Page 41

41

Naomi

W e're just making our way out through the packhouse front door when Lynn appears, jogging toward us with a grim expression that makes my stomach clench.

"Have you seen Wyatt?" she asks without preamble. “Or Brad?”

My pulse quickens. "No. I was expecting Wyatt to be here. He’s supposed to be meeting with Dean and Blake."

Lynn runs a hand through her hair, clearly agitated. "Jax says Brad’s car is waiting at the bridge. Doesn’t look like he’s sticking around for his interview, either.”

Cold washes through me.

"Wyatt won’t let him just leave.” Jamie's expression is a mix of worry and fierce pride. “Not without facing up to what he’s done.”

The pull in my chest intensifies, like a hook embedded in my heart. "We need to find him. Now."

I meet her eyes; the answer hitting us both simultaneously. "The alpha cabins."

Where Brad would stay for the duration of the Games, and where he’d go to pack if he were about to leave in a rush.

"We need to hurry." I urge, breaking into a run, knowing my mate is determined not to let Brad get away with what he’s done.

Just as we move, Dean emerges from the packhouse, his expression darkening as he takes in our urgency. Blake follows close behind, his normally impassive face showing genuine concern.

"What's happening?" Dean demands.

"Brad's trying to leave," Lynn tells him quickly. "And Wyatt's gone after him."

“God damn it.” Dean looks like he’s fit to explode as he storms outside and takes off toward Brad’s accommodation.

Blake sighs and follows at a more leisurely pace, asking Lynn to check the wider grounds with Callum in case he’s just gone for a run.

We dash through the grounds, drawing curious glances from wolves going about their daily routines. I ignore them all, focused solely on following the invisible tether connecting me to my mate.

The alpha cabins are set apart from the main compound, nestled at the edge of the forest for privacy. Unlike the communal lodgings where most competitors stay, these are individual structures, designed to give visiting alphas the space and isolation their wolves often crave. The path leading to them winds through a small grove of pines; the ground carpeted with fallen needles that muffle our footsteps.

As we approach the secluded area where visiting alphas are housed, Jamie comes to a stop under the cover of some trees, and Dean sneaks even closer, gesturing for us to stay back.

"I can’t just do nothing. We need to stop him before…" I go to step past Jamie, but she gently reaches out for my arm and holds me back.

"Maybe they’re going to clear the air. I think we should wait and see how this pans out.”

I stare at her, taken aback by how relaxed she is about watching her brother murder someone in revenge.

"Jamie, if Wyatt attacks him, he’ll end up in jail…"

They’re not going to clear the air.

"Is that what you think he's doing?" she asks, her voice softening slightly. "Launching some wild, unprovoked attack because he can't control himself?"

Put that way, it sounds ridiculous. Wyatt is many things: powerful, protective, and dominant, but never out of control. Never reckless.

"No." I admit. "But what good does he think is going to come from this?”

Before anyone can answer, voices reach us from the closest cabin, Brad's temporary residence. Wyatt's deep rumble contrasts with Brad's sharper tone, both carrying clearly through the morning air.

“Going somewhere?”

Wyatt.

Brad snarls. “Listen, rogue. I don’t have time for this. If everyone else can’t see how dangerous you are, that’s their problem.”

Through the cabin's window, I can see Brad hastily stuffing clothes into a bag, his movements jerky and impatient. Wyatt stands in the doorway, blocking the exit, his massive frame appearing even larger in the confined space.

Wyatt laughs, then coughs, his voice catching with pain. He’s still not fully healed. This is a bad idea.

“Blake’s going to find you, and punish you, once we tell him what you did.”

It’s Brad’s turn to laugh. “And what did I do except defend myself from a raging rogue and take part in a sanctioned hunt? Hardly grounds for serious sanctions. Not for an alpha, anyway.”

“You knew what your brother was doing, yet you turned a blind eye.” Wyatt growls again, his wolf sounding weak and frail. The sound carries no weight. It brushes over me with little or no effect. “Maybe because you knew that although you’re older, he was bigger. He was the true alpha.”

Brad’s growl turns vicious.

My stomach knots with worry. Wyatt should be stronger by now. The wolfsbane must still be affecting him, weakening his wolf, dulling the power that usually emanates from him like heat from a fire.

That or all the sex. I’m a bad mate. He’s too tired to fight because I wouldn’t let him rest.

