Chapter 31: Chapter Thirty

DAX

I’d never seen anything so breathtaking in my entire existence. Savannah’s large form was as massive as mine, perhaps even larger, her fur a pristine white and her eyes a fiery red.

To an outsider, she might have appeared terrifying or strange, but to my wolf, she was perfection. Every unique aspect of her was a revelation, and with each new discovery, my love for her deepened.

Almost as much as I relished the look of sheer terror on the lycan king’s face. If my body hadn’t been wracked with pain, I would have taken him down right then and there.

I knew I wasn’t as powerful as him, a blow to my pride, but I’d be damned if I let him harm my mate.

Now, it seemed irrelevant. Savannah, whether she realized it or not, was more than capable of defending herself.

I’d never encountered a hybrid, not in this era at least, and the fact that there were two in one family was astonishing.

There was so much to uncover about Savannah’s lineage and how she would navigate being a hybrid, but I was committed to helping her. She wouldn’t suffer the same fate as her grandmother.

I’d never rob her of her wolf, no matter the circumstances.

Hansel rose, his chin jutting out defiantly, and began to circle Savannah as if he stood a chance.

Liam’s arm encircled my waist, his voice a whisper, “I’m sorry, she wouldn’t leave you. I tried to get her up the tower.”

I shook my head. “Thank you for trying. I should have known better. Savannah can be stubborn.”

A smirk tugged at the corner of Liam’s mouth. “Well, she comes by it honestly. Her mother was the same way.”

I wanted to inquire about them, but judging by the look on his face, I wasn’t sure he was ready to discuss her.

He helped me to my feet, his gaze shifting over my shoulder where Luther stood, frozen in shock.

I wanted to believe all of this chaos was because of him, but it seemed Hansel had set his sights on Savannah long before that football game.

The fear etched on his face was a sight for sore eyes, and if he weren’t a threat, I would have let him go. But remembering the rage in his eyes on multiple occasions, and what he did to Jaka, I knew we couldn’t.

Hansel’s manic laughter echoed through the courtyard. His usually well-groomed hair was disheveled. He looked more wild than ever, especially after being undermined by one of his own.

“You are half lycan,” he declared. “Which means you answer to me! And I won’t tolerate two rogue lycans in my midst. Guards!” he bellowed, but when no one responded, fear crept into his features.

Liam had taken out the wall guards, while the others from my pack dealt with the rest. Hansel was defenseless, and it was evident in every move he made.

Savannah pawed at the ground, a piercing howl slicing through the air, shattering any hope Hansel had of escaping alive. “Luther!” he cried out, but Luther remained motionless.

He stood still, watching the tragic scene unfold before him. Savannah began to circle Hansel, almost taunting him with the wait, her canines bared menacingly.

“Savannah,” he pleaded. “You saw me fight your mate. I’m stronger than him. Don’t you want a mate that’s as strong as you?”

She snorted, pawing at the earth, her head lowered, and she growled deeply at him.

~What a desperate attempt.~ But I didn’t blame him. He knew she was going to end him, and would say whatever he could to deter her from it.

He shifted quickly, but this time he seemed unsure of himself, not the dominant lycan he’d been before, and I didn’t blame him.

I didn’t know the extent of Savannah’s strength, but I knew by the way she tossed him earlier that she was more powerful than him.

The difference in their size was stark. Even a royal lycan seemed small and fragile against Savannah. She looked more wolf than lycan, but in her face, the eyes and sneer, it screamed lycan all the way.

Her gaze shifted toward mine, where I stood, clutching my ribs, waiting for them to heal. Something sparked in my stomach at her stare.

~What is she waiting for?~

Liam cleared his throat. “She’s waiting for her alpha’s approval. It’s because she’s a luna,” he whispered.

~A luna. My luna.~ I’d forgotten in the chaos that lunas sought permission when the situation called for it. Of course, half lycan or not, she still carried the luna gene.

I gave her a swift nod, and she lunged at Hansel. Gripping his neck, she flung him around like a rag doll, jerking him from left to right until he howled in pain.

A rustling from my left caught my attention, and I turned to see Luther fleeing, leaving Hansel to fend for himself… against his supposed queen.

My wolf’s deep chuckle made me smile.

My ribs had almost healed, enough that I could intercept Luther before he escaped the courtyard. I shifted and charged at his human form, slamming into him from the side, causing him to crash into the building to our right.

He staggered into the brick, turning, he caught my gaze and looked terrified, but shifted anyway, because I wasn’t giving him any choice.

The nights I spent fearing for Savannah’s life, the way he treated and threatened Jaka, him laying his hands on my mate, it all came crashing down on me like a torrential downpour, washing away any resistance I had to fighting him to begin with.

He clawed at my fur, his nails digging into me like a desperate child being dragged from their room, but I didn’t feel it.

With a swift, brutal motion, I tore at his throat, flinging him from side to side until his struggles ceased. I wasn’t one to toy with my prey—I lacked that kind of cruel spirit. Threats were dealt with swiftly and decisively.

Some alphas reveled in the pain they inflicted on others. I wasn’t one of them. I shifted back into my human form, hurrying back to the courtyard to find an unfamiliar face.

