Chapter 20: Chapter Nineteen

SAVANNAH

I’d never seen Dax so furious before. Not when I’d fled from him at the Alpha House, not when I’d splashed my drink in his face, or even during the initial lycan attack.

His entire body was trembling, as if he was battling to prevent himself from shifting. He crumpled the note into a ball and left it abandoned on the table.

Braxton attempted to soothe him as he stormed out of the cafeteria, but it seemed to have no effect.

The next three days passed and I barely saw him. Braxton reassured me he was okay, that he’d taken it upon himself to scour the town and assume responsibility for lycan duty at night.

I’d never been in a relationship with a werewolf before, let alone an alpha, so I wasn’t sure if vanishing for days on end was typical or not, but my wolf despised it.

~“Go find him,”~ she urged. ~“I’m tired of being cooped up in here. Go find mate!”~

I sighed and traced my fingertips along the crease of my mother’s diary. Jaka had noticed the day before that there wasn’t just a gap, but the pages had been ripped out.

An entire year’s worth of entries. I couldn’t comprehend what that meant.

Jaka knocked on my door around dinner time and entered with a plate of food. “Knock. Knock.”

I drew my knees up to my chin and felt my stomach react to the aroma of the food. Jaka pushed her bangs from her forehead and placed my food on my nightstand.

“How are you feeling?” she asked.

“I’m fine, just confused. Is it normal for an alpha to just disappear without telling you where they are going?”

Jaka frowned. “He believes this is the best way to protect you.”

“By leaving me alone?”

“No, he knows you aren’t alone, Savannah. He believes being out in the field is the best way for him to protect his luna. He’s terrified you’ll be on the receiving end of that bite next time.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I’m pissed he hasn’t checked in,” I mumbled. “He could have at least texted me.”

“I agree,” she said, picking up my plate. “You need to eat. You missed lunch today. Tomorrow you’re going to Dax’s pack, aren’t you?”

I nodded and took a bite of bacon. “Yeah. My stomach is in knots because of it. I don’t even want to go. What if they don’t like me? Or sense my hostility with Dax?”

Jaka patted my knee. “At least you’ll get a break from poise lessons. I wanted to die of boredom for you during that silverware lesson yesterday.”

I chuckled. “It was boring, and stupid. We never worried about silverware growing up.”

“I think no one really cares about it, they are just pretending.”

I picked up a piece of bacon with my fork and took a bite, making Jaka laugh. Her gaze shifted to the diary on my bed.

“You know, Savannah, I was thinking about the diary. Maybe it’s a good thing that she ripped those out. If that was a bad time in her life, maybe she didn’t want you to read about that.”

I shrugged. “Yeah, I guess it’s a good thing.”

Jaka stood up. “I’m going to run to my dorm room for some clothes. You want me to stay the night again?”

“I’m not a baby,” I mumbled.

“I know you aren’t,” she said. “But I don’t like that you’re staying here alone and sad. I’ll be back in thirty.”

Jaka left me to my food, and I ate it in a hurry, because I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until I started eating. I checked my phone for the thousandth time to no avail, and I felt myself grow irritated.

Instead of stewing, I decided to take a shower and try to forget about the incomplete feeling gnawing at me.

I slipped into the shower and felt myself immediately relax.

~“Go find mate,”~ my wolf said.

I closed my eyes and continued to wash my hair. I couldn’t sit around and wait for him like some kind of thirteen-year-old girl. I had poise lessons, my studies, and a ball to worry about.

The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I’d texted him ten times that first day, worried he’d shifted and got lost, or was hurt.

I didn’t know much about shifting or werewolves, but I knew that a text back was common decency. I rinsed out my shampoo and squirted conditioner into my hand.

“He chases me for weeks,” I mumbled. “And now he’s gone for three days without a word?”

I slammed my conditioner down and grabbed my body wash, lathering it down my body. “Now he expects me to sit here and wait, like some kind of damsel.”

