Chapter 7: Chapter Six

DAX

~“Claim her now! Look at her. She’s beautiful, do it,”~ my wolf urged.

~“Claim her in front of everyone? Seriously? You’re delusional,”~ I retorted.

He growled something in response, but I pushed it aside. My wolf wasn’t going to dictate this game Savannah wanted to play. I’d make her forget all about her resistance toward me.

I’d make her forget about her boyfriend. Her past life. ~And make her want me as badly as I want her before she even realizes it. If I can keep my wolf in control, that is…~

I kept reminding him that patience was a virtue, but he didn’t want to hear it, as usual.

Mrs. Kelly cleared her throat. “First, we’re going to learn how to block an attack.”

Professor Braxton walked over to face her, a smile forming on his face. “Today, we’re going to learn how to block a double-leg takedown.”

Braxton launched himself at Kelly, and she easily rolled backward, curling her legs over and landing in a straddle over his waist.

~“Finally,”~ my wolf sighed. ~“Some contact.”~

I had to agree with him. The mere thought of her straddling me made my muscles tighten.

Savannah slid her tongue over her teeth, and I watched as a blush raced across her cheeks.

“All right, alphas, take it easy on our girls. They’re new, but use what you know of the double-leg takedown, and we’re going to walk the girls through defending it.”

One of Kelly’s assistants pulled out mats for each pair. Savannah tapped her fingers rhythmically against her thigh. When she eyed the other pairs, she cringed.

Jaka was having the time of her life.

Kelly demonstrated step-by-step how the girls should curl and then backward roll on top.

Everyone started practicing, while Savannah turned her gaze toward mine. “Well,” she hissed. “Let’s get this over with.”

A smile tugged at my mouth, and I flexed my fingers involuntarily. I wanted to touch her so badly my body urged me forward, but I took my time, stepping up to her, our chests inches away from one another.

I locked eyes with her.

“I’m not sure you can handle it,” I said, watching irritation flutter across her features.

“Oh yeah?” she said, shoving me in the chest to no avail. “Try me.”

I grinned. My wolf lapped up her smart mouth like honey. I took a couple of steps backward, bent down and wrapped my arms around her waist. Her legs went out from underneath her, and we fell to the mat with a huff.

Every place our bodies met felt like it was on fire.

Savannah let out a soft sigh but quickly shoved my chest. “Get up,” she hissed.

I didn’t want to. The way her hair fell from her ponytail, it haloed around her head, making her look irresistible. Her plush chest pressed against mine and every other dip and curve of her body against me felt like a perfect match.

I knew she felt it. Her breathing hitched each time she inhaled, and her pulse raced loudly in my ear.

Slowly, to make sure I brushed against every inch of her I could, I crawled to a standing position and offered her my hand.

She didn’t take it but stood up and braced herself. “Do it again,” she said.

~“This is going to be good,”~ my wolf said.

The minutes ticked by quicker than I wanted. My blood was boiling inside of me. Her determination to kick my ass turned me on, even if she hadn’t managed to take me down yet.

Sweat dripped from her forehead, and her heavy breathing sent me into overdrive.

“Okay class,” Mrs. Kelly said. “Good job today—”

“We’re not finished,” Savannah said. “I haven’t taken him down yet.”

“Well, we will try next class. We have all semester.”

Savannah huffed and slicked her palms back over her ponytail. Every time I had landed on her, my wolf begged me to kiss her, but I didn’t.

I let my lips get close, ~oh so close,~ but not close enough.

“I need to do it,” she said loudly. Everyone in the class stared at the two of us; I was sure they could smell our frustration from feet away. “Everyone else did it.”

Kelly looked over at Braxton, who actually looked amused. “Savannah, you’re very new to this. No one expects you to take down an alpha right now—”

I sensed the tears in Savannah’s eyes before they formed. She bit her bottom lip but didn’t cry. “Everyone already thinks I’m damaged, and a freak, and now I’m the only one that didn’t ace the assignment.”

“No one thinks that,” I said.

Savannah glared at me, grabbed her backpack, and stormed out of class. If she wasn’t so pissed, I’d be more excited to watch her leave in those yoga pants.

Jaka grabbed her things and raced after her. Everyone else followed shortly after, getting ready for their next class, and leaving me with Kelly and Braxton.

~“Well,~ that went well,” I said, shoving my fingers into my hair.

Braxton palmed my shoulder. “She’ll loosen up, but in the meantime, I have to increase our night watch. I caught her trying to escape last night.”

Fear snaked its fingers around my chest. We had too many natural enemies for her to wander the woods alone.

Kelly frowned. “You talked her into staying?”

He chuckled. “Well, truthfully, she was having trouble getting over the fence. She doesn’t have our strength yet.”

Kelly picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder. “I wonder what would bring out her wolf?”

~“Kiss her,”~ my wolf urged. ~“That’s the key to unlocking her wolf, you know it.”~

“Her mate’s presence should do the trick,” Braxton suggested. “If she’d just let her guard down.”

