11

The Beta of ForgedHearts pack picked up on the first ring of his phone. "Hello?" he answered cautiously.

"Justin! It's me!"

"Vannah? What on earth? What happened to you? Are you okay? Tell me you're still alive and that horrible rogue hasn't ripped you to a million pieces and dumped you in Sludge Sea!"

"I'm okay, man. Calm down. He's not like what you expect." Savannah watched Zion stalk towards her and lift his eyebrows curiously.

"I said call your parents!" he leaned close and hissed.

"Shh. They don't even have a phone," she whispered before looking away and saying to Justin, "No, no, everything's okay. I'm not tied up to a torture pole, nor in a dark dungeon. I'm actually good. What's that?"

Zion gripped his hair with both hands and began pacing the living room. Savannah giggled, causing him to growl suspiciously.

"Of course I've got a plan," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Why did you go with him the first place? You deserted your pack!" Justin basically shouted through the phone.

Savannah held it away from her ear. "I did it to save you!"

Zion groaned and nearly punched a hole in the wall. Savannah ignored the moody rogue and continued, "He almost killed you, and would've hurt more of the pack. He's my mate, Justin. I had to leave with him."

"That doesn't make me feel any better," Justin grumbled. "I miss you, Vannah. We all do. The pack needs you."

"They have you as Alpha. They'll be fine."

"Yeah. One of the many things I've realised in your absence is that it's not easy being Alpha."

"Really?!" she scoffed. "Has my dad been giving you a hard time?"

"Try your mom. It's like she's breathing down my shoulder every day. They both keep insisting I send out a hundred search parties for you! I don't know how much more of this I can take."

Savannah sighed thoughtfully. "Anyone would think I've never left home before. Just encourage them to go on a camping trip with Charles and Lexi and their kiddos. That will keep them out of your hair."

"Good idea. Hey, any idea when you'll be home?" Justin asked. "This plan of yours had better be good or else I'm coming to help. If that wretched rogue--"

"Don't worry, Jus. He's actually kinda sweet."

"Sweet? You never describe anyone but Isaiah and Hunter as sweet. Have you hit your head? Are you injured? Tell me what's been happening!" her best friend demanded. It almost brought tears to her eyes to hear his dramatics again, though it was only just his voice.

"Well, the city is amazing. So much to see and do. I've been on a midnight raid, and shot a gun at a couple bad guys, and jumped off a bridge. I've been kidnapped, Vulcan nerve pinched, shot with a silver bullet, tied to chairs, and interrogated like a high profile criminal. You'd love it here!"

"Haha. What I love is your enthusiasm. Sounds epic. I'm sure Emerald, Petrinna, and Florence will love to act out those stories when you and Cale get home. We'll put on a stage play for the whole pack."

She mimicked his sarcasm, "I can't wait," then grinned at the blissful ignorance of her Beta and the childhood memories his words evoked. "So, here's the plan. I'm going to go along with Zion and his gang of rogues for a little while, gaining their trust. Then when my mate least expects it, I'm going to cuff him and bring him in. I'll be the greatest Alpha ever for taking down the Silver Rogue!"

Zion watched with a smirk on his face. There was a pause in the conversation as Justin said something, then Savannah shook her head decidedly.

"Oh no, he can't hear me. He has no idea what I'm planning." All the while, her eyes held Zion's while he stared curiously, and she just winked. "Okay, cya. Tell Mom and Dad I love them, and give the others hugs for me. And a cherry cupcake to Kiana. Oh, and tell her a bedtime story for me, please! One about the black bear from Mugwamp Forest. You'll be her favourite for a week if you do. Thanks Jus!"

After she hung up, Zion slowly sank onto the couch opposite her. "Why did you lie to your Beta? Isn't that against your Alpha code or something?" He leaned back and stared at her intently.

"Who said I lied?"

Zion's eyes narrowed while the rest of his face stayed passive. "So after everything we talked about, you're still planning to capture and imprison me."

Savannah couldn't stop the giggle that slipped past her lips. Had she inhaled some morphine without realising it? Or was her euphoria caused by exposure to the alluring drug of her mate? "You'd like to see me try, wouldn't you?"

"This isn't funny. What if your pack storms over here and takes down our entire operation? We'll all be in danger, including that precious boyfriend--I mean Beta--of yours." He smiled coyly.

The smile slipped from Savannah's face. "Oh, now who's being funny?"

