Chapter 12: Chapter Eleven

SAVANNAH

~“I hate you,”~ I spat out, my words laced with venom. ~“Why did you talk me into that!”~

Her soft, amused chuckle only served to fuel my anger. ~“You wanted it, too,”~ my wolf retorted. ~“God, he sure can kiss, can’t he?”~

~I’ve gone crazy.~ I thought, as I sprinted away from the Alpha House and towards Hellman Hall. I didn’t care that everyone stopped and stared at me. What else was new?

My body felt like it was on fire. I’d never been more thankful for being caught making out with someone. I was one second away from begging him to take me to his room.

This guy I’d known for four days. Mate or not, I wasn’t that easy.

Jaka was sitting on her bed when I burst in, and she immediately jumped up. “Where is the fire?” she asked, her eyes wide with surprise.

I dove headfirst into my pillow and screamed into it. Jaka’s soft touch hit my back, and she patted me gently. “Is there something wrong?”

“How’d you guess?” I mumbled into my pillow, my voice muffled.

She sat beside me, and I rolled over onto my back to look at her. “My wolf is a slutty conniving whore bag.”

~“Speak for yourself. You did it,”~ my wolf retorted.

Jaka’s eyes widened. “You got your wolf? Yay!”

“No!” I said, sitting up straight. “She basically just talked me into screwing Dax in the alpha gym—”

Jaka’s mouth dropped. “You had sex with Dax?”

“~No~, but I wanted to, Jaka. We were close to it. I was trying to talk him into taking me to his room. I need this wolf gone. I don’t like her.”

Jaka chuckled. “It doesn’t work like that, Savannah. Once she’s there, she doesn’t just leave. She’s part of you.”

I cringed. “Well, maybe she can go back to where she was before. I’ve never heard her before now.”

Jaka frowned. “You’ll grow to love her. She’s part of you.”

This wasn’t what I wanted to hear. I leaned back and closed my eyes. My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I dug it out.

Trent

Haven’t heard from you today. How’s it going?

“Great,” I whispered.

Jaka looked at my phone. “You really need to cut it off with him. You just made out with your mate. You shouldn’t string him along.”

She was right and I knew it, but I couldn’t just cut him off. Trent deserved better.

I needed to spend time with him, like Professor Jennifer suggested, and compare. Which sounded sick, and it was sick, but I didn’t know what else to do.

~“You already know that Dax makes you feel better,”~ my wolf said. ~“You’re wasting your time.”~

“Shut up,” I said.

Jaka looked over at me.

“Sorry that was meant for her, not you.”

She smirked. “Aren’t you meeting Mrs. Jamieson today at the library?”

I shot up and glanced at the clock. I had thirty minutes before our meeting, and I was surprisingly excited about it. She had information about my parents and their packs.

I knew nothing about my parents, other than what my Grammy told me, which wasn’t much. I changed out of my sweaty gym clothes and hurried down toward the library.

It was close to dinner, and I’d worked up an appetite with Dax. I stopped by the cafeteria and grabbed a protein bowl. It was like this college understood the concept of a good meal.

But the more I thought about it, I realized everyone here ate more meat than most, like me. It didn’t click until I opened the library door that maybe my craving for meat growing up had something to do with being a wolf.

And it hit me then. I just admitted I was a wolf. A wolf. Werewolf. It sounded strange to say it. But I’d be stupid not to realize it now. I had someone talking in my head, and Mrs. Jamieson shifted in front of me.

The entire college wouldn’t be in on such an elaborate joke, and to be honest, it wouldn’t be such a funny joke anyway.

Mrs. Jamieson sat in one of the study rooms, a folder in front of her, and two cups of coffee. I walked over, taking a seat across the table.

“Good afternoon, Savannah,” she said, sipping her cup.

“Good afternoon,” I said.

Her brown hair was pulled into a neat bun, and she wore a pair of glasses on the edge of her tiny nose.

“I’ve been preparing your folder since the last time we met. I’ve gathered all the information I could about your parents and their packs.” She twisted the folder around for me.

Eagerly, I opened it. Mother’s picture was paperclipped to the front page. Her beautiful smile made my chest hurt.

“Your mother was from a pack in eastern Texas. The Legacy Pack. Her father was a beta. Your father was from Louisiana, and he was part of the Moonlight Pack.

His father was an alpha, and his brother was appointed alpha after your grandfather passed.”

“I have family?” I asked.

A frown formed on Mrs. Jamieson’s face. “You did, Savannah. If you keep reading, you’ll see what happened to your father’s pack.”

