4. Savvy #2
“Oliver! Holy fuck, kid, you’re insane. That was the best performance I’ve seen here in years.
” He is pacing in front of us, pulling at his hair.
“Why didn’t you sign up together?” He gestures to the two of us and shoots Oliver a glare.
“Was that all an act out there? It was cute, but you would have gotten the same reaction by just starting together.”
I shock the hell out of myself when I let out a growl, before jumping to my feet and poking the guy in the chest. “Nothing was an act, idiot. Implying someone was faking a panic attack is all kinds of fucked up, and you should apologize to Oliver.” I drop back down onto Oliver’s lap before continuing.
“I only met Oliver on the bus a few hours ago, so there was no way for him to have signed us both up. I’m very happy I was here to help him, but this isn’t about me, it’s about him. He was amazing.”
The guy squats next to us, his eyes wide.
I bet no one has ever told him off before.
“Damn, I’m sorry, Kitten,” He smirks at me, and I give him my best death glare.
“It’s good to meet you, names Nash.” He turns to face Oliver.
I’m sorry, kid; I should not have implied any of that.
If you're up for the company, the guys want to talk to both of you.”
I shake my head, turning to Ollie. “You go; I need a few minutes by myself to calm down after all that.”
“Are you sure?” He frowns down at me. “I really don’t want to leave you on your own. They can wait.” I scoot off his lap, getting to my feet and doing a horrible job at pulling him to his. He laughs but humors me by getting up. “Go, I’ll be here waiting.”
“I’ll keep your girl company.” Nash offers. I don’t get any bad vibes from him so I nod my head in agreement.
“I won’t be long,” Oliver whispers when he pulls me into a hug, then takes off to talk to the guys.
I sit back down, and Nash takes a seat across from me.
I can’t help but notice how attractive he is - for an older guy.
He has long black hair that’s pulled back in a man bun, a look I usually find off putting, but it works for him, and amber eyes stood out in the low lighting.
If I had to guess, he was a little taller than Oliver, but not by much.
“So, who are these guys Oliver is talking to?” I ask like I don’t really care, but in all honesty, I’m dying to know .
“Members of a recently signed band,” he leans back in his seat, crossing his arms. “The three of them are amazing together, but something is missing. I asked them to come check out your guy tonight; I’m confident they'll invite him to join.”
I wanted to scream, jump up, and do a little happy dance.
I was so happy for Oliver; getting in with a signed band would be huge for him.
It’s what anyone performing at one of these events wants, and he was by far the best tonight.
I might be biased, but that’s also true. I’ll fight anyone who disagrees.
“I’m also confident that when they’re done chatting with him, they will be over here asking the same of you. Jesus Kitten, I don’t know where the two of you have been hiding, but I haven’t heard anything like that in ages. At least not from someone who isn’t signed.”
The room narrows around me as my heart thunders in my ears, my eyes darting across the space, looking for an escape.
I spot a sign that says Exit' on it, but I’m frozen in place, staring at Nash with my mouth hanging open.
I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to focus on my breathing as panic washes over me.
I’m only seventeen, which means I would need my guardian to sign off on something like this.
A little over a year ago, this would have been a dream come true, now it’s my biggest nightmare.
If he ever found out I was here tonight, I would be punished for not following the rules.
The last time I broke a rule, it left me broken for days.
“Never question my rules again, Savannah,” I get shoved to the ground, and someone grabs a fist full of my hair. “You live under my roof now, and you will do exactly as I say.”
A fist connects to my cheek as the hand lets go of my hair. “This is for your own good, if I don’t teach you now, you will never be obedient. Your daddy let you get away with too much. Weak, pathetic alpha.”
Spit lands on the floor next to me, right before a foot connects to my stomach, kicking me hard. I cry and beg for it to stop, but it doesn’t, it keeps going until I pass out on the floor.
I snap out of the memory when I feel myself being lifted onto someone’s lap, the smell of whiskey and honey enveloping me.
I glance up just long enough to see Nash’s amber eyes looking down at me with concern, and I quickly bury my face in his chest. A second later, a ragged purr starts in his chest, and it opens the floodgates.
I cry into his shirt for what feels like hours, and he gently soothes me by rocking me in his arms.
“I’m sorry if I overstepped,” he clears his throat, sounding a bit uncomfortable. “You weren’t responding to anything I said. You scared me, Kitten.”
“T-Thank you,” I scoot forward on his lap until my feet hit the ground, and I get up. “Where is the restroom?”
He points at a door in the opposite direction Oliver went, and I breathe a sigh of relief when I notice it’s right next to the exit. Nash gets up to walk me there, but I shake my head.
“I’ll be right back; I just need a minute.” I bolt towards the door, but instead of going into the restroom, I push open the door that leads me into a small alleyway, and eventually, I’m outside the entrance of the club.
I pulled my phone out, quickly checking the bus schedule, and relief washed over me when I saw there was a bus leaving in ten minutes. If I start running now I’ll make it on time .
That’s exactly what I do as I start sprinting down the sidewalk, dodging a couple of people here and there.
I run from my problems. I run from my dreams; the ones I kept buried deep inside until tonight.
I ran from the hope I had that Liam Jones could have saved me.
I ran from my alpha, who has the voice of an angel, knowing I probably broke a piece of his heart.
Knowing he would never know I did it to protect him.
The bus is thankfully close to empty when I finally make it on, and I find a seat at the back.
As it starts moving, I allow the tears to start falling again.
I wrap my arms around myself and realize I’m still wearing Oliver’s hoodie, which makes me cry even more.
I pull the hood over my head, and snuggle further into it, using his scent as a security blanket.
When the bus pulled into my town, I had made a decision. When I turned eighteen in six months, I would find my alpha and explain everything. I just hope it won’t be too late.