"Don't deny it. I saw the feelings he had for your written all over his face the other day, and now in his voice. And you feel just as strongly."

Savannah leapt up from the couch. "Don't talk to me about feelings, Rogue. You, who refuses to change your ways to be with me. You don't care at all, do you? I'm trying to make compromises here, and you—"

"Is that what you think about me? That I don't care? I suppose saving your neck back there from those guys trying to kill us isn't caring? Or that the bullet in your arm just magically stopped poisoning you and your skin healed all by itself?"

"Alright, I get the idea. You're my hero! Happy now?" She stormed out the front door after grabbing her jacket.

"Savannah, don't walk away when I'm trying—"

"Trying to what? Analyse the relationship between me and my Beta and give me advice? I don't believe this. I'm going to find Cale."

"Is that where you're running off to? My place?"

"I can find the way. No need to follow."

"I'll do one better and drive you. Now get in the car," he motioned to the side of the house where an old Toyota pickup was parked.

Shaking her head, she turned and began walking down the street. "I don't need you to chauffeur me around, thanks. I can take care of myself."

"Seriously? How do you think you've survived till now, huh?"

"I'm only in this mess because you stormed my territory and dragged me away!" she spun and faced him again, her face scrunched in muted fury.

"So now it's all my fault? You're in this mess because you stubbornly followed me! One minute you refuse to go back home, then the next it's all my fault you're in danger up to your eyeballs. Now make up your damn mind about me, Savannah!"

She sputtered, at a loss for words under the heated glare he was giving her. With nothing left in her arsenal, she grabbed him by the shoulders, rose on her toes, and crushed her lips to his in a bruising kiss.

"There." She pulled back, panting. "Does that simplify things?"

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, a hard expression in his stormy eyes. "It complicates them."

She gave a derisive laugh. "Yeah, well you started that tradition."

After both staring into the distance, refusing to meet each other's gaze, Zion asked softly, "Are you going to come with me, or not?"

"Or not," she instantly replied, turning again and jogging down the street.

"Don't make me do this, Savannah!"

"I can't hear you anymore!" she flung over her shoulder, then picked up her pace to a sprint when he took after her.

"I warned you."