By the time I’d washed the soap off my body, I was seething all over again. I stepped out and wrapped a towel around me, staring at myself through the steam of my bathroom mirror.

The door to my room opened and slammed. I thought it was Jaka at first, until I smelled his scent. It sent me on a roller coaster. First, I felt relieved he was okay, and then, I was furious again.

Then excited.

Then furious.

I slammed my fist down on the counter of my bathroom.

The bathroom door opened, and my mouth dried as he filled the doorjamb. His hair was disheveled, his shirt was missing, and he wore a pair of athletic pants that I knew he’d picked up from somewhere around campus.

He’d been running with his wolf.

I turned to face him, relishing the way his gaze swept over me from head to toe. “You’re mad,” he said.

“I’m ~pissed~,” I declared, my voice firm. “You’ve been absent since Tuesday. We’re supposed to leave for your family’s place tomorrow, and you haven’t returned a single one of my calls all week.

I’m not that kind of girl, Daxton. I won’t just sit around, pining for you while you ignore me for days on end.”

A glint of gold flickered in his eyes as he took two steps toward me. “You think I’ve been having a good time, Savannah?

I’ve been falling apart inside, terrified that a lycan will break in and harm you. I’ve spent every waking moment—”

“Away from me!” I cut him off, jabbing my finger into his chest. “I’ve missed you. Don’t you think sleep would help? Who better to protect me than you? If you’re here, they can’t hurt me.”

Dax let out a dry chuckle, dragging his palm roughly down his face. “You don’t understand,” he hissed. “It’s my duty to help protect the school.

The lycan is furious with me, and he’s already bitten a freshman. I can’t have anyone’s blood on my hands.”

I pressed my lips into a thin line. I wanted him to understand me, but he wasn’t listening. My frustration was reaching boiling point, and I could feel my wolf starting to pace. She wanted out, and I didn’t know how to let her free yet.

I shoved Daxton’s chest, but he didn’t budge. He caught my wrist the second time I tried to push him.

“Don’t hit me,” he whispered. “My wolf has been in control for days, and I can’t promise I can restrain him now.”

I didn’t know what that meant, and I didn’t care. I shoved him harder with my other hand, and quickly realized what he meant about not being able to control his wolf.

He moved so swiftly, I didn’t even realize he’d lifted me, cleared my lotions and soaps off the counter, and roughly set me on top.

The fire in his eyes sent every hair on my body standing on end. With rough, callused palms, he gripped my neck in one hand and fisted my hair with the other.

“I said, ~don’t hit me~,” he whispered against my lips.

I took short, shallow breaths to keep myself together. His anger poured out of him and I felt it when he leaned down and kissed me. It was an angry kiss that stole my breath and made me submit.

I’d never submitted to a man before, and I’d never planned to.

But I couldn’t stop it.

Daxton kissed me roughly, his fingers tight around my neck and his hand pulling at my hair, positioning my mouth however he wanted.

Daxton kissed me until my body felt limp, and until I knew that Jaka would have to help me cover the marks of his fingerprints on my body.

With a swift movement, he pulled my towel from my chest, and my nipples hardened from the cool air filtering into the bathroom.

Daxton pulled away from my mouth, his golden gaze dropped to my breasts, and I watched as he clearly battled something within himself.

I wanted it. I wanted him to end my misery.

Daxton let out a humorless chuckle, leaning down he pressed his mouth against my neck and inhaled.

“If I had any sense about me, I’d screw you on this counter right now for talking back to me, and put my mark wherever I please,” he said, his voice sounding deeper than before.

Was it his wolf that made that happen?

I didn’t know.

He fisted my towel, and brought it up to my chest, barely covering me. “Next time you talk back to me, I’ll make sure that you can’t walk the next day.”

Heat rushed to my thighs, leaving my legs trembling at the promise. I wanted that now. I opened my mouth to say it, but my wolf begged me not to.

It was the one time she told me to back down. When his wolf was in charge, she submitted.

I bit the corner of my lip so hard I tasted blood.

