36. Polaris
36
POLARIS
B ryony squeals, clapping her hands excitedly as we stare up at the colossal sign ahead. “How are we even here?”
I have no idea where here actually is, but it’s practically buzzing.
Crowds of people bustle around us, some squealing as excitedly as Bryony while others take pictures, leaving a few to grumble that we’ve stopped in their way. But most don’t seem to care. Me included. I’m too enamored with the vibrant lights, soft music playing, and the attractions that lead off in every direction.
“It’s a family business,” Minnie explains, beaming from ear to ear, and I blink at her.
A family business for what exactly?
As if sensing my confusion, Bryony links her arm through mine. “It’s a theme park, Polaris.”
“Which means…” My words hang in the air as the wolves around us finally realize I’m way out of my depth.
“You’ve never been to a theme park before?” Asher confirms, eyebrows raised, and I dip my gaze. Bryony must sense my discomfort because her grip tightens.
“I don’t think they offered field trips at Florentine’s,” she states, and I force myself to lift my head to find all six of them gaping at me.
“What about before that?” Minnie asks, and I shrug.
“They take all our memories and wipe them clean when we enter Florentine’s.”
“What the fuck?” she blurts, horror dancing in her eyes. “Why?”
I shrug again, my shoulders falling heavier this time. “Who knows? Probably to keep us at a disadvantage. That was the whole point of me being there, right? The sigil keeps my magic dormant, and I’m already drenched in ignorance and isolated. It’s all part of their plan.”
“Well, we’re here to have fun,” Minnie insists, linking my other arm so I’m sandwiched between them both.
“Fun?”
“Yes,” she insists, tugging me to walk under the huge sign and down the brightly lit walkway along with everyone else. “This entire place is for us to have fun. That’s why everyone is here, and we’re going to join in with them.”
I nod along, the pretty lights and sweet music luring me in as I opt not to put up a fight. There’s a sense of magic and excitement in the air, but one thing is for sure: there are no other supernaturals among the sea of people.
It’s almost overwhelming, walking alongside people like I’m…normal. I’m in a world, a brief pocket of time where I’m just Polaris.
No academy.
No blood kin curse.
No impending death.
It may only be a small piece of time, but I vow to make the most of it.
After everything, I think I deserve a break, especially when I have to acknowledge that I’m learning not just the life of a supernatural being, but also the life of an everyday human.
“What are we going on first?” Bryony asks, and Minnie tugs us toward the left, the music changing to a softer melody as I grind to a halt, watching a ride sprint past lightning fast with people screaming as it goes. I can’t tell if the noise is laced with fear or glee, but as Bryony and Minnie encourage me closer, I understand their intentions.
Glancing back over my shoulder, considering whether I should make a run for it, I find Wylder, Tatum, Lincoln, and Asher a step behind, effectively trapping me in. Wylder winks at me, making me blush, and I quickly turn back around, accepting my fate.
I watch the ride pass by one more time, the screams not exactly filling me with hope, before Minnie drags me down a lane for VIPs.
“I don’t know if this is a good idea,” I explain, trying to slip from between them, but it’s impossible as we’re led down a path that narrows right to where the entrance to the ride is.
Minnie takes over, talking with the staff, and a moment later, I’m being pulled onto the ride. The seats are paired in twos. Minnie is beside me, Bryony and Asher behind, followed by Tatum and Lincoln, while Wylder sits alone at the back.
“I’m scared,” I mutter, my heart thumping wildly in my chest, and Minnie giggles.
“It’s going to be worth it, I swear,” she promises as a bar is pushed down onto my lap, locking me in place.
“Minnie,” I plead, my face heating with the increase in my blood pressure. She doesn’t answer me as a small bell rings and we start to move.
Panicked, I grab the handle before me, holding on for dear life as we lean back in our seats, the cart aiming for the sky. Clenching my eyes shut, I feel my breaths grow shallow as the ride levels out again, but the reprieve is short-lived as we tip down, barreling toward the ground, picking up speed with every second.
I scream.
The sound is one of fear laced with adrenaline as we dip and weave, up and down, round and round, as I keep my eyes firmly shut. I don’t want to let go of the bar, but I force my right hand to my hip, finding the tiny pocket in my even smaller skirt to feel the familiar press of my coin. It’s a mixture of fear of losing it and needing the strength it offers as the ride goes faster and faster.
My fingers curl around the coin, taking the invisible strength, and after a beat, I manage to pry my eyes open, watching the world swirl before me. I have no idea how much time passes before we come to a stop and Minnie pats me on the thigh.
“How was it?” she asks as the bar fixed against my lap eases.
Minnie smiles excitedly as I try to find my words. Shaking my head in disbelief, I answer her truthfully.
“That was amazing.”
