Chapter 33: Chapter Thirty-Two

DAX

“The girl is pregnant?” Dad’s voice echoed through the room, a mix of disbelief and concern. “With a lycan? Are you certain, Mother?”

Grandmother fixed him with a stern gaze, her eyes flashing with her signature ~are you questioning my word~ look. “She’s pregnant… with a lycan, and now she’s our responsibility.”

I slumped against Dad’s desk, my face buried in my hands. The last thing I wanted was a tiny lycan king running around our pack house, especially knowing who his father was and the potential backlash from the pack.

The sun streamed through the window of my father’s office, a gentle reminder that it was almost time for us to leave and return to Werewolf U.

Savannah’s anxiety had spiked in the middle of the night, so much so that I woke to find her pacing the room, her thumbnail tucked into the corner of her mouth.

“Daxton.”

My eyes snapped open at the sound of my name. I dropped my hands and looked at Dad and his closest wolves, the ones who didn’t harbor any secret grudges against Savannah or Liam.

Dad’s brow furrowed. “What’s wrong? You seem distracted.”

I leaned back in his leather chair, taking a deep breath before standing up and sliding my hands into my pockets.

“There’s a lot on my plate right now. We’re leaving in an hour to go back to Werewolf U, and I’m worried about how many alphas were injured in the fight.

I’m praying they don’t blame Savannah, who is already a nervous wreck, and now I have to deal with… the little lycan.

How are we going to help the mother? She’s human. I don’t know much about humans giving birth to wolves, but I’ve heard they don’t always survive.”

Grandmother nodded in agreement from her rocking chair, her fingers interlaced over her stomach. “He’s right. She most likely won’t survive. We should at least find her family.”

Amber, who I hadn’t realized had stayed behind at the pack house to help the injured wolves, stepped forward.

“I can look them up for you, but what are we going to say? ‘The lycan king kidnapped your human daughter, impregnated her, and now she probably won’t survive the birth’? I mean…”

“She’s right,” I agreed. “We need to wait and see if she survives first, before we say anything. We can’t let humans in on this.”

The weight of the world had been lifted from my shoulders when we saved Savannah, only to be replaced with a fresh wave of drama.

Dad sighed. “We have a couple of months before she gives birth, seeing as it doesn’t take as long for a wolf to be born, so we’ll work out a plan by then.

Right now, you both need to get back to school. You only have a few months left before graduating and coming to train for your place as alpha.”

A bittersweet sensation washed over me. Becoming alpha had been my dream since I was a child, but the thought of leaving Savannah alone at the university didn’t sit well with me.

She’d been through so much, how could I leave her at the school for three years to deal with being a hybrid alone?

“Right,” I said, nodding. “I need to go make sure Savannah is up and getting ready,” I said, making my way toward the door. I jogged out of the pack house, thankful for the slight breeze, and raced toward our house.

Savannah sat on our bed, legs crossed, a letter in her hands. Her hair was braided down her shoulder, just like the first time I met her, and her hazel eyes swept over the page.

“Good morning,” I said, stopping beside the bed, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

She glanced up, folding the diary entry in half and sliding off the bed. “Good morning. Are we getting ready to leave?”

I stopped her, pressing my palms down on her shoulders. “Baby, what’s the matter?”

She shrugged. “Nothing. I’m just reading over my mother’s entries, and I wish I could have known her. I wish I had her advice about… everything.”

“I understand,” I whispered, pulling her into a comforting hug.

When she pulled back, she smiled up at me. “I’m all packed and ready,” she said.

I interlaced her fingers with mine and tugged her toward the door. “Let’s get our bags loaded and say goodbye.”

My pack, most of them, said their goodbyes and disappeared into their own houses, leaving us with my parents and grandmother.

Braxton had left for Werewolf University soon after we returned the day before, eager to get back to his mate and check on the alphas that fought alongside us.

Mom stepped forward and hugged Savannah, whispering something into her ear.

Mom’s bruises were yellow, almost gone, but a silent reminder of everything we’d been through over the last few days.

Dad smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes, and I felt the burden we’d brought them. We all knew none of this was our fault, but knowing I’d divided our pack, hurt.

I grew up with those wolves, and for them to have a problem with Savannah because of something that was out of her control, pissed me off.

“We’ll come see you soon,” Mom said, cupping Savannah’s cheek. She smiled. “You two call us if you need anything, okay?”

“I love you both,” I said, guiding Savannah toward the Jeep. I opened her door for her, seeing the hesitation on her face.

I hopped into the driver’s seat, and turned to look at her as I started the engine. “We’re going to be okay, Savannah. I have your back…no matter what happens.”

She reached over and grabbed my hand. “Let’s go.”

***

As we pulled up, the gates swung open, welcoming us into the quiet campus. It was mid-afternoon when we arrived at the Alpha House.

Most of the alphas had chosen to stand with us in the fight, a decision they weren’t obligated to make. But in the chaos of the past few days, I wasn’t sure who had been injured or who had escaped unscathed.

Savannah remained motionless as I parked and jumped out of the car. She sat there, staring at the house, her fingers knotted together in her lap, a faraway look in her eyes.

I walked around to her side, opened the door, and helped her down. “Everything is going to be okay, Savannah. I’ve got your back, and so does Braxton. We’re okay. I’ll always protect you.”

