Chapter 4
926 Words
SAVANNA
I cried until my eyes were swollen and raw.
The villa was silent except for my broken sobs echoing off the walls. I was curled up in the massive bed I once shared with Christian, clutching his pillow that still carried faint traces of his scent.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw his face- cold to the world but tender only with me. The way he’d kiss my forehead after making love.
The way he held back that darker, sadistic edge I sometimes glimpsed in his eyes, always protecting me from it.
Now he might be gone. And I couldn’t tell anyone.
I didn’t dare spread the news, not even to Leah yet. A missing alpha leader in the middle of pack tensions? It would cause chaos, weakness and invitations for rivals to strike.
So I suffered alone, muffling my cries into the sheets until exhaustion finally dragged me under in the early hours of morning.
———
The next day, sunlight pierced through the curtains like an accusation. My body felt heavy and my eyes were puffy from all the crying.
I dragged myself to the kitchen for coffee, moving like a ghost in my own home. Kaden had left early as I heard the front door earlier- but his presence lingered everywhere. His scent on the couch where he’d held me. His instructions rang in my ears.
Suddenly, my phone started to buzz nonstop. Leah.
Leah: OMG Sav, what happened with your hot father-in-law yesterday?!? Details!!! Did he see the toys?? Did he say anything?? He looked like he wanted to devour you right there in the store.
I stared at the messages with my thumb hovering. Grief and shame twisted together. I could not tell her about Christian nor could let her get suspicious so I typed back absentmindedly.
Me: It was mortifying. He paid for everything and drove me home. Christian’s dad is… intense.
Leah: Intense how?? Did you feel that alpha energy up close?? Bet he smells like pure sin. Would you let him comfort you if Christian’s away longer? Hypothetically of course. *smirk*
I flushed and heat creeped up my neck. Even through my sorrow, her words stirred the forbidden ache between my thighs. Kaden’s thumb on my lip. His hand in my hair. The way my body had responded while I was sobbing in his arms.
Me: Leah, stop. It’s not like that. He’s just… helping while Christian is handling pack business.
I couldn’t tell her the truth.
She took time to write to me back but the moment, another notification popped up- my heart dropped.
Leah: Hey girl, I just got the news- Edward Creed is back in the country. The news says ‘He landed yesterday. Looking finer than ever. The CEO playboy is stirring up old gossip again.’
Edward.
My heart lurched and my phone nearly slipped from my fingers as memories crashed over me like a tidal wave.
I was eighteen again- curvy, insecure and desperately in love with the campus golden boy…. Edward Creed.
It was- Gentle smiles, passionate kisses under the bleachers, whispered promises during stolen moments. Our puppy-love had been fire and sweetness.
He’d made me feel beautiful despite the mean girls who tormented me for my size. We’d sneak away during early Haze flares, touching and exploring with clumsy teenage hunger.
His hands on my full breasts, his mouth between my thighs, teaching me pleasure while we both trembled with new wolf instincts.
But then came the betrayal-
Haze season and I caught Edward in bed with a girl, caught in the heat. The image still cut like glass- him buried inside someone else while I waited for him like a fool.
The agony of it had shattered me. I’d run straight into Christian’s arms, flash-marrying the ruthless alpha who promised safety and dominance.
Now Edward was back.
I sank onto the couch, lost in thoughts. Tears pricked my eyes again.
If there had been no Haze… would Edward have cheated? Would our love have been enough? Would I have rushed into marriage with Christian so quickly?
The questions haunted me. Christian had been my rock. Despite being cold to everyone else, he was tender with me. Yet even with him, I’d held back my wild side. And now, with him missing…
Haze was coming. Soon. I could already feel it building under my skin- an insistent, throbbing need that toys and my own fingers could never fully satisfy.
Without Christian, how the hell was I supposed to survive? The suppressed desire would only double next year, becoming unbearable. I’d heard horror stories of wolves losing control, begging strangers and …. Even humiliating themselves in public.
I pressed my thighs together, trying to ignore the fresh slick gathering between my folds. My conservative mind recoiled, but the slutty side deep inside whispered darker thoughts to-
Kaden’s strong hands. Edward’s familiar touch. Both of them…..
Suddenly, my phone buzzed again. And it was a new message.
Edward: Savanna. I’m so sorry. I know we have history, but I’m not here to cause pain. I am back in the country and I just want to see you. To talk. To clear the air about what happened back then.
Meet me? Please. Whenever you’re ready. I’m here for you. Always have been.
My breath caught. The message was sincere, gentle- the same Edward who once held me through my first heat flare. Tears brimmed in my eyes as my finger hovered over the reply button.
What do I do now?
- Writer