A petite girl stood by the fountain, her hair a wild curtain obscuring her face. Her clothes were tattered, and dried blood stained her long T-shirt. She looked undernourished and frail, but not so weak that she couldn’t keep her gaze fixed on Savannah standing over Hansel. Liam caught my attention from the steps of the guard tower, a look of concern etched on his face.

“Stop!” she cried out, her voice hoarse and raspy. “He’s my mate! Stop!”

Savannah glanced over her shoulder at the girl. She must have recognized her, because she froze long enough for Hansel to strike at her throat.

Blood spurted out, soaking her pristine white fur. She backed away from Hansel, shaking her head and whimpering in pain.

Liam seized the opportunity. Shifting into his wolf form, he charged at Hansel and snapped his neck with one swift, lethal movement.

The girl by the fountain let out a scream—a scream I’d only heard once before when a pack member lost their mate. “No!”

She crumpled to her knees, her hands covering her face. Her scent revealed her to be human. A lycan king had mated with a human?

I didn’t have time to ponder this, as Savannah’s pain hit me like a punch to the chest, stealing my breath.

I rushed to her side, dropping to my knees and catching her transitioning form in my arms.

Claw marks marred her neck, blood oozing from them slowly. Her beautiful hazel eyes stared up at me. “I hurt,” she whispered.

I nodded, stroking her hair. I looked at Liam. “Signal my dad. We need our pack doctor,” I said, keeping my voice steady so as not to frighten her.

Savannah watched me closely, her eyes roving over my face as if she might never see it again. “What do I look like?”

I managed a smirk, listening to Liam shift and signal for the pack to come. “Your fur is pearly white,” I murmured, brushing my thumb against her bottom lip. “And you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

She smiled, and blood bubbled out of the corner of her mouth. “I’m bigger than you,” she said, her breaths coming in harsh gasps. “Feel emasculated?”

I laughed, fighting back tears. “I’m still the man and you know it.”

Savannah’s eyes fluttered closed, but she managed a weak smile. Her body began to shiver as the pack closed in around us.

Before I knew it, we were being whisked away to the outskirts of the kingdom, where our pack doctor had stayed for safety.

Liam stopped me at the tree line, and I noticed he was holding the small girl by the back of her T-shirt. She was crying and clutching her stomach.

She was in pain because he had died, and part of me wanted her to suffer for distracting Savannah. But I knew she didn’t know any better.

“Bring her with us. We can’t leave her to die.”

Liam tugged her along toward our pack, where they lifted Savannah into the backseat of the pack doctor’s truck.

I climbed in with her, letting her head rest against my lap. I watched as her wounds began to heal slowly and her eyes closed in exhaustion.

***

I woke the next morning in our bed at the pack house. The spot next to me looked slept in, with the covers thrown back, but Savannah wasn’t there.

The pack doctor had stayed over in the spare room in case of an emergency, but she woke me around five that morning to say she was leaving because Savannah had completely healed.

She’d healed quickly, considering the depth of the wounds, and I felt relief for the first time in days. I threw back the covers and followed Savannah’s scent into the kitchen.

The aroma of coffee, a luxury rather than a necessity for us, filled the heavy morning air. She stood with her back to me, wearing one of my T-shirts that showcased her toned legs.

“Good morning,” she said without turning around.

I moved toward her, trapping her against the kitchen counter, pressing my hips against the rounded curve of her backside. “Good morning,” I murmured.

A smile tugged at her lips, and she turned to face me. “It feels good to be here,” she said, her fingertips tracing a path up my chest, to my shoulders. “It almost feels like a dream.”

I agreed and bent down to capture her mouth with mine. The need I had for her made me feel wound tight. My mate. My luna.

It’d been one hell of a ride the last few days, and knowing she was finally safe with me, without some lycan king at our heels, or the unknown, made me release a much-needed sigh of relief.

She giggled when I lifted her onto the counter and pressed myself into her opened legs. The taste of her tongue sent a wave of heat coursing through me.

Savannah moaned deeply, tugging at the hair at the nape of my neck, before pulling away to rest her forehead against mine. “I knew you’d come for me,” she said.

“Of course I would, Savannah. You’re my luna. I will always come to save you.”

She swallowed and looked away. I tipped her chin back with my fingers to meet her gaze. “What is it?”

“What is your pack going to think about me, Daxton? I’m half lycan. Will they even accept me like this?”

I didn’t know, and I didn’t care. “Baby,” I whispered. “Don’t worry about that—”

“But I ~am~ worried about it. I’m scared to death thinking about it, Dax. Not only the pack, but what about going back to Werewolf U?”

“Will they judge me? Will they fear me? Will the Lunas still accept me? I’ve missed so much class—”

“Savannah,” I interjected gently, “Take a breath. We’re going to navigate this together, okay? There’s a lot we need to figure out about your situation first. Your dad spent the night at the pack house, he might have some answers…”

A sudden knock on the door interrupted us, causing Savannah to startle. The intruder didn’t wait for an invitation, boldly stepping into the room.

“~Well, excuse you~,” I muttered, turning to find my mother standing there, her eyes wide with urgency.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“You need to come quickly. Some of the wolves are threatening Liam.”

Savannah was already on her feet, but I pulled her back. “Pants first, sweetheart.”

She grimaced but dashed down the hallway, returning moments later in a pair of jeans that I was already looking forward to helping her out of later.