Savage Desire
Chapter 31

"Come on, come on, come on..." Stan kept muttering even as everyone's eyes remained on the portal with rapt attention.

One would have thought the roar coming from within the portal would scare the people gathered. Well, they rather looked expectant. They all knew that roar too well. It belonged to none other than their alpha. They had all missed him. And the fact that he was obviously angry wasn't going to change that. Ryan realized he'd ceased breathing...but he was fine. He just wanted to see that face. That face that he loved so much. That face that brought joy into his heart. That face that made the world a better place for him. He just wanted to see his Jeremy. He didn't have to wait for long. The only hitch was that the Jeremy that came out of the portal, was not who Ryan had been expecting despite the preceding roar. Not only were Jeremy's eyes bloody red...showing that his Ojah power was in control, he looked as if he was ready to murder someone.

Immediately he stepped out, the portal disappeared.

Jeremy's rage-filled eyes scanned the faces of the people gathered around the fountain. His eyes searched for just one person. The High Priestess. He knew that he was virtually already dead anyway. But before he breathed his last, he had to take that woman's life. He had to avenge his mate. He knew that he was going to die since his mate was dead. But he also knew that what had kept him holding on all that while, was that thirst for revenge.

Yes, Jeremy had to go through pain by reliving every bad moment in his life. But the excruciating pain that had suddenly slammed into him in the last few minutes was something that he'd never experienced in his entire life. He'd felt himself dying...could feel his heartbeat slowing down. Jeremy knew for a fact that he would be dead already if his Ojah hadn't taken over. But even with that, he still knew he didn't have long to live because even his Ojah couldn't stand the agony. For the very first time since stepping foot in that godforsaken place, he'd prayed to Luna to grant him one last wish. All he wanted was to take the life of the person who'd killed his mate before he died. He'd prayed hard. And Luna had promptly...surprisingly, answered to his prayer. When he heard that voice calling to him, he just knew that Luna had listened to him and granted his wish. Now all he had to do was kill that bitch.

When Jeremy's eyes landed on the stunned high priestess, he raised both hands and let fly two huge fireballs towards the woman. He saw the woman's eyes roll back into her head as she began to crumble to the ground. And that was when Jeremy noticed that both fireballs had actually stopped midair. He looked at the immobile balls with shocked eyes, wondering what had just happened.

“What the..." But he trailed of when he heard Ryan calling his name. Ryan?

"Jeremy?" Ryan called out softly, wondering why his mate's very first priority was to deal with the high priestess rather than seek him out. That hurt. He didn't know why Jeremy wanted to take the high priestess out but should that need matter to Jeremy more than seeing him? And to make matters worse, Jeremy looked as if he was actually...trying to place his voice? Had he forgotten about him already? "Look at me Jeremy." Ryan said softly, watching as Jeremy turned in his direction. And that was when Ryan fully saw Jeremy's reaction. He looked shocked. But why? He watched the change come over his mate. One moment, he looked dead shocked. The next, he was bristling with emotion.

"Ryan?" Jeremy whispered in absolute shock. "What is going on? Is this real? You're... I saw it with my own eyes. She killed you." He whispered even as some of the people standing by rushed to the aid of the collapsed high priestess.

With a flick of Ryan's fingers, the fireballs burst into beautiful colours, almost like fireworks. Then he walked over to where Jeremy stood, watching him as if he was an alien. Ryan raised both hands up and cupped Jeremy's face. He could see the pain within his heart mirrored inside Jeremy's bloody Ojah eyes. Just as his own divine powers were giving him strength, Jeremy was taking his strength from his Ojah. Neither one of them had long to live. They had to act fast.

"Let me see him, please." Ryan said with controlled desperation.

Jeremy didn't have to ask who Ryan wanted to see.

"You can't." The Ojah whispered with so much anguish. "He's...he's gone."

"No, he's not." Ryan countered even as he felt his eyes well up. He could see from the desolation on the face of the red-eyed Jeremy that it wasn't good. "You're here. So he's not completely gone. Give him to me." His heart sat right in his throat. "Ryan, he's not in the position to do anything." The Ojah actually whimpered. He was weakening right there before Ryan's eyes. Fear chilled Ryan to the bone at Jeremy's words.

"Just give him to me." Ryan went up on his toes and kissed Jeremy lightly on the lips.

The red-eyed Alpha closed his eyes and began to crumple to the floor in a dead faint. Panic swirled in Ryan's chest, suocating him as he moved down with Jeremy. Straddling the completely passed out alpha, Ryan sat stock still, unable to move...even just to breathe. Ryan had never felt that level of fear, helplessness and defeat in his entire life. His stomach churned with nausea. He felt the scratch of panicked tears in his throat and buried his face against Jeremy's neck. Ryan heard wailing and distressed chatter from the people gathered but he didn't look at anyone. And even as his body shook with the intensity of his misery, he began to cry silently.