His breath was hot against her ear just before she felt his warm hand on the back of her neck, then everything when dark.

~~~~~

Savannah awoke abruptly when her body lurched forward. She found herself strapped in a car seat, and Zion yanking the handbrake up before he jumped out of the car.

"Wait here and don't do anything stupid. I'll only be a few minutes," he rumbled in serious time of voice.

Still vague from her unconscious state, she watched him enter a pharmacy, the glass door sliding close behind him.

"Ha. He trusts me to not make a run for it? Idiot." She flipped down the mirror above the windscreen, gasped at her frightful appearance, and tried flattening her wild hair. Filled with determination, the Alpha undid her seat belt, got out of the passenger side of the car, and marched into the store after her mate.

After browsing the aisles of bandaids, constipation medication that was totally foreign to her, and makeup stands that promised flawless beauty, she found Revlon nailpolish at forty percent off. Choosing a colour didn't take long, so she expected to find Zion still doing whatever he came here for.

Instead, she found him at the counter already. "Jerk," she shoved him in the hip before placing the nailpolish on the counter with his stuff.

"You seriously wear that?" he eyed it and then her, surprised.

"It's for my sister."

"Uh huh." He finished paying, grabbed the bag, and lead the way back to the car. "Why am I a jerk this time?"

"For knocking me out with your signature move. You know, maybe if you ask nicely next time, I might just comply with your requests."

"Doubt it."

"You'll never know till you try."

"Savannah, please stop talking. I'm trying to drive," he asked as he swerved onto the busy motorway.

"Very funny. That's not how it works. If you just—"

He reached over and squeezed her neck, making her finally shut up.

"Finally. Some peace and quiet," he slid on his wayfarers and enjoyed a leisurely drive home.

After parking, Zion slammed the car door shut, adjusted Savannah over his shoulder, then entered his house. He casually strode into the living room with one hand on the back of her thighs to stop her from slipping, and the pharmacy bag in his other hand.

At the sight of them, Cale immediately jumped up from the couch. "Savannah! What did you do to her?" he glared at Zion.

"She'll wake up in a moment," Zion replied, flipping her over and dumping her on the couch.

"Alpha, can you hear me? Savannah, wake up!" Cale sat beside her and shook her gently.

She groaned and clumsily swatted his hands away. "Ow, that hurts...I got shot..." Her eyes opened and peered into Cale's pale face.

"Shot?" His eyes widened to saucers at the sight of her bandaged shoulder. "You shot her?" he leapt from the couch and prepared to launch himself at Zion.

"Yep. At point blank range. She wouldn't stop talking, so..."

"So you shot her? You barbarian!" Cale bared his teeth and snarled, his claws extending and his eyes turning a dark shade of brown.

"Relax, man, he's pulling your leg," Talei clapped her hand on his shoulder and yanked him back down onto the couch, grinning at his angry enthusiasm. "You're so gullible."

After a tense moment, the Gamma calmed down and went back to checking his Alpha over for any more injuries. "Savannah, are you okay? Tell me exactly what happened. If that rogue hurt you in any way..."

"He didn't, Cale. I'm fine. He actually saved my life." Savannah weakly pushed herself upright, eyeing Zion warily.

"Did he now?" Talei gave him a curious look, but Zion ignored her and walked to the kitchen.

"Either of you hungry?" he called out.

"We ate already, but I'll get some food for Savannah," Cale followed him, still suspicious of the rogue and not trusting him to prepare unpoisoned food for his Alpha.

"Thanks, Cale," Savannah acknowledged him before sinking back wearily into the couch. "Why do I feel like I've been run over by a truck?"

"Because you practically have been," Talei empathised. "I remember taking my first bullet. Hurt like hell. But you'll get over it quickly. Even more so since you're an Alpha," she wiggled her eyebrows.

Savannah rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the encouragement." She sat up again and chugged the class of water Cale brought for her. "So is there any place I can get some clean clothes around here? I feel disgusting in these," she motioned to her sweaty, dirty, bloody, and torn clothes that she'd lived in for three days.

"Sure! I can take you shopping if you like!" Talei's face lit up with a bright smile. "There's an amazing mall just down the road, with so many stores and places to steal from."

"I'll be buying them," Savannah shot her a warning look.

Talei shrugged. "Suit yourself."

"I just don't know how I can try anything on. I can barely move my arm," the Alpha tested her arm by lifting it and had to smother a groan.

"Ah, well.." Talei scrunched her petite brows in thought. "I'm not much smaller than you. I can try on the clothes you pick out, and you just get one size bigger."

Savannah smiled, a genuine smile that bloomed from a warmth in her chest. This rogue girl was turning out to be friendly and helpful, so despite her initial misgivings, the Alpha nodded in agreement. "Sounds good. When can we leave? Since I plan on staying awhile, I want to get quite a few things."

"You're not going anywhere," Zion commented gruffly while setting down a bowl of cereal on the coffee table in front of her, along with a large glass of juice.

"Ahh, and why is that?" she peered up at him with narrowed eyes, scrutinising his masterfully blank expression.

"Your hair."

"My hair?" Savannah tugged on it and smoothed it down with her fingers, slightly embarrassed by her disheveled appearance. In contrast, Zion was clean, smooth, and so very collected like a midnight kidnapping and morning shootout were common occurrences in his routine. Maybe they really were.

"It's far too noticeable being so very blonde. And you have to ditch the boots," he replied flatly.

"Not my favourite boots!" Savannah gasped and glared at him stubbornly.