I go to step forward, but Blake places a hand on my shoulder. “Just wait.”

“And you can prove that, can you?” Brad asks, shouting now, his anger rising. “Those stupid bitches are just trying to cause trouble for me because they blame me for Rowan’s actions. But it’s not my fault. They never came to me. That, I can prove.”

Wyatt growls feebly again. “You knew Naomi was mine, yet you tried to challenge my claim.”

“Yes, it’s a shame your buddies interrupted. Naomi would breed good pups, strong, if not a little strong-willed.”

Jamie growls beside me, offended on my behalf by the casual way he’s discussing his attempt to claim me against my will.

Wyatt tilts his head to the side.

“You really don’t remember me, do you?”

Brad’s brows draw down as he stares at Wyatt. “What?”

Yeah, what? Jamie glances at me and I shrug. I have no idea what’s going on either.

“Twenty years ago. I found myself on your land, starving, and you accused me of stealing food. Your father tracked me down and attacked me while I slept.”

The scar. On his shoulder. Brad’s father did that?

“Oh god,” Jamie whispers beside me. “I remember that night. He came home covered in blood.”

Brad pales, thrown by the revelation as he wracks his brain, trying to dredge up the memory. “Well, we all know rogues are thieves. Actions have consequences. Naomi and Maddie will find that out soon enough.”

Wyatt scoffs. “Don’t act all tough. Even then, you were too afraid to face me. You ran for Daddy when you found me and let him run me off. And you didn’t have the nerve to fight me, even knowing I was practically dead. You challenged me for everything I have and didn’t have the balls to finish the job. You’re a coward.”

Through the open patio doors, I see Brad push forward, stepping across the cabin’s interior, and Wyatt steps back, ceding ground to the raging alpha before him.

“Listen, rogue. I’m no coward. We can finish that challenge any time.” Brad’s face is red, his wolf flashing in his eyes, but immediately, Wyatt’s weakened demeanor shifts, and his wolf roars back to life.

“Deal. How about right now?” His tone is cold and calculating.

And suddenly, I understand. The weakness in his voice, the way he stepped back, letting Brad push forward. It was calculated.

A trap. And Brad walked right into it.

Brad pushes back, seeing the wildness and the light in Wyatt’s eyes. His wolf is as strong as ever. He’s no injured wolf here to defend his honour, he’s stronger than ever.

“I’ve got more important things to do than waste my time on you,” Brad stutters out, returning to his wardrobe to pull out clothes and shove them into a bag.

“I don’t think you do,” Dean calls from outside, moving to block Brad’s exit lest he dare try to run for it. “That was a clear acceptance of a challenge.”

Brad’s eyes lift, and he spots the audience he has, the witnesses to his conversation. “He can keep her. I’ll admit defeat.”

Blake shakes his head as he moves forward. “Wyatt said you challenged him for everything he has. That’s more than just a mate.”

Brad’s face goes pale as he replays the conversation in his head.

That’s exactly what Wyatt said, and that’s exactly what Brad agreed to. And anytime.

My heart leaps into my throat. A formal challenge. Not an attack, not a brawl, but a sanctioned way to settle disputes between alphas or alpha potentials. And Brad just accepted Wyatt’s.

“This is bullshit…” he starts, trying to talk his way out of his mistake. “That wasn’t a formal challenge, and I need to get back to my pack.”

“You’re not going anywhere.” Blake’s command slams into us all, but Brad visibly flinches, freezing on the spot as Blake uses his powerful aura to make it absolutely clear that Brad can’t talk his way out of this one.

The weight of Blake's command is like a physical force, pressing down on all of us. Even at this distance, I feel my wolf instinctively lowering her head, acknowledging his power.

Brad, the full target of that command, looks like he's struggling to breathe. "It’s my land, all of it. This competition shouldn’t even exist. This territory should have been returned to our pack.”

Blake frowns and shakes his head. “I’ve heard it all before, Brad. Yes, it was yours, for a while, but your father stole it from someone else, who probably took it from another pack a hundred years ago. Where does it end? This is a fair way of finding a new leader without carving up borders and disrupting the lives of ordinary wolves who just want to live in peace.”

Stepping forward, Blake straightens to his full height. “And none of that has anything to do with the challenge issued and accepted here today.”

It’s clear Brad won’t be wiggling his way out of this one.

