Chapter 29: Chapter Twenty-Eight

DAX

Liam had taken off on his motorcycle hours ago, leaving us stranded twenty miles from the lycan kingdom. We were far enough away from their borders that they wouldn’t detect our scent.

The wait was eating at me, gnawing at my insides like a corrosive acid. My wolf was restless, itching to do something, anything, but all we could do was wait.

~“Go find mate,”~ he howled within me. ~“Now!”~

Braxton settled down next to me, his back against the same tree I was using as a makeshift rest. The anxiety in the pack was palpable. No one voiced it, but it hung in the air like a heavy fog.

“We’re going to save her,” Braxton assured me, his eyes soft with empathy. “Liam will call, and we’ll get to her before the ceremony.”

I wanted to believe him, I really did. But something about the plan left me feeling uneasy. “Braxton,” I murmured. “How will she ever shift if a lycan doesn’t bite her? Her wolf will be trapped forever.”

Braxton’s gaze drifted into the night. “I don’t know enough about it, and neither do you,” he admitted.

I shrugged, running my fingers through my hair. “You heard Liam. He said she wouldn’t shift until she was bitten by a lycan, Brax. I’m not a lycan, and I never will be. I don’t want another male’s scent on her, but I don’t want her to be tormented forever with a wolf that can never transition.”

“Maybe we can find a way around it,” Brax suggested. “Try to rest,” he advised. “Close your eyes for a while.”

I nodded, but I knew sleep was a distant dream. My wolf was restless, pacing and howling within me, agitated by the uncertainty of it all. Not knowing if she was safe, and not knowing if he’d ever meet her wolf.

Time seemed to crawl by, and before I knew it, I was jolted awake from a sleep I hadn’t realized I’d fallen into.

The sun was peeking over the trees in the distance, and most of the pack was still asleep around me. I fished my phone out of my jeans pocket, but there were no new messages from Liam.

A wave of fear washed over me. What if he had lied to us, lured us all together to take us out? Given our history with lycans, it wasn’t an entirely implausible scenario.

I walked over to my dad, who was sleeping against his rolled-up jacket. “Dad,” I said.

He stirred, rubbing his face with his hand. He sat up slowly, taking in the time of day. “What time is it?” he asked. “Has he texted you yet?”

I shook my head. “Do you think he played us?”

Dad shook his head, running his hand through his salt-and-pepper hair. “No. I think he’s scoping the place out. I trust him, Dax, and you should too.”

~Should I?~

~“No. Go get mate,”~ my wolf growled. ~“You’re stupid if you trust a lycan.”~

~“Our mate is a lycan,”~ I reminded him.

~“She has a wolf! Go get her. Don’t wait on the lycan. Please,”~ he pleaded.

I pushed him away, closing my eyes to suppress his voice. He wasn’t taking no for an answer.

“Are you okay, son?” Dad asked, standing up. The other wolves were starting to wake up around me, but I couldn’t focus on them.

My wolf was shifting without my permission. “He’s shifting,” I managed to groan out. “Help… he’s trying to get to Savannah.”

Braxton’s large hands gripped my shoulders, guiding me down to the forest floor. He tried to keep me grounded. But it was futile, as was my attempt to suppress my wolf.

He burst out of me like a ruptured seam, shredding my clothes and sending the other wolves scattering.

I tried to dig our feet into the ground to stop him from running toward the road, but he was too strong.

I’d only ever lost control of my wolf once when I was young, before he knew better and before I knew how to control him. This time… none of my techniques worked.

The wolves behind me shouted, and I could hear some of them shifting, but I knew my wolf was determined.

~“Please stop,”~ I begged. ~“We have to follow the plan. If we go too early they could kill her.”~

~“I’ll kill them,”~ he growled. ~“I’m going to rip out their throats and eat them.”~

~“Don’t do this,”~ I pleaded. ~“I want to see Savannah alive. If we go in there without a plan, they will bite her or kill her on sight.”~

Miles flew by as he ignored me, pushing harder and faster than before, until the guarded wall of the lycan kingdom came into view. Any of the lycans could have detected our scent, because I could smell them as we approached.

~“If Savannah dies it’s because of you,”~ I screamed at him. ~“You’re going to kill our mate, and then where will we be? I want to spend the rest of my life with her, have babies, and you’re screwing it up because you can’t control your temper. I’ve had my mate one time… and it’s not enough. I want her every day, forever, and my own wolf is going to get her killed.”~

My wolf’s paws skidded on the leaves, clawing and pawing at the ground like a wounded pup.

I caught sight of movement atop the wall—lycans patrolling, their eyes scanning for any signs of danger.

My wolf retreated within me, and I shrank back to my human form, my hands clutching the leaves, my bare ass exposed to the humid breeze.

“Dax,” Braxton called from the tree line. “Come here.”

I turned to see half of our pack watching me. I crawled over, accepting the clothes Braxton handed me. “You can’t let that happen again, Dax. You need to control your wolf. Liam texted,” he said, passing me my phone.

I pulled on a T-shirt and pants, then opened the text message from Liam.

~Thirty minutes. Meet me at the front entrance.~

The message had been sent almost twenty minutes ago, right after my wolf had gone rogue.

I sank to the ground, cradling my forehead in my hands. “Where is everyone else?”

Braxton squatted in front of me. “They’re further back in the woods, but close. Are you calm now? What did you say to get him to shift back?”

“It took a lot of convincing. I’ve never had him take over like that before.”

Braxton nodded. “He feels threatened. It’s understandable, but it could be deadly for Savannah and the pack.”

“I know.”

“Braxton!” Kayden called from the front of the huddle near the tree line. He’d been quiet since they arrived, a worried look on his face. “One guard just went down,” he said, pointing toward the top of the wall.

