Page 39 of Savage Hope

He places it on the bar between us, and all I can do is stare at it as Bryony leans closer. “That better not have been messed with,” she states with a bite that could rival the growl of a wolf, and the guy steps back with his hands raised in surrender.

“You just watched me break the seal. That means nothing has been messed with,” he grumbles, his nostrils flaring with irritation as my eyes flick between them both.

“Messed with?” I ask, scared that I don’t want to know the answer when her eyes widen.

“Drugged,” she clarified.

Horror seeps into my bones and I take an instinctive step back. I might not know much, but we at least learned about drugs at Florentine’s. Before I can bolt, she grabs my arm, a soft laugh parting her lips as she attempts to offer me a reassuring smile.

“I think this experience is going to be way more intense than either of us anticipated,” she says, tugging me back toward her.“All I’m saying is, he better not be a cunt. Now, a cunt is a guy like Blaze who thinks he’s a gift from God when he’s really a warden from hell,” she explains, earning a snicker of agreement from me before she proceeds. “The other kind of a cunt is someone who will try to drug people to do things they may not want to. Okay?” She turns me to face her head-on now, hands planted on my shoulders as she stares into my eyes. “‘No’ is a whole sentence. ‘No’ is enough of an answer, but there are some dick for brains around these parts. You have to be focused at all times, Polaris.”

“Polaris, that's a pretty name.”

My gaze darts to the guy behind the bar as my lips press together. It's not embarrassment that tinges my cheeks pink this time, but I'm still thankful that the poor lighting hides it all the same.

“I don't think I want this drink,” I mutter, unable to respond to his compliment as I push the little glass away, and Bryony scoffs.

“Oh, you want it. Not the drugs, but the high from the tequila.”

The guy pulls another glass and pours a drink for Bryony too. Nerves tingle through my veins, but I reach for my glass anyway and Bryony clinks hers against mine before downing her own.

The familiar question reverberates through my mind. What do I have to lose?

The guy looks at me expectantly, and I feel myself on the verge of drinking him in instead of the liquid in the glass. I've already been stupid enough to react to some of the guys on campus. I can't keep distracting myself like that, so I quickly bring the glass to my lips and toss my head back.

Just like I watched Bryony, I slam the glass down on the bar as the liquor burns down my throat. I can't help but cough andsplutter for what feels like an eternity before I turn a deathly glare to both of them.

“That's awful.”

Bryony chucks her head back with a laugh while the guy grins at me. I feel his eyes raking up and down the length of my body as he speaks.

“It's tequila. It’s strong as fuck, but better than a beer for your first taste.”

Bryony cheers at that, grabbing my beer bottle off the table as she moves it toward me, but the guy interjects, sweeping it back behind the bar before I can reach it.

“Hold off on that for a while. Let the tequila take effect first. We don't want you comatose, not at your first full moon wolf party. We throw too many of these for you to bow out so soon,” he says with a wink, and I smile, murmuring my thanks as Bryony sighs.

“Fine, party pooper, let's go dance instead.”

Dammit.

My mouth falls slack, my refusal falling short as the guy pats the bar separating us.

“Nice meeting you, Polaris.”

“Nice, meeting you too,” I mutter helplessly in response.

“It's Wylder,” he states as Bryony starts to tug me away, and I frown,

“Wylder?”

“The name that you're looking for. That's me. See you around, Polaris,” he says with a megawatt grin, and I suddenly have no interest in following after Bryony.

Could he tell me more about the Alpha Pack?

I could ask, but just like every other moment since I arrived here, it's not my choice. Yanked onto the dance floor, I’m surrounded by a sea of bodies and the beat seems to vibrate through the ground, into my feet, through my legs, and into myhips, making them sway from side to side. I dance to music I've never heard before. I think it's more euphoric than the taste of the liquor that still burns my throat.

My eyelids close and the world shifts away as I feel the most exuberant vibe through my body. I have no idea how much time has passed—a minute, ten, an hour, a year?

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