Page 40 of Savage Desire

My steps slow as we near the door, and I grow more conscious of how we usually part each other at this stage. Will it be the same tonight, or another repeat of what he offeredearlier? But more than anything, what does it make of me to want more?

He comes to a stop at the door and I turn to look up at him, my mind spinning a mile a second. He doesn't tap his cheek this time. Instead, he inches closer, running his thumb over mine.

It’s not me who rises on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek, but him that lowers to press his lips to mine. Just like before, he leans back all too quickly as his eyes lock on mine with a promise.

“One day, Polaris, you're going to smell like me.”

14

TATUM

The second the door clicks shut behind her, I take off, my mind swirling. I’m always a jumble of emotions, a rattling cage under a blanket of sadness. But this feels different.Waydifferent. No matter which way I look at it, it always leads back to the same central point.

Polaris.

My mind isn’t consumed by my own pain and distress, but hers. Her sadness, her helplessness, yet her power to stand resilient above it all… it’s something else. It may not always be prominent in her actions, but it’s there, even if just a sliver at times. That’s when it matters the most.

She shines bright, her hair just a glimmer of the light she is, but one thing is clear: whatever happened with Lincoln, whateverhedid, dulled her luminosity.

I might not know the full picture, but I know enough to know I don’t like it.

Campus passes in a blur as my feet pound along the ground, storming toward the gathering point for the wolves. I pass a few other students heading toward the dorms, while some linger on the dance floor, hoping for the wolves to come back once we’re done.

My wolf vibrates just beneath the surface, ready to spring free, but I can’t do that. Not yet. Not when I have people to find and words to say. Besides, everything I’m feeling will only intensify once I shift, and fuck knows what I’ll do if I feel any more than I do now.

Asher comes into view first as I near the growing group of wolves no longer under the bubble of the full moon party. Instead, they’re gathered at the edge of the woods, ready to take off into the night. My wolf is right there with them, ready to feel the moonlight on my fur and the wind whipping at my face.

Grumbling to a stop beside my friend, he doesn’t lift his head at first, gazing down at his cell phone, frowning at it like usual. I match his frown, my concern for him growing, but as if sensing the worry inside of me, his eyes snap to mine.

A tight smile stretches across his face. “Everything okay?” he asks, tilting his head at me in confusion, and I nod.

“Yeah, good.” My words are curt, even to my own ears, but he seems to let it slide, patting me on the back before turning back to his phone. I know this man deals with a lot of things that revolve around his family. He wants nothing to do with any of it but finds himself in the middle of it all anyway. “Is everyone here?” I ask, glancing around the space, eager to get my sights on the one alpha I want to question. The one who has answers to solve the qualms in my brain.

“Everyone but Lincoln, I think,” he admits, and I scowl.

“He should be the first one here,” I state, the obvious fact earning me a puzzled look from Asher. “As our alpha, it’s his job,” I add, and Asher shrugs, gazing right back to his phone again.

“Yeah, I don't know what that's about,” he mutters, and I sigh. I have a feeling I do.

I plant my hands on my hips, tracking the group once more, but Lincoln is still nowhere to be seen. Another heavy exhaleparts my lips when the sea of students splits and a presence storms through the gap like a force to be reckoned with from his sheer size alone.

Wylder.

He’s calm and relaxed, a rare occasion that comes with the full moon. He pats me on the back as he comes to a stop beside us.

“Have you seen Lincoln?” I ask, and he shakes his head, eyebrows furrowing in concern.

“No, I was minding the bar. Has anyone seen Polaris? Because Minnie said she took off earlier, and I thought that might be where he is,” he states, and I scoff. He runs his eyes over me, presumably sensing the irritation that vibrates through my body.

“He was with her, but she's home now, thanks to me,” I grunt, my nostrils flaring in a failed attempt to contain my annoyance.

Looking deep into my eyes, his head tilts. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” I grumble, rocking back on my heels as I place my backpack at my feet.

What would he say if I told him? Staring at another man that is as infatuated with the same woman as I am, would he see this the same way as me or Lincoln? Or even from another perspective. Would he be jealous?

“Was everything okay with Polaris?” he asks, surprising me with the fact that he can sense the source of my pent up emotions.

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