Chapter 15: Chapter Fourteen

DAX

Tension seized my body as Savannah settled onto my lap. I’d yearned for this moment for four long years—four years to hold my mate, to kiss her lips, to whisper our future plans into her ear.

My inner wolf was in a state of chaos, his thoughts a jumbled mess I couldn’t decipher. All I could feel was a whirlwind of emotions and an overwhelming desire to claim her.

Then, his voice cut through the haze.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Savannah jerked away from me, and my gaze followed hers to the figure standing in the doorway of the den.

Trent. Her boyfriend. The unsuspecting obstacle that had thwarted the beginning of my relationship with my mate. Gently, I shifted Savannah to the side and rose to my feet.

~This isn’t going to be good.~

Savannah’s shocked expression told me this was an unexpected visit.

Trent, clad in an LSU T-shirt, was larger than I’d imagined from his photos. He was seething, and I couldn’t blame him.

In his eyes, Savannah was his girlfriend. He wouldn’t understand our bond, and we couldn’t explain it without risking our species and our place at Werewolf U.

“Savannah,” he spat, “~This~ is why you didn’t want me to come see you? You’ve already found some guy to screw around with?”

A lump formed in my throat. I didn’t want him to think ill of my mate, regardless of the circumstances.

“Trent, no,” she protested, moving around me.

He recoiled, his gaze shifting to me. “And you,” he spat. “Trying to sleep with my girlfriend on her first weekend here? Seriously?” He laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Let’s go, Savannah. We’re leaving.”

When she didn’t move, he slid his tongue over his teeth and advanced into the room. My senses were on high alert for countless reasons.

My wolf began to pace restlessly, his anxiety knotting inside me.

I’d been in fights before, but never with a human. My wolf was urging me to shift, but I couldn’t.

Trent wouldn’t stand a chance if I fought him.

I’d get suspended for fighting a human.

I’d potentially break my mate’s heart and land this guy in the hospital. Or worse.

I wanted to knock Trent’s head clean off his shoulders, shatter his pride so he’d never even think about Savannah again. He’d forget she ever existed.

~Savannah is mine, and she’ll always be mine.~

My fingers curled into a tight fist.

“Trent, don’t,” Savannah pleaded, trying to position herself between us, but he shoved her aside.

~“No mercy,”~ my wolf growled.

Swallowing my pride, I cleared my throat. “You need to leave, now,” I said calmly.

Trent stopped inches from me. His piercing blue eyes and blond hair painted the picture of a golden boy, the polar opposite of me.

“Oh yeah?” he challenged. “You gonna screw my girlfriend and then make me leave, huh?”

He shoved my chest, but I didn’t budge. A flicker of shock—or was it anger?—crossed his face. My wolf was clawing at the confines of my skin, begging to be released so he could tear Trent apart.

Savannah tried to intervene, but he pointed a finger at her and snapped, “Stay out of this. I’ll deal with you later.”

I slapped his arm down, causing him to stumble. “Don’t talk to her like that. And you won’t do anything with her later, because this is ending right now. Go back to LSU and don’t come back.”

Trent turned to Savannah. “You told him about me? So you ~know~ we’re together, and you still have your hands on my girlfriend’s ass?”

~“Absolutely,”~ my wolf retorted. ~“What are you going to do about it?”~

When I didn’t respond, because I couldn’t think of a rational response, he shoved me again.

Savannah retreated to the corner of the room to avoid the escalating confrontation as I sidestepped his attempt to hit me. He staggered forward, catching himself on the couch we’d been sitting on moments before.

Our altercation had gone unnoticed due to the loud music and the alcohol flowing freely throughout the house.

Trent spun around and swung wildly at me. A part of me felt sorry for him, walking in on us like that.

It wasn’t fair to him, and I was man enough to admit it. I didn’t want Savannah to bear the brunt of the fallout.

“Trent! Just stop!” Savannah shouted.

But he didn’t. He charged at me like a linebacker, aiming his shoulder at my stomach, using his weight to try and take me down.

It didn’t work, and I easily tossed him back onto the floor. He chuckled as he got back up, determination burning in his eyes. He didn’t want to lose to me, not in front of her.

Trent raised his fists in a fighting stance, and I shifted uncomfortably.

If this went on much longer, I would hurt him. I could feel my wolf vibrating within me.

“Trent—” Savannah began.

But he was too determined to back down. I understood. Savannah had been his first. He loved her. It was evident in his face. He wanted to fight for her.

And he deserved that chance. So, I let him hit me.

~“Dax! Seriously?”~ my wolf roared. ~“Beat him down! Kill him!”~

The dominant part of me bristled at the blow, but the human side of me understood. And judging by the look of admiration in Savannah’s eyes, I knew I’d made the right call.

She was aware that I could finish him in a heartbeat, but the fact that I’d taken his pride into account meant something to her.