"Do something Ryan." Ryan heard Paige's voice beside him. She was crying but she also sounded very angry. "You can't just let him go. Do something."

Ryan raised his head and looked at his friend. "What can I do?" He sounded so helpless.

Seeing Jeremy in that state was so shocking and heartbreaking that Ryan felt paralyzed. For the very first time since realizing he had powers, he couldn't use them. He didn't know how to use them. Ryan realized he was

flooded with so much fear, it had somehow robbed him of the very energy and knowledge that he usually got filled with whenever he got angry. He just couldn't think. Hell, he couldn't even feel his wolf.

"Anything." Paige growled, reaching out Jeremy's chest. There was no heartbeat."Oh god, anything to touch...please." She sobbed.

Paige felt responsible. She'd meant well but...it hadn't gone as planned. Paige had never regretted her actions more than she did that very moment. All she'd wanted was for Ryan to dream about Jeremy, to push him to feel some pain. She'd hoped that feeling pain would somehow push Ryan to use his divine powers to probably convince the council members to get Luna to bring Jeremy back. Causing the death of Jeremy and Ryan hadn't been her plan at all. Apart from Deloris, Phillip and her father, no one knew what she'd done. Not even Ryan. She knew for a fact that she would take her own life if anything happened to Jeremy or Ryan as a result of her actions. Paige wept as if she was dying. Somehow she felt as if she was.

Ryan watched as Paige completely broke down and felt so wretched. He looked up at the faces of the people he saw as his family and saw all eyes on him. Eyes filled with...hope? Gloria knelt on the ground with her face in her palm. She looked as if she was praying but Ryan could see how her body shook with her silent sobs. He had to do something. But what? He closed his eyes and concentrated on his wolf. Somehow he felt he needed him. He needed that fierceness, that zeal, that aggression, that... A loud howl tore out of Ryan's throat. His eyes turned amber, his fingernails elongated into claws and his fangs dropped. Ryan reared back and sunk his teeth into the point where Jeremy's shoulder and neck met. He sunk deep.

Ryan didn't cloak the marking pain. He didn't know how to. After all, he'd never marked or bitten anyone in his life. But just as the pain from Jeremy's very first bite of Ryan had been so excruciating it had cause Ryan to pass out, the pain from Ryan's bite snapped Jeremy back from the precipice of death. When Ryan heard Jeremy's cry of pain, he retracted his fangs and licked the wound shut. The mark however remained and their bond was instantly fixed.

"Ryan?" Jeremy croaked, staring up at Ryan with watery eyes. "Oh my god, baby..." And that was when Jeremy began to sob.

Everything that happened after Jeremy's first sob happened so fast it was almost a blur. One moment Ryan was looking down at an emotional Jeremy, the nest moment they were on their bed inside their suite. Jeremy didn't even seem to know what was going on. He just sobbed. It was only when Ryan looked up and saw Deloris standing beside their bed that he connected the dots. She'd blinked them away from all those people.

"I didn't want them to see him like that." She whispered.

"Thanks Deloris." Ryan sounded as if he was in shock.

"Take care of him." She said, leaning down to kiss Ryan on his wet cheek. "If you need anything, get in touch with any of us."

"Gloria..."

"She's fine." Deloris assured Ryan. "Just spend time with him. It's late anyway. The others will have their turn tomorrow or the day after...don't think about it." With that, the warlock disappeared. Ryan draped himself over Jeremy and allowed him to cry it all out. After a long moment, Jeremy finally quieted down and drifted into a deep sleep. And throughout the night, Ryan just sat with his back against the headboard and watched him. He didn't understand why he was still missing the man even though he was staring at him. He kept checking to see whether Jeremy was breathing. At a point during the night he noticed that he kept tossing and turning. Ryan decided Jeremy would feel more comfortable without those clothes he'd had to wear for three months. But for the tear from the neck to his chest...almost as if the wearer had attempted to rip it from his own body in desperation, the blue long-sleeved t-shirt he'd gone to purgatory in looked exactly the same. Ryan quickly undid the buttons on Jeremy's jeans and pulled it of him. Then he completed the tear in the t-shirt to make it easier to remove. Jeremy's boxer briefs and socks followed. Then Ryan went for a washcloth, some soap and some water and wiped Jeremy down thoroughly. Jeremy didn't open his eyes even once throughout Ryan's ministrations. But afterwards, he seemed to sleep better.

