Page 32 of Savage

"Yeah, just needed to touch base," Savage replied, his voice low and controlled. "Listen, about Savannah..."

Arrow's silence on the other end was expectant, he’d wait as long as it took for Savage to gather his thoughts and clearly express himself. Fuck. How could he put this without sounding like he was giving an order? He took a deep breath. "I’d appreciate it if you would keep her involvement under wraps for now. Don’t tell the girls until she's ready to tell them herself, you know? I don’t want them to get the wrong impression before she has a chance to tell them her side. It’s easier to have compassion when you don’t already have preconceived guilt in your mind." Closing his eyes, he saw Savannah’s face as she confessed to him. Everything she’d done, every lie she’d told was out of pure desperation. He couldn’t hold any of it against her. Fuck, the poor girl hadn’t even had a chance to grieve her mother before all this bullshit was thrust upon her. He had every intention to get her scheduled for therapy as soon as this mess was dealt with and he was assured of her safety.

“I understand," Arrow responded. “Want me to reach out to Irish? I’ll be seeing him in about an hour.”

“Thanks.” Savage's grip tightened on his coffee mug, his knuckles whitening. "There's something else you need to know."

"What is it?" Arrow asked.

Savage took a deep breath, his possessive instincts flaring. "Savannah... she's mine. I want everyone in the club to understand that. No questions, no doubts. Mine."

There was a pause on the other end of the line. Savage could almost hear Arrow's eyebrows raising. "You sure about this, brother? After everything you found out last night? I knew you were into the girl but…"

"Deadly sure," Savage interrupted, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Can I count on you to spread the word? Quietly?"

Arrow's voice softened slightly. "Of course. I'll make sure everyone gets the message. Your girl, your rules. She’s one of ours now."

Savage nodded, feeling a mix of relief and tension. "Thanks, man. There's... one more thing."

"Hit me," Arrow said.

Savage hesitated, his free hand running through his hair. "Could you drop off some items for me. For Savannah. Things to help her... embrace her Little side. I want to keep her here today, with me. We’re going to get to know each other better." He listed off what he needed and his plan for the day.

Arrow chuckled softly. "Never thought I'd see the day. But yeah, I can handle it. I'll leave a bag on your porch within the hour. You know I've got your back, brother."

As Savage ended the call, a wave of exhaustion washed over him. He poured a second cup of coffee. His mind raced, considering all the potential threats, all the ways this could go wrong. He wasn’t happy about having Savannah in the middle of it all or the part she’d continue to play. But there weren’t many other alternatives, especially with what he’d seen in the texts between her and Zeb. The Rejects had eyes and ears on her sister and niece. It could be detrimental to them for Savannah to refuse to cooperate now. One thing he knew about them, The Rejects never made threats, they made promises, and they followed through with them. It didn’t matter whatever came next, he'd face it head-on, like he always does. He just found Savannah, no way in hell was he going to let anything happen to her.

After finishing his second cup of coffee, Savage headed down the hallway to his bedroom. The morning light was now filtering through the curtains, and it cast a warm light over the bed.He paused in the doorway and watched her sleep for a minute. Her hair was splayed across his pillows, she looked so damn innocent. Yeah, she was his. No doubt. No hesitation. He hated to wake her, but she had to call out of work before The Rejects assumed she ran from them.

"Savannah," he called gently, his deep voice barely above a whisper. "Time to wake up, sweetheart."

She stirred, her eyes fluttering open. For a moment, confusion clouded her features before recognition dawned. "Savage?" she murmured, her voice thick with sleep. “Oh. Fuck.”

He moved closer, sitting on the edge of the bed. "No, little girl. We don’t use that kind of language.” He gave her a slight, scolding frown before replacing it with a smile. “Good morning, sweet heart. I've got a special day planned for us."

Savannah pushed herself up, her hair a tousled mess. She blinked at him, curiosity and a hint of apprehension in her gaze. "Special day? I have to go to work. What do you mean, special day?"

Savage reached out to tuck a stray lock behind her ear. "You aren’t going to work today.”

“B-but, I have to. They’ll come looking for me if I don’t.”

“No sweetheart, you aren’t going back there ever again. It’s not safe. We will talk about this in a second. Two things. One, Daddy is in control today. You are going to be a good little girl and listen and do what I tell you to. If you can’t, you have your safeword. Two, I've laid out one of my shirts for you in the bathroom.”

“But…”

“Do you remember the spanking I gave you last night?”

“Yes, I remember.”

“That spanking was because you needed it for stress and guilt release. I started slow, warmed you up and helped you through it. A discipline spanking from Daddy is going to be verydifferent. There’s no warm up, just punishing smacks on your adorable bare ass. Do you understand, sweetheart?”

Her eyes were wide but Savage didn’t miss the pebbling of her nipples against her shirt. Oh yes, this girl was made for him.

“Yes, Daddy.”

“Good girl. Now obey Daddy and go get showered.” He wanted to shower her himself. He wanted to clean every curve on her body with his tongue. Now wasn’t the time. He’d have to practice some of the restraint he’d honed over the years in the military. As Savannah padded to the bathroom, Savage thought about the call they’d have to make, and his protective instincts surged. He wanted nothing more than to shield her from all the harsh realities of the world but knew he couldn’t. He’d try his darndest to protect her from most of them.

Moments later, Savannah's voice carried from the bathroom, a mix of surprise and uncertainty. "Savage? There's... there's just a t-shirt here. And nothing else."

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