I shrugged, exasperated. “You see what I’m dealing with, right? The girl can’t stand me.”

Kelly chuckled under her breath. “~Clueless~,” she muttered to herself. “She doesn’t hate you. She hates the fact that she wants you, and she’s confused. She’s got some basic classes tomorrow that should start to shed some light on things. Just give it time.”

Braxton turned to me, his gaze serious. “I know you’ve been waiting for this for a long time,” he said. “Just be patient. She’ll come around.”

~The sooner, the better.~

***

Mom

Did you find your mate, son?

I stared at the text from my mother, cringing. She’d always dreamed of me graduating with a luna by my side. It was the same dream everyone in our pack had.

Happiness.

I shoved my phone back into my pocket and closed my history book. I’d been studying in my room at the alpha house, the largest fraternity on campus for obvious reasons.

Without alphas, packs would crumble, or werewolves would go rogue. Our kind was essential for our survival.

I rose from my chair, grabbed a baseball cap from my dresser, and put it on backward. My stomach growled, reminding me of my dinner plans with Kayden at the cafeteria.

I jogged across campus and met him at the entrance. Stephanie wasn’t with him, and for that, I was grateful. I didn’t need a constant reminder of my mate’s unwillingness every time I saw my best friend.

“She’s inside,” he warned as we stood in line. “I saw her walk in with Jaka.”

“Good. My wolf is itching to see her.”

Kayden glanced back at me. “And you aren’t?”

I shot him a flat look. “Of course I am.”

He chuckled. “I heard about your little stunt in class today. I bet she wanted to rip your head off.”

I laughed and picked up my tray. “She was so frustrated, and so was I, but for different reasons. My wolf is pushing me to claim her. The impatient bastard.”

Kayden roared with laughter. “I mean, you can’t blame him. Any sign of her wolf yet?”

I shook my head as I filled my plate. We settled into a booth in the corner of the cafeteria, a perfect vantage point to keep an eye on her. If she knew I was there, she didn’t show it.

She kept glancing at her phone, a smile playing on her lips.

“Dude, don’t murder your cornbread. If you don’t want it, I’ll take it.”

I looked down at my clenched fist, not realizing I’d crushed the bread into crumbs. I ran a hand down my face, trying to ignore the fact that another guy was with my mate.

“Why don’t we look him up,” Kayden suggested, his mouth full of food.

“Who?”

He gave me a look. “Her boyfriend. Here,” he said, pulling out his phone. He opened a social media site and typed in ~Savannah Harper~.

There she was. Her beautiful hazel eyes sparkled in a picture obviously taken months before all of this. Her profile status read ~in a relationship~.

He clicked on Trent’s profile.

He wasn’t ugly, and that pissed me off. “Hmm.”

~“Loser,”~ my wolf grumbled.

Kayden shrugged. “Look, he’s human, so you can easily take him down if he tries anything.”

“That’s what I’m worried about,” I admitted, taking my first bite. “I’m afraid I’ll kill him.”

Kayden swallowed. “Well, you need her to break up with him. Woo her, Allaire.”

“Don’t you think I’ve been trying, Kayden? She’s not interested. I’m playing her game right now.”

“And what game is that? The hate game?”

“Close enough. It’s a push and pull thing, and oddly enough, it’s turning me on and drawing me closer each day. I’ve been so close to kissing her every time I’m around her. I need her so bad it hurts.”

Kayden nodded. “I get it, bro. Well, the betas are throwing a party this weekend. You know her roommate will drag her there. Why don’t you make her jealous?”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “Firstly, I’m not leading on some other girl, and secondly, I hate that crap. It’s childish. I’m going to woo her, but not by making her jealous. I have a better plan.”

“Oh yeah? I can’t wait to see that.”

I had plans to draw Savannah in so close that she’d be begging me to kiss her by the end of the night.

Suddenly, a shadow fell over my plate. I looked up to see Terrance, one of the senior betas. He dragged over a chair, turned it around, and sat down at our table.

“I’m guessing you guys haven’t heard about what’s going on?”

“About what?” I asked.

“The lycan you fought with? He’s been spreading rumors on his campus that he’s planning to get back at you. They’re planning to break in.”

I snorted. “Good luck with that. Braxton has guards posted all night.”

He gave a nonchalant shrug. “I’m not sure, but he was spouting some serious nonsense about claiming your mate.”

My grip tightened on my fork until it snapped in two. “Over my dead body,” I retorted, my voice steady despite the storm of emotions brewing within me.

~“I’ll tear apart anyone who dares to approach her,”~ my inner wolf growled.

For the first time in a long while, I found myself in complete agreement with my primal side. My gaze drifted over Terrance’s shoulder, locking with hers.

She rolled her eyes at me, oblivious to the way that simple act ignited a fire within me.

I hastily finished the remainder of my meal, my mind already spinning with strategies. I was determined to gradually dismantle her defenses, to show her the depth and intensity of being mated to an alpha.