When it was almost dawn, Ryan stripped and slid in beside Jeremy, under the covers. He curled into his sexy hard body, loving the feel of his mate's warm flesh against his. F**k, he'd missed the guy. Ryan absorbed his heat and breathed in his scent, which was slightly diferent from what he was used it. Maybe there was an explanation for that, he thought as he drifted ot to sleep. The most important thing was that his mate was back in his arms. Ryan couldn't have asked for anything better.

Ryan jerked awake at the sound of the phone ringing. For a moment he was disoriented. His first coherent thought was...

"Jeremy..." He gasped and sat up in a rush.

When he saw Jeremy sleeping peacefully beside him he gave a sigh of relief and felt his racing heart slow down. The sound of the phone drew his attention to what had woken him up in the first place. Shoving his hair out of his face he thrust out his arm and grabbed the receiver. Fortunately Jeremy didn't look disturbed.

"Hello?" Ryan croaked into the phone, noting that the time on the bedside clock said it was after one o'clock p.m. Shit!

"Oh Ryan I'm so sorry for disturbing you but I was worried..."

"Don't be mum. I can't believe I've slept till now. Jeremy is still asleep. Why don't you come over?"

"No, no I just wanted to know whether he's ok. If he's asleep I can always..."

"Come over mum." Ryan encouraged softly. "We can both sit and just stare at him. It will be fun and fulfilling."

Gloria laughed. "Alright I'm on my way. I'm bringing mulins." She sounded so happy.

"Too bad Deloris is nowhere around you to blink you over." Ryan laughed softly. "Or is she?"

"No, she's not." Gloria laughed. "I'll be there very soon.

"Waiting." Ryan said and then hung up. He could imagine how Gloria felt.

He quickly went to brush his teeth and pulled on shorts and t-shirt. Then he went outside the suite and waited for Gloria. He didn't have to wait for long. When the elevator opened, Ryan hugged Jeremy's mother for a long time. Then he took the basket of sweet- scented muins from her and ushered her inside. Ryan placed the basket on the

dining table and drew Gloria to the sleeping area. Since the sliding door was already opened, they climbed in and just stood beside the bed, looking down at a sleeping Jeremy. When Ryan heard Gloria's snißes, he reached for a tissue and wiped her face. Then he gently pushed her down to sit beside Jeremy.

"He's okay." Ryan said softly.

Gloria nodded. "Thank you, Ryan." She said shakily. "Thank you."

"I should rather be thanking you for producing this wonderful man." Ryan chuckled, leaning down to kiss Gloria on both cheeks. "Would you care for anything?"

"No. I'm okay."

"Be right back."

Ryan came back with a cup of tea, some muins and a huge smile. He climbed onto the bed and ate quietly.

"How come he smells diferent?" Ryan finally whispered.

Gloria smiled. "You did mark him, Ryan. His scent was bound to change." She patted Ryan on the shoulder. "He smells more like you now."

"Oh god, he'll hate that." Ryan breathed.

"What? No, he won't." Gloria chuckled. "But he will mark you again so expect it."

"Oh no, do we still have to do that ceremony thing?"

"I'm sure we can work something out." Gloria laughed, noting how uncomfortable Ryan suddenly looked. "Let's just get him back on his feet."

"Okay. Why do you think he was so angry at the high priestess when he got out?"

"Beats me." Gloria shrugged. "Has he said anything at all?"

"No. He just slept and hasn't woken up since." Ryan reached out to place his tea cup on the bedside table. "It's almost as if he hasn't slept the whole..."

"He hasn't." Gloria said quietly, staring at her son. "Everything comes to a standstill. You don't get hungry, there's no growth, no sleep. Just unending t*****e."

Ryan reached out to soothingly rub Gloria on her back. "He's back. That's all that matters."

"I know." Gloria sighed. "I just pray he adjusts smoothly. Shedding of the pain is another stress on its own."

Ryan frowned. From what Gloria was saying, Jeremy was going be fucked up for a while. Well, he was going to help his man through whatever struggles he was going to go through. That was what mates were for, right? To be there for each other. "I hope the council isn't going to give him any grief." Ryan muttered. "And Lu..."

Gloria chuckled and shook her head. "Nope. He's been cleared." She informed Ryan. "There was an aggressive meditation and consultation this morning. Joel was right after all. Jeremy's release was dependent on the defeat of Reynard Wyatt." "Why's that?"

"He would have killed Jeremy, Ryan."

"So he wasn't bluing."

"No, he wasn't." Gloria sighed.

