Chapter 14: Chapter Thirteen

SAVANNAH

Jaka gently rapped on the door, poking her head into the room. “~Knock. Knock~,” she murmured.

I looked up from my bed, a place I hadn’t vacated since Dax’s departure. A part of me was paralyzed by humiliation, while the other part was simply too drained to move.

“He’s gone, Jaka.”

She darted in, tossing her shower caddy aside and dragging her desk chair close to my bed. “Spill the beans.”

I groaned, pulling my pillow over my face. “There’s nothing to spill,” I mumbled into the fabric.

She yanked the pillow away. “Dax brought you in here, you were wearing his T-shirt, and he asked me to leave. Something definitely happened.”

I sat up, sighing. “Yeah, my wolf compelled me to seek him out, I ended up stripping, and all the alphas got an eyeful. Quite the scandal.”

She wrinkled her button nose. “Embarrassing,” she muttered.

“You’re telling me. I got so hot I couldn’t stand the feel of fabric on my skin.”

She nodded, pulling her knees to her chin. “That happens when you first get your wolf. They want you to shift, but you need to learn how to transition smoothly. I’m sure they’ll help you with that.”

The idea of shifting didn’t thrill me. It terrified me, to be honest. But it seemed like there was no other path for me. I was a werewolf, and that wasn’t going to change.

My phone buzzed on my nightstand, Trent’s smiling face lighting up the screen. Guilt washed over me like a wave. He didn’t deserve this, and I couldn’t do it over the phone.

He deserved more than that.

Jaka made a face and walked over to her desk. I cleared my throat and picked up.

“Hey,” I said.

“Babe, I’ve been texting you all day. What’s up? Is everything okay?”

~No. Everything isn’t okay. Everything’s gone to hell in a handbasket.~

“Uh, yeah, I’ve just been swamped with classes. How about you? Everything going well?”

I heard him rustling around on the other end and a door closing. “Sorry, my roommate is trying to study. Yeah, everything’s great. My classes are awesome. But I miss you. I didn’t think two weeks would feel so long.”

“Yeah, for sure.”

“The fifteenth is next week. I can’t wait to come see you.”

~Here we go…~

“~Actually~, I found out my parents left me some money, and I’m going to buy a used car with it. I can come see you.”

Jaka glanced over her shoulder, giving me a knowing look, which I chose to ignore. I needed to see Trent in person to break up with him. It would be hard, but I couldn’t ignore this mating thing, and Trent deserved better.

He was silent for a few seconds, which surprised me, since he had always wanted me to get a car.

“Oh yeah? I was hoping to come see your dorm room and check out the infamous Werewolf University. You’ve been on a tour to LSU, none of us had heard of Werewolf U before you got accepted.”

I cringed. “I want to drive my new car.”

“You haven’t gotten it yet,” he countered.

“I’m going to get it,” I mumbled. “And besides, I need a break from this campus. I want to visit my grandmother. I haven’t heard from her since I moved.”

“Are you trying to keep me from your dorm room?”

I fiddled with a loose thread on my comforter.

~Why, yes, yes, I am.~

“Are ~you~ trying to keep me from yours?” I retorted.

Trent chuckled, but there was no humor in it. “Are you ashamed of me or something?”

“What?” I exclaimed, exasperated. “Seriously, Trent, when have I ever been ashamed of you?”

“~I dunno~,” he snapped. “Since you moved to college and stopped answering your texts.”

I wanted to scream at him, because he had ~no idea~ what I’d been through since moving here.

“I’ve been busy today. I met with my adviser about my parents, and she gave me a lot of information about them that Grammy never told me. Can’t you understand that?”

He huffed. “So that meeting lasted all day?”

~I bet Dax wouldn’t act like this~. I bit my tongue, stopping myself from comparing the two. It wasn’t fair to Trent.

“No, I’m sorry,” I said. “But I don’t understand why you’re so upset.”

“Because you’re hiding me,” he said.

“I’m not!” I shouted. “I’m not hiding you. I just want to come see you instead.”

The silence on the other end was deafening. I fought the urge to throw my phone, but it already had a cracked screen from the alpha party.

“Whatever, Savannah. I have to go.”

He hung up.

I stared at the ~call ended~ screen and looked over at Jaka.

“~Ooooh, girl~. I’d slap someone.”

“He’s overreacting. I can’t let him come here. It would be a disaster,” I said.

Jaka pulled on a nightshirt and hopped into her bed. “You’re telling me. You better get that car fast, because we don’t need Trent walking into the wolves’ den.”

As Friday morning dawned, I found myself staring at my phone screen. The notification of a deposit into my bank account didn’t surprise me as much as the amount did.

