Page 23

23

Naomi

I can’t stop pacing.

My skin feels too tight, and my muscles, coiled like a spring, are ready to snap. My wolf is restless, pushing against me, demanding to be near him again.

Wyatt.

I force myself to keep moving, pretending I'm fine for the benefit of anyone watching, but the truth is I'm falling apart inside. One night together wasn't nearly enough. The bond between us is like a physical tether now, pulling tighter with each step I take away from him. My wolf howls her frustration, clawing at my insides to return to our mate.

Leaving him this morning nearly killed me. I had to force myself to keep moving, to not look back, or I would have curled back up beside him and never left.

After everything, the confrontation with Ryan, the shower encounter, the night spent in wolf form together after finally feeling right for the first time since arriving here; I had to slip away like what we shared meant nothing. As if I wouldn't give anything to wake up tangled in his warmth, with his muscular arms around me, and his heartbeat steady beneath my ear.

Instead, I crept away before dawn like a coward, terrified that Brad would somehow know where I'd been and what that would mean for Maddie. I returned to my room to find Amy watching me with knowing eyes, forcing me to shower and scrub away Wyatt's scent when all I wanted was to wrap myself in it forever.

I’m more miserable than ever.

The shower was agony, washing away the last traces of him. My wolf raged at the loss, growling and twisting inside me. Usually, we have an uncomplicated relationship. She’s big and strong, but not overly aggressive. Most of the time, she’s happy to let me lead.

She's been my protector since we were young, emerging with surprising strength when I was just thirteen, after a male from another pack tried to corner me at a territorial gathering. Even then, she was the size of a full-grown male wolf, with golden eyes that glowed like twin suns. The elders were shocked. Female wolves rarely grow to such size, and never with such natural dominance.

For years, I've kept her hidden, afraid of the attention she would bring. In my birth pack, they called her a blessing. But I've seen how alphas like Brad look at me once they sense her power, like I'm a prize to be claimed, a weapon to be controlled.

Not today. She’s not one bit happy with any of my decisions this morning, and her fury is a constant pressure in my chest. She wants him all over us. His scent, his mark, his body pressed so deep into our soul that no one could ever question who we belong to.

The throbbing ache between my shoulder blades only adds to my misery. It started as a dull pain this morning, but has intensified to where I keep reaching back to massage the spot. Something feels wrong, not just the separation from Wyatt, but something deeper.

I slam my locker shut, inhaling deeply as I try to push the frustration down. The next round of the competition is looming, and I need to be focused. Not drowning in longing for my mate.

Wyatt will get through easily, and we’ll have another night here together. Maybe we can sleep in the woods again. It could be our thing. Who needs a bed when you’ve got a giant fluffy wolf to curl up beside?

That thought cheers me up a little, but it’s hard to concentrate on the day ahead when every instinct in me is screaming to turn around and find him. Maybe I should have stayed to make sure Brad or his buddies haven't found another way to come after him or provoke him into doing something drastic.

The thought makes my stomach twist violently.

Why the hell can’t they just leave him alone? If Wyatt was some raging, feral wolf, there’s no way he’d get handed a pack to lead anyway, no matter how strong he is. Blake isn’t reckless. He knows Wyatt isn’t some unthinking monster. He’s calm, intelligent, and has the makings of a great alpha.

Otherwise, Dean would never have let him in.

Pride swells up inside me. He’s going to win the Games, I just know it. I’ll be cheering him on from the sidelines. Hopefully. If I can get through today and avoid any more of Brad’s creepy advances.

The memory of Brad's possessive stare the night before sends a chill down my spine.

Shuddering, I stride purposefully toward the packhouse. I need something to distract myself, something to keep my mind from spiraling. My stomach growls, reminding me I need something else, too. Breakfast.

If I don’t eat now, I won’t eat at all, and if I pass out in the middle of the next round, I’ll only have myself to blame.

The dining room is already filled with competitors when I walk in. I force myself to relax, to act like everything is fine, like my entire world isn’t hanging by a thread. For a second, my nose catches a scent, and I pause, unable to place it immediately.

Then I feel it.