"Shit. Meaning if we'd defeated him earlier, Jer would have been out sooner?"

"Uh-huh. But we didn't have any choice but to wait for them to make their move."

"And they did exactly that, three days after Jer left. They kidnapped Camilla." Ryan groaned. If only Deloris had come to them sooner...

"She couldn't risk her daughter's life at that point." Gloria accurately read Ryan. "She had to at least try. As it stands, coming to us after three months still put her daughter at risk. She did good, Ryan."

"I know." He sighed.

"And I really don't think Luna would have given a mere three-day sentence to Jeremy." Gloria chuckled. "He would have probably stayed longer even if we'd defeated the clan immediately after he left. What would have been the punishment in staying at the Fort for only four or five days?"

"I know right." Ryan groaned, knowing Gloria was right.

Gloria spent about two hours with them and then left. Stan, Paige and Phillip stopped by after Gloria left, to check up on their friend and alpha. For once, Ryan saw the quiet side of his mate's friends. Although they looked happy, they were very subdued. Before they left, however, they sat with Ryan at the dining area and told him what Paige had done. Ryan wasn't amused and he didn't mince words.

"You shouldn't have done that." He admonished quietly, his intent gaze on the woman he'd come to see as a good friend. "The fact that it ended well doesn't make it okay."

"I know, and I'm so sorry, Ryan." Paige looked so regretful.

Ryan nodded but he wasn't happy at all. He remembered the fear. What if he hadn't been able to pull Jeremy back from the brink of death? That had been too close. What the fuck had Paige been thinking, Ryan fumed. He now understood why Paige had been so broken about the whole thing. She must have felt so guilty, seeing Jeremy lying on the ground, motionless. Ryan remembered how he'd felt when Vincent and his crew were killed by Reynard. The guilt... He knew what Paige was going through and also knew that he should rather be the one to empathize with her. The last thing he should be doing to his friend was add to her guilt, Ryan thought.

"Shit." With a groan, Ryan stood and went to pull Paige out of her chair and into his arms, enfolding her in a fierce hug. She hugged him in return, murmuring how sorry she was for fucking up. "You silly, silly woman." He murmured, stroking the back of Paige's head. "I should rather be thanking you for pushing me with your words and...wails to act last night." Ryan said, drawing a shaky chuckle from Paige.

"Oh my god, that was close." She muttered. "Jeremy is going to kill me."

"Not if I can help it." Ryan drawled. "I'll explain everything to him. Don't worry about it."

"Thanks. I've informed the school that you'll be taking some time o]." Paige said, stepping out of Ryan's embrace. "Hope that's okay."

"That's fine thanks."

And when the trio finally left, Ryan checked in on a still sleeping Jeremy and then ordered some food. After eating,

he took a shower and then went back to bed. It was already evening anyway. Jeremy was lying on his back, snoring softly. Ryan couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips as he watched his mate's handsome face. God, he was fine. His savagely beautiful face and abs were chiseled perfection. Jeremy Stanton was sexiness personified. Almost as if he couldn't help himself, Ryan leaned in and pressed a kiss against his lips. As he raised his head, his eyes went to the mark he'd given Jeremy the day before. Ryan gently rubbed his thumb against the mark, fascinated by the fact that it looked completely healed. It felt so good to the touch though. When Jeremy's breathing changed, Ryan didn't notice at first. But then the alpha moaned, drawing Ryan's attention to his labored breathing. Was it because of what he was doing, Ryan wondered. He stopped rubbing the mark and laid his head on Jeremy's chest. And that was when he saw it. The covers were tented with Jeremy's erect c**k.

"Oh fuck." Ryan breathed, staring at the unconsciously brazen display of male need. What he wouldn't give to...

Ryan reached for the edge of the covers and flipped it of Jeremy, exposing his gloriously aroused body to his hungry eyes. He moistened suddenly dry lips, unable to look away from the compelling sight before him. Wild horses couldn't have stopped Ryan from what he did next. He moved down slowly as if he was in a daze, staring at that pulsing c**k the whole time. That c**k that could drive him out of his mind with pleasure, that c**k that took him to places he didn't know existed, that cock that made every other thing in his world insignificant, that cock that he'd missed for fucking much. Hunger rushed through Ryan's veins, flooding his senses with such an intense sexual desire his mouth watered. He wanted that throbbing cock in his mouth. His craving for the taste of his mate was too great, he just couldn't stop himself.

