Page 27 of Savage Torment

That one word, like a plea… damn him. For him, it feels like the equivalent of him begging, and I gulp, unsure how I'm supposed to breathe after that.

Thankfully, he breaks our gaze as his cell phone vibrates and he glances at the time. A grunt escapes his lips before he sighs. “As much as I would love to continue this banter with you, I’m late, Amica Mea. We need to leave.” He turns toward thedoor without a backward glance, disappearing from my view a moment later.

Every part of me internally pleads for me not to follow him, not to take his order, but in the same breath, I’m acutely aware that following him leads to my freedom and an escape from this place. On the heels of that comes the hope of finding my… friends. The word doesn’t feel right when I consider everyone I’m referring to, but I try not to let myself get caught up in anything else beyond my control right now.

The nurse is still tucked in the corner, avoiding any kind of eye contact, reaffirming that I’m completely on my own in here, at his whim, so I bite the bullet and relent. Rushing out of the room, I find him moving down the hall toward the exit. I catch up to his side just before he opens the double doors, and the moment he swings them open and we step over the threshold, I’m bombarded with sighs of relief and my name hanging thick in the air.

“Oh my God, Polaris!”

I catch a fleeting glimpse of Minnie before she launches herself at me, enveloping me in her arms and pressing me to her chest. It’s so tight I can barely breathe as we sway from side to side, but I revel in the unfamiliar warmth that spreads through my veins.

“Hey,” I manage, completely overwhelmed by her presence and the way she soothes me right now. The tightening in my chest intensifies as I glance over her shoulder and my gaze lands on another pair of eyes, then another, and another, until I spot four more disheveled wolves.

A part of my soul finds peace in a way I can’t even comprehend as the corner of my mouth curls upward just an inch. My gaze rests on the nearest wolf, though there’s a weariness in his eyes.

Tatum.

His long hair is swept back from his face and tied in a messy bun on the top of his head and his clothes are crumpled. I'm pretty sure that’s what he’d been wearing the last time I saw him.

“Polaris,” he says as Minnie lets go of me and he instantly replaces her.

I wrap my arms around his neck and inhale his scent, letting it calm me. “I’m so happy to see you,” I breathe, and his hold tightens for a moment as he grunts. I don’t need to look to know the tension in his shoulders is due to the vampire in the room. “I hate him. I’m sorry,” I whisper, feeling completely bewildered that he's here right now and not charging for the hills since Blaze took over and made this his show.

He squeezes me tightly, his lips brushing over my neck for the briefest moment, but he doesn’t say a word or acknowledge what I said before he disappears and my hands drop to my sides.

“Hey, Silver.”

My eyes swing to the left where Asher stands with his hands tucked in his pockets, assessing me.

I can see the same uncertainty in his eyes as I did in Tatum’s, as if he’s unsure how to act with the new revelations unfolding between us, which, in turn, leaves me nervously standing in the same spot.

I never really know how to act around these guys. I’m learning to be myself as a person, but being a version of me that may appeal to them is something entirely different. Adding to the fact that I’m Asher’s puppet on a string, willing to fall apart at his command, I don’t know how to make the first move.

“Hey,” I breathe. Uncertain how to handle myself, I interpret his movement when he pulls his hands out of his pockets as a sign, prompting me to step closer. A moment later, I find myself in his arms.

It's stiffer than before, wary on both ends, but is it a hurdle we can overcome together?

“Come on now, my little witch, don't leave me until the end.”

I sneak a glance to my right, a soft, relieved smile on my lips as I see Wylder bouncing on the balls of his feet, eager to join the action. Asher releases me and I cautiously extend my hands toward Wylder. Seconds later, I find myself in his grasp, twirling on the spot and feeling slightly nauseous before being placed back on my feet.

An overwhelming sense of joy, hope, and relief seeps through me, but it's instantly muted the moment my eyes land on their Alpha. He sweeps his tongue across his bottom lip, gazing deep into my soul with hooded eyes.

“Midnight.”

My gut clenches. That might be my nickname, but there’s no invitation there, so I offer a nod in response. “Lincoln.”

Our stare-off lasts longer than I expect, and I have to turn my gaze away from his before I drop to my knees and beg to understand where his mindset is. Instead, I turn to Minnie, clearing my throat, fully aware of the vampire who remains two steps to my right.

“Did Blaze tell you I was being discharged?”

Asher captures my attention as he shakes his head. “We never left.”

Guilt takes root deep in my chest as my jaw falls slack and I shake my head, “I’m so sorry.”

Tatum scoffs and gives me a pointed look. “You’re not the one who should be apologizing,” he states, making my pulse thrum through my veins as Blaze claps his hands twice in quick succession.

The temperature in the room suddenly drops even lower.

---