breakfast by several hours and were starving, and knew it would still be a while before lunch came around, so they made their way downstairs into the kitchen and made themselves a simple brunch to start their day with.

While they were eating, Lily filled Dante in on a few things. "Mom and Dad want us to meet with them in Dad's office when we're done eating, to go over a few things and start integrating both of us into the Pack. The past several years I was in school and got my law degree from Columbia. I moved back here after graduation, but mostly lived in my Cabin away from the Pack, enjoying my time alone and until now I've had few duties.

"Now though, with our being mates and the designated Alpha Heir pair instead of my younger brother Michael being the Alpha Heir, our responsibilities to the Pack are going to increase dramatically and we'll be very busy the majority of the time. You especially, because you not only have to learn and grow into your Alpha Heir responsibilities, but you also need to undergo training, not to mention learning lycan and Pack history. Dad mentioned your needing to work with Ben on training and Pack security as well."

"About that," Dante interjected. "If we've just displaced Michael, how's he going to feel about that?"

"Not a problem," Lily reassured him. "He's always been a team player. Until he went off to University, Ben always had authority over him even though being the male that I obviously am not, Michael wore the title of Alpha Heir designate. With Ben being more experienced and knowledgeable, Michael never had a problem taking orders from him, since it was for the good of the Pack. And for all of us in the O'Connor Pack the good of the Pack trumps everything, and we all trust Mom and Dad to make the best overall decisions.

"Speaking of which, I'm going to have to seriously start my training under Mom for becoming Madame Alpha, so when it's time I'll be competent to pair with you in making wise decisions for our Pack. Plus, I want to spend some time turning what was formerly my suite into our home. I'd like it, if you're okay with that of course, if we could spend the weekdays with the Pack living here in our suite at the Manor House, and our weekends at the Cabin. What do you think?"

Dante had been eating and listening closely to Lily as she spoke. He paused for thought before responding. "It sounds like we're both going to be quite busy with responsibilities as well as training. I'm looking forward to talking to Mom and Dad about that some more once we wrap up breakfast, and then we'll know a bit more when we dive into the details of starting our new life.

"As for your plans for the suite and splitting our time between the Manor House and the Cabin, I like those thoughts and agree completely. I'd like to help you and spend some significant time with you turning both of them into our homes. I'm not bad with a hammer and saw, so I'd like to do some renovations at the Cabin if you're ok with that, and make it our little sanctuary just for the two of us.

"I like being with the Pack so far and love the feeling of finally having a home, but I also treasure our private time together. I've lived alone my entire life, even when I was surrounded by other kids at the orphanage, so this huge family and compound can get a bit overwhelming at times. Having a place we can go on the weekends that's away from everyone and will be just us will be really nice."

Lily's smile lit up her face as she nodded her head in agreement, her mouth full of eggs and making Dante laugh. She swallowed, grinning sheepishly, before asking him, "What kind of renovations are you thinking of for the Cabin?"

Dante smiled as he was already picturing it coming together in his mind, "Lots. First of all, you're far too precious to me to ever risk or lose, so I definitely want to beef up the safety and security at the Cabin. With our being slated one day to inherit the Pack, we could both quite easily become targets for someone, so we need to be smart. Plus, with our trying for little ones when your first heat begins, we need to plan for their safety and security as well. We'll need to be ready, and already have everything set up before they get here, not begin preparing once they're already here. So, I'd like to add on a nursery for starters, plus build a safe room where I can hide you and the pups away, should something come up while I fight someone off. I also want to set up a weapons cache/room and set up an exercise area for us. I assume you'll want to work out with me, right?"

Lily smiled and shook her head yes, "Of course, I'm going to be Madame Alpha, plus my mate is the strongest and bravest and most lethal wolf I've ever heard of, so I have to try to keep up with you. Plus, I love seeing you shirtless and sweaty with your muscles all bulging and you sending off those pheromones like crazy!" she grinned lasciviously.

Dante laughed loudly, "Ok, sounds good babe. Anyway, the final thing I want to do is to put in a garage: our pride and joy Chevelle can't sit outside getting beaten up by the weather, and eventually we'll need to replace your truck. We sure as hell won't be able to drive my baby around in the snow! During the warm months I'll want to take you out in her, and spend some time carving the canyons, showing you everything that car can do and making you smile. Have I told you lately just how much I love your smile?"

Lily's heart melted and she smiled shyly. She leaned over and gave him the softest sweetest kiss as she whispered to him, "Just for that, I may let you catch me tonight if we go for a run as our wolves. You can have your way with me so long as you don't call me Fluffy!"

Dante grinned and gave her a gentle kiss back. "Deal: if you don't call me Fido, I won't call you Fluffy, and you can have your way with me whenever you want, too."

Lily smiled and then responded to Dante's other thoughts, "I'm fine with all your ideas for the Cabin. I also like your ideas for the safe room and security upgrades, especially for when the little ones come. We do have rival Packs in the surrounding area and states, and while we're not really aggressive to each other right now, things can change and tensions sometimes rise unexpectedly. It would be far better to be safe than sorry.

