Let’s hope that it only takes three days to hide her while two hundred people are trapped in the same building.
"We'll figure out supplies," I decide, standing and pulling her gently to her feet. "Right now we just need to get you somewhere safe."
"Don't worry, sweetheart," Griff says, wrapping one of the thick blankets around her shoulders. His voice is gentle, reassuring. "We're going to take care of you. Whatever you need."
"I need..." Savannah starts, then stops, her cheeks flushing even redder. "God, I can't believe I'm about to say this."
"What do you need?" I ask softly, even though I'm pretty sure I already know the answer. Even though the thought of it makes my hands shake.
"You," she breathes, looking between Griff and me with desperate honesty. "Both of you. And Xavier when we find him. I want... I need you to claim me. All of you. I want you to bite me, mark me, make me yours."
The words hit me like a punch to the gut, stealing what little breath I had left. I've imagined her saying something like this a thousand times, but hearing it for real, seeing the desperate need and vulnerability in her eyes, makes my chest tight with emotion so fierce it nearly brings me to my knees.
My alpha is going insane, caught between the need to protect her and the overwhelming desire to give her exactly what she's asking for. Every instinct I have is screaming at me to wrap her up, hide her away, keep her safe from every threat in the world.The thought of those alphas downstairs catching even a hint of her scent makes me want to tear the building apart with my bare hands.
I reach out slowly, like she might spook, and cup her face in my hands. Her skin is burning hot, flushed with heat and need, and when my palms make contact she lets out a soft whimper that goes straight to my soul.
"Savannah," I say, my voice rougher than I intended. Her eyes flutter closed as she leans into my touch like she's been starving for it, and something primitive and possessive roars to life in my chest.
She's hurting. She's scared. She's asking us to claim her, and every fiber of my being wants to say yes, wants to mark her and make her ours forever. But she's also vulnerable and in heat, and I need to make sure she's safe before anything else.
"We need to get you out of here first," I tell her, my thumbs stroking across her cheekbones. "Somewhere those alphas can't find you. Somewhere you'll be safe."
Her eyes snap open, wide and desperate. "Logan, please. I can't... it hurts so much and I need..."
"I know what you need," I say quietly, leaning closer until our foreheads almost touch. "And we're going to take care of you. But not here. Not where they can get to you."
Griff moves behind her, and I can see the same protective fury in his eyes that's burning through me. His hands settle carefully on her shoulders through the blanket, steadying her when she sways.
"Those idiots downstairs are already losing their minds," he says, his voice tight with controlled anger. "We need to move her before this gets worse."
I wrap more blankets around Savannah until she's completely covered, then lift her into my arms. She's lighter thanI expected, but she's also shaking so hard I can feel it through all the layers.
"Logan," she whispers against my chest, her voice muffled by the blanket. "I've wanted this for so long. I've been trying not to think about it, but now I can't think about anything else."
"We know," I tell her quietly, carrying her toward the door. "We've wanted it too."
Griff moves to the door, pressing his ear against it for a moment before nodding. "Hallway's clear, but I can hear more shouting from downstairs. Whatever's happening down there is getting worse."
We slip out of the room and head for the service elevator, moving as quickly and quietly as possible. Every step feels like a risk, every shadow might hide someone who could catch her scent and follow us.
"I promise we'll take care of you," I murmur into her hair as we wait for the elevator. "All of us. Whatever you need."
"Promise?" she asks, her voice so small and vulnerable it nearly destroys me.
"On my life," I tell her, meaning every syllable. "We're going to make everything okay."
I would never let any alpha get near her. I would rip them apart, limb from limb. I've never had blood on my hands, but I would do everything for her, even burn down this fucking ski resort in the middle of a snowstorm. I broke her heart once, and even if I have to spend the rest of my life begging her forgiveness, then I will.
Because she's fucking worth it.
34
SAVANNAH
The second the lock clicks shut behind me, the sounds in the hallway shift to what I can only describe as "alpha rage: the remix." Logan gently puts me on the bed. Something heavy crashes against the far wall, making the thin glass in the picture frames tremble like they're having their own little panic attack. My stomach twists into a tight knot, sharp and unforgiving, and I have to press a hand against it to keep from doubling over because apparently my body has decided now would be a perfect time for some internal origami.
Sweat clings to my skin, making the fabric of my dress stick uncomfortably in all the wrong places. My pulse drums so loud I swear the blood is pounding in my ears loud enough to file a noise complaint. Every nerve feels rewired, pulled taut and humming like a live wire under my skin, and honestly, I'm starting to think I might actually spontaneously combust.