“You just had to fall for the one guy on steroids, Savannah.”

“You don’t understand,” she murmured.

“No!” he bellowed. “I don’t understand. How could you do this to me? I loved you. And you just cast me aside in the first week of school? Did I mean nothing to you?”

Tears welled up in her eyes. I wanted to go over to her, wipe away her tears, and assure her that I’d never speak to her like that. That we’d never find ourselves in this situation again.

Trent ran his fingers through his hair and took a deep breath. “Go ahead and cry like you care,” he muttered. “I’m leaving and I won’t be back.”

He tossed something at her feet and stormed out of the den. Some of the alphas made their way to the den entrance, but I hadn’t even noticed they were there.

Savannah approached me and studied my face. “Thank you,” she whispered.

I motioned for her to follow him. “Make amends.”

~“No!”~ my wolf roared. ~“Make her stay. Grow a pair, Allaire!”~

I ignored him and headed for the door that led out of the den. The night air stole my breath away.

The other alphas called after me, but I didn’t look back. I sprinted toward the Alpha House.

My wolf struggled to shift, but I pushed back, just wanting to reach my room and escape the limelight for a moment. Most of the alphas were at the beta party, so I was met with silence.

It was deafening.

I couldn’t stop picturing her comforting him. I knew she’d chosen me, but the thought of her dealing with him just yards away, drove a dagger into my heart.

I slammed my door, shaking the light fixtures and my lone wall mirror. Rage consumed me, and I kicked my desk chair across the room, shattering the wood into fragments.

Footsteps approached, and I assumed it was either Kayden or Braxton coming to check on me.

~“Go to mate!”~ my wolf screamed.

I gripped the corner of my bookshelf and hurled it against the concrete floor. All the anger that I’d wanted to unleash on Trent poured out of me like a burst dam.

Arms encircled me and dragged me toward my bed, forcing me to sit down. “Calm down,” Braxton said.

He stood over me, waiting to ensure I wouldn’t destroy any more furniture before signaling for Kayden to come inside.

“~Dude~,” Kayden said. “You wrecked your stuff.”

I didn’t respond. I tried to soothe my wolf. He was thirsting for blood like he did at the football game with the lycan.

“My wolf wants to kill him,” I muttered. “I thought you were going to make sure he couldn’t get in.”

Braxton sighed. “He isn’t a lycan, and we’ve been so preoccupied with them that they let him in the front gate. He said he was here to see Savannah, and knowing her situation, they let him in. I’m sorry. I should have double-checked.”

I flung myself backward on my bed and squeezed my eyes shut.

“Are you going to be okay?” Braxton asked. “Do I need to stay the night and make sure the kid gets home in one piece?”

“You let him hit you?” Kayden asked.

Braxton looked at me. “You let him hit you? I’m impressed. That took some willpower.”

“He needed it,” I mumbled. “My wolf is pissed about it, but I knew his pride was hurt, and in his eyes I’m taking his girl away. And ~I am~ taking her away.

She’s finally let her guard down, and I can be the mate she needs. And after that kiss… I can’t imagine not tasting her again. Over and over…”

Braxton patted my leg. “Speaking of…”

I sat up and stared at Savannah’s petite figure in my doorway. “Hey,” she said, wiping the mascara from under her eyes. “You got a second?”

Braxton and Kayden left us alone, and I stood up to close the door behind her. She sniffled, and I could tell she’d been crying.

She sat on the edge of my bed, looking up at me with sorrowful eyes, fiddling with the hem of her dress. “Thank you for not killing him and letting him hit you.”

I stood still, watching emotion play across her beautiful features.

“I’m sorry he came here. I told him not to, that I was going to get a car and come see him. He sensed that I didn’t want him to come.”

“So, it’s over?” I asked.

She looked up at me, her hazel eyes distant. “Yes. I told him I… that it wasn’t going to work out.”

I scratched the back of my neck. “Is it stupid to ask how he took it?”

She chuckled. “Not well. He’s texted me ten times calling me a whore…”

~“Kill him!”~ my wolf shouted.

I swallowed hard. “Maybe I should have hit him. Is he still here? I’m suddenly feeling like a fight.”

She smirked. “He is just angry. He doesn’t mean it, and if he does, oh well, right? I’m not with him anymore.”

She glanced around my room. “Well, I just wanted to check on you. You’re okay, right? I mean, you kind of wrecked your room.”

Surveying the wreckage of furniture, I said, “Yeah, I was struggling to keep from shifting. My wolf is pissed.”

“Mine too.”

“She doesn’t like Trent?”

Savannah let out a soft chuckle. “No, she’s mad he interrupted us.”

“I can’t deny I was pissed about it too.”

She swallowed hard and rose to her feet. “Do you want me to leave? I mean… are there curfews?”

