Page 82 of A Luna’s Dynasty (Celestial #1)

“Well, you pick between the hopefuls. Not every werebear is born with the qualities needed to become a guardian. You pick from the best choices and then give them a special blessing. From there, they will be trained as a guardian,” Alice explained as she watched Lita frown.

“They’ll be taken away from their family …

” Lita furrowed her brows, and a look of concern crossed her face as her lips curled down.

She couldn’t imagine it. What kind of life was that?

To be ripped from your family and brainwashed into thinking only one person mattered.

Lita felt Asher squeeze her waist, and a big burly hand rested on her head.

“You’re overthinking it, Lita,” Grayson said as he scruffed up her hair. “I would choose this life again and again. This is who I am—who I was meant to be. Just like how Asher was born to be Alpha. I was born to be your guardian.”

“We don’t rip children apart from families either, Lita.

We would never take a child from a family’s warm arms. The hopefuls all come from different situations.

Broken homes, orphaned, given up … some are offered to us to be evaluated by parents that recognize a special gift, like Grayson’s family.

Grayson’s family knew he was special. He walked months early and was strong.

They knew he was meant for more and they couldn’t keep him.

So they asked for me to evaluate him as a guardian for my daughter.

” Alice paused, continuing after thinking about something important.

“Lita, Grayson was brought up differently because of the situation we had with the Red Grove Pack. It isn’t like that.

Dylan was raised with me. He was my brother.

My mother was his mother, too. Essentially, you would be adopting a guardian as your child.

They won't lack family, because you'll be their family. They’ll be trained and taught while living with you. Grayson was taken in by the Cedar Pack, since he couldn’t come to yours.

He was raised as Luke’s brother. They both trained together and received special instruction.

Your daughter and her guardian will have this as well.

We have special teachers who will move to the Black Ice Pack in order to train her guardian well.

” Alice wanted Lita to understand better.

This wasn’t just a heartless act that was done.

Children were not being ripped from their families at all.

And the process was more like adding another important family member.

Lita nodded. She could live with that. She could take in another child and give them a family to love them. This was something that made more sense to her.

“You don’t have to make any decisions today.

You’ll feel it when you meet the right child.

Something inside of you will be screaming, ‘This is the one.’ I think that your child can feel who they want as their guardian, and you can feel it through them.

” Alice stood up. “Come on. Let’s go meet some of the children we have here. ”

Lita looked at Asher excitedly. This was a big deal. We get to pick out our daughter’s Grayson! Lita squealed in Asher’s head. She was now completely on board.

Asher chuckled and pulled her into his arms. He liked the idea of raising the guardian as their own. He felt like he would really be able to trust them then. They would be his own child. His family was growing bigger by the minute.

“Let’s go play with some bear cubs.” Grayson put his arms around Lita and Asher, walking with them. He felt a bit excited. They were going to find the next generation's guardian. This really was a rare event.

The sounds of children laughing and screaming soon filled the air as they followed behind Alice, Nathon, and Dylan to another building.

The building was covered in honeysuckles, and the outside was layered in daisies.

When they walked inside, they had to go through two thick, solid oak double doors.

Grayson chuckled and pointed at the doors.

“You can tell this is where they keep the wild animals.”

The next room was a big open area. There were children playing games on the TV, children racing through obstacle courses, children building things with blocks … There were so many different activities they could engage in. It helped to see their diverging personalities and interests.

“What happens to the children that are not chosen?” Lita asked her mother quietly.

“They’ll be adopted into waiting families.

We have enough homes for all of them. When a princess comes of age, we begin holding potentials back as possible candidates.

Don’t worry, Lita. All of these children will be well loved and taken care of, regardless.

” Alice patted her daughter’s hand. “Go on. Go out and get to know them.”

Lita and Asher walked hand in hand visiting the various groups of children. The children ranged in age from two to eight, all with adorable little tempers. They were cute, but none of them spoke to her.

A woman with orange eyes—yes, orange—walked in holding two little boys by the hands.

The two youngsters appeared to have just woken from their afternoon nap.

They couldn’t have been more than four years old, with gorgeous chocolate-colored eyes and soft brown locks.

Although they shared some features, they were not identical.

“Are you two brothers?” Lita asked the little boys, who glanced up to see the orange-eyed woman nodding her head.

“Brothers.” The one little boy nodded.

“This is Brody, and this one is Chasen. They’re almost four years old.

” The orange-eyed woman introduced the two to Lita.

The name Brody instantly tugged at Asher’s heart, which Lita felt through their connection.

It was the name of his best friend that had been killed.

It was just a name, but there was a connection there.

