Chapter 27: Chapter Twenty-Six

DAX

As we rolled into the campus of Werewolf University, a wave of anxiety washed over me. Why on earth was Savannah’s father, Liam, leading us here?

Every second was precious. Savannah’s life was hanging in the balance. The thought of what the lycans might do to her sent my wolf into a frenzy.

Rape? Torture? The possibilities were horrifying, and the detour to Werewolf U was doing nothing to quell my fears.

My fingers clenched around the steering wheel, the urge to storm the university with guns blazing was almost overwhelming.

Liam parked his motorcycle in a lot near the Alpha House, cut his engine, and waited for us to pull up beside him. I jumped out of my Jeep, my wolf barely under control, my patience wearing thin.

~“Why are we here? Where is mate?”~ my wolf growled. ~“Go to mate!”~

“Daxton!” Brax called out, but I ignored him. Even when my dad echoed his call, I didn’t listen.

I stopped just short of Liam, my gaze hard against his weathered face. He seemed unfazed.

“Why ~in the hell~ did you bring us here? Weren’t we supposed to be saving Savannah, ~your daughter?~ Have you forgotten already? We weren’t there when the lycans attacked, I told you that. So why are we here now?”

Liam casually pulled out a cigarette and lit it. The nonchalance of his action made my blood boil. I reached forward, snatched the cigarette from his mouth, and crushed it between my fingers.

“Don’t you care that Savannah could be marked by some lycan, or worse? I came to you for help! ~So help me, help her~!” I yelled.

By then, a few alphas had emerged from the house and were watching from the porch.

Liam swung his leg over his motorcycle and glared at me. “This is why we’re here,” he said, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder at the alphas.

“We can’t fight the lycans alone. I’m your ticket in, they’re our backup.”

Dad placed a hand on my shoulder. “He’s right, son. We need more than just the four of us to take down the lycans. Half of our pack is injured, we need the help.”

His words made sense, so I swallowed my pride. “What’s the first step?”

Liam gave me a look, then pulled out another cigarette, surprisingly relaxed given the circumstances.

“We find out how they knew about the coronation, ensure there are no moles, and then we align with the other wolves.”

He glanced at the alphas. “And one of you should probably ease their minds right now, because I can sense their unease all the way over here.”

He was right. I felt their hostility, too, but I couldn’t blame them.

“I’ll handle them,” Brax said. “Why don’t the three of you ask around campus for any suspicious behavior?”

Liam, Dad, and I headed toward the courtyard in silence. Having Savannah’s dad there, without her knowing him, felt strange.

But after everything he’d told me, I knew it was a good thing I tracked him down. We needed his help, and Savannah needed to know her roots.

“Maybe we should check with the lunas and Savannah’s old roommate, Jaka. I don’t think they’d betray us, but they might have noticed something. It’s worth a shot,” I suggested.

Liam stopped abruptly, tilted his nose into the wind, and his gaze shifted to Hellman Hall. “A lycan has been there,” he said.

I looked at him. “That’s Savannah’s old dorm room.”

Liam met my gaze, his hazel eyes mirroring Savannah’s. It sent a shiver down my spine. I loved Savannah, no matter what, but I wasn’t sure how much I trusted her father.

“Well, let’s go check it out then,” I said.

The RA at the desk looked up from her magazine as we walked in and smiled. Her smile faded quickly when she realized Liam was a lycan.

“Can I ~help~ you?” she asked, removing her bulky headphones and eyeing Liam warily.

“I’m here to see Jaka Smith. It’s important. Can we go up?”

She fiddled with a piercing on her lip, her gaze shifting between the three of us, clearly unsure. I cleared my throat. “We think Jaka might have information about my mate’s disappearance. I need to see her.”

“Savannah is missing?” she asked.

I nodded. “Yes.”

“As long as there isn’t any trouble,” she whispered, giving me a look that said she didn’t trust Liam.

“Everything will be fine. We’ll be down soon.”

She gestured for us to go up. We took the stairs, climbing the three floors quickly, and found ourselves at Savannah’s old room.

I knocked on the door, hoping to hear from Jaka. It was the weekend, so I wasn’t sure if she was in, but I had to try.

When no one answered, I knocked louder. This time, I heard a faint whimper.

“Someone’s in there,” Dad said. “Go inside.”

Instead of breaking the door down like last time, I tugged on the handle until it broke, and the door swung open slowly. The scent of lycan wafted out, but it was stale.

“Jaka?” I called out.

I entered the room slowly, my gaze sweeping over the scene before me. Jaka was huddled in the corner, her face buried in her knees. “Jaka,” I called out, rushing to her side.

She turned away from me, her body shaking as she sobbed. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

I gently tugged at her shoulder, forcing her to look at me. I had to fight back a gasp when she did. Both of her eyes were bruised, her nose crusted with dried blood.

“What… what happened?”

She swiped a hand under her nose, her gaze shifting over my shoulder to where Dad and Liam stood. Fear flickered across her face.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Liam assured her, stepping forward. “I’m Savannah’s dad, and we’re trying to save her.”

Jaka sat up straighter, her strawberry blonde hair sticking to the side of her face, matted with blood. “Savannah is missing?” she asked.

