Page 34

34

Wyatt

I watch until she disappears from sight, her sleek wolf's form swallowed by the dense forest, leaving only swaying ferns and trembling leaves in her wake. Something in my chest eases, knowing she's racing toward safety, toward victory. Toward her future.

Even if I might not be part of it.

The sun filters through the canopy above, casting shadows across the moss-covered rocks surrounding the creek. The wound between my shoulder blades throbs with each heartbeat, sending waves of fiery pain radiating outward.

I turn back to face Brad. Dash stands steady beside me, shoulders squared, and jaw set with a solidarity I hadn't expected but desperately need.

The smaller wolf's copper-brown eyes hold a resolve that belies his compact frame. There's steel there I've underestimated until now.

"You've just delayed the inevitable," Brad says, his voice carrying the practiced arrogance of an alpha who's rarely been challenged. “Even if she’s too broken to win the pack when you die, I might still mate her just for strong pups. And to torture Maddie some more.”

If I needed any motivation to keep clinging to life, there it is.

"She's stronger than you think," I tell him, and I believe it with every fibre of my being. She's magnificent. Fast and fierce and unstoppable. She’ll make it to the next round, and she’ll win.

His smile is cold and calculating. "Perhaps. But you’re not, are you?"

As if on cue, my legs buckle, a wave of dizziness washing over me as the poison reasserts itself. Jax’s medicine is wearing off. The bitter herbs no longer strong enough to combat the wolfsbane surging through my veins. Black spots dance at the edges of my vision, and the forest floor seems to tilt beneath my paws. The silver knife wound in my back burns like fire as the wolfsbane spreads through my bloodstream with every heartbeat.

Without Naomi's presence or the direct connection to the mate bond, my borrowed strength is fading fast. Too fast.

Brad notices my faltering stance, the way my muscles tremble with the effort of remaining upright, and his smile widens. "Not looking so good there, rogue. Still think you're a match for me?"

Not really, but I growl, the sound rumbling deep in my chest, letting him know I won’t go down easily.

"He doesn't have to be," Dash says, moving slightly closer to me. His shoulder brushes against mine, lending support, both physical and symbolic. Though smaller than both Brad and me, there's nothing submissive in his posture.

Brad practically rolls his eyes, dismissing Dash’s potential as an opponent with a casual flick of his gaze. "Walk away now, and I might forget your interference."

Dash shrugs. “Only one of us needs to win, and Eli has the better shot, anyway.”

"But why risk it all for a rogue?" Brad asks Dash, genuine confusion coloring his tone. He can't comprehend loyalty that isn't bought or coerced.

I wait for the answer too, my curiosity momentarily overriding my instinct to not question their unexpected help. In my years as a lone wolf, genuine allies have been rare enough to count on one hand.

Dash’s gaze flicks to me briefly, something unreadable passing behind his eyes. "Because this isn't right.” His voice drops lower, carrying a conviction that surprises me. “And because you would've done the same for me."

The words hit me harder than I expected, because he’s right. Despite my solitary nature, I would have stood between Dash and danger. Not for advantage or alliance, but because it was right.

“I could give you a beta position in my new pack, and all the wealth you could wish for.” Brad tips his head toward me. “It wouldn’t take much to finish him.”

When Dash growls at Brad, his voice carries a subtle challenge laced with contempt. "I've been eliminated already. I've got nothing to lose by sticking around here.” He shifts his weight, ready to spring if needed. “But you, Alpha? You've got your reputation. You're standing with the council. Do you really want to hang around and wait for Dean and Blake to arrive, to discover what you were planning?"

Brad hesitates, calculating. "What did you really see? A hunt? A challenge over a female who’s not yet marked?”

The sound of approaching wolves reaches us then, with multiple sets of paws moving through the underbrush, drawing nearer with each passing second. Twigs snap and leaves rustle as they navigate the dense forest. Brad's confident smile grows, clearly believing his reinforcements have arrived.

But as the first wolf breaks through the trees, it's not an ally of Brad's.

It's Jax. His dark form is sleek and powerful as he moves to stand beside me, propping me up and allowing me to stand taller and stronger than I feel. Behind him, emerging one by one from the forest like shadows taking form, come more wolves. Some carry bundles of supplies in their jaws, others move with the purposeful stride of trained fighters. Dean's wolves coming to my aid.