My room door opened, and I heard Jaka’s footsteps stop abruptly. She turned toward the door and then to us several times before she spoke. “I should leave, right? This looks like a private moment.”

Dax stepped back from me. “I’ll be here in the morning to pick you up,” he said, his gaze dropped to my chest. “Remember what I said.”

He stormed out of the bathroom, leaving me a shivering mess on the counter. Jaka poked her head inside and walked over. “Are you okay? You look like a ghost.”

I opened my mouth but shut it. What could I say after that, better yet, how did I plan to get off the counter without my trembling legs giving out.

“Think you can carry me?” I asked.

***

The next morning, Missy woke me with a to-do list as long as the Declaration of Independence. She made a checklist to ensure I had everything I would need for the coronation on Saturday.

I’d fallen asleep only three hours before she woke me, because Dax left me shaken. I’d never seen that side of him. Jaka said it was his wolf being in control that made him so… dominant.

Being an alpha came with a lot of ups and downs that I would learn about the further I got in school.

Missy sat on top of my suitcase, while I zipped it, and she dusted off her hands. “There,” she said. “Now you’re ready.”

I let out a shaky breath. “If you say so.”

Missy gave me a sympathetic look. “They are going to love you, Savannah. Don’t doubt yourself. Just remember what I told you about the entrance, be yourself, and everything will fall into place.

The door swung open, and Dax strolled in. A rush of warmth spread through me as I recalled the events of the previous night. I’d spent a good deal of time mulling it over, and the more I did, the clearer it became.

Missy planted a swift kiss on my cheek before excusing herself. Daxton slipped his hands into his pockets, his gaze heavy on me. “Are you ready?” he inquired.

I gestured towards my suitcase. “Yeah, just finished packing.”

Daxton cleared his throat, closing the distance between us. “About last night, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come here with my wolf so close to the surface.”

“I’m not going to pretend like I understand everything, because I don’t, but you don’t have to apologize for your wolf,” I murmured.

Dax’s eyes roamed over my face. “You like him?”

I nodded slowly. “Yes. If you would have asked me that a year ago, hell, even two months ago, I would have called you arrogant.

But now, learning about alphas and wolves, I understand it more now. And my wolf… she likes it, too.”

Dax traced my bottom lip with his thumb. “Well, good, because we’re both stuck with him.” He smirked. “Let me get your bag. We need to get on the road. It’s a four-hour trip.”

Dax hoisted my bags down the steps and towards his Jeep parked in the circular drive.

He tossed it into the back when I heard someone approaching us. Dax sighed loudly and grumbled, “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Randi sauntered towards the Jeep, a bag slung over her shoulder.

“Randi, I know my mother told you that you weren’t riding with us.”

She halted a foot away, cocked her hip to the side and crossed her arms. “My family was invited, and I have the right to go. I can’t help that my car is in the shop. And it’s not my fault your luna is threatened by me.”

~Oh, no she did not.~

I spun around to confront her, coming within inches of her personal space. At first, she squared off with me, determined not to back down.

I shoved her shoulder, daring her to retaliate.

~“Take her down!”~ my wolf yelled.

Randi dropped her bag as if preparing to attack, but I felt a sudden warmth and heaviness. My vision sharpened as if I’d donned a pair of special glasses, and it coursed through my body like a wave.

She clenched her fists as if ready to fight, but then stopped, abruptly.

Her eyes widened and she hastily grabbed her bag. “I’m—I’ll just leave.” She bolted out of the driveway without another glance back.

Daxton turned me to face him. “What was that?” he asked.

I shrugged. “I don’t know. She just ran off. You saw.”

He watched her retreat to her dorm room, then opened my door. “That was… ~weird~.”

I agreed and slid into the passenger seat. My body cooled, and I felt a sense of relief knowing I wouldn’t have to endure a four-hour ride with her in the backseat, ogling my man.

Dax fired up his engine. “Are you ready to meet my family?”

I bit my lip. “As I’ll ever be.”