Chapter 41: Chapter Forty

DAX

Savannah’s hips swayed as she sauntered into the cafeteria, Jaka chattering away at her side. The past few days had been a whirlwind of emotions between us.

We’d spent the entire weekend cocooned in each other’s arms, only to be interrupted by Braxton who practically had to pry us apart. The near loss of Savannah had left me with an insatiable need to keep her close.

We later discovered that Trent had managed to escape the woods and had even called Werewolf University, of all places. He’d been nearby when Liam betrayed us and had called for backup, a move that had taken us both by surprise.

Fortunately, this incident had brought the alphas together. While a few still harbored resentment, most of them had accepted Savannah. I was relieved—I didn’t want to spend my senior year battling alphas over their prejudices.

Savannah slid into the booth first, and I followed, tuning out Jaka’s incessant chatter about everything and nothing. ~Good Lord, that girl can talk.~

“I mean… I wish you would have been there,” Jaka said.

Savannah pressed her leg against mine, hiding a smile. Jaka waved over one of her theater friends, while I fought the urge to silence her with my hand.

“Daxton!” someone shouted.

I turned to see Randi rushing toward our table, causing Jaka to cringe. “I just heard you were back. I’m so sorry about everything,” she said, leaning in to hug me.

Savannah stiffened beside me, and Randi quickly realized her mistake, backing up so abruptly she bumped into the nearest table. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think—”

“What is it going to take?” Savannah asked, her fork clattering onto her plate. “Do I need to transition and put you in your place? Daxton is my mate. ~Get. Over. It~.”

Randi’s mouth opened and closed in embarrassment, our confrontation drawing attention, when the entrance of a new figure diverted everyone’s gaze.

Trent stood at the doorway, his eyes wide as he slowly approached our table.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Savannah muttered, nudging me to move out of her way. “I should have taken this kid out when I had the chance.”

I chuckled, standing behind her, watching the fear play across Trent’s face as he neared. The entire cafeteria watched in silence as he made his way to our booth.

He stopped a foot away, his head tilted in confusion.

“It smells good in this cafeteria, maybe I should transfer,” he joked, but no one laughed. “Um,” he said, scratching the back of his head.

“I wanted to make sure you all made it out okay,” he said softly, tugging at his shirt uncomfortably. “But now that I’m here, it doesn’t really seem like a good idea…”

As he continued to ramble, I noticed Randi’s shocked expression. Her face turned purple, her mouth agape in surprise.

“Why are you looking at him like that?” Savannah asked Randi.

Trent stopped talking and glanced at Randi. He took a step forward, sniffing the air. “What kind of perfume is that? It’s amazing.”

I couldn’t help but laugh when I realized what was happening.

Randi clapped a hand over her mouth and let out a muffled scream. “No. No! ~Absolutely not~!” she shrieked, before bolting from the cafeteria.

Savannah’s mouth dropped open in shock. “I didn’t know you could mate with a human?”

I shrugged. “It happens occasionally.”

Trent looked confused. “What was that about?” he asked, more to himself than anyone else.

“She’s your mate,” Savannah said, pointing over her shoulder. “You should probably go find her. Follow the scent.”

Trent opened his mouth to speak, likely to finish his original mission of checking on us, but thought better of it and followed Randi out of the cafeteria.

Savannah’s soft laughter turned into a full-blown fit of giggles. “This is great. They totally deserve each other. I thought I was going to have to beat Randi up, but this is better.

She’s mated to a human, ~no, no~, she’s mated to Trent!”

She was right. Nothing could be worse for a she-wolf who would do anything to mate with an alpha, than to be mated to a coward.

^FOUR YEARS LATER^

“How do you feel?” I whispered into her ear from behind. The humid Louisiana wind tossed her ebony hair from her shoulder, sending her scent against me, calming my racing heart.

You’d think Savannah would be more nervous than me, but it didn’t feel that way. Ever since Savannah graduated six months ago, I’d been on edge, hoping I wouldn’t mess up.

Savannah was queen, and she excelled at it. Every decision she made was well thought out and thorough. I never questioned her judgment, and neither did the wolves.

Lycans and werewolves.

The transition hadn’t been smooth, but we’d made it work.

Braxton helped Wesley transition the wolves that were willing to move into the Lycan Kingdom, and now, a year since the merge, it finally felt like home.

Savannah spent most weekends here during school, helping with any problems Wesley couldn’t handle on his own. Once she graduated, I left my guard position at Werewolf University and took my place as alpha.

Some days, it didn’t seem real. Then I’d glance at Savannah and her growing belly, and everything would fall into place. The storm of doubts inside me would settle into a peaceful sea.

She was due any day now, and aside from nesting every second of the day, she seemed calm and at peace. It was about time, because after everything we’d been through, we both deserved it.

My hand gently cradled the swell of her belly, taking on its weight to give her back a moment’s respite. A soft moan escaped her lips as she leaned her head back against my shoulder.

“I’m doing just fine, especially since you asked me the same thing ten minutes ago.”

A chuckle rumbled in my chest. “Mom thinks you’re getting close. Any contractions?”

She shifted, bracing her back against the balcony’s ledge, her head tilted back to meet my gaze. “No, but I promise, you’ll be the first to know.”

I leaned in, pressing my lips to hers, the distant chatter of two young wolves reaching my ears. One lycan. One werewolf. Their playful argument over who was scarier brought another chuckle from me.

“Is that Harlan?” she asked.

“Of course. He wouldn’t be the lycan king’s son if he didn’t have the biggest bluff, would he?”

Her brow furrowed in concern. “Will we tell him?”

I cupped her face, my thumb tracing the curve of her mouth. “I don’t know. Maybe? Maybe not. Right now, I want you to focus on this baby and not the one out there trying to prove his dominance.”

“That’s what I’m worried about. What if he grows up and finds out he was supposed to be king? What if someone tells him?”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it, Savannah. Right now, we need to stay calm. Prepare for this little girl. I love her almost as much as I love you.”

She smirked, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “You’re just saying that. I look like a whale.”

“A cute one,” I countered.

She playfully shoved my shoulder, but I pulled her closer, my fingers tangling in her hair. “I love you, Savannah Allaire.”

Her eyes fluttered closed, a content smile on her lips. “Forever, Alpha.”

^End of Book One^