I turned a few pages, past my parents' time at Werewolf University, and halted on the last page. The Moonlight Pack was attacked by lycans and destroyed in two thousand seven, three years after I was born.

“Lycans killed their pack? Is that common?”

Mrs. Jamieson adjusted her glasses, her voice steady as she explained, “There was a time when that was true. But a significant war in twenty twelve decimated most of the rogue lycans, and a treaty was agreed upon between the two breeds.

“Now,”—she cleared her throat, her gaze steady—“we remain adversaries. I’m not suggesting that a provocation wouldn’t lead to a fight, but the treaty ensures we respect each other’s territories.”

I swallowed hard, my finger tracing the edges of my father’s picture attached to the back of the folder. “How did I survive? How did my mother know what was going to happen?”

Mrs. Jamieson’s brows furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“She left me a box filled with letters, each one addressing milestones in my life that she wouldn’t be there for.”

“Savannah,” she began, shifting uncomfortably in her chair, “I can’t say for certain. But what I ~do~ know is that when word got out that the lycans were coming, one of your mother’s friends fled the pack house and took you to your grandmother’s.”

Tears welled up in my eyes, and I quickly closed the folder. “Did anyone from the pack survive?”

She nodded, sliding a Post-it Note across the table. “Your mother’s friend, the one who saved you. This is her name, number, and address. She’s the only survivor.”

One lone survivor. One lone wolf.

~Amber Hardy~ was written in neat cursive. I folded the note and clipped it next to my mother’s picture. “Thank you,” I murmured.

~“Ask her about Dax’s pack,”~ my wolf urged.

“No,” I hissed under my breath.

“Pardon?” Mrs. Jamieson asked, her brows knitting together.

I shook my head, dismissing her question. “Nothing. Is this all the information you have for me?”

She nodded. “I’d like to schedule a few meetings each week. We need to focus on helping you connect with your inner wolf.”

~Oh, she’s here, and apparently in heat.~

~“At least I go after what I want,”~ my wolf retorted.

“Yeah, by using me as your personal sex puppet,” I muttered.

Mrs. Jamieson leaned back in her chair, her gaze sharp. “Are you speaking to your wolf, Savannah?”

I sighed. “Yeah. She started communicating with me when Dax showed up.”

A grin spread across her face. “This is excellent news. Now we can work on shifting and letting her out.”

~“Yes!”~ my wolf exclaimed. ~“Finally. I want to see Dax’s wolf.”~

“Is the shifting process going to hurt?” I asked, apprehension creeping into my voice.

She leaned forward, her fingers interlaced on the table. “The first time, yes. But after the initial transition, the pain subsides.”

“Great,” I mumbled, my enthusiasm waning.

“How are your classes going?” she asked, changing the subject.

I shrugged. “Okay, I guess. I’m not thrilled about this second-in-command to an alpha business. Why does he have to be in charge?”

She smirked. “I admire your spirit, Savannah. But it’s the way our kind is structured. The alpha is male, and the luna is his female.”

I pursed my lips, not entirely satisfied with her explanation.

“Have you spent any time with your mate?”

~“Oh yeah, we have,”~ my wolf chimed in.

“Ugh,” I groaned, covering my face with my hand. “I went to practice my double-leg takedown with him today, and my wolf persuaded me to attack him, Mrs. Jamieson.

Then Braxton walked in on us making out—” I stopped abruptly, realizing I was sharing my sexual frustrations with an adult.

“It’s okay to feel that way, Savannah. It’s normal for us. Your wolf is attracted to his wolf and will always try to persuade you to be near him.”

“I still have a boyfriend, Mrs. Jamieson. I understand that Dax is my mate, but I’m just now learning about mates. I haven’t ended things with Trent, and I feel guilty all the time.

Everyone keeps telling me not to bring him here, but I don’t have a car, and I need to break up with him, right? That’s the right thing to do.

Should I feel pressured to break up with him? Because I do. I can’t stop thinking about Dax.”

Mrs. Jamieson smiled gently. “You don’t need to string Trent along, or he might show up here, and that won’t end well. Perhaps you should spend some time with him.

Your parents set up a fund for you here. I can transfer some to your account for a vehicle.”

My mouth dropped open. “They left me money?”

She nodded. “They did. It’s enough for a used car if you want to get one. That way, you can go see Trent and decide what you need to do.”

A wave of excitement washed over me. Grammy never had much money and never mentioned my parents leaving me any. “That would be great. Thank you.”

She nodded. “Perhaps we can meet next week to discuss shifting, okay?”

“Sure.”

“I’ll send you an email with a proposed time, and we can schedule from there. In the meantime,” she said, pulling out a card, “the lunas wanted me to give this to you. It’s for a sorority for the lunas on campus.”

