Chapter 24: Chapter Twenty-Three

SAVANNAH

Being buried alive had always been my worst fear. That was, until I heard that chilling howl and understood its terrifying implications.

~“Lycans,”~ my wolf whispered.

The revelation was puzzling, considering I’d just discovered my own half-lycan heritage. Why didn’t my wolf recognize her own kind? That was the question I’d been about to ask Dax when the wolf’s signal interrupted us.

Daxton’s arm snaked around my waist, pulling me into his side with a grip that was almost painfully tight. “We need to hide, Savannah,” he said, his voice a calm contrast to the wild rhythm of his heartbeat.

Braxton’s gaze was locked on the woods, his body rigid as another wolf’s howl echoed in the distance. “Get Savannah inside,” he ordered. “And call for the males to come now.”

Daxton guided me towards the back door, his hand firm on my back. I kept my eyes on Amber’s light ones for as long as I could before I had to turn and run with Dax. His parents were waiting on the back porch when we reached it.

His father’s face was a mask of anger, his eyes glinting with a purplish haze. His mother, on the other hand, looked terrified. “Get Savannah to the safe room,” his father commanded.

I struggled to hold back my tears. I’d just been welcomed into their pack, and now lycans were after me. I’d brought danger to their doorstep. Mrs. Allaire stopped me in the doorway, her eyes wide but filled with kindness.

“This is not your fault,” she assured me.

I closed my eyes briefly, allowing a single tear to escape.

I felt like it was my fault. Not that Daxton had fought the lycan, but that if they discovered I was mated, they’d still want me. Because I was one of them… sort of.

Daxton caught my wrist, turning me to face him. His irises were beginning to turn gold, his lips pressed into a thin line. He gently wiped away the tear that had fallen with his thumb.

“I love you, Savannah. No matter what you are, no matter what they say. You’re my luna. Always.”

I swallowed hard, trying to dislodge the lump forming in my throat. “Please don’t go,” I whispered. We’d just marked each other. It was just the beginning.

“I have to go,” he whispered back. “You stay with Mom. You’ll be safe in the safe room. Just do what she says, okay?”

My bottom lip trembled, and Daxton sighed heavily, leaning down to kiss me with a passion that took my breath away. I didn’t care that his parents were watching. In my irrational fear, I didn’t know if I’d ever see him again.

I didn’t know anything about a lycan’s strength versus an alpha’s strength. When Dax pulled back, his eyes had completely turned gold, two fang-like teeth visible over his bottom lip.

It was the first time I’d ever seen him like this. He turned away from me quickly, leaping over the side of the back porch. He shifted in midair.

My wolf howled at the sight of his wolf. He was a deep gray with honey-colored eyes, larger than I could have ever imagined. The moonlight seemed to halo around him, illuminating every detail.

The sight of him pacing in anticipation startled me, and I stumbled backward. He was twice the size of Mrs. Jamieson and his face was fierce. The way he looked at me, I knew I was his, and so did everyone else shifting around him. He pawed at the dirt, turned, and ran into the distance.

Mrs. Allaire tugged on my arm, pulling me back to reality and leading me up the stairs. I didn’t have time to think about anything other than following her to safety.

There were so many rooms that I didn’t know where we were when we finally stopped.

There were bookshelves and a desk. It looked like an office. Mrs. Allaire left the door open, perhaps to deter anyone who got past the pack.

She walked down the bookshelves, almost tripping over her gown. In one swift movement, she tore it from her waist, leaving herself in a slip and corset top.

I watched silently, straining to hear the cicadas that had gone silent. Then I heard it. The sound of growling, shrieking, fighting… and other sounds I didn’t want to identify.

Mrs. Allaire pulled down a book, and I watched in amazement as a hidden door opened, revealing a dimly lit hallway.

“Come on, dear,” she said softly, urging me inside. She closed the bookshelf behind us and led me down the circular tunnel towards a dim light. The noises from outside were muffled and then disappeared completely.