When Ryan got to the point where Jeremy's beautiful glistening appendage was directly at his eye level, his eyes followed the clear liquid that spilled from the tip and slid slowly down the crown. His tongue darted out and captured that liquid. He couldn't suppress his moan when the taste hit his senses. Fuck! Ryan's eyes fluttered shut in delirious bliss but they flicked right open again to look up at Jeremy when he heard his mate's breathing grow more ragged and his cock began to spurt out more precum. He was still fast asleep. With a groan Ryan opened his mouth wider and closed it around that thick, velvety, mushroomed cockhead. Then he sucked.

Those succulent lips stretched unbearably wide around Jeremy's thickness but Ryan didn't seem to care at all. He just wanted that cock in his mouth. And he didn't just suck it, he worshipped it. Ryan grabbed hold of Jeremy's hips with both hands and bobbed his head in a slow, sensual back-and-forth motion as if he had all the time in the world. When he heard Jeremy's moan, he opened his eyes, dazed with [**t, and looked at him, but it was obvious that he was still asleep. Ryan closed his eyes again, hollowed his cheeks and sucked even harder. "Ryan..." Jeremy whimpered and bucked his hips, thrusting up into Ryan's mouth.

It was too much! Ryan's throat rebelled, seizing painfully. He gagged as his eyes watered. Ryan pulled his head up and took in deep breaths but before he caught his breath, Jeremy's hand found his head. Those thick fingers tangled inside his hair and pushed him back onto the wet c**k. Ryan slipped his mouth around it and gave himself over to Jeremy, allowing him to set the pace. That was a big mistake. Still fast asleep, it was obvious that Jeremy thought he was dreaming or something. He didn't show Ryan any mercy, which was rather tough on Ryan because of the size of that c**k. Tears slid down Ryan's cheeks. He knew he had to do something before his sleeping mate choked him to death.

Ryan grabbed the slick cock in a fist. His fingers couldn't get entirely around Jeremy's girth but that didn't stop Ryan. With determination, he began to stroke Jeremy hard and fast with a twisting motion. His other hand played with his nuts, alternating between rolling and pulling on those weighty cum-filled balls just as he knew Jeremy liked. His mouth was left to work on just the thick cockhead. Again Ryan wriggled his tongue against the sensitive underside of the cock as he sucked him with strong pulls just as Jeremy had instructed him to do the one time he'd given him head. Jeremy's hand immediately loosened its tight grip inside Ryan's hair and his thrusts lessened. But his moans increased. Feeling that hard heat in his fists and mouth made Ryan's hole clench in jealous greed. He was so hard his balls ache. What he wouldn't give to feel Jeremy pounding inside him that very instant. He needed that cock deep inside him like he needed air to live. But Ryan told himself that if he'd been able to wait for three months, what were a few hours more? All he wanted at that point was to give his mate some long-denied release. Jeremy deserved it after what he'd been through.

Ryan tightened his lips around sensitive ring at the base of the leaking knob and deepened the suction. He pumped the thick root with his fist as he tongued and sucked the wide head, hard and quick. When he heard the mewling sounds coming from Jeremy, he glanced up and saw his mate's head thrashing from side to side in obviously pleasure. Ryan felt Jeremy's fingers tighten inside his hair almost painfully just as the cock in his hand began to throb and swell. Then he felt his entire body tense up and just knew that Jeremy was about to blow.

Jeremy's rough sound of pleasure as he erupted was absolutely beautiful to Ryan's ears. His cock swelled and jerked with every jet of cum that shot out. The thick load that began to flood Ryan's mouth was so sweet and tangy it intoxicated his already floating senses, causing a violent shudder to sizzle through him. He moaned around the c**k, unknowingly giving Jeremy even more pleasure. Ryan drank every single drop that spilled from Jeremy. And what a load it was. Three months of c*m. Ryan wasn't surprised. Eventually, Jeremy's spurts and rippling spasms ceased. Then his fingers loosened their hold on Ryan's hair and fell out. Ryan pressed a chaste kiss to the sensitized tip and smiled when a tremor shook Jeremy's body. With a contented sigh, Jeremy rolled onto his stomach and went right on sleeping. Ryan collapsed beside him, breathing hard to catch his breath. That had been as exhilarating as fuck, he thought, looking down at his own leaking rock-hard cocks. He felt light headed with arousal. But Ryan didn't have an intention of doing anything about his situation. It was for Jeremy to take care of when he woke up. He pulled the covers over Jeremy and left for the bathroom to get ready for bed.

Back in bed, Ryan kissed Jeremy gently and then cuddled close against his warm body. And as he drifted of to sleep, all he could think about and hope for was for Jeremy to wake up the next morning and talk to him. He was busting inside with the need to tell him

how much he loved him too.

Ryan didn't have to wait till morning.