She cackles, climbing out of the cart to the left and waving for me to follow her. The second I’m back at her side, she tugs me toward the exit, still laughing.
“How do you know it was amazing if your eyes were closed?” I hide my face behind my hands, embarrassed, but it only makes her laugh more as she pulls at my arm and drags me away from the ride. “The real question is, are you doing another one?”
I fix my stare on hers, nodding excitedly. I need that hit again; it almost gave me the same tingles as Wylder did, and if his option isn’t available, I’ll take this instead.
One ride leads to another, and another, and another. I feel sick from all the sweets. Cotton candy is apparently my favorite, while the smell of buttered popcorn makes me gag.
Who knew you could learn so much about yourself in a place like this?
I’ve worried about losing my coin more than once, but there have been some calmer rides that haven’t left my heart at the peak of a drop that steals my breath.
Tatum appears in front of me, pulling me from my thoughts as he holds a weird food item in front of me. He nods for me to take it, but I eye it with concern.
“What is it?”
He bites back a smile, shaking his head at me. “It’s a corndog, and I promise you, it’s good,” he insists, and I slowly take the stick from his grasp.
“I’m going to hold you to that statement,” I muse, and his grin widens.
“If you don’t like it, I’ll join the parade,” he declares, pointing toward the celebration parade, slowly passing in a wave of music, dance, and joy.
“And if I do like it?” I ask, and his eyes bore into mine.
“If you like it, then you get to sit with me on the Ferris wheel,” he explains, pointing to the giant wheel slowly spinning in the distance.
I can’t deny that I like the sound of his offer. I’ve been passed back and forth between Bryony and Minnie, but I’ve seen the way they’re looking at each other. They could sit together on the Ferris wheel if I like the corndog.
Desperate to like it, I take a big bite, groaning the second the flavors hit my tongue.
“I’ll take that sound as a success,” he murmurs, leaning closer so I can hear him over the music, and my cheeks return to the permanent pink hue they take on in their proximity.
“You owe me a ride on the Ferris wheel,” I mutter in response as he leans back enough for me to see his pupils dilate.
Damn.
“Fuck,” Asher grunts, garnering everyone’s attention as he stands, glaring down at his cell phone like there isn’t a glow of magic playing before him.
“Is he okay?” I ask, peering up at Tatum, who places his hand on my back, keeping me close.
“Yeah, he just…Lincoln is our Alpha, but Asher has a lot to deal with. Especially from his uncle.”
“His uncle,” I repeat, frowning in confusion.
“Yeah, he’s a member of The Imperium.” He must see that I have no idea what that means because he explains a little further, keeping his voice as low as possible. “The Imperium is the authority over the supernatural world. More specifically, the wolves, but it comes with responsibility in each quadrant. Which I’m sure is great, but Asher doesn’t like him or the deals he makes.”
I try to absorb his words, blinking slowly when Asher curses again.
“Are we ready for the Ferris wheel? I need to make some calls,” he states, looking to Lincoln for confirmation, and we all wordlessly follow after them toward the next ride. Bryony and Minnie giggle between themselves as we join the VIP line again, and no one complains when I board with Tatum.
The bench is small as I take a seat, my thigh pressing against his as he gets comfortable beside me. The door closes behind him, forming the perfect bubble around us as we slowly lift in the air. We don’t get far before the ride stops for the rest of the group to get on.
We are enveloped in a comfortable silence as we look out over the night, watching the lights dance beneath us.
“It’s magical,” I murmur, looking at Tatum, who offers me a soft, wistful smile.
“I forgot how magical this place could be until I got the pleasure of seeing it through your eyes. Clearly, I’ve been taking it for granted for too long.”
Thankfully, it’s dimmer in here so I don’t have to worry about my pink cheeks appearing again. Especially when he makes it clear he’s paying attention to me.
His gaze is locked on mine, making it impossible to look away, even as the ride takes off high into the air at a slow pace.
“Polaris,” he breathes, turning to face me with his arm braced along the back of the seat, and I gulp.
My heart races, knowing precisely what he’s saying without uttering another word, and I nod. Desperate.
He closes the gap between us until there’s only an inch remaining. I steel my spine and inhale the best I can before I eliminate the last of the space between us.
Instead of my lips being pressed against his cheek this time, they’re firmly against his. His touch is soft, delicate, and wistful. He lifts his hand to cup my face, deepening our connection as our lips meld together again and again.
We kiss, and we kiss, and we kiss.
I don’t think I could ever tire of his mouth on mine. Everything is slow, making the sensations he creates bubble beneath my skin. There’s a desperation beneath the surface of our touch, but it’s injected with a lack of urgency that makes it even more intimate.
“When you’re done, we’re waiting.”