“I’m hungry,” Brody pouted, making the woman laugh.

“You’re awake, so of course you’re hungry. I’ll go bring you two something.” The woman left, leaving the boys standing there, looking at Lita.

Asher and Grayson sat down on the floor next to the two kids. “You two sure look tough. Which one of you is stronger?” Grayson asked, trying to interact with them.

“I am.” Chasen pointed to himself with his thumb.

“No, me!” Brody growled.

Lita eased herself onto the floor, kneeling in front of the two boys. “You two are adorable.”

The boys looked up at her and smiled, drawn to her kindness.

They both hopped into her arms, and Lita held them close.

She knew it then, the instant they touched her.

They both belonged with her. She looked up at Asher.

He chuckled, knowing she planned to take both of them.

His family was growing exponentially. A small smile rested on his face as he looked at the two boys.

“Why don’t you two play with Asher and Grayson for a bit?” Lita stood up and redirected the children to the two men behind them. She watched them begin wrestling with the men before she walked back to her mother and father.

“Which one of them is it?” Alice could tell she had found her daughter’s guardian.

“Both. They’re both mine,” Lita answered with conviction.

“You would know best. I’m glad, though. I wouldn’t want to separate those two.

They just came here about a month ago. Their mother died during childbirth, and their father was tragically killed in an accident.

As far as abilities go, they’re both very gifted.

They have so much potential. They’ll both be very powerful guardians.

” Alice looked at the two boys, who were play-fighting with Asher and Grayson.

Everyone could already tell there was a connection there. Some things were simply meant to be.

“Do I get to take them back with me when I leave?” Lita wanted to be able to spend time with them before her daughter arrived.

“I need to line up their teachers and a couple of other things, but yes, they can leave with you. You will need to give them their blessing here first, though. I’ll show you how.

You may need some extra cuddling from Asher afterwards, though, since you’re giving powers to two of them.

” Alice knew it was draining enough to give powers to one, let alone two.

“Why don’t you go ahead and ask them if that’s what they want, though I’m sure they’ll agree. ”

Lita nodded excitedly. She could feel it inside.

This was right. These boys would be her kids, too.

She walked over to Asher and Grayson. Their hair was messed up from wrestling with the two rambunctious kids.

You good with this? Adding two more kids to the mix? Lita asked, already knowing the answer.

I don’t have a cap limit on the amount of love I can share.

I’ll welcome them as my children and love them as my own.

Asher knew the kids would be a handful, but they would also bring so much more to their lives.

It was more than that, though. He could feel it, too. He felt a connection with the two boys.

Lita looked over at Grayson, who grinned up at her. For someone so distrusting, he had taken to the children right away.

“What would you two boys think about coming to live with us? Would you like to become guardians?” Lita knelt down to the little boys’ level. Two sets of brown eyes looked at her.

“We can go together?” Brody asked excitedly.

“Yes. We want both of you,” Asher said quietly.

“Yes, we want to come!” The boys shouted together.

“Alright, come see your Uncle Grayson, boys.” Grayson grabbed both boys and flopped backwards with them, giggling.

“What do we call you?” Chasen asked, sitting on top of Grayson as he looked at Asher and Lita.

“You can call us Asher and Lita, but we wouldn’t mind if you two wanted to call us mom and dad.” Asher’s eyes flashed up at Lita’s. This was what they both wanted. “You two youngsters might be future guardians, but we want you to be part of our family.”

“Would you like to come with us to meet some of our other friends we brought with us?” Lita could see the two boys' attitudes change.

They were very excited and happy. They were young, too young to really grasp what being a guardian was all about.

She thought about what Grayson said, about how he would choose to be her guardian again and again.

She hoped they would also feel that way.

Grayson stood up, lifting both boys in his arms. “Uncle Grayson has them. Let’s go.” Grayson’s family was growing, too. These two small children were already important to him.

“We would like to take a walk with the boys and introduce them to our other traveling companions.” Lita turned to her mother and father.

“Go ahead. I’ll start making the necessary arrangements here. I know we’ll be sending Grayson along as one of the boy’s instructors. Then, when they get older, we’ll have to send someone stronger for sparring. I actually have someone in mind. His name is Pan.”

“HA! That satyr is still alive? Man, he was a grump when I was a kid.” Grayson laughed, then cleared his throat uncomfortably. No one laughed at his joke. “As far as sparring goes, I’ve got them. No need to send anyone else. I can teach them what they need there.”

“Very good, Grayson. Who better to teach them than a fellow guardian?” Alice nodded in agreement. “Go ahead and go. This evening, I’ll be introducing you to Elysia, so don’t be long.”