Page 20

POLARIS

A fter hiding away in the maze with Tatum through lunch and sharing another turkey and Swiss sandwich, the rest of my classes were mundane.

It doesn’t help that I’m once again distracted by thoughts of wolves, vampires, and covens, but I manage to stay focused enough to know I’m not missing anything important.

As the final bell rings, I hike my backpack over my shoulder and head for the door with a relieved sigh.

“Hey, I have a meeting with The Renegades. Are you going to be okay heading back, or should I call Minnie?” Bryony asks, appearing at my side, and I shake my head.

“I’m good. Blaze is just being… Blaze. Heading back to my dorm in a sea full of other students doing the exact same thing is going to be fine,” I insist, watching as her eyebrows rise at the mention of the vampire, but she manages to keep any questions to herself, nodding instead.

“Okay. If you need any help with witchy business tonight, just let me know,” she offers, squeezing my arm as we step out of the classroom.

She heads left as I turn right, following the flow of students toward the exit. Some head toward the dining hall, but most lead out to the pathway toward the dorms.

I enjoy the calm, the peace amongst the chaos.

As much as I love my… friends? Every time I’m with someone, I end up embroiled in drama. At least, alone, I can narrow the chances of that happening. It’s just like being back at Florentine’s. The drama didn’t really find me there.

With every step I take, I formulate a plan for the evening—one that involves my grimoire and snacks— lots and lots of snacks.

I decide I’ll head back out to get some later as a little treat, once I’ve actually managed to get some work done, as I take the sandy path that leads to the witches’ dorm building.

We bustle inside and I take the stairs two at a time, hurrying down the hallway to my door.

I sweep it open and kick it shut just as quickly, sagging back against the wood with a languid sigh.

My stress levels have definitely lessened as the day has gone on, but I suppose an orgasm will do that.

Not just any orgasm either, one at Tatum’s hands.

My cheeks heat at the thought as I push off the door and head toward my bed, barely making it two steps before I come to a halt.

Panic floods my veins as I stare at the sheets, and as much as I try to gulp down the terror, I end up choking on air. My instincts take over and I react without thought, pulling my cell phone from my backpack and opening up the messages.

Polaris: I’ve had a visitor.

I wait with bated breath, staring at the device in my hand instead of the item nestled on the center of my bed. Thankfully, my cell phone vibrates immediately.

Asher: I’m on my way.

I should be embarrassed messaging so quickly, unable to handle the situation alone, but after the last time this happened… I’m confident I don’t yet have the skills to take care of this on my own.

Dropping my cell phone to my side, I peer at the glimmer of gold on my bed. Cautiously, I step toward it, fearful of getting too close, as if it’s a ticking time bomb, when my cell phone vibrates again.

Wylder: Meet you there.

Oh God. There’s going to be more than one of them here. As if that wasn’t enough, another message pops up on the screen before I can decline any further help.

Tatum: Almost there.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck… three knocks rap on my door and I gulp. Frozen in place, uncertainty takes root. As if sensing my panic, a voice carries from the other side of the door.

“It’s me, Polaris,” Asher calls out, and I sag a little with reassurance.

Hurrying toward the door, I pause as I reach for the handle. Are there any magical abilities that could make someone sound like someone they’re not? In a roundabout way… is it actually Asher on the other side?

I run my palms down my thighs, sweat getting the better of me, and before I can come up with a better idea, I reach for my pouch of sand. Tugging at the string, I pour it into my hand, letting grains scatter to the floor as I clench my fist around them.

Taking a deep breath, I recall the witch’s class from earlier and close my eyes.

“Polaris? Are you there?” Asher calls out, knocking again, and he comes to life in my mind, a white wisp on the other side of the door.

If there’s any ill intent, I’ll feel it, I hope, but there’s nothing but concern that greets me.

I’m instantly reassured as another wisp joins the first, the same green color that lightly represents a hint of fear, and I pry my eyes open.

“Sorry,” I breathe, hurrying to the door. “I was just…” My words trail off as I find Asher and Wylder standing side by side, eyebrows gathered with worry as another two sets of footsteps hurry toward us.

The three of us glance down the hallway to find Tatum marching our way, with Lincoln grumbling at his side.

