Page 38

A Wolf In Artificial Clothing

SAVVINE

H alfway down the corridor, Savvine slowed.

The laughter and music from the mess faded, replaced by the thrum of ship engines and the soft overhead buzz of environmental controls.

She glanced around, frowning at the lack of a bathroom in sight.

Just endless corridors, metal bulkheads, and door panels with unfamiliar glyphs.

With a huff, she doubled back, thinking she’d ask Xander for directions.

She rounded a corner and eased off as she caught voices.

Xander, Santi, and Kaal’s deep, rumbled drawls.

She stopped short, ducking behind a structural pillar as her name drifted through the air like static.

‘- she’s wise,’ Xander was saying. ‘Fits into our world. Doesn’t look down on us. Fights like hell. Races like a goddess.’

A smile almost curled on her lips.

The conversation continued

She heard Santi say, ‘So, is she forever material?’

Savvine froze as Xander snarled. ‘I believe we’re knotted. I’ve marked her and intend to claim her as mine for freakin’ eternity.’

Kaal’s whistle further jolted her. ‘Does she know that? She’s a Bianchi, and they and the other Syndicate members have labeled our kind as untouchable. How will you deal?’

Then came Xander. ‘I’ll use my spectral energy to change her mind.’

‘You’ll manipulate her?’

‘ Fokk no, I’ll persuade her, and if anyone comes up against us, I’ll rip them apart.’

She stood stone-still at the back of the column, her hand pressed to the wall for balance, as his utterance and the casual sound of beer bottles clinking rang in her ears.

Blood rushed through her as she took in the premise of his possessive growl.

He was claiming her? They were knotted? He’d rip apart anyone who came between them?

While her traitorous soul soared, her mind churned with questions. Where was her opinion in all of this?

Savvine had always subscribed to the idea that her femininity, in its purest form, was centered on choice.

She’d worked hard to become the fleet’s youngest security chief, foregone the mafia code to marry young and have kids, and assumed her power.

All the while fighting for her independence, and refusing to let the mafia or the outdated concepts of the conservatives in her family dictate her life.

Now she shook, riled up by Xander’s words.

A gut-flipping repulsion came over her at the thought of a man claiming her in what sounded like an outdated patriarchal value system.

Also, what did he expect she’d do when he persuaded her as he’d stated? Simply roll over, become his knotted submissive, flower-arranging, bread-baking chattel?

What of his threat to rip apart those who came between them?

Would he harm her family, friends, the humans who rightly feared what they did not understand?

Would he tear them apart if they chose to defend her from the power in him?

She took a shaky inhale to stop her mind from spiraling further.

There was nothing to it; his stance was clear.

However, his words meant he saw her as property to claim, not a soul to cherish, nor a woman he respected enough to thread the needle of their highly complex relationship together.

Until now, needing to keep things casual, she hadn’t wanted to give thought to the forbidden nature of their union. She’d been having fun, exploring her sexuality, reveling in a different world.

No doubt, Xander lit her up yet, by claiming her, he was rushing her, pushing her toward a decision she was not ready for.

Her heart clenched and pushed off from the column, spine stiff.

There was no need for confrontation.

No reason to air her demands and share her hurt at his assumptions.

Her approach would be to retreat and maintain dignity.

Still, her heart ached so much that her vision blurred, and she stumbled into the hallway, where the noise of celebration faded.

Eventually, she found a sign etched with a soft-glowing symbol she recognized. Finally.

She entered the women’s bathroom, empty and echoing with sterile silence.

Cool light flooded the sink as she leaned over it, turning on the tap and cupping her hands beneath the stream.

She splashed her face, once, twice, chasing away the heat of shame burning her cheeks.

Then she glanced up to gaze at her reflection.

Eyes misted, a tight jaw, and a shallow breath.

Hair falling over her temple, and mussed, her mouth still swollen from his last kiss, and her skin flushed from adrenaline and wine.

She decided to back off a little for now until she understood the claiming aspect.

She’d opt for light and fun when things got heavy.

What she wouldn’t do again, what she couldn’t afford, was giving her heart to a man who wasn’t ready to respect it and include her in his decision-making.

A serious relationship with Xander at this stage also threw out too many unknowns.

Especially given the forbidden rules held by the Bianchi clan.

Savvine smoothed a smile despite the ache twisting through her ribs.

Then she turned and strode back into the mess, steady and in control, like nothing was wrong.