"However, I hate the idea of hiding in the safe room while you're out there in danger, and I won't accept it. I want you to hear me and really listen to this Dante, I am not a porcelain doll to be hidden away and kept safe because I'm breakable. I'm an Alpha Heir just like you are and will one day be Madame Alpha beside you. I'm strong and fast and very dangerous myself. I refuse to be kept hanging back while you face danger alone; I will be by your side protecting my mate too!"

"I do know you're no pushover my sweetheart; my thought is that if some enemy gets past me, you'll be there as a last line of defense for our children."

"Dante, that plan just doesn't work. I know you well enough already to know that in such a scenario, if I were needed as a last line of defense, then you would already be dead: you would have fought to protect me and our children with your last living breath. And any person or group with the cajones to do you in isn't going to be stopped by little ol' me. But you and I together will be an altogether different matter: we'll be far more unconquerable as a team than either of us can be alone. I've already sensed how well we intuitively work together and complement each other, and I'll bet you've noticed that as well. Plus, together in a battle we'll each be there to watch the other's back, both literally and figuratively. Even if someone were capable of getting past you, getting past the both of us would be a challenge of an entirely different order of magnitude."

Dante gave his mate a rueful grin. "I do seem to recall just yesterday pledging before Luna and our Pack to 'cherish you and seek your wisdom' my darling, and now appears to be a good time to do just that! We'll be partners in love and partners in battle just as you say, and thank you for talking some sense into me."

"And thank you, my dear mate for admitting you're wrong so graciously. I hope when the shoe's on the other foot that I'll have the good sense to do the same. That being said, the garage is a good idea, and you're right that we'll need to replace the truck with another one, or a SUV or something before the weather sets in this fall or winter."

Dante understood where Lily was coming from and loved her strength and ferocity in his defense. "Agreed. But back to the battle buddy thing, I really do understand where you're coming from baby, and you're absolutely right. But the thought of something happening to you tears me up inside, and now that we've found each other I wouldn't be able to carry on if anything happened to you. I won't try to hide you away, but I may still become a bit overprotective and overbearing at times, so just be patient and bear with me when it comes out, ok? And smack me down if you need to. After what I put you through in bed last night and your response to it, I might even enjoy getting smacked down!"

Lily smiled and stroked his cheek, "That's perfectly fine my love, and we don't have any problem at all. The most important thing is that we communicate, and we're already doing a wonderful job of that. And if you want to try getting smacked down by me sometime, we might just try that. Your safe word can be when you cry 'uncle'!"

They finished up eating, then headed to Alpha Odin's office together. They knocked and were told to come in. Victoria was sitting on one of the couches, shifting through some paperwork and documentation while Odin was buried in paperwork at his desk. They both looked up and smiled when they saw Dante and Lily entering the room.

Victoria spoke first as she stood and gave them each a long hug, "It's good to see you both up and awake; we were worried you'd sleep the day away and turn from wolves into vampires!" She laughed at her silly joke as Lily rolled her eyes and Dante chuckled.

"The past couple of days have been a whirlwind and the future looks just as busy for you two, but we can take it a day at a time and it won't be so bad."

Odin had stood up and come around his desk and he clapped Dante on the back and grinned him a welcome before he went over and gave his little girl a hug. He motioned for Dante and Lily to sit down as he and Victoria did the same.

He started right in, "Thanks for stopping in; there's a lot to cover quickly here today. We're going to let you start talking and see what you two are thinking, and then discuss what the Pack needs you both to do, and start to build plans from there, ok?"

Dante and Lily nodded after looking at each other and checking in, and by silent agreement Dante responded, "Sure Dad, sounds good. There are a few things I'd like to discuss with you both as well."

Odin's chest puffed up with pleasure at being called that. "I have to say real quick son, I know it's all happened extremely fast, but it warms your Mother's and my hearts to hear you calling us Mom and Dad. Just wanted to put that in and say thanks."

Victoria took Odin's hand and nodded her agreement.

Dante smiled broadly, a warm feeling filling his heart, "I really like it too, Mom and Dad, I keep saying this, but I've never had a family before, and being able to call you that will take some getting used to, and I mean that in the best way possible: it will be a while before I'll be able to call you Mom and Dad without feeling like choking up; thank you both, really.

"Now, getting down to business. Lily and I want to start trying for our own little ones as soon as her first heat occurs, whenever that may be. That will make you Grandparents and also will mean a lot of changes for us, too. Our first thought is twofold: firstly, we plan on spending weekdays here in our suite at the Manor House to be with the Pack and carry out our responsibilities and training and everything else. We're planning on spending our weekends together at the Cabin, where we can just be new mates together, learn what that means in practice and spend some quality time together.

"We also want to turn our suites and our Cabin into homes for us instead of just places to sleep and stay. So we need to make sure you're both ok with that, and probably discuss some details about what it's going to take for us to do so.

"Secondly, there are some serious renovations I want to get started on for the Cabin, such as increased security and a safe room for the little ones, should trouble come knocking and we're called upon to answer its call. At first I wanted Lily to be in the safe room with our future children, but she wouldn't stand for that and after we discussed it, I agree with her. We need to defend our home and family as a team.

