Page 3 of Wild Games
As we continue walking, the feeling returns, stronger this time.A presence prickles at my awareness, distracting me. It’s powerful enough to make my wolf snap to attention. I turn slowly, scanning the treeline.
A figure stands at the forest edge, partially shadowed by pines. So this is who’s been watching me.
Kain.
Even at this distance, the raw power emanating from him is palpable. Tall, broad-shouldered, and with an intensity that seems to distort the air around him. Our eyes lock, and something inside me stills. My wolf, normally so disciplined, surges forward with unexpected interest. Whether it’s merely curiosity or alarm is hard to tell.
“What’s he doing here?” I ask, keeping my voice deliberately casual while I focus on keeping my breathing even, and my heartbeat steady.
Callum follows my gaze, his expression shifting almost imperceptibly. “You know Kain? He’s a bit of a mystery to us. Seems to have come from nowhere, but he’s... an acquaintance of Blake’s. Doing well, too. He’ll go right down to the wire.”
That goes without saying. A wolf that strong would have to be among the favourites to win.
Known for his work with our enforcer team in handling feral wolves or those who have succumbed to moon madness,including the unflappable Blake Steel, his participation in the Games surprises me.
Maybe he’s looking for a slower pace of life. Or maybe, it’s the challenge of reuniting a broken pack?
“I know him by reputation only. I didn’t think an alpha position would interest him. Or is it that pack in particular that he’s after?”
“I wouldn’t know. You’ll have to ask the man himself,” Callum replies, his tone making it clear the subject is closed for now. “Your cabin is just ahead.”
Kain continues watching us for another moment before melting back into the trees, his departure as silent as his arrival. I glance around to see if anyone else had the same visceral reaction to him, but they all continue to go about their business, unperturbed.
Callum clears his throat, dragging me back to reality, and I refocus, falling into step beside him as he weaves his way through the lively crowd toward the quieter side of the clearing. We follow a winding path along the edge of the woods before coming to a stop at a quaint wooden cabin, with a small table and two chairs already sitting out on the deck.
My assigned quarters are isolated enough for privacy but close enough to the central grounds for me to observe everyone’s comings and goings. Inside, it’s basic but comfortable, with a bed, kitchenette, and a small desk by the window that faces the forest.
“Alpha Reynolds would like to brief you properly this evening,” Callum says, depositing my bag inside the door. “Dinner is served at the main lodge at seven, but I can have food brought here if you’d prefer. And feel free to wander the grounds to get your bearings.”
For a pack that was closed to outsiders until now, this is a surprisingly generous offer. Most packs want to escort me wherever I go.
“I’ll go to dinner.” I glance around the cabin and set my small backpack down inside the door. This is perfect.
“What about the alpha’s brother? Does he know I’m here?”
The alpha’ssecretyounger brother. The one nobody speaks of, who Dean has shielded from the rest of the shifter world.
Something flickers in Callum’s expression, a hint of concern perhaps, that I noticed he wasn’t mentioned in the list of insiders he gave me.
With a sigh, he rests one elbow on the porch railing and meets my eye. “Jax was the one who spotted what was going on. But he’s… otherwise occupied with some other issues.” He stands back to his full height and looks back toward the packhouse, keen to get going. “But I’m sure you’ll get the chance to speak with him at some point.”
At some point.The way he says it piques my interest.
“It’s impressive that he caught it, Callum. Most alphas I know wouldn’t have detected this low level. I’d like to talk to him sooner rather than later. He can probably help me. And I was promised full cooperation.”
“And you’ll get it.” Callum checks his watch and changes the subject. “I should get back. The files you requested are in that folder on the desk. Access codes, a map, keys, and personnel records. It’s everything we’ve documented so far.”
I nod, knowing he’s not going to share any more with me right now. I’ll go through the files and see what’s in there about this mysterious Jax Reynolds first.
2
JAX
The chains rattle as I pace the basement, six steps forward, turn, six steps back. The monotony usually soothes the beast, but today, nothing helps. My wolf has been restless since dawn, prowling beneath my skin, with an urgency I haven’t felt in years. Worse than when he first picked up the faint traces of dark magic tainting our pristine land.
Something’s different. Something’shere.
Not an excuse for shoving a particularly arrogant male who refused to give enough space to Lynn as she tried to get past him on her way into the packhouse, at least according to Dean, but still.