She pulled a chain, causing a lone light bulb to illuminate the small room. It was furnished with a twin bed, a futon, and a floor-to-ceiling shelf stocked with water and food.

She rummaged in a tote, pulling out a pair of jeans and a T-shirt for each of us.

The clothes were tighter than I would have liked, but they were a welcome change from the cumbersome gown. Once we were dressed, I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the concrete floor.

Mrs. Allaire squatted down in front of me, her eyes searching mine. “We’re going to be okay, sweetheart. They will drive the lycans away, and we’ll be okay.”

I didn’t believe her. There was something in her voice that didn’t sound convincing. She took a seat beside me on the bed, and I remembered the diary entries that Amber had given me.

I walked over to where I’d left them when I changed, and tucked them into the side of my jeans.

“I guess you heard our conversation from out back?” I asked, breaking the silence.

She gave my thigh a comforting pat. “We knew there was something different about you. Mother said she felt it… Mother said she felt it. ~Oh my God~. She’s in her room.”

Mrs. Allaire rose to her feet, but I reached out to her. “Please don’t leave me,” I pleaded.

She gave me a sympathetic frown. “She’s just down the hallway. I’m going to dash downstairs and fetch her, okay? I’ll be back in five minutes tops. You stay put no matter what.”

Before I could protest, she darted out of the hallway. I listened to the bookshelf close behind her, and the pounding of my heartbeat echoed loudly in my ears, sounding like a washing machine churning in my head.

The minutes ticked by, and there was no sign of Mrs. Allaire or her mother. I didn’t dare move from my spot because I knew I couldn’t fend off a lycan, especially since I’d never shifted before.

~“Where is mate?”~ my wolf inquired.

~“Piss off,”~ I retorted. ~“This is all your fault. I hate you.”~

~“What’s up your ass?”~ she growled back.

I squeezed my eyes shut and ignored her. I had enough on my plate without her commentary at the most inconvenient times.

~“Why didn’t you tell me you were a lycan?”~

She laughed. ~“I’m not a lycan,”~ she clarified.

I rolled my eyes. She hadn’t been of any help since she appeared in my head two weeks ago. What was the point of having her if she wouldn’t come out or provide any useful information?

After several minutes, I sighed, unsure if I should go after Mrs. Allaire or not, when I heard the bookshelf open. ~Thank goodness.~

I stood up, rocking back on my heels in an attempt to calm my nerves. Her shadow danced along the wall, and I noticed a second one shortly after.

She found her mother. “Mrs. Allaire, I was starting to get worried…”

I stopped mid-sentence. It wasn’t Mrs. Allaire standing in the doorway. It was a man I’d never seen before. His eyes were rimmed with red, and it reminded me of the lycan from the football game.

“I knew I smelled you,” he chuckled. “Savannah Harper,” he said, a smile revealing his fangs. “We’ve been looking for you.”

The scream lodged in my throat, my body began to grow numb, blinding me from reality.

~This can’t be happening. Where is Mrs. Allaire? Where is Dax?~

He stalked toward me while I scooted away from him, bumping into the shelf of food behind me.

“So you’re the one Luther wanted so badly he’d fight an alpha for, huh?” he asked, his voice calm and his smile devilish.

The other lycan looked bored in the doorway, picking at his fingernail, while I feared for my life.

His red gaze lowered to my mark. “Ah, so the alpha finally marked you, huh? Funny,” he said, tilting his head. “You’re marked, and I smell your mate on you, but… I’m not repelled from you.”

The other lycan glanced up from underneath his dirty blond hair. Something about him seemed familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I felt I’d seen him somewhere before.

“Okay, so are you going to come willingly, or do I need to use force?” he asked, his smile widening over his fangs.

My fingers roamed the canned foods behind me. I grasped a can of baked beans and hurled it at his head. He dodged out of the way, but not before I tossed another one at him, hitting him square in the eye.

