Page 26

26

Naomi

W ith that parting shot, Brad descends the steps, his posture once again loose and confident, a man who believes he's just won a critical skirmish.

I press myself deeper into the bushes as he passes, holding my breath until he's well down the path.

Getting closer?

I despise him with every cell in my body, but once again, he's planting the seed for his scheme so that when he tries to join the packs into one, by blackmailing me into dating him, nobody will question it.

"Disgusting," I mutter under my breath as his scent fades. The way he speaks about me like I'm property he's gained, a business asset rather than a person with my own free will. He wants an empire, just like the power-hungry alphas of old, before the council system was established.

When I emerge a few minutes later, heart still pounding and now feeling physically ill, Dean and Blake have disappeared inside. But I caught the look that passed between them as Brad walked away, concern mixed with suspicion. They're not quite sure what to make of the situation. Both of them know, or at least suspect, that Wyatt is mine.

I need to find Maddie. Now.

Moving quickly but carefully, I circle around to the back of the packhouse, intending to try the service entrance. My head spins with panic and fatigue, the lack of food and sleep combining with stress to make the world tilt alarmingly. I reach out and grip the railing beside me as my knees go weak and almost buckle underneath me.

"You look like you're about to collapse," a voice says from behind me.

I whirl, my wolf surging forward defensively, only to find Lynn standing there, carrying a plate in her hands. The scent of fresh bread and cooked meat reaches me, making my stomach clench painfully with sudden hunger.

Lynn stands there looking both concerned and exasperated, her dark hair pulled back in a practical bun, and her keen eyes missing nothing.

How did I not hear her coming? I'll never make it through the next round in this state, distracted and weak.

"Easy," she says, her voice steady. "I come bearing gifts."

"I can't..." I begin, but she cuts me off with a look.

"You can, and you will. You haven't eaten since yesterday. Even super wolves need fuel." She gestures to a small table and chairs tucked into an alcove of the garden, sheltered from view by a trellis of climbing roses. "Sit. Eat. Then we'll talk." Something in her tone brooks no argument.

I follow numbly, sinking into the chair as my legs suddenly feel like jelly.

Lynn sets the tray down and takes the seat opposite, watching as I reluctantly pick up a slice and nibble on the corner.

The first bite breaks something in me. I hadn't realized how hungry I was or how close to physical collapse. I eat greedily, barely pausing for breath as Lynn watches with quiet satisfaction.

"Better?" she asks when I've cleared half the bowl.

I nod, suddenly embarrassed by my lack of manners. "Thank you."

Lynn waves away my thanks and hands me a napkin. "Part of my job. Can't have competitors fainting during rounds." Her eyes, sharp and assessing, see more than I'm comfortable with. "Though I'm guessing food is the least of your concerns right now."

I set down my fork, appetite suddenly gone, despite the gnawing emptiness still in my stomach.

"I need to pull out of the competition," I say abruptly. "I need to get my sister and leave. Today."

I'll find Wyatt and explain. If he wins the pack, I can come back then. If not, maybe he'd join us, show us how to live as rogues. Anything is better than that asshole using me to expand his empire while he tortures my sister and uses her to force me to do his bidding.

"I know I've come this far, but none of it matters anymore," I continue, unable to stop the words pouring out. "Brad will destroy Maddie if I don't get her away from here. And Wyatt..." I swallow hard, the mate bond throbbing dully in my chest. "I have to find him. I have to explain everything before he thinks I've rejected him."

Lynn's expression doesn't change. "Running won't solve your problems, Naomi. It will just create new ones."

"You don't understand..."

Shaking my head stubbornly, I close my eyes and try to get a lock on where Wyatt is, but our bond feels weak and strained. All my fault, of course. I should have slapped Brad straight across the face when he dared touch me last night. And I should have walked back here proudly with my mate this morning.

"I understand more than you think." Her voice is quiet but holds a weight that stops me. "I see the way you look at Brad. I hear how your voice changes when you speak of him. I know fear and hatred when I see it."

Her words hit home with surprising force. Is it that obvious to everyone? Have I been transparent all along, thinking I was being so careful?

My throat tightens. "It's about Maddie. She's in danger. Maybe we both are."

"Brad?" Lynn asks directly, looking unsurprised.

I hesitate, weighing honesty against caution. "Yes. He's got it in for her, blames her for his brother's death. I thought this was our way out, but it's not worth it. And now, he’s targeting Wyatt, so he can’t protect us."

"His brother was Maddie's mate," I elaborate, choosing my words carefully. "Rowan Norton. He died six months ago, an accident during a hunt. Brad never accepted it. He's been... watching her. Controlling her. Refusing to let her leave his territory."

I take a shaky breath, deciding how much to reveal. "Yesterday, before the dinner, I saw him talking to Ryan Williams. They have some kind of plan to get Wyatt disqualified or make him leave. I think they're going to do something during today's challenge."

That's as much as I can say, but even admitting that feels like a weight off my mind.

Lynn nods, as if I've confirmed something she already suspected. "Dean won't let him harm her. Not here. He’ll go to any lengths to help someone he thinks deserves it.”

I glance at her, wondering she talking about more than Maddie, maybe even herself, but decide to mind my own business.

"I appreciate that. But what about when we leave? When the Alpha Games are over?" I can't keep the bitterness from my voice. "Brad doesn't forgive, and he doesn't forget. He'll make her pay for daring to leave. For daring to speak up."

"Then win," Lynn says simply.

I stare at her, momentarily speechless.