Taking a deep breath, Savannah smoothed her palms over her sleek, ebony ponytail. “Okay.”

Hand in hand, we entered the Alpha House. Savannah’s heartbeat pounded against her ribcage, her fingers tightening around mine.

Our footsteps echoed off the walls as we crossed the tiled floors and headed for the stairs.

We had just reached the first step when the sound of shouting from the conference room reached my ears. I signaled for Savannah to continue upstairs to my room while I went to investigate the commotion.

The tension in the room was palpable even before I pushed open the double doors. Inside, the alphas were shouting at each other, with Braxton in the middle, trying and failing to restore order.

Kayden stood in a corner, his arm in a sling, while others looked far worse for wear. My heart skipped a beat when I realized Landen was missing.

Braxton was the first to notice me. His gaze was heavy, dark circles shadowing his eyes. The room gradually fell silent, all eyes turning to me, the atmosphere growing even more somber.

“I assume this is because of me.”

Kayden pushed off the wall. “No, it’s because of Savannah, Dax. She’s half lycan, has only shifted once without any guidance or training. It’s dangerous. You can’t mate with a lycan. You can always reject her—”

~“Hell no!”~ my wolf roared. ~“Kill him!”~

A dark chuckle escaped me as rage bubbled up inside. “I’m not rejecting my mate. She’s as much wolf as she is lycan. This isn’t her fault. She had no idea about any of this before coming to the university.”

Jake, one of the alphas who hadn’t joined the fight, stepped forward. “Landon is dead because of her.”

Pain lanced through my heart, a sensation like nails being driven into my chest. I swallowed hard, lifting my chin.

“I’m sorry about Landon. I never wanted any of this to happen. But now the lycan king is dead …”

“When does it stop?” someone else shouted. “When the other lycans find out an entire kingdom was demolished by wolves, don’t you think they’ll wonder why, Daxton? And another lycan king will want Savannah?”

I knew our battles weren’t over. But I also knew I’d do anything to protect my luna.

“I’m not rejecting Savannah. If that means I can’t be here, then so be it. I love her. She’s my luna. I won’t betray her.”

“She’s going to get killed,” Kayden said, his voice loud and clear. “Someone is going to kill her, Dax. Do you want to lose your mate? Die from that heartache?”

“No one is going to kill her, I’ll kill them—”

Kayden scoffed, running his hand down his face. “Seriously, Dax? I know you’ve waited a long time for your luna, but this isn’t worth it. Your life? Your friends? Your pack?”

“I’m not rejecting my mate!” I roared, my emotions spiraling out of control. Anger surged through me, my wolf threatening to take over.

My vision blurred, my heart pounded, but Braxton pulled me back. “Control your wolf, Dax,” he whispered. “Don’t let him take control again.”

Kayden shook his head. “This girl is going to make you go crazy. You can’t even control your wolf—”

I tried to break free from Braxton to punch Kayden, but he held me back. “Calm down.”

A soft gasp from the doorway caught my attention. Savannah stood there, her big hazel eyes filled with tears. The hurt of hearing everyone talk about her was etched on her face.

“Savannah,” I started, but she turned and ran. I listened to her footsteps fade away as she left the Alpha House, and I broke free from Braxton to follow her.

Her soft cries echoed in my ears, sinking into my skin and seeping into my body. She ran towards the woods, and I knew she wanted to shift.

I hadn’t shifted with her since everything happened at the Lycan Kingdom, and we’d never just run together for the fun of it. But even though this wasn’t a fun run, more of a stress relief for her, I wanted to do it.

We needed this. And if I had my way, I’d help her relieve more stress later.

Savannah shifted mid-leap, her beautiful white fur flashing through the trees as I followed suit.

The heat of the humid day seeped into my fur, but my wolf reveled in every second of chasing Savannah through the zigzagging trails and over upturned roots.

Eventually, she collapsed, reverting to her human form and curling into a ball on the forest floor.

I shifted back and fell to my knees beside her, pulling her against me as we lay on the ground.

Her body trembled as she cried, her dark hair hiding her face from me. But I didn’t need to see her to know that her cheeks were wet with tears.

“I’m so sorry,” she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. “Landon’s gone. The alphas despise me, and I’m terrified to even think about facing the lunas. What will Landon’s mate think? I can’t go back there.”

I understood her fear, but she needed to confront them, and I was determined to stand by her side through it all.

“I don’t belong here,” she confessed, her words punctuated by a hiccupped sob. “I want to go home.”

I gently ran my hand through her hair, trying to soothe her. “I’m your home, baby.”

She shook her head, her eyes filled with despair. “I want to go to my Grammy’s house and pretend none of this ever happened.”

“Savannah,” I said, gently turning her to face me. Her lips were swollen from crying, her cheeks flushed with distress.

“We have to face this head-on. You can’t change the circumstances of your birth, but you can shape your future. We’re going to navigate through this storm together.

We’ll meet with the lunas. We’ll mend what’s broken and carve out our future together.”

Savannah closed her eyes, and fresh tears spilled down her cheeks. “I’ve ruined your life, Dax.”

“No,” I said, pressing a tender kiss to her forehead. “You’ve made it whole.”