The cavalry has arrived.

Brad's confidence visibly falters as he takes in the growing group, all here to help me. His eyes briefly stick on Jax, whose energy is just off enough to make him the biggest threat. A wild wolf is a dangerous one, and Brad knows it.

What was meant to be a simple execution has become something else entirely: a confrontation with witnesses, and with consequences he can't easily dismiss.

"This changes nothing." He snarls, but the doubt in his voice betrays him. The sound echoes off the creek rocks, hollow with false bravado.

"It changes everything." I counter, my certainty growing despite my failing strength. The taste of copper fills my mouth as I speak, but I force the words out clearly. "You're not hunting anymore."

For the first time, genuine fear flickers across Brad's face as he scents the air. A quick sniff tells him who else is coming, Dean and Blake, the two wolves here he doesn’t want to meet right now.

“You’re outnumbered, Brad. You should have made sure you killed me while you had the chance.”

He's an alpha, yes, but even alphas aren't invincible. Not against numbers, and not against witnesses who might speak against him to the council.

"This isn't over," he warns, already backing away, calculating his odds and finding them no longer in his favor.

"No." I agree, my voice steady despite the effort it takes to remain standing. "It's just beginning."

As Brad retreats, disappearing back into the forest, I allow myself to finally acknowledge the extent of my exhaustion. The pretense of strength dissolves, and my legs give way completely. I sag against Jax, who edges me toward a gnarled oak and props me up against its rough bark while he roots around in a backpack for what he needs.

“Should I stop him?” Dash asks, staring at where Brad’s disappeared, his body tense and ready to give chase. “I think we could take him if he puts up a fight…”

The poison has progressed too far, wrecking my system faster than I’d expected. Each breath feels like drawing fire into my lungs.

“No,” I insist, the word barely more than a rasp. “He’s dangerous, and he doesn’t fight fair. I don’t want anyone else hurt.”

My vision tunnels as darkness creeps in from the edges. My legs give out, sending me to my knees on the damp earth. The world spins in nauseating circles around me; the ground seeming to rise to meet me.

Hands catch me as I topple sideways, supporting me while I struggle to remain conscious. Dash on one side, Jax on the other, their voices distant but reassuring, as though filtered through water.

"We've got you," someone says. "We've got you, brother."

Jamie's there suddenly, her chestnut hair a blur of colour against the forest's muted palette, her face creased with worry, concern pouring off her in waves. I try to reassure her, but I can't form words. Can't even send coherent thoughts.

Something inside me is shutting down. The poison has worked its way to my heart. My breathing grows shallow, my pulse erratic.

WYATT: Naomi...

I reach for the mate bond with desperate determination. Even though we can’t mind-link yet, I try, attempting to send her reassurance, but it's like grasping smoke. My consciousness is fading too fast.

Through the haze, I make out Jax's voice, urgent and commanding. "We have to get him to the clinic. Now."

Strong arms drag me across the dirt, the only way they can move me in my condition. The movement sends agony tearing through me, and I let out an involuntary shout as they haul me over a rock that digs into my wound.

"Hang on," Dash murmurs, his voice thick with concern. "Naomi did it, and you need to stay alive so she can compete in the next round, you stubborn bastard."

She made it.

I try to fight the darkness, to hold on just a little longer. I need to see Naomi again, to hold her, to tell her I love her one more time. To feel the silky weight of her hair between my fingers, to breathe in her scent, to kiss her.

My last clear thought before darkness claims me is of Naomi, racing through the forest toward victory.

“Jax, you take care of her and Maddie. Keep Brad away from them.” The words scrape my throat raw, but I have had to say them. Have to know they'll be protected if I can't do it myself.

“I will. I promise.”

It’s concerning that Jax is agreeing with me rather than telling me to do it myself, because it means even he’s not sure I’ll make it.

I feel a wave of desperate hope through our bond, though the distance has weakened the connection to a gossamer thread.

Naomi's emotions wash over me, fear and love so fierce, it takes my breath away. I feel bad that dying is going to hurt her, but at least she’s unclaimed by that asshole and has the freedom to go wherever she wants now.

And that’s good enough for me.