Page 38 of Alpha Fate

Warmth spreads through me, and my knees almost go weak. Savannah is hesitant at first, frozen in place. But then she melts against me, her hands coming up to clutch at my shirt. Our lips move together unhurriedly, as if we have all the time in the world. I kiss her with all the emotion that’s been building up inside me – the fear when I thought I’d lost her, the relief when I found her again, the protectiveness, the attraction. I pour it all into this perfect, earth-shattering kiss.

When we finally break apart, both breathing heavily, I lean my forehead against hers. Her fingers curl into my shirt, holding me close.

“I’m sorry,” I murmur, though I can’t bring myself to regret what just happened. “I shouldn’t have…I mean, I don’t know what came over me.”

A soft smile curves Savannah’s kiss-swollen lips. “It’s okay. I’m not complaining.”

My heart leaps at her words. Unable to resist, I brush another feather-light kiss over her mouth.

“What does this mean?” she asks uncertainly, emerald eyes searching mine.

I let out a shaky laugh. “Honestly? I have no idea.” I stroke her cheek with my thumb. “All I know is that from the moment I first saw you, I felt this…connection. I can’t get you out of my head.”

“Me, too,” she whispers, biting her lip. “I didn’t want to admit it, but I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you either.”

Joy courses through me at her confession. She feels it, too – this gravitational pull between us. I don’t know where it will lead, but I know I have to find out. Savannah’s hands slide up to loop around my neck, and she pulls me down into another searing kiss. This time, there’s no hesitation as our lips crash together. I wrap my arms around her waist, molding her body to mine. We lose ourselves in each other, tongues tangling, hands roaming.

When we finally separate, gasping for air, all I can do is grin down at her stupidly. Her cheeks are flushed, eyes bright.

“We should probably get out of this alley,” she says with a breathless laugh.

“Right.” I clear my throat, trying to gather some semblance of coherent thought. I take her hand in mine again, lacing our fingers together. As we step back out into the sunlight, I feel lighter than I have in ages. I don’t know where things will go from here, but in this moment, I’m ready to find out.

Chapter 13

Savannah

“I knew it! I knew this would happen!” Sierra is raking her hands through her hair, marching an agitated path back and forth across the living room rug. While I was out with Gage, she unpacked some of the boxes, and the place is starting to look homely already.

“I’m fine, Si,” I try to appease her, but she’s not listening to me.

“He did it, didn’t he? Tried to take advantage of you?” She’s breathless, still charging around. I don’t remember much about my sister, but I don’t recall her being this emotional.

“He did nothing of the sort. He was a perfect gentleman.” Up until he practically melted my panties off with a kiss that had my toes curling.

Holy heck!

“Then why can I smell him all over you, huh? Why?” Sierra points an accusing finger at me.

“Because he kissed me.”

“He what?!” My sister’s almost shrieking.

“But I kissed him back. It’s okay.”

“It’s not okay! It’s not! I told you, Savvie! I told you this would happen. They can’t resist you because of you being in heat, and you can’t turn them down because you’re not thinking clearly. It’s the fucking chip! God, if I could get my hands on Rack again, I’d do the job properly next time.” If she keeps this up, she’s actually going to start pulling her hair right out.

I put a hand on her arm as she marches past me. “But I’m not in heat, Si. I’m sure of it. I know what it feels like, and I’m not.”

“This isn’t like anything you know, Savannah.” She pulls in a breath. “It’s not natural.” Her throat works. “The things it does to you…” She stops talking as her voice grows strangled.

My heart breaks. Stopping her pacing, I pull her into a hug. “I’m so sorry, Si. I’m so sorry about what you went through. And I love you for wanting to protect me from that. But I’m fine. I promise.”

Sierra’s shoulders are shaking, and when she buries her face into the curve of my neck, I feel her crying.

“You’re not fine.” The words are muffled. “You’re so thin. So fragile. And I couldn’t take care of you. I have to do it now.”

I pull away a little and stroke her cheek. Her eyes are awash. “You don’t have to do it now. We’re here together, and we’re safe.” It’s so strange to me that I’m the one comforting her when, just last night, it was the other way around. Overnight, I’ve tapped into reserves of strength I didn’t know I had. Maybe they were there all along. Maybe it’s what got me through the last weeks.