He hissed, almost like a snake, and reached forward to grab me. I only knew a couple of moves from combat class, so I used the double-leg takedown and slammed him down with more force than I realized I had in me.

He hit the floor with a loud thud, but the other lycan grabbed me underneath my arms and dragged me kicking and screaming from the hallway.

Fear clogged my throat and suffocated me from the inside out. I dug my heels into the floor, trying to stall the lycan from carrying me, but he didn’t seem deterred.

In the office, I could hear the fighting from outside and the blood-curdling screams. Mrs. Allaire’s body lay by the doorjamb, but as they dragged me by her, I noticed she was still breathing—just unconscious.

Relief washed over me. Maybe they’d leave her alone.

~Stay down, Mrs. Allaire. Stay down.~

Once we hit the hallway, the lycan hauled me up and over his shoulder. I began to kick wildly, biting his side and digging my nails into his skin.

He howled out in pain, slamming me against the wall, knocking the breath from me. He stared at me with dark brown eyes as red grew around them. “You do that again, and I’ll end you.”

The other lycan slapped the back of his head. “You know he wants her alive.”

I stomped on his foot and tried to run, but they grabbed me, pulling me outside by my hair.

My wolf began to howl, and I felt myself ripping from the inside, but my wolf shouted in pain.

~“Why aren’t you shifting?”~ I begged.

~“I can’t,” ~she cried out. ~“I’m trying. I just can’t.”~

The lycan walking behind us stared down at my face. I noticed he didn’t seem irritated but curious as my body began to shake.

He lifted an eyebrow slightly and stopped the lycan carrying me. “She’s a lycan.”

He stopped. “Piss off,” he said. “She can’t even shift. I can feel her trying…”

“I just saw her eyes. They’re red.”

Maybe that was the reason Randi had become scared of me. It made sense, especially considering everything that just happened.

The golden-haired lycan peered down at me, his eyes filled with curiosity. “She’s a hybrid? Half lycan, half wolf? And she’s been marked by a wolf?”

His companion nodded, a smirk playing on his lips. “Seems like Luther has struck gold with this one.”

A chuckle rumbled from his chest. “And we’re the lucky ones who found her. Let’s get her back.”

Without a word, he hoisted me over his shoulder. I was too drained to resist, the mere act of shifting had sapped me of my strength.

As we stepped outside, the humid air clung to my skin like a damp, heavy blanket. The sounds of battle grew louder as we descended the stairs, the air thick with tension.

I strained to see what was happening, but all I could make out were indistinct flashes of fur.

We reached the edge of the forest, and that’s when I heard his voice. It was Dax. ~Thank God, he’s alive.~

The golden-haired lycan chuckled, a sound that sent a chill down my spine. “That must be her mate.”

He set me down, his arms wrapped around my waist to keep me upright. He forced me to look at him.

Two lycans stood between us, but I could see Dax’s gaze piercing through them. They’d shifted back from their wolf forms, their bodies bearing the signs of a fierce battle.

“Look what we have here,” the lycan beside me taunted. “We have your mate, Daxton Allaire. You knew this was inevitable. You should’ve known better than to cross a lycan.”

“Let her go,” Dax’s voice was laced with desperation. “Let her go, and I promise you, hell won’t rain down on you.”

The golden-haired lycan snorted dismissively. “You’ll never see your little mate again, Allaire. You might as well say your goodbyes now.”

Daxton’s gaze met mine, his eyes heavy with emotion, a frown etched on his face. “I love you. And I’ll find you,” he vowed.

Tears welled up in my eyes, spilling down my cheeks. He rolled his neck and shoulders, his eyes blazing golden before he shifted mid-air. The two lycans followed suit, meeting him halfway.

I watched as Daxton engaged the two lycans, tearing one’s arm from his body, while the golden-haired lycan dragged me deeper into the woods. My body finally succumbed to exhaustion, and everything went black.