It was as if my parents had left me their entire life’s savings. It was enough for a used car, a house in the future—everything.

I pocketed my phone, a knot of nervousness forming in my stomach as I headed towards the practice field. Despite having mastered the double-leg takedown, I was apprehensive.

I knew I’d be the talk of the campus after last night’s incident. And I was right. The whispers that followed me across the campus and towards the field were impossible to ignore.

In fact, some of the alphas even whistled at me as I approached my class. I could feel my cheeks heating up, and my ears began to ring.

“Nice tits, Savannah,” someone muttered, causing a ripple of laughter among the alphas.

Jaka offered me a reassuring smile, but I couldn’t summon the courage to return it. Then a shadow fell over me, and I felt his presence close by.

His growl sent shivers down my spine. “The next person that says, or even thinks, about what happened last night will get their teeth knocked down their throat.”

The crowd fell silent, and I wished I could crawl into the hole at the base of the willow and disappear. “Any urges to take off your clothes this morning,” he whispered into my ear.

Despite the feeling of shame, I found myself smiling. “Not today, but my wolf has been pretty quiet. Maybe she isn’t a morning person.”

His chuckle sent a shiver down my spine, raising goosebumps on my back. When I finally gathered the courage to turn and face him, my breath hitched in my throat.

He looked devilishly good in his athletic pants, and his scent made my mouth water.

“If anybody gives you any crap today, you come tell me. I’ll take care of it.”

And I knew he would.

I nodded, but I had no intention of running to him with every little thing that bothered me.

“Class. We’re going to review last week’s double-leg takedown and move on to front push kicks. Let’s get ready.”

We moved onto the mats, and I faced Dax head-on. It was different this time, not as hostile as before, and it stirred something within me.

~Oh, great.~

Daxton winked at me, and my stomach clenched.

~“Well, good morning, Daxton,”~ my wolf said. ~“Nice to see you again.”~

~***~

After an hour of defense with Daxton, my heart was racing so fast, I felt as if I could fly. Every time he caught my thigh in my front push kick, or his fingers brushed against my skin, my wolf urged me to jump him.

Not that I didn’t want to, because I did, especially when he flashed me a smile that made me question my sanity, or whether my panties would make it back to my dorm room intact.

I fought her this time, or maybe she was just behaving better because I was accepting my time with him and not fighting it. Either way, I was grateful I didn’t embarrass myself again.

Daxton waited for me after class, rubbing the back of his neck, looking like he was wrestling with something.

Jaka nudged my shoulder and jogged off towards her class. I still didn’t understand everything about werewolves, or mating, but I knew Daxton was mine, and I needed to tread lightly.

I didn’t want to fully understand it all, only to realize I’d pissed off my mate in the process.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hi,” I replied quietly.

Amusement flickered across his face at my shyness. It was a stark contrast to the ~get away from me~ attitude I’d had since the night of the alpha party.

“What are you doing tonight?” he asked. “Any plans?”

~“Ooohh, he’s going to ask us out,”~ my wolf said. ~“Stop slouching. Act interested.”~

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. “Not really. Jaka mentioned a beta party. Do alphas go to beta parties? Do ~I~ go to beta parties?”

He chuckled deeply. “If you want to go, ~we go~.”

We go. He was leaving the decision up to me. From what I’d gathered in my short time here, alphas were usually in charge. I appreciated him giving me the chance to make the decision.

“We go?” I asked. “You want me to go with you?”

Daxton swallowed heavily, his gaze dropping to my parted lips. “~Ummhmm~,” he mumbled. “I can’t imagine being anywhere else.”

His deep voice sent a thrill down my spine, and I felt a surge of happiness at the thought of spending time with him outside of class.

I wasn’t sure if it was the appearance of my wolf making me realize how much I wanted him, or if I’d finally accepted my fate. Either way, I wanted to go with him.

“Okay,” I said, tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear. “Then we go to the beta party.”

His dark gaze lingered on my face. “I’ll meet you there.”

***

Jaka held up a red, thigh-length party dress to me, and nodded. “This goes so good with your skin tone. And Dax isn’t going to be able to keep his hands off you, Savannah. I’m totally jelly.”

I eyed the short fabric. “I don’t know, Jaka. I’m not really a ~get dressed up~ kind of girl.”

She turned around and grabbed a purple dress for herself. “Get over it. You’re a luna now, and lunas get dressed up and go to parties, coronations, meetings, and yada yada. Dresses are definitely in your future.”

I turned around and looked at myself in the mirror. “I guess I can try it on.”

“Absolutely, you’re going to try it on, and we’re going to do something with your hair. This is the first time your mate is getting to see you without you snarling at him. It’s crucial.”