I stood and walked over, watching as one guard after another disappeared from view. Seconds turned into minutes, and then Liam’s head popped over the top. He held one of the guns a lycan had earlier, and gestured us over.

I sighed heavily, giving the men brave enough to walk into the lycan’s den with me another look. “Are we ready?” I asked, watching as Braxton signaled the rest of the pack to move closer to the front of the forest.

Braxton placed his hand on my shoulder. “Lead the way.”

I sprinted across the road, my eyes darting in every direction for any stray lycans. The wall was brick, built high, but easy to scale. I started the climb, the other wolves following shortly after.

I swung my leg over, coming face-to-face with Liam. His face was stone-like, his lips pressed into a thin line. “What’s the matter?” I asked.

Liam shook his head, gesturing toward the lycan guard sprawled out beside him. “They have walkie-talkies for their human forms. The king is pushing up the ceremony because he can’t wait any longer. They’re starting in thirty minutes. We don’t have long to get to her.”

My heart stalled, every worst-case scenario surfacing in my mind, rooting me to my spot as the other wolves made it atop the wall.

Liam’s hand on my shoulder brought me back to reality. “We don’t have time. We’re going to raid the king’s castle. I was given a quick tour this morning, and I found Savannah’s suite. We’re going to split into groups.” Liam pointed at me. “Daxton and I will scale the castle wall to get to Savannah’s room. I need Braxton and his choice of wolves to spread out and take down any lycans on foot patrol. I couldn’t get to them because of the stir around the kingdom due to the ceremony.”

Liam turned to me. “King Hansel is infatuated with Savannah. If he finds us now, he’ll order his army to kill us, and even if he doesn’t catch us, he’ll come and find her. He’s been waiting for her his entire life.”

The anger inside of me fueled each irrational thought floating around in my head. My father’s presence beside me did nothing to calm me, nor did his reassuring whispers. I wasn’t thinking rationally, and I knew it.

“Well,” I cleared my throat. “So have I. I hope we run into him,” I said tersely. “Because I want to rip his heart from his chest.”

My father gave me a worried look, but Liam seemed unfazed. He gestured toward the guard. “One wolf needs to stay behind and keep up with their communication, so they don’t get suspicious.”

I didn’t look back to see who stayed. I stared out at the kingdom, wondering what Savannah was doing, and if he’d tried to touch her yet. I felt my fingers clenching and unclenching, my blood rushing in my ears.

Liam started down the ladder adjacent to us, and I followed him. The turns and sharp corners he took didn’t register with me. I was consumed by tunnel vision, guiding me toward a castle built for royalty.

Her scent danced in the wind, and I knew Liam was leading me in the right direction. He halted against the side of the building, bars at our feet, where I assumed they kept prisoners. ~Had they kept Savannah in there?~

Liam gestured upward with his head. “Her suite is the third balcony up. I’m not sure if she’ll be alone or not. There have been maids and seamstresses in and out of her room all day. And Hansel has been watching them fit her for her gown.”

My vision blurred red. He watched my mate get dressed? I ground my teeth together, savoring the taste of my own blood pooling in my mouth, knowing it would be his blood shed soon.

“Your pack is right,” Liam said. “You need a calm head to get through this.”

I nodded, closing my eyes. I took deep breaths to steady myself. Turning, I grabbed the brick and began to climb the wall, not stopping until I reached the third balcony.

Swinging my leg over the edge of the railing, I halted in front of the sliding glass doors. People moved around on the inside, more than one, but Savannah’s scent was so prominent that I knew she was among them.

Liam clambered up next to me, his eyes narrowing as they focused on the balcony door. “She’s not alone,” he murmured. “You stay put. Head inside once they’ve left.”

I didn’t question him. Instead, I found myself staring at my own reflection in the glass, barely recognizing the person I saw. Fear and anger were etched into my features, mingling with the grime of a day’s worth of hardship.

What seemed like an eternity later, the sound of Savannah’s door closing echoed through the silence. I glanced over to see her standing alone in the middle of her room, her hands cupping her face.

I tried the door, but it was locked. Savannah’s gaze met mine through the glass. Recognition flashed across her face, and she rushed over, her attempts to unlock the door proving futile. Tears streamed down her face, each one a silent plea for help.

“Daxton,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “Please, hurry. I can hear someone coming.”

Fear lodged itself in my throat, rendering me speechless. I took a step back and kicked at the door. It took three attempts before it finally gave way, splitting down the middle.

Savannah rushed over the broken doorframe and into my waiting arms. Her scent enveloped me, a comforting blanket of familiarity that stirred my wolf from his solitude.

“Baby,” I murmured into her hair. “I thought I’d lost you.”

She pulled back, her hazel eyes shadowed with exhaustion. I traced my knuckle down her cheek, my heart clenching at the sight of the handprints around her neck.

“Who did this?” I asked, my voice sounding distant, as if I were in another universe. None of this felt real.

“Hansel,” she whispered. “I’m okay. He hasn’t marked me yet.” She tilted her neck to show me. “My dad… did you find him?”

I cupped her face in my hands, leaning down to kiss her. I intended it to be a quick, sweet kiss, but it turned into something more—something possessive and angry. I needed her to understand the self-loathing I felt for letting this happen, the pain I felt from our separation.

She pulled away from me just as her door swung open. I expected to see the maid, but instead, a male lycan stood in the doorway.

From the way his gaze met mine, and the sneer that curled the corner of his mouth, I knew instantly that he was the lycan king.

“Well, isn’t this an unexpected surprise, Mr. Allaire. I don’t recall extending an invitation to our ceremony. But judging by the way you’re holding my mate, I gather you’re not here to celebrate.”

I chuckled lightly, pulling Savannah behind me. “Oh, I am,” I retorted. “I’m here to celebrate the death of ~the lycan king~.”