“Lycans took her,” I confirmed.

She shook her head, her sobs growing louder. “It’s all my fault.”

Dad gestured for me to step aside so he could talk to her. He crouched down, his palms cradling her cheeks. “Sweetheart,” he began. “We need you to tell us what happened, okay? Who did this to you?”

She sniffled. “It was the lycan from the football game. Luther. I was on my way home from the auditorium Friday night, the night you left to go back home, and he chased me into the woods…

“He—he beat me up and told me he’d kill my twin sisters if I didn’t tell him where Savannah was.”

I closed my eyes. I couldn’t be mad at Jaka. She was just one lone shewolf against a rabid lycan.

“I’m so sorry, Dax, don’t hate me. I love Savannah. He was going to kill my family…”

“Shh,” Dad soothed, pulling her into a hug. “Everything is okay. You said he came by Friday. What happened after that? Did he leave the campus or what?”

She sniffled again. “We were in the woods by the softball field. When he got the answers he wanted, he kicked me in the head, and I was out cold for I don’t know how long.

“I was afraid to tell anyone, because he said he’d hurt my sisters. So I came back here, and I’ve been here ever since.”

“You need to see the nurse, Jaka,” I told her. “Here.” I scooped her up. “I’ll take you there. Can you two go tell Brax what’s going on? Now we know it wasn’t a mole. I’ll meet you at the Alpha House.”

Dad nodded in agreement and left the room. Liam didn’t move, his gaze fixed on Jaka with a frown. There was empathy on his face, a sight that struck me as odd. I wasn’t used to seeing a lycan show feelings other than rage.

“I’m sorry this happened to you,” Liam finally said before following Dad out of the room.

I carried Jaka to the nurse’s office, explaining the situation. I left her with Missy’s number so she could come and check on her.

When I arrived at the Alpha House, everyone was gathered in the conference room. Liam stood alone in a corner, while the alphas wore stoic expressions.

“We heard about Jaka,” Brax said. “Is she going to be okay?”

I sighed, running my fingers through my hair. “Yes. The nurse thinks she has a concussion, but she’ll be fine. So,” I said, walking over and placing my palms down on the table. “What’s the plan?” I asked Liam.

Liam looked around the room, his heartbeat steady. He didn’t seem fazed being in a room full of alphas. “As I told Dax earlier, I’m going to be the way to the Lycan Kingdom, and from there, I’ll get you all inside.

“I’ve been rogue for fifteen years, but I’m sure they’ll let me in because they will let anyone join their army.

“Once I’m inside, I’ll take down the guards on lookout, one by one, and let you all into the gate. We’ll save… Savannah.”

Kayden scoffed. “What kind of plan is that?” he asked, giving Liam a skeptical look.

“And we’re just supposed to believe him?” Kayden asked, turning to look at me. “Daxton, you’re serious? You want us to walk into the lion’s den… with a lion!”

Sighing, I closed my eyes. “If this were Stephanie, you’d be on board. This is my mate, Kayden. Liam is the only option we have. Do you think he’d hurt his daughter?”

Landon slammed his palms down on the table. “It’s not his daughter I’m worried about. I’m afraid he’s leading us all there to slaughter us. How can we trust him?”

I understood their resistance, I really did, but I had to do whatever it took to save Savannah.

“~Please~,” I mumbled, closing my eyes. “Savannah is with a kingdom of lycans right now. I don’t know what they’re doing to her. If this was one of your mates, you would do it without question. I need help. I’m begging you.”

The room fell silent, and I waited for someone to break it. Kayden mumbled something under his breath, then pushed off the wall. “If you trust him, I trust him.”

Several of the other alphas agreed, and I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. I sighed in relief.

“When do we leave?” Landon asked.

Liam turned his gaze toward me, his eyes serious. “The lycans’ stronghold is about forty minutes south of here. It’s heavily fortified,” he informed me, pulling his motorcycle gloves back onto his hands with a sense of finality.

“I’m familiar with the layout. I was once part of their kingdom. I don’t know this king personally, but I’m acquainted with his family. I should be able to negotiate my way in without too much trouble.”

He fished his phone out of his pocket and handed it to me. “I’ll send you a text once I’m inside, and again after I’ve neutralized the guards. We’ll strategize further from there.”

I quickly punched my number into his phone, then caught his shoulder before he could stride off toward the parking lot. “I know you don’t know Savannah,” I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper. “But I love her. Please, help us rescue her.”

Liam nodded, his expression resolute. “I only found out today that I have a daughter, but I have no intention of letting anyone harm her. I’m not just doing this for you. I’m doing this for her.”

With that, he walked out of the Alpha House, leaving me alone to gather my thoughts. The fear of the unknown wrapped around me like a shroud, rooting me to the spot as the other alphas followed Liam downstairs to their vehicles.

A sharp pain twisted in my stomach. Savannah was likely terrified, probably thinking I had abandoned her. I fought back the tears that threatened to spill, a deep ache settling at the base of my throat.

~“Kill the lycan,”~ my wolf urged.

And I would. I’d slaughter every last one of them that dared to lay a finger on my mate.

~Hold on, Savannah. We’re coming.~