Great. Just… great.

“Where’s Minnie?” I ask, stalling, and Lincoln rolls his eyes.

“She’s with our mother,” he states, slipping through the gap at my side and entering my space once again without an invitation while I’m left nodding like a fool.

Tatum follows after him, squeezing my arm in support, while Wylder plants a kiss on my temple as he passes, leaving Asher and me to linger at the door for a moment.

“Did you tell anyone else?” he asks, and I shake my head, aware of who exactly he’s referring to. “Words, Polaris.”

“No,” I murmur, and he nods, gripping my chin.

“Good girl.” The kiss he places at the corner of my mouth is feather-light. So light I could have imagined it because in the next moment he’s filtering into my room.

I sigh, closing the door as I turn to face the wolves now overcrowding my personal space. Clearing my throat, I walk around them and come to a stop by my nightstand, eyeing the golden object along with them. “I didn’t mean to haul you all over here, I just…”

“It’s the chalice. The one he felt would be useful for us,” Tatum explains, eyebrows gathered tight as Lincoln glares at him.

“She doesn’t need to know that.”

“She took a fucking arrow for it. She can know what she wants,” Tatum snaps back, surprising not just me but everyone else too.

Eager to stop the rising tension, I attempt to take control of the situation before it continues south. “I never even thought to ask if you got it,” I admit, earning a tight smile from Asher.

“We did. It was in Lincoln’s office. With you being in the medical center, I didn’t want to bombard you, and obviously, Lincoln didn’t want to trust you over the whole vampire thing, but…” His words trail off and I gulp. That doesn’t make any of this better.

“But the crow wanted me to see it.” It’s not a question; it’s a statement. Even if I don’t know the guy, it’s here for a reason.

Wylder shrugs. “You’re the one who took the arrow. You should definitely know we found it.”

“Are none of you listening to me?” Lincoln complains, still set on placing invisible barriers between us.

I thought seeing him out in the hallway this morning meant something.

I know I didn’t act like it, but damn, he deserved to stew a little.

Hell, a lot. Especially after he left me stewing all night.

I’m not usually one for petty revenge, but sometimes, where needs must, a point has to be made.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to change anything.

Disappointed, I shake my head at him. “We don’t have time for your crap right now. We actually have to discuss this. I actually have to pull my head out of my ass and understand?—”

“There’s nothing for you to know,” he interjects, sending a burning irritation through my veins.

I’m done with this crap. I’m done with being on the cusp of knowing things with them but always being cut off before I actually learn anything at all.

“What does T.K.O.G. stand for?”

Silence drenches the room, kicking my heart rate up a notch. Tatum clears his throat as he tilts his head. “Why?”

“It’s on my coin. Is it on yours?”

“Yes,” he answers without hesitation, and I gape in surprise.

I don’t know why my head went there, but the first time Tatum was in my room, we pinky promised to try to trust each other. He showed me his coin. If we’re going to get anywhere right now, this has to be the place to start.

“What does it stand for?”

The four of them eye each other, a flash of uncertainty flickering in the air as I hold my breath. This is another make-or-break moment. Everything hangs in the balance, and it’s Asher who meets my stare first.

“The Keeper Of the Games.”

I wait for more, but nothing else is said.

“In English?” I mutter, tucking a loose curl behind my ear and Wylder offers me a tight smile.

“When you come of age, and your blood kin is announced, the fallout is controlled by the keeper of the games.

Well, controlled is a strong word. They are high up in the hierarchy that is the supernatural world, but more than anything, they keep the figures and document who survives and who doesn't.”

I nod like it makes sense, but it really doesn’t. “Does the coin mean anything else apart from the fact that it’s linked to our ancestors, who are connected to the original witch and her men?” I ask, and Tatum shrugs, disappointment evident in his eyes.

“I’m sure it means far more, but that’s all we know.”

I take a deep breath, assessing the situation as my gaze returns to the golden chalice in the middle of my bed.

“What could the chalice help us with?”

“You don’t need to know that,” Lincoln interjects again, and my eyes snap to his.

“She took a fucking arrow for us, she deserves everything,” Ashers snaps, calming the storm inside of me.

“No more keeping me in the dark.” My hands ball at my sides as I try to contain my frustration, but it’s futile as I glare at the asshole wolf.