An unmistakable wave of power rolls over the room, silent but suffocating; a presence so strong that it demands submission before he even speaks. It’s blunt and unyielding, unlike Blake’s more subtle, seductive aura.

Dean. A very unhappy Dean.

I barely have time to register his approach before he steps into my space, his dark eyes fixed on mine. He’s here for me.

“Naomi,” he says, voice calm. But there’s something in it, something that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

Dean Reynolds stands before me, his six-foot-four frame blocking my path. Unlike Brad, who wears his power like an expensive suit, Dean's authority is as natural as breathing. His dark eyes bore into mine, searching, assessing. He's dressed simply in jeans and a henley, but he might as well be wearing full ceremonial alpha regalia for the impact his presence has.

I swallow hard, forcing my voice not to shake. I am supposed to be proving I can run a pack as his equal, after all. “Alpha.”

He studies me for a moment, his gaze sharp, assessing as he absorbs my body language and takes a subtle sniff of my scent. “We need to talk. Somewhere private.”

My stomach drops. What now? A ripple of hushed voices and whispers pass through the room. They’re wondering the same thing as me: what did I do?

My heart stumbles over itself, beating so fast it makes me dizzy. I nod stiffly, forcing my feet to move as I follow him out into the corridor and toward a quiet, sterile office, where the noise of the dining hall is a distant buzz.

The office is immaculate, a desk of polished dark wood, a wall of books, and large windows overlooking the forest. Lynn stands by the window, arms crossed, her expression unreadable. My heart sinks further. This isn't just a casual chat.

He nods toward a leather couch, and I sink into it, resting my hand on the worn arm. If Dean thinks I need to sit for this, it’s probably a good idea.

He doesn’t waste time.

“Your sister is here,” he says. “Maddie arrived in the early hours of the morning.”

The world tilts. I stop breathing.

No.

The words hit me like a physical blow. My vision tunnels, darkness creeping in at the edges as the blood drains from my face. This can't be happening. This wasn't the plan.

Not here, not now.

Not when everything is already falling apart.

I was supposed to win a pack and come get her, to get her away from Brad without involving anyone else, especially the other alphas in the territory or the council.

I stare at him, frozen, my mind scrambling to process his words. But he keeps going, his tone even and steady, like he already knows what I’m thinking.

“I have granted her sanctuary until we can get things squared away,” he says. “She told me about her mate, about losing him recently. About what he did to her before he passed.”

Dean’s knuckles turn white where he grips the table behind him.

“And about how Brad has been trying to protect his brother’s name by forcing her to stay silent and keeping her close.”

The words barely register. My pulse is hammering, my throat closing.

Six months of walking on eggshells around Brad, of enduring his unwanted advances and thinly veiled threats, all of it crumbling before my eyes. Maddie was supposed to stay hidden, stay safe, until I could win this competition and create a haven for us both.

Now she's here, vulnerable and exposed. And if she's talking about what Rowan did to her...

“Does Brad know?” I ask quietly, daring to meet Dean’s penetrating gaze for a second so I can judge the truthfulness of his answer.

“I’d imagine so. I sent Jax to tell him. If he doesn’t already feel her close by, he’ll hear about it soon enough.”

"Jax?" The word comes out in a strangled whisper. Dean's younger brother, the unstable one who lurks in the shadows. What was he doing anywhere near my sister? "Why would you send him?"

Dean's expression softens slightly. "Jax may have his issues, but he's loyal. And he has a knack for finding people who don't want to be found." His gaze sharpens as he taps his nose. "Though in this case, finding your sister wasn't the problem. Getting her to talk was. All she wanted to do was leave."

A chill runs through me at his words. How much does he know?

Does he know we killed him?

We’ll be thrown out of the competition and dragged in front of the High Council. We could end up in jail.

Wyatt. I’ll never see him again.

My vision tunnels, my breath coming too fast, panic clawing at my ribs. Then suddenly, the world shifts.

“Relax, Naomi. Easy. Take deep breaths. Jax is a healer with this pack. I know his wolf is… unusual… but if Maddie was hurt, or was struggling with her own control, Jax was the best person to help her. I promise.”