Minnie’s voice cuts through the air, jolting us apart, and for this first time, I don’t blush. Or maybe I’m already blushing, and that’s why I don’t feel the heat. I see it, though, in Tatum’s eyes.
Damn.
“That was…” Tatum’s sentence trails off as he reluctantly stands, and I nod, not knowing what word fits his statement, but I feel it nonetheless.
The second he steps off the ride, I know our moment has passed, but before I can climb out, a hand is offered for me to take. The second I place my palm against theirs, I know it’s Wylder I’ll find at the end of it.
“How do we get to ride with the guest of honor?” he asks, tugging me into his side and draping an arm over my shoulder.
I shake my head at him playfully, but when I meet his stare, he gives me a pointed look, confirming he’s not playing around.
“Where to next?” I ask, and Lincoln chimes in for the first time all night. “We’ve got about thirty minutes before the fireworks happen.”
“Maybe the log flume, then?” Minnie asks, but it’s an order more than anything. One that Lincoln doesn’t argue with as he rolls his eyes at her.
“I get you on the log flume, right?” Wylder asks, and I nod, earning a smile from him as the group heads off toward the final ride.
Once again, the wait time barely exists as we cut the masses and head down the VIP line instead. Wylder holds me back, letting everyone else take the two-seated flumes before us before finally letting me climb into the next one. “Give us a five-row barrier, man,” he says to the worker, who nods eagerly to please him before Wylder takes a seat beside me.
We barely make it around the first corner, the boat rocking beneath us, before he leans in to press his lips against my ear. “I saw you kissing Tatum.”
Oh crap.
My eyes blow wide as I lean back, trying to read his expression, but all I find is a heated stare.
“I…uh, I?—”
“I’m not mad, Little Witch. I’m hard,” he states as he grabs my hand from my lap and presses it against the apex of his thighs, where I feel the outline of his dick.
I shiver, flexing my fingers, and he groans, tossing his head back, leaving me to gape in wonder at him.
“That’s enough of that, Polaris. I want you wet,” he grunts, dropping his hand to my thigh. Wordlessly, he drags his fingertips higher, lifting the hem of my skirt to trace over the silk panties beneath. “Damn, that’s hot,” he breathes, running his fingertips back and forth until they dampen beneath his touch. Then he tugs at the side and the fabric snaps at my waist, just like last time.
“Wylder,” I whisper-yell, staring at him with wide eyes as the boat rocks back, taking the incline slowly, but he pays me no mind as he runs his fingers through my folds with nothing between us. “Oh, God.”
“That’s it, Little Witch. Say a prayer,” he rasps, shifting slightly in his seat so he can tease at my entrance while his thumb rubs over my clit.
“Wylder, I can’t get off the ride if you do this. My skirt will be damp, and I’ll never be able to make sure I don’t expose myself.” My plea is weak. I want it just as badly as last time, but I’m aware there will be repercussions once the ride ends.
“It’s a water ride. You’re going to get wet either way. This way is just better,” he states at the same time he thrusts a finger into my pussy. “Just don’t make a sound. Otherwise, you’re going to gain an audience,” he murmurs, nodding ahead to the rest of the group.
I sink my teeth into my bottom lip, biting back a groan as he runs his lips over my neck, leaving goosebumps in his wake. My hips tilt, desperate for him to go deeper as he stretches me with a second finger. I feel his lips curl against my skin.
“That’s it, Little Witch, ride my hand.”
I don’t think, I just move. My mind is still latched onto the fact that he was turned on by Tatum kissing me, and I’m eager to please him if I wind up with the same result as last time.
He claims my lips in the next breath and I curl my fingers around his neck with one hand while I hold onto the handlebar with the other, letting my hips take over as the ride disappears into the background.
I rock back and forth against his hand, his fingers filling me as his thumb grazes my needy nub repeatedly. With his lips on mine, dominating me, combined with the public setting, it’s impossible to hold back the desire that burns through my veins. I’m familiar with the tingles that shoot up my legs this time, and I crush my lips harder against his as I fall apart.
Wave after wave of euphoria claims me as I press my nails into his flesh, but he doesn’t seem to mind since he leans back, forcing me to look at him as my body stops convulsing around him.
“So fucking hot, Polaris. I’ve made you come with black hair and silver hair now. Let’s find out if you taste just as sweet,” he rasps, pulling his hand from my core to run his tongue over his soaked fingers.
I groan again, but the sound is snapped from the air as we suddenly start barreling forward, hitting the shimmering water at the bottom of the ride with a splash. Wylder laughs immediately while I splutter to catch my breath, realizing just how drenched I am, but the water does nothing to dampen the heat rising between us.
“I want to repay the favor, Wylder,” I breathe, sinking my teeth into my bottom lip as I stare at the outline of his cock, and he grins.
“Soon. Real fucking soon, Little Witch.”