I cringed. I’d never been interested in joining organized groups or socializing with a bunch of girls. “Do I have to?” I asked.

“It’s entirely up to you, but it might be nice to have friends other than your roommate, don’t you think?”

I shrugged. “I guess.”

“Drop by their house. It’s on the other side of campus, and you can talk to the president. She’s a really nice girl.”

“Alright,” I conceded, rising from my seat as she did. “I appreciate the information. Can I take this with me?”

“Absolutely, it’s yours to keep. I’ll see you next week. Try to stay out of trouble, okay?”

I nodded, even though it felt like trouble had a knack for finding me these days.

As I stepped out of the library, the sun had already set. The newfound knowledge about my parents was comforting, and I was eager to learn more about Amber. Would she remember me? Accept me? Want to meet me?

I was crossing the courtyard when my wolf decided to voice her opinion.

~“Let’s find Dax,”~ she suggested.

I rolled my eyes. “I’ve had enough of Dax for one day, thank you very much. Besides, I can’t bear to face him right now. I’m still mortified from practically throwing myself at him the first time we were alone.”

~“He’s your mate. You’re meant to be with him. Find him, now,”~ she insisted.

“No.”

I continued towards my dorm, but his scent wafted towards me on the evening breeze. The willow trees swayed ominously in the wind, and I wasn’t in the mood for a late-night adventure.

~“I smell him. Go look. Find him,”~ she urged.

“It’s dark and I’m tired,” I retorted. “I’m going back to the dorm.”

Her growl echoed in my mind, but I chose to ignore it. I wasn’t in the mood for an internal argument. I wanted to research Amber and…

“Ouch!” I yelped.

My wolf moved, a sensation I didn’t know she could induce, and my body jerked towards the open field on my left. “Stop it,” I hissed.

She did it again. Heat pulsed from within me, and sweat began to bead on my skin as if I had a sudden fever. “What are you doing?” I demanded.

~“Go to him,”~ my wolf commanded. ~“I want to see him.”~

A fiery heat spread across my skin from the inside out. I tugged off my T-shirt, unable to bear the sensation of it against my overheated skin.

I found myself moving towards the field against my will. I tried to resist, but she pushed harder.

“So hot,” I muttered, kicking off my shoes. “Stop it, mutt,” I hissed. “I’m not going…”

~“We’re going,”~ she declared. ~“We’re going to find our mate.”~

Before I knew it, I was sprinting through the field, shedding my clothes as my insides felt like they were on fire.

I wanted to scream for help, but I didn’t want to draw attention to the fact that I was stripping in the middle of a field.

~“He’s near. Find him. Now. Go. Stop resisting,”~ she howled.

“Oh. My. God. Leave me alone!” I shouted.

But it was too late. I was dashing through the tall grass in my underwear, trying to outrun the lunatic in my head. Sweat trickled down my forehead and raced down my back. ~Why am I so sweaty?~

~“Mate. Mate!”~ she shouted.

“Stop it!” I yelled. “We’re going back to the dorm.” I tried to turn around, but she pulled me forward, and I stumbled onto the grass.

I heard voices nearby, deep and resonant, unmistakably male. ~Great. Just peachy~. I’m having a fight with my wolf, in the middle of a field, at night, and I’m half naked.

“Leave me alone!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.

~“Mate,”~ she said, her voice filled with satisfaction.

I looked up at the starlit sky and into Dax’s eyes. They weren’t as friendly as they had been in the gym.

“What ~in the hell~ are you doing?” he hissed.

I glanced behind him, noticing a group of alphas standing a few yards away.

“My wolf, she—”

“You’re naked,” he interrupted, his voice deep and angry. He quickly stripped off his T-shirt and helped me to my feet. I felt exhausted from the internal struggle with my wolf, a kind of tiredness I’d never experienced before.

Dax stood in front of me, shielding me from their gazes, and roughly pulled his T-shirt over my head. Before I could protest, he hoisted me over his shoulder and began marching towards Hellman Hall.

“Nice going, wolf,” I muttered.

Dax’s fingers tightened against the back of my thigh. “Just wait until I get you alone,” he grumbled. “I can’t believe they saw you half naked before I did.”

“It’s not my fault. My wolf made me do it,” I defended.

~“Yeah, well now look at our view,”~ she said. ~“You can thank me later. Why don’t you give it a squeeze?”~

She was right. It was a nice ass, but I wasn’t about to squeeze it.

~“Come on. Just once,”~ she coaxed.

“Someone shoot me,” I mumbled.