“I have nothing to prove to a rogue." Brad hisses, dismissing the challenge offhandedly, hoping bluster will get him out of the predicament he’s in.

"Don't you, though? The alpha who let his brother abuse his mate? Who tried to kill a competitor rather than face him fairly? Who threatens women to get what he wants? Sounds like you have plenty to prove," Jamie shouts, getting her blows in on behalf of her brother as she grips my hand tightly in hers.

Brad's reply is too low to hear clearly, but I catch Wyatt's response, satisfaction evident in his tone.

"Face me or run away and let everyone know exactly what kind of alpha you really are," Wyatt says, standing up straight, every inch the alpha he was born to be.

The silence that follows is deafening. Brad recognizes the trap he's in. Deny it, and he looks like a coward. Accept it, and he has to fight the beast in front of him. Fairly.

"Do you plan to complete this challenge, Brad?" Dean asks, his tone betraying nothing. “Or do you forfeit?”

"I… What… right now?" Brad stops, recalculating. "I didn't understand… This is a setup. You're all conspiring against me."

He glances around but finds no support for his stance. Everyone heard it loud and clear.

"Did you or did you not accept Wyatt's challenge?" Blake presses, his voice carrying the full weight of his authority. "Your own words, Brad."

Brad's face contorts with rage and growing panic. "I was provoked… it was a fucking trick…"

He’s not going to get out of this with excuses. Blake’s disgust at his evasiveness is apparent.

"Answer the question," Blake cuts him off, tone sharp.

Brad's jaw works silently for a moment before he finally spits, "Yes. Fine. Yes. But I didn’t think it was a real challenge."

"Then you are a fool. Three witnesses confirm you accepted the challenge," Blake says, his tone leaving no room for argument. “There’s no way out of it.”

“Four,” Ryan says, appearing from the cabin next door. “I heard it loud and clear, too.”

I narrow my eyes at the arrogant male, still not forgetting his part in the way Wyatt was treated, but begrudgingly appreciating that maybe he’s trying to do the right thing now.

As his gaze meets Brad's, I see genuine disgust there. Even Ryan has his limits, it seems, and Brad has pushed him past his.

"Under our laws, you must either fight here and now, or concede defeat, with all that entails,” Blake reminds him.

The color drains from Brad's face. "You can't mean…"

"Your pack." Dean confirms, nodding slowly. "Win or lose, you've accepted a formal challenge from another alpha-potential. There's no backing out now, unless you plan to go straight home to pack and move out."

The realization hits me that this was Wyatt's plan all along. Not violence, not revenge, but justice. Even when seeking retribution, he's thinking like an alpha. Unlike Brad, who was ready to flee rather than face consequences of his actions.

This isn't just about getting even for what Brad did to us, it's about Brad’s pack. About leadership. About how weaker wolves are treated by the person they trust most. And payback for running him off his land all those years ago.

"Fine," Brad spits, with venom in his voice.

"Be careful." I plead, my voice catching as I lock eyes with Wyatt. "Please."

He smiles, looking completely unfazed by what’s about to unfold as he follows Brad outside. "Always."

The look that passes between us carries more than words ever could. Trust me, his eyes say. I know what I'm doing.

And despite the fear coiling in my stomach, I do trust him. My wolf does, too.

As they move to the centre of the large clearing, with Blake and Dean standing off to one side, heads tipped together in conference as the two contenders circle each other, I feel Jamie's hand squeeze mine. Her fingers are cold but steady, her presence grounding me when I feel like I might fall apart.

"He's going to win," Jamie says softly. “Don’t worry.”

I wish I could be so certain. Fear from his recent injuries still lingers in my mind as they shift, and the snarls and growls grow louder and more vicious.

Wolves pour outside to see what’s going on, and Jax appears, breathless and wide-eyed, as he moves to stand beside us to watch the fight.

“What the hell is going on now?”

They come in groups, competitors and pack members alike, drawn by the commotion, but staying to witness justice. Among them, I spot Eli and Dash, both nodding respectfully to Wyatt. Even some wolves who once avoided him are now watching with interest rather than fear.

“A challenge,” Jamie whispers, and Jax turns to stare, stunned by this turn of events. His wolf pushes forward, clearly enjoying the prospect of a fight. And of seeing Wyatt win.

This isn't just about Brad's punishment, it's about Wyatt being appreciated, at last, for who he truly is.