A wave of calm crashes over me, dousing the panic with cold water, forcing my body to relax against my will.

Dean’s power. An alpha’s command.

I hate it, hate that my body obeys even when my mind is still screaming, but at least I can breathe again.

“She’s okay.” He assures me, but he doesn’t understand how un-okay things are about to get.

Lynn appears beside me, pressing a cool glass of water into my hands, her touch gentle but firm. “Drink,” she says softly. “Eat something.”

I blink down at the water, my hands shaking. I don’t want it, but I take a sip anyway, and she smiles softly, nodding encouragingly.

Slowly, my breathing evens out, the world no longer tilting before me. I focus on that, forcing myself back into control.

"How did she get here?" I finally ask, my voice steadier than I expected. "She’s so weak." Another thought hits me. "Was she alone? Did anyone follow her?"

Lynn and Dean exchange a look I can't quite interpret. "Jax brought her," Lynn says carefully. "Said he found her already halfway here, walking alone through the forest in the middle of the night."

That doesn't make any sense. Maddie would never have attempted such a journey alone, not in her weakened state. And how would she have gotten past Brad's guards?

Unless… that’s not exactly how it went down.

The pain between my shoulder blades flares again, sharp enough to make me wince.

Dean watches me, patient and kind. Then he speaks again, quieter this time.

“Your sister is here as my guest. She’s lost her mate and should be with family at this difficult time.”

My breath shudders. He doesn’t ask if there’s more to the story.

If she did it. If I helped her.

Instead, he just watches me, his power still pressing at the edges of my skin, offering something unspoken. He seems reasonable.

“We’ll get through today’s competition, and then we’ll work out a plan.”

I nod because I don’t know what else to do.

I could tell him.

I could confess right now, let it all spill out, lay my cards on the table and hope he doesn’t turn us in. But I don’t. I can’t. Not when Maddie is the one who’ll suffer the most.

The truth sits heavy on my tongue. The race to her cabin in the pouring rain. Finding her huddled in the corner, Rowan's body sprawled on the floor between them, the knife still clutched in her trembling hand.

"He wouldn't stop," she'd whispered, over and over. "He said he'd kill me this time."

I didn't hesitate. I helped her clean up. Neither of us went for help. I told her what to say when Brad inevitably came looking for his brother. I became her accomplice that night, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Dean doesn’t push. Doesn’t demand. Just inclines his head slightly, sensing I’ve got a battle raging inside me. “I’m here, if you want to talk.”

The words feel like a lifeline I’m not so sure I deserve. Could I have saved Rowan and gotten my sister out? Probably.

I nod stiffly, muttering a thank you, and then I take my chance, lifting my chin and drawing on my last reserves to at least look like I have my shit together. Head held high, I leave the office and walk calmly down the long corridor, past the dining hall, and toward the exit.

I scan the crowd for Wyatt, needing his strength now more than ever. But he's nowhere to be seen. A knot of anxiety tightens in my chest. Where is he? The bond between us feels strained, weak in a way that makes my wolf whine with distress.

I catch a glimpse of Brad across the room, deep in conversation with Ryan. The smile on his face sends ice through my veins. It's the satisfied look of a predator who knows his prey is cornered.

And I hate that it’s me he thinks he has trapped.

That this could be my last morning of freedom punches me in the gut, and I blink against the tears that threaten to come. We knew this could happen. I knew exactly what the risks were the minute I set foot inside Maddie’s cabin that terrible evening and took charge of the situation.

And I’d do it again. It’s just that now, I have to face the consequences of that decision.

I don’t stop moving until I’m out of the packhouse, the chilly morning stealing the air from my lungs. I bend over, bracing my hands against my knees, my breath coming fast again, now that Dean’s influence has worn off.

She’s here.

Brad is going to lose it. It doesn’t matter how she ended up here, he’ll see it as the ultimate act of defiance. Another attempt by me to circumvent his authority and steal the only leverage he has over me.

I need to find Maddie so we can get our stories straight before he gets to her, before he scares her into going back.

Or before she ends up dead.