Page 75 of Savage Desire

My alarm blares to life from my nightstand, making me jump, and I hurry to turn it off. I’m exhausted, and it’s technically the weekend now, but I’m committed to learning and that means no relaxing for me when there’s a whole-ass library to dive into.

Throwing my legs over the side of the bed, I sigh, pushing my hair back off my face before I stumble toward my armoire. Blindly, I grab a pair of jeans and a black tee, along with some plain underwear, and quickly dress.

I switch my personal belongings from the little purse Bryony let me borrow to the backpack that’s loaded with the books I’ve scanned through already, and I’m ready to go. A quick stop for breakfast in the dining hall and I’ll be fueled up for an entire day of burning my retinas into books that will help me grow, or so I hope.

But as I step toward the door, I pause, an eerie shiver running down my spine as something black catches my attention out of the corner of my eye.

I blink, and blink again, but despite my hopes, it doesn’t disappear.

Running my tongue over my bottom lip, I take the two steps to reach the foot of my bed where a lone black feather layswith a small white card propped beside it. Alone, the feather looks delicate, angelic, and filled with promise, but upon closer inspection of the card, it taints every single thought.

My fingers tremble as I reach for them both, nausea churning in my gut as I read it out loud.

“Courtesy of The Crow.”

Please bein the dining hall. Please be in the dining hall.

My feet can’t carry me fast enough. It probably doesn’t help that my backpack is weighing me down and I’m intent on holding the feather and card in a deathly tight grip, but regardless, I need to move faster.

I considered knocking on Bryony’s door for help, but quickly decided that I need to get to the source of the problem instead. That being Asher. If he’s here anyway.

My mind rattles with panic as I veto the pathway and cut across the perfectly manicured lawn toward the dining hall, looking over my shoulder every couple of steps. Thankfully, it’s quiet since it’s the weekend, but I’m acutely aware of the few weird looks I’ve received from those passing me by.

Or maybe it’s the feather they’re looking at. Do they know what it means?

Shaking my head, I focus on finding the guy I need the most. It’s not lost on me that I’m running away from the wolf building, but it felt safer to head toward the dining hall first. I almost stumble over my own feet as I head inside, hollering an apology when I almost collide with a girl, but none of it is worth it when I screech to a halt at the dining hall entryway to find it almost empty.

There are a few wolves filling their table to the far right, but not one of them is the man I need, or the ones closest to him for that matter. Well, there is Bianca.

Fuck.

She’s not an option.

Not at all.

Dammit.

That means I’m going to have to put on my big girl panties and go over to the wolf dorms. At least the worst of them all is here and not there I guess. Heaving a breath, I try to steady my wildly beating heart as I turn around, ready to leave, when a familiar flash of white hair consumes my vision.

I gasp, relief flooding my veins as his eyes lock with mine.

Three whole seconds pass with us frozen in place and my spine stiffens, ready for him to act just like Lincoln. I step back, uncertainty warring inside of me, but he makes a move toward me, confusion clouding his vision as he takes in the state of me. Then his eyes drop to the feather in my hand and his jaw falls slack.

“Polaris,” he breathes, and a sob tears from my throat.

“Please help me,” I beg. I don’t know what’s going on, but it doesn’t take much to understand that this being left on my bed, while I was sleeping, by the man that had everyone fleeing last night is not a good thing. The look on his face confirms my fears.

“What’s going on? What’s the hold up?” Wylder asks, appearing behind Asher. His eyes land on me and he smiles, but it quickly falls when he too sees the feather in my hand.

“Fuck,” he rasps. “Should I get the others?” he asks, and Asher nods, refusing to tear his gaze from me.

A second later, he eliminates the distance between us, throwing his arm around my shoulders as he pulls me in against his side. We’re moving before I realize it, heading back outside without a word, but the soft press of his lips on my head fills mewith… something. It feels slightly positive, even if I can sense the rigidness in his frame as Wylder storms ahead, cellphone pressed to his ear.

Not a single word is spoken between us, not a note of consolation passes his lips, and as we approach the silver building and the wood-chip pathway, fear threatens to claw at me again.

Entering the wolf dorm for the second time in my life, I follow after Wylder, who leads us to the left, heading straight for the Alpha office. Lincoln is seated at his desk when I step over the threshold, Tatum groggily scrubbing at his face from the sofa, and a flicker of embarrassment threatens to consume me.

Maybe I shouldn’t be here? But where else am I supposed to go?

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