Page 20

20

Wyatt

T he morning mist curls through the trees, thick ribbons of pale silver wrapping around ancient oak trunks that have stood in Dean's territory for generations. The ground beneath my paws is damp from last night's rain, the rich scent of wet earth and pine mingling with lingering traces of our scents, mine and Naomi's, where we'd slept, curled together.

For once, the cold bothers me despite my thick pelt, but only because it means she’s gone.

I watch as she moves through the haze, her massive white and tawny wolf slipping between the trees, silent and swift. She doesn’t look back, doesn’t hesitate. Just disappears, swallowed by the shifting fog.

My wolf stirs uneasily.

We don’t enjoy watching her leave, but she had to. I might not understand why, for now, but I trust she has her reasons. We may not be mated yet, but I can feel the inevitability of it. She doesn’t fear me. She still wants me and she’s showing me she’s mine, and that’s what’s important.

After a night spent beside Naomi, something inside me feels both repaired and raw. Our bond has strengthened. I can feel it thrumming beneath my skin like a guitar string pulled taut, but her leaving without a word has left a hollow ache in my chest. My wolf doesn't understand why his mate would share such intimacy, only to slip away with the dawn. But the man in me recognizes fear when he sees it.

Whatever Brad has over her and Maddie must be worse than I thought. This isn't just about an overbearing alpha. This is life and death to her.

No matter how much blood stained my fur last night, no matter how I fought, no matter how close I came to losing control, Naomi stayed. So she’s not a timid wolf. Which makes me even more certain it’s not her own safety that she’s afraid of.

She didn’t question me about what happened or doubt my temperament. She didn’t flinch from my wounds, didn’t hesitate to run with me through the trees, and didn’t resist when I curled around her like a shield against the night.

Everyone else hesitates, still maintaining a sliver of doubt about their safety with me, even if they can get past the rogue label.

Not my mate.

She steadied me, showed me she’s still with me, which only makes her retreat this morning more painful. There are still too many secrets and too much unfinished business. But now, I know for certain that she’s not pushing me away because she wants to.

I lean back against the rough bark of a fallen tree, rolling my shoulders to stretch the lingering stiffness from my muscles.

Jamie found herself a great place to settle. Dean's territory has a mysterious feel to it. The trees here are ancient, their branches reaching toward the sky like gnarled fingers. Unlike the territories I've passed through as a rogue, where I was always watching my back, always ready to run, this place feels almost sacred. Protected.

The forest is waking around me. But beneath the normal woodland sounds, I sense a different tension, the waiting breath before a storm breaks.

It's a challenge day in the Alpha Games. Tensions are high, and the tasks are getting more dangerous. After what happened with Ryan and his buddies, everyone will be watching me, waiting to see if the rogue finally snaps.

And Brad is just itching to get his paws on Naomi if I fail.

Breathing deep, I attempt to settle my nerves. Since nobody has told me otherwise, I’m assuming I’m still able to compete today. If Blake thought I had started that fight, I have no doubt I’d have been escorted off the premises by now.

Some things are still uncertain though, like what Dean’s plan is for us in this round. There will be shifting involved. That’s about all we know.

With tensions getting high, and ruthless, primal instincts taking over, shifting means we’re into the dangerous end of the competition. Anything could happen from here on out.

I take another deep breath, feeling the weight of exhaustion in my bones, but also, something else, something sharper. Stronger. Purpose. My pack will be different. Nobody will be an outcast or bullied because they’re different or disadvantaged. I know I can help others if I get the chance.

That’s a big if with half the competition out to get me.

I’m about to head back, to see if I can find out more about what’s going on, when the wind shifts, carrying a new scent on the breeze.

I’m no longer alone.

I remain still and listen, my enhanced hearing picking up every tiny sound. At first, it’s just a whisper in the trees, the faintest disturbance in the mist. Then, a flicker of movement. The crunch of a leaf underfoot. The snap of a twig. A presence. Not hostile, but not exactly at ease, either.

Then Jax steps out of the fog.

His movements are slow, controlled, but there's something off about him. There’s a restless energy that clings to him, a tension in his stance that's worse than before. His wolf is closer to the surface than I've seen yet, amber eyes glowing slightly in the dim light, his hands flexing at his sides as if fighting the urge to shift.

Something's happened. Something bad.

It’s taking Jax a great deal of effort to keep hold of his control.

I say nothing at first, just watch him as I shift back and take the clothes he offers me.

Jax and I are similar. The odd ones out. Different from the rest of the wolves here, isolated from the pack in our own way. Maybe that’s why we understand each other with no need for words.

But right now?

He looks different. His eyes glow, and he rubs his arms, like his skin is too tight, like there’s something burning under the surface that he can’t get rid of.

“She got back to the packhouse. You two seem to have patched things up.”

I smile. I should have known he’d be here to watch things, keeping up his secret night time patrols.

“I didn’t think you’d be up on all the Alpha Games gossip.”

He shrugs. “Just because nobody talks to me doesn’t mean I don’t hear things.”

“You don’t talk to them, Jax. Other way around.”

At that, he smiles reluctantly before exhaling sharply, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Didn’t fancy coming back last night and facing the music?”

I smirk. “You make it sound like I had options.”

“You could have come and slept in the basement with me, if night terrors and a wolf that needs to be chained down don’t bother you.” His attempt at self-deprecation falls flat, and I just feel sad for him. He needs help. Maybe when the Games are over, as the only person who might have a hope of understanding what he’s going through, I can do just that.

“I had a hot date.”

He doesn’t return my smile, but tilts his head and takes a slight inhale. “Naomi’s your mate.”

I nod, and his jaw clenches as he stares into the distance, expression grim.

That’s when I know. This isn’t just a casual visit, something’s wrong. He knows something that I don’t.

I straighten, the lingering peace of the morning slipping away, replaced by sharp awareness.

“What is it?”

Jax doesn’t answer right away. His gaze flicks toward the trees where Naomi disappeared, then back to me. Whatever he’s about to say, it’s big enough that he’s afraid to burst my bubble.

“I found Maddie.”

Everything inside me stills. “Is she okay?”

Naomi will be broken if anything has happened to her sister. From the fragments she's shared, and the tension that creeps into her voice whenever she mentions Maddie, I know how fiercely she protects her. And she might not be impressed with Jamie sending someone to investigate behind her back.

I should have told her.

Jax hesitates, shifting his weight like his body can’t stay still. “Why don’t you ask her yourself? She’s here.”