The thrum of music and chatter enveloped her, and she drifted to the bar, unable to face Xander yet, needing liquid courage first.

Its marble surface was lit in a soft amber glow, and the bottles behind the glass were stacked like jewels.

A few Sombra crew members clustered at the other end, deep in celebration. She kept her head down and ordered a scotch, needing its burn to soothe her angst.

‘Neat,’ she said. ‘No ice.’

She took her drink to the bar’s edge and stood, sipping, breathing even slower, and letting her heart’s ache ease, allowing her pain to fade.

Still, her eyes betrayed her. They strayed to where he sat as if he were her magnetic north.

He was laughing at something Zev said, one arm draped over the back of a chair, his posture loose but lethal.

His amethyst hair tousled from the heat of battle, a lock fallen onto his forehead.

Fokk , he was handsome.

However, Xander Roman was no playboy.

He was all man formed from storms and secrets: a myth, a rebel even, with a lycan spirit.

He was difficult. Deep. Enthralling, naam , intriguing, attractive, and lover like no other.

He made entire rooms spin by entering them; the kind of man who scorched and burned his way through the galaxy.

At the same time, he was also maddening with his archaic thinking about knotting, claiming, and mating.

That was the kicker.

She wanted more, and she had to admit that his marking her had turned her on and set her aflame.

However, she wasn’t sure she was ready for all he had declared to his pack.

Without warning, his mesmerizing violet-gold eyes found her. They locked onto her with pinpoint accuracy like a missile tracking its target.

He surged to his feet and strode toward her.

She swallowed the dregs of her drink and straightened as he neared, every nerve taut.

He reached her, eyes still molten, reaching for her, pulling her closer, sending shards of unbidden desire through her.

‘Baby, you disappeared on me,’ he rasped in a husky, hoarse timbre.

She let him kiss her, just a brush of lips, then smiled, with a careful, curated expression, stepping back.

‘I just need a bit of air,’ she murmured. ‘Some downtime after all that excitement.’

She took another step away, and his hand encircled her wrist.

She glanced down at the connection, the heated grip of his sinewed hand, then back up at him.

He tilted his head, frowning. ‘Where are you going, belleza ?’

Her lips lifted, light and soft as gossamer. ‘Like I said, some air, please. I’ll see you later.’

She turned before he could say more, slipping her hand from his grasp.

Walking with poise through the crowd, a singular need suffused her: to get away, just for a little while,

Weaving between laughter and raised glasses, each step she took sealed her heart behind its walls.

She caught a glimpse of him in a mirrored panel as she passed, a flicker of his reflection. He stood alone now, his violet flaming gaze following her retreat, lips pressed tight, tongue in his cheek, the muscle ticking.

His eyes burned, narrowed with thoughtful frustration.

But he didn’t come after her.

The aft viewing lounge was a cathedral of silence and starlight. It spanned the rear end of the great destroyer like a forgotten chapel.

Its towering glass panes soared fifty feet high, giving way to the infinite ballet of stars, moons, and drifting celestial bodies beyond.

Savvine curled into one of the oversized couches nestled beneath the view, tucking a blanket from the courtesy basket around her legs.

The fabric was plush and soft, and she snuggled into it, staring into the vastness.

The glow of a twin moon system cast silver against her cheekbones as she tapped her wrist comm, trying to reach Abby and her parents.

Silence greeted her each time, not even a flicker of a neural ping in return.

It only served to dial up her angst, her chest feeling brittle.

The minutes slipped by.

Time had no meaning here, only the slow slide of cosmic light beyond the windowpanes.

She was just about to drift off, mind weary, body dulled by exhaustion, when a shadow stretched across the couch.

She didn’t startle, her soul already aware of who it was.

She turned her head to find Xander crouched beside her.

At first, he didn’t say a word; he just studied her with those violet flaming eyes, his brows drawn in subtle concern.

The overhead lights caught in the edges of his dark, amethyst hair, giving him an untamed halo of firelight.

He reached out, his hand warm and rough against the curve of her cheek, thumb stroking.

Her breath hitched. She wanted to lean into him, anchor herself there. Instead, she summoned a faint, tremulous smile.

‘ Que pasa , mi cielo ?’

His utterance was a hoarse whisper. ‘You’re not yourself.’

She gave a soft shrug, eyes turning back to the stars. ‘I’m just missing my family.’

His fingers stilled.

‘Liar,’ he rasped.

She swallowed and said nothing.