Page 45 of Savage Desire

Damn.

My jaw falls slack, eyes raking over them from head to toe, as I hope like hell that actual drool doesn’t start trailing down my chin.

Lincoln leads the pack, a thunderous look on his face as he prowls across the lawn. Wylder is a step behind him, his deathly glare visible over Lincoln’s head as he towers over everyone. Asher and Tatum bring up the rear, side by side, and the sheer power and anger that vibrates from them is overwhelming.

Gone is the quiet man that I always find hidden within the maze, and in his place is a savage beast. His jaw ticks, fists tight at his sides as his nostrils flare in anger. Beside him is the man I’m used to seeing with his face buried in his cell phone, yet he is more than present now. He stretches his neck from side to side as they pass me, but his gaze is set on the scene unraveling in the center of the growing crowd. The scene that’s paused at the arrival of the four men I’ve been trying to forget and avoid.

It’s impossible with a presence like that.

“Holy fuck, Polaris. They’re furious,” Bryony whispers, drawing my attention to her, but she’s not looking at me, she’s sweeping her stare over the crowd. I can only assume she’s looking for Minnie, but I don’t see her.

“It’s going to start a war if they go after the vampires like this,” I breathe, panic taking root in my gut when Bryony finally turns my way.

“What?” She shakes her head. “No, they’re not mad at the vampires. They’re mad athim.” Her finger aims in the direction of Declan, and as I follow her line of sight, I find the four of them coming to a stop at the edge of the circle, eyes set on the wolf in question.

“Enough, Declan.” Lincoln’s voice booms through the air, cutting every mumbled conversation to a halt as he captures everyone’s attention.

The wolf blinks at his alpha, a shift of something twinkling in his eyes, but it’s not there long. Another fall of his lashes, and when he opens them again, all that shimmers in his brown eyes is anger.

“He has to pay.”

Wylder shakes his head, taking a step toward the enraged wolf, but Declan lifts his hand and Wylder halts in his tracks.

My heartbeat thunders in my ears as I watch them, the air thickening with rage when a snicker cuts through the space.

“Why don’t you be a good little pup and follow your master’s orders, huh?” Blaze grunts, rolling his shoulders back as he sneers at Declan, and it’s not surprising when that same look transfers to the four wolves trying to diffuse the situation. “Get this fucking wolf out of my way before I do something we’ll all regret,” he snaps, sending a chill of panic down my spine.

He doesn’t mean what I think he means, does he?

Not even he’s that cruel… right?

“Fuck this,” Declan snarls, teeth bared as he snaps in Blaze’s direction.

Gasps ring around the space as his shoulder connects with Blaze’s middle, the pair of them tumbling to the ground.

Bryony’s hand wraps around my wrist as I gape with wide eyes at the chaos before me.

“Wylder,” Lincoln mutters, the order clear in his tone, and a moment later, the beast of a man trudges toward the two rolling around on the grass with their fists swinging and their fury palpable.

I’m drawn to the chaos, taking a step closer, and although Bryony’s hold on me tightens, she follows me. We’re not the only ones moving, though. The group is gathering closer, all desperate for a look at the brawl in the center.

Rising up on my tiptoes, I catch sight of Wylder as he bends forward, attempting to get between the two of them, but a fist comes his way, smashing into the side of his face with a speed I’ve never seen before.

“Keep the fuck out of this, Aires. If he wants to come at me like a big man, he can face me like one too,” Blaze snaps, shifting with Declan so he’s towering over him. His hair is ruffled, grass stains on his cheek, but the usually well-kept and pompous ass doesn’t seem to care as he sneers at the wolf beneath him.

I don’t know where to look.

It’s instinctive to draw closer to Wylder, desperate to make sure he’s okay, but there’s an icy chill clinging to my spine that has me completely focused on survival. Something’s wrong, I can feel it in the air. Like the impending doom of something bad.

It’s coming.

It’s inevitable.

Shaking Bryony’s hand from my wrist, I press my fingers onto my temples, struggling with the grimoire in my grasp, but the tension crowding my mind is unbearable. My feet carry me closer, despite the instinct to run for the hills, but the pain in my head makes it impossible for me to hear a word being said. They’re being spoken, though. I can see lips moving.

Blaze. Declan. Wylder. Lincoln.

They’re all talking, snarling, but the noise is little more than a muffled screech in my mind.

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