"Also, we want to make sure there's an exercise area for obvious reasons, and I'll work a weapons room somewhere into our plans too, likely a hidden room or a covert part of a dual-purpose room of some kind.

"Lastly, we need to add a garage to the Cabin. I need to keep the Chevelle out of the weather and protected, plus we'll need a place to store Lily's replacement truck or SUV or whatever we decide on. It will be a lot of additions and changes to make at the Cabin, but we'd like to make them as soon as possible and make that a priority. I think I can set it up so that the Cabin work is getting done in the background while we're handling our other duties."

Odin and Victoria were a bit surprised initially, but they could see that the longer Dante spoke, the more they came to appreciate his ideas. At the mention of little ones and possibly becoming Grandparents, Odin swelled up with a proud goofy grin, and Victoria made a little joyful gasp, covering her mouth with her hand and her eyes shining.

When Dante finished speaking, Victoria was the first to respond, "Oh, I can't wait to be a Grandmother, it's so exciting! Lily's first heat can't come soon enough now! Have you talked about what you want?"

Lily's smile was a mile wide as she looked at Dante and rubbed his arm affectionately, "We decided that we would prefer children! They would be far more suitable than pigs or sheep!"

She paused for a laugh but all she got was three puzzled stares. Oh well.

"But seriously," she struggled on, "we'll both be happy as long as they're healthy no matter what they are. But Dante would like a little princess to wrap him around her finger, while I'd like a little version of Daddy: someone to carry on his line and make me proud! Maybe we'll get lucky and wind up with one of each before we're done?"

Victoria made a very girlish little squeal of delight at the thought, which was very uncharacteristic for her, and everyone laughed at her excitement.

Still laughing, Lily looked at her Mother, "We aren't pregnant yet, and we certainly don't know whether we'll be blessed by Luna in our first heat or not, but I have to admit I'm very, very excited at the idea too!"

Dante smiled widely and leaned in to scent his Lily deeply, sharing in her excitement and happiness through their bond, while Lily snuggled into him, feeling her mate's contentment through that same bond.

Alpha Odin felt proud of his family as he watched over the scene playing out before him. He knew this is what he had always worked for as Alpha, so that everyone in his Pack could experience these things and share in them. He grinned at Dante and spoke, "I have to say, I get where Dante is coming from, I've already had my little girl who wrapped me around her finger, and now she's all grown up. To start over but with a little granddaughter this time would be pretty neat!"

All of the others started laughing at his benign expression and his sentiments, and once again Dante was thrilled to be part of such a familial scene.

When they settled down, Odin returned to the other items Dante had brought up. "I don't know what kind of savings you may have son, but a lot of this is going to cost a pretty penny. We have no problem with you two doing what you've planned, but it will take some money. Beginning immediately, you'll start getting a stipend as Alpha Heir the same as Lily does. We'll get that set up for you later today with David, who's our Pack Finance Head and a Level 4 Beta. I'd also suggest you work with him to invest any money you do have to let it grow: little ones are expensive, and so is your mate."

He grinned as Lily shot him a dirty but playful look.

"I do have some money set aside," offered Dante, "and I'll be glad of any expertise in how best to manage it that David may have to offer."

"That's good," continued Odin."Lily has her own money as well, that she's inherited from the O'Connor fortune. Our Pack is one of the oldest in the States, and an O'Connor has always led it. It will continue on in time with Lily as Madame Alpha and you as Alpha Dante Silvrash. My point in saying this is that while your building project is going to cost quite a bit, you two do have the funds to do it. Although you also have to be smart and make it grow so you can take care of your family even while you learn how to take care of the Pack.

"The beauty of all this is that in return the Pack takes care of you, and here's how, as well as another lesson about your new responsibilities and duties. The Pack is very diverse, and everyone works together to make it stronger and better. We have wolves that do all kinds of different things and all sorts of occupations. For example we have an architect who I will set up to meet with you on Monday, Dante, but we also have wolves and mates and families that run restaurants in Whitefish and other towns, clothing designers, construction companies, handyman work, miners, engineers, and all kinds of other professions. Some work only for the Pack while others do it professionally as well, it's up to them really. They benefit the Pack, and the Pack supports them by shopping with them and using their services.

"Once again as it turns out, we have quite a talented interior designer in the Pack as well, and I'm sure we can get her to meet with you two or whoever will be heading that up for you."

Dante cut in laughing, "I've been a wandering bachelor for 25 years until now, and I have no fashion sense whatsoever! If I designed a room it would end up with a bed and blank walls. I'll leave our suite to my lovely mate, and be pleased with whatever she decides!"

Lily smirked and rubbed his arm, "I knew you were smart."

Odin spoke up again, "Ok, ok, I think that's a good break point. It's time for lunch. We've got this afternoon blocked out to line out what you need to be learning, how you're going to be training and what your responsibilities will be. That goes for both of you; I know Lily knows a lot of this but for one thing it will be a good refresher, and secondly, now that you're mated it's time for you both to step up and learn how to assume your future roles. I don't see you trying to step up and challenge me for Alpha anytime soon, unless I'm wrong Dante?" Alpha Odin smirked at Dante and raised his eyebrow questioningly.