Half an hour later, I was in the red dress, and a pair of wedges that I had to argue with Jaka about. She was adamant that I wear a pair of pencil-thin heels, but I was firm in my refusal.

What if I needed to make a quick escape?

Eventually, she relented, and we made our way toward the beta house together. Other she-wolves were also heading in the same direction, and I felt a wave of anxiety seeing that all the girls were dressed to the nines.

I held onto Jaka’s hand tightly as we approached the beta house, which reminded me of a typical fraternity house. The music was blaring, and the scent of alcohol was thick in the air.

She pulled me through the front door, and toward the kitchen. Someone handed her a cup, and I realized that alcohol probably didn’t affect wolves like it did humans.

Which meant neither did someone trying to spike a girl’s drink. I accepted the cup she handed me, and let my gaze wander across the room. The wolves seemed so carefree, and normal, like a ~normal~ college experience.

Jaka tried to drag me toward the living room, which was being used as a dance floor, but I resisted.

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “I told you, I’m not a dancer.”

She growled at me and squealed when a beta pulled her into the throng of dancing bodies.

I found myself nursing my beer, and trying to find a place to hide, when I felt rough fingertips trace my forearm. “You look good enough to eat, Luna,” he whispered.

I smiled and turned to look up at him. His dark hair was tousled, but in a way that made him look older and more mysterious. The close proximity of the living room had us huddled together.

Unable to stop myself, I glanced down at his well-fitted T-shirt and loose jeans. “I’m glad. Jaka forced me to wear this.”

He smirked. “Remind me to thank her later.”

Someone bumped into me from behind, and I stumbled out of the way. He gestured for me to follow him, and I took his outstretched hand.

He led me toward an old couch in what looked like a den. We were the only ones in the den, and it made me nervous, but also relieved. I couldn’t imagine having a conversation with him anywhere else.

I sat beside him, quickly taking a gulp of my drink for some liquid courage. Dax’s dark gaze shifted to me.

“You’re nervous?” he asked. “After everything you’ve said to me?” he said, rubbing his thumb across my bottom lip. “After last night in the field?”

I laughed. “That’s exactly why I’m so nervous. I’ve been a real hag to you, and I’m sorry.”

“I forgive you,” he leaned in and whispered. “It’s understandable given your situation.” He took a sip from his cup. “Speaking of, what does your grandmother think about everything?”

I shrugged. “She doesn’t know about wolves or anything. She just went with the flow, you know? My mother left behind letters for me to read on special occasions.

Which is strange, because they were killed by a surprise lycan attack.”

Dax’s brows furrowed in concentration. “Lycans killed your parents’ pack?”

I nodded over another sip. “That’s what my folder said.”

“I have your folder in my dorm room,” he said. “I’ll bring it to you tomorrow, or you can come get it tonight.” His gaze met mine.

The thought of being alone in his room together didn’t sound bad. It actually sounded like heaven. Especially considering how hot my skin felt at the moment.

I smirked. “I wouldn’t mind going to get it tonight,” I mumbled.

Daxton’s fingers tightened against my thigh, and he leaned forward, pressing his lips against mine.

~“Finally,”~ my wolf whispered. ~“Straddle him. Tell him you want to go back to his dorm room.”~

“Shut up,” I mumbled into our kiss.

Dax interlaced his fingers into my hair and pulled. “What?” he asked.

“Nothing,” I mumbled, grabbing his T-shirt and pulling him closer. I instantly regretted all those wasted days of ignoring him.

~This~… this was magic in the making. His skilled mouth would be the death of me. Dax’s thick fingers curled around my thigh, and he brought me over to straddle his lap.

His eyes were dark orbs of desire, heavy-lidded and slowly undressing me. “Don’t feel pressured,” he whispered. “I’m down to go as slow as you want—”

I cut him off with a kiss. I needed it so badly I felt I’d unravel if he didn’t kiss me.

One palm sank to the curve of my back and over the rounded mound of my glute, and he squeezed my cheek in his palm.

A hushed cry escaped from my mouth, and he swallowed it into his. Dax tightened his fingers in my hair, and I tightened my thighs around him.

“You taste so good, Luna. I don’t want this to end.”

I realized when he parted my mouth with his tongue that my wolf hadn’t said a word. This wasn’t my wolf’s doing. It was mine, because I wanted him so badly it hurt.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

My eyes snapped open, and I pulled back slowly, watching as Dax’s gaze shifted toward the doorway.

Even if I hadn’t recognized his voice, I would have known by Dax’s fingers tightening against my butt and how possessively he moved me to the side.

As Dax stood up, I locked eyes with Trent, and he was furious.

~This isn’t going to be good.~