"Win the games," she continues. "Become an alpha in your own right. Then no one can touch her, or you. Do it while they’re all so focused on stopping Wyatt. Win the Games," she repeats, leaning forward. "Brad's plan depends on you needing him, on you being powerless without him. So take that power for yourself. Be an alpha.”

She tilts her head, studying me with those sharp eyes. "And from what I've seen, you're more than capable. Your wolf is exceptional, and you've been holding her back."

A hollow laugh escapes me. "It's not that simple. Have you seen Wyatt?"

"No, I haven't. Nobody has. And if he doesn't show up soon, the competition is wide open again." Lynn agrees.

Unease slithers down my spine, and I sit up straight, sliding a hand up my back to rub between my shoulder blades.

"Nobody has seen Wyatt?" Panic flutters in my chest.

"Not since early this morning," Lynn confirms, and there's a hint of concern in her voice. "Callum has people looking for him. After what happened with Ryan and his friends, Dean wants to make sure there aren't any... incidents."

The implication is clear: after the fight in the woods, there are wolves who might seek revenge. The pain between my shoulder blades intensifies, and a chill runs through me. What if something happened to him?

Where is he? My stomach churns with guilt and worry. What if Brad's cronies came back this morning? What if he's had enough, and he left?

And I got up and trotted off this morning without kissing him goodbye. His own mate.

"No. But even if he makes it here in time to compete, running isn't the answer, either." She leans forward, her gaze intense. "I've watched you, Naomi. In the trials. With the other competitors. You're strong. Stronger than most here, including many of the males. But you're afraid to show it."

The accusation hits uncomfortably close to home. I've been holding back, careful not to draw too much attention. A strategy that now seems laughably pointless. Brad knows I can win if Wyatt’s out of the picture. That's why he's here, after all. To steal the pack out from under me if I do.

"I…" I start to deny it, but the words die in my throat.

She's right. I've been holding back, suppressing my wolf's true strength for years. First, because my father warned me that alphas would see her as a threat, then because it became a habit, and finally, because drawing attention was the last thing I wanted around Brad.

But what has all that caution gotten me? A sister trapped in an abusive situation, a mate who thinks I'm ashamed of him, and a manipulative alpha who believes he owns me.

"These bullies," Lynn continues, her voice hardening slightly. "They thrive on fear. On scaring people into silence. On the certainty that their victims will be too afraid to stand up for themselves."

"It's not that simple," I repeat, but with less conviction.

"What did you do?" Lynn asks suddenly, her directness catching me off guard. "What's Brad holding over you and your sister?"

I freeze, my pulse skyrocketing. "I don't know what you..."

"Stop." Lynn's voice is gentle but firm. "I'm not asking for details or asking you to confess. I'm asking you to acknowledge it to yourself. Face what you've done.”

The question hangs between us, weighted with unspoken possibilities. The secret Maddie and I have guarded so carefully, the reason we've lived in fear for months. I could tell Lynn everything, about finding Maddie that night with Rowan's body, about the knife, about how we made it look like an accident. But the words stick in my throat.

"I protected someone I love," I say finally. "That's all I can say."

“Whatever it is, if you let go of the fear of being caught, I doubt it's as bad as you think," Lynn says kindly, but her being so good to me just makes me feel worse.

"You don't know that." My voice comes out sharper than intended. "Maybe I'm not as nice as you think I am."

Lynn's expression softens, surprising me. "Someone who protects the people she loves, whatever the cost? Someone who's carried a burden alone for too long?" She reaches across the table, her hand covering mine briefly. "You're not alone anymore, Naomi. Not if you don't want to be. You have Wyatt, and us, if you want help."

The simple touch, the first genuine comfort I've received in what feels like forever, nearly undoes me. I blink rapidly, fighting back unexpected tears.

"I can't..." I begin, but stop, unsure what I'm even trying to say.

Lynn withdraws her hand, but her gaze remains steady on mine. "You can. You already are, because you've made it this far."

The thought of Wyatt being gone sends a fresh wave of anxiety through me. That pull, that sense of wrongness I've been feeling all morning intensifies suddenly, making me gasp. Is it because he's moved so far away, having had enough of waiting around for me to choose him?

My chest aches at the thought of him moving on, thinking I don't care about him.

Lynn's eyebrows lift. "What is it?"

I shake my head, pressing a hand to my heart, where the mate bond pulses, weak but insistent.

"I don't know. Just... a bad feeling. A really bad feeling."

My hand moves to my chest, where the mate bond pulses, but it's different now, weaker, erratic, like a radio signal fading in and out.

"I feel off," I whisper, my voice catching.

She studies me for a long moment, then nods decisively. "You’re weak. Finish your food. Jax is out looking for Wyatt, and he'll bring him back. You need to focus. The next trial starts in thirty minutes, and you need to be there." Lynn's voice takes on the edge of authority. "Because giving up now means letting him win."

The words hit their mark with painful accuracy. I pick up my fork again, mechanically finishing the food she's brought for me.

"Good," Lynn says, satisfaction in her tone. "This next trial is going to test everything you've got." She stands, gathering the empty plate and cutlery the second I take the last bite, and thrusts a bottle of water into my face. "And Naomi? Stop hiding who you are. It's time these wolves saw what you're really capable of. You're mated to a wolf like Wyatt for a reason."

As she walks away, her words echo in my mind.

Stop hiding.

I think of Brad's confidence, his certainty that his lies about Maddie will be believed. I think of Wyatt, of the strange, urgent pull I feel toward him, even now. And I think of my sister, who found the courage to flee a monster.

Maybe it's time I found some courage too.

The mate bond tugs again, more insistently this time.

It's not just anxiety or stress. Something is wrong. Something is very wrong.