"Look, Savannah," he rose from the couch opposite and spoke sternly. "You're the one who just decided to stick around for awhile. So you either do it my way, or you go home," he stretched out his arm and pointed to the front door.

Crossing her arms and looking as serious as possible in her weakened condition, she huffed and finally replied. "Fine. You can colour my hair. But I'm keeping the boots."

Her mate sighed heavily, running a hand tiredly over his face. "Go ahead. If you get caught again for being in Persia's shoes, it's your funeral," he shrugged, letting her have her way for now.

"What does Persia have to do with—No way!" Talei's eyes widened when she studied Savannah's shoes more closely. "Some dimwit mistook you for that whiny tramp all because of those awful boots?" she choked on her laughter, but quickly stopped when Savannah gave her her best Alpha glare. She threw up her hands in defence. "We can go shoe shopping too, if you like."

"Let's just get my hair over and done with," Savannah grumbled moodily.

A half hour later found her seated awkwardly in a poky bathroom, her head over the sink as Zion rinsed out the first step of the process. Apparently, he'd bought the box of black hair colour at the pharmacy while she'd been too spaced out to notice.

Her mate began applying the colourant, beginning with the roots and methodically massaging it through her short strands.

He'd began with a quick cut against her protest, tying her locks into a low ponytail then snipping a couple inches off with one cut. The result was a choppy look with longer strands framing her face. It wasn't half bad. Now, she leaned back in the chair and nearly fell asleep from the amazing massage her head was receiving.

Surprisingly, Zion's fingers were gentle and oh so soothing. Who knew the deadly Silver Rogue was a skilled hair stylist?

"Are you sure you're doing it right?"

"Not another word, Talei," Zion growled at the blonde who was perched on the edge of the bathtub.

"I'm just saying—"

"Feel free to take over," he shot her an annoyed look.

"No, thank you! I'm allergic to that stuff. It smells toxic in here."

"Then why are you even here?" Savannah opened her eyes and glared at the intrusive female. She'd been watching her like a curious bee for the last hour. "Don't you have better things to do than stare at me like I'm a bug in a petri dish?"

"It's my day off," Talei grinned happily. "The guys are all out gathering intel for our next hit, so I'm just here chilling."

"Then go find a fridge to chill in," Savannah retorted.

Talei laughed, her voice high and tinkling. "That's funny. Isn't she funny, Zion? Reminds me of that time Niko found a massive commercial refrigerator last summer and thought we could all cram—"

"Talei!" they both growled at her in frustration.

"Okay, okay. I get the hint! If you two wanted some alone time, you shoulda just said so already." She hopped off and skipped out, leaving them both in awkward silence.

"Alright, that's done. Now let it sit for forty-five minutes, then wash it out. Shampoo and conditioner are in the shower. There's a spare towel on this rack," Zion hurriedly pointed out when he was done.

Savannah got a brief look at herself before he carefully wrapped a bag over her head to keep the hair and colour intact. "It better turn out okay. You know, I paid my sister a hundred dollars to dye it blonde." She pouted at her unrecognisable new look.

"You should've just come to me, darling. I do it for free," Zion cocked an arrogant eyebrow at her in the mirror.

"I think you're ruining my hair for free," she couldn't help grumbling.

When it came time to wash it out, Savannah locked the door behind her, stripped and stepped into the shower. She was grimy all over and couldn't wait to wash off three-days' worth of filth from her body. Bone-weary, a hot shower was the first thing on her mind, followed by a good long sleep.

But as she turned the taps on, the hot water handle came off in her hands, blasting cold water at the Alpha who screeched and leapt back from the freezing spray. After turning it off, she stood there and tried to re-attach the hot tap but it wouldn't sit right. Five minutes of improvised plumbing later, and she still wasn't able to turn the hot water on.

Cale! She mindlinked. I think I broke the shower. Any idea how to get the hot tap on?

It worked for me fine this morning. I'll ask Zion, he quickly replied.

She groaned, not wanting to get her mate involved. He'd already spent enough time coddling a helpless Alpha today. He'd only laugh at her incompetence.

Soon, there was a heavy pounding on the door.

Savannah flinched. "Who is it?"

"Your knight in shining armor, who else?"

She didn't miss the amusement in Zion's voice.

"How do I reattach the hot tap? Could you pass through a spanner or something?" she called out, but then was horrified to see the bathroom door handle rattling.

"Wait!" she squeaked, grappling to get a towel wrapped around her in case the door fell down.

It swiftly opened, letting in a blast of cold air and Zion casually strolling through.

"What are you doing? Get out of here! I'm having a shower," she clutched the towel desperately to herself.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did you not call for my assistance?" he leaned closer, his eyes glinting dangerously as they roved over her exposed skin.

She felt herself heat up under his intense gaze, but mortification conquered any fledgling feelings of desire and lust.

"Get out!" she squeaked again. "Just tell me how to fix it then get out of the bathroom!"

"It's easier done than said." He maneuvered around her in the tight space, his large body seemingly taking up half the bathroom, then stepped into the shower. His eyes cast slowly up and down her figure before concentrating on the shower handles. "This old thing is always coming off." He pulled off the spring and gave the fitting a good rattle before shoving it all back together effortlessly.

"And you didn't think to warn me?"

"And pass up the chance of seeing my adorable little Alpha rugged up in a towel?"

Savannah glared furiously at him, and would have launched an attack but both fists were busy keeping the towel plastered to her body.

Instead, she picked up the nearest object—a hairdryer—and threw it at his head.