“We can’t?—”

“If you can’t trust me, then I can’t trust you, and I refuse to waste any more time on this ridiculous back and forth,” I interject, cutting off whatever bullshit was about to spill from Lincoln’s mouth, but despite my irritation, he smirks.

“You don’t have any control here.” It’s a warning, one I don’t care for, but as I part my lips, ready to tell him exactly where he can shove it, Tatum lifts his hand.

“I’m in.”

“Me too,” Wylder chimes as Asher nods.

“Third.”

My heart thunders in my chest, aware something is unraveling before us, but I can’t bring myself to jump to any conclusions. Not when it comes to these guys.

“I’m not backing this,” Lincoln grunts, and Tatum whirls around to him.

“Then get out.”

Hot fuck.

“Tatum—”

“He’s right. Get out,” I add, aiming a finger at the door. I don’t entirely know what I’m agreeing to, but Tatum seems to follow me into the darkness, so I can do the same.

“You can’t tell me what to do.”

I scoff. “You’re lucky you’re standing here right now after what you did last night,” I bite as my stomach clenches at the reminder, causing Wylder to peer at me.

“What did he do?”

I shake my head. “That doesn’t matter, but me letting him in here is an olive branch, one he doesn’t deserve. Especially if he’s just going to act like this.”

“I’m standing right here,” Lincoln mutters, waving his hands around. I tilt to give him the stink eye.

“Sadly.”

“I told you earlier, Little Witch. I’ll mark the fuck out of you if you let me,” Wylder declares to the room, and Lincoln whirls around to gape at his friend.

“What the fuck?”

“I’m all in. I trust you. And to clarify, this puts us exclusively off the market,” Wylder adds, beaming from ear to ear as my jaw falls slack and my pulse ricochets in my ears.

“Wait, I never?—”

“Me too,” Tatum calls out, repeating his earlier sentiment as Asher nods too.

“Third.”

“You guys are insane,” I breathe, unsure how to actually understand what’s going on here.

“You’re damn right they are,” Lincoln snaps, turning to sneer at his pack. “Because are you all forgetting the vampire that’s bound to her?”

My chest tightens, but before I can even formulate a word to say, Wylder shrugs.

“I don’t care.”

“So you’re saying you’ll share with a vampire?” Lincoln states, looking for clarity, but it’s Tatum who huffs.

“Right now, it sounds better than sharing with you.”

“I’m standing right here. Don’t I get a say on who I’m shared with?” I interject before anyone else can have their say, and Asher turns to me with a grin.

“Sure, just not right now,” he says with a wink, leaving me to gape at him even more while Lincoln shakes his head in disbelief.

“She’s not a wolf.”

“We’re well aware,” Wylder mutters with a sigh.

“She’s bound to a vampire.”

“You’ve already said that part,” Tatum states, pressing his lips together.

“She’s…” Lincoln’s words trail off and Asher smirks at him knowingly.

“Go on, find something else to say about how she’s not right for us, and we’ll give you a reason why it doesn’t fucking matter.”

Lincoln’s nostrils flare as he turns to me, eyes wide and dark with desperation. “You’re going to ruin us, ruin me.”

“I have to survive this place for that to be true,” I mutter, and silence drenches the room.

It’s my space, but I consider running for the door. The tension is thick. There’s no escaping it. Until…

“Fourth.”

One word from Lincoln’s mouth and I think I’m going to faint. The tension eases, but he doesn’t look at me.

“Nah, the vampire gets fourth,” Wylder declares, and Asher tries to hide a snicker but fails miserably.

“Fuck off,” Lincoln grunts and Tatum cocks a brow at him.

“Go on, say it, and acknowledge the fact that he’s in this too,” he breathes, and my brows crinkle in confusion.

“No,” Lincoln instantly protests, but the three of them stare at him, unified against their alpha, and I want the floor to open up and take me now.

They wait him out and I join them, even though I’m unsure what’s happening.

“Fifth,” he finally breathes, and the tension in the room vanishes between them, but it still wraps tight around my limbs.

Clearing my throat, I blink at them. “What just happened?”

Eight eyes, four wolves, one sentence.

“You just became ours.”