I shook my head slowly. “Not for mates.”

Savannah chewed on her lower lip. “So that means I can stay awhile?”

“You can stay as long as you want,” I assured her.

She kicked off her shoes and stood before me. Without her shoes, she was significantly shorter, but I loved how petite and portable she was.

“You’re making me nervous,” she whispered. “I’m not sure if I should stand, sit, or just leave—”

~“Shut her up,”~ my wolf pleaded.

For once, I agreed. I took a step forward, bent down, and hoisted her onto my hips. She let out a soft squeak as I sat down and positioned her to straddle my lap.

~This is my new favorite position.~

She ran her fingers over the curve of my shoulders and down my deltoids. “You’re so fit,” she whispered. “Before today, I would have never admitted it, but I’ve found myself daydreaming about this. About your kiss.”

I nodded, slowly tracing my mouth against her jaw and up to her ear. “What do you think about it now?” A shiver raced over her skin. “About my kiss,” I asked. “About being my mate?”

Savannah pressed against my hips and clutched my shoulders. “I’ve never wanted anything more in my life,” she whispered. “You, all the time. I don’t want this to end, and I’m afraid it will.”

I pulled back to look at her. “This doesn’t end, Savannah. We’re mated, bound together forever. This is ours for a lifetime.”

She looked uncertain, and I hated it. I threaded my fingers through her hair and lifted her chin so she would look at me.

“We’re going to go as slow as you want or as fast as you want, and it won’t end until the day one of us dies. Do you understand? Mates are for life.”

“What if you get tired of me?”

I chuckled, squeezing her rounded ass in my palm. “I’d never get tired of you, Savannah. It’s impossible for that to happen. Now, kiss me before I break the bed this time.”

She smirked, rolling her hips against mine. I gripped my mattress with my free hand. My wolf begged me to strip her bare, screw her into the mattress until she was a limp mess in my sheets.

But I couldn’t. Not after the night we had. I wanted her one hundred percent on board with me. I needed her to trust me, to know this was forever, before I marked every single inch of her skin with my scent.

Savannah leaned forward and pressed her mouth against mine. The temptation of her taste sent a thrill up my spine and clouded my mind with a haze that threatened to rob me of all rational thought.

She gathered my T-shirt into her fist and mumbled incoherently into my mouth. This night was going to test every ounce of self-control I had left.

And I planned to savor every inch of skin she allowed me to, until the sun rose, or she couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer.

***

The next morning, I was awakened by someone knocking on my door. I stretched my limbs above my head, feeling a small body pressed against mine.

I opened my eyes, gazing down at the top of her head. Her hair was tangled against my chest, her left leg nestled between mine.

I didn’t want to move or wake her, but the knocking persisted, louder this time. It was Sunday morning, couldn’t they take a hint?

Slowly, I shifted her from my body and watched as she flopped down without stirring.

~‘Mate sleeps like the dead,’~ my wolf observed. ~‘Good thing there isn’t a fire.’~

I walked over and opened my door.

Missy Price stood on the other side. As the President of the lunas, her blonde hair was perfect, not a strand out of place. They couldn’t have hand-selected a better picture for a luna than her.

Her half-moon necklace rested against her chest, atop a shirt that buttoned all the way to the top of her neck.

“Daxton Allaire,” she said. “Would Savannah Harper happen to be here?”

Her gaze moved over my shoulder to Savannah asleep in my bed. “Perhaps. Is it important?”

She gave me a stern look. I knew her mate Forrest, who was the complete opposite of her in every way. “Yes, it is. Please wake her.”

I left the door ajar. Savannah stirred when I bent down and nibbled her neck. Her lips were bruised from the night before, and my bite marks littered her skin from neck to thigh.

It was the only way I could vent my frustration on her.

“Five more minutes,” she mumbled.

I chuckled and pulled her up to a sitting position. She opened her heavy-lidded eyes, and the gesture went straight to my dick. “Better stop looking at me like that. You have a visitor.”

She sobered up really quick and glanced over my shoulder. “Oh my God,” she mumbled, searching for her clothes. I pulled a T-shirt from my drawer and handed it to her.

She slipped it on and stopped at my door. “Hello.”

Missy looked her up and down, shaking her head. “We have a lot of work to do,” she said. “I’m here to invite you to Sunday lunch today. You’ve been mated to an alpha, and now you’ll join the lunas.”

Savannah absentmindedly rubbed her shin with her other foot.

“Remember, it’s in an hour. Don’t be late,” Missy called over her shoulder, the epitome of grace as she sauntered away.

Savannah swiveled around, catching her reflection in the mirror. “Oh, for heaven’s sake. Do you think she saw these?” She gestured towards the unmistakable bite marks scattered across her skin.

I offered a noncommittal shrug. “Doubtful.”