Page 6 of Wild Games

In the distance, lights shine in windows across the compound. There are murmurs of voices, laughter, and joyful music, and the bass provided by the rhythmic sounds of continued training. Normal sounds that should be soothing but aren’t. Not tonight.

And then I feel it, not sure it ever went away; a sense that someone’s watching me.

My first thought is Kain, maybe coming to see why an enforcer is here, sniffing around the competition. But as I focus on the sensation, a twist of pure need coils low in my belly, and I know this is somethingentirelydifferent.

This isn’t the calculated assessment he was giving me earlier. This is... God, I don’t have words for what this is.

The presence feels wild and dangerous, in a way that should terrify me, but instead, it’s making my thighs clench.

My wolf rises with shocking eagerness, practically purring at the unseen watcher’s attention. The sensation is coming from the dense trees to the east, and every instinct screams at me to go to him.

Him,because somehow, I know it’s male. I can feel his hunger matching mine from across the darkness.

“You might as well come out and say hello,” I say conversationally, although my voice comes out huskier than intended. “I know you’re there.”

Silence answers me, but the weight of his gaze intensifies.

I breathe deeply, and that’s when his scent hits me. Like midnight storms and dark forests, something primal and dangerous, that makes my wolf push against my control with unprecedented force.

My body responds instantly. Heat pools between my legs, my breasts heavy and aching, every nerve ending suddenly,desperately, alive. I grip the porch railing to keep from staggering.

She likes this untamed hunger. Wants it. Wantshim.

Mine.The possessive thought whispers through my mind, and I can’t tell if it’s my wolf or me anymore. But I know exactly what this means.

“What the hell?” I mutter, forcing her back, but she paces impatiently, waiting for another chance to surface.

I should be terrified. This wolf, because he’s definitely a wolf, radiates a wildness that speaks of barely leashed violence. There’s something fractured in that power, but instead of fear, all I feel is excitement.

I want to see him. I want to run into those trees and find him, let him do whatever he’s thinking about as he watches me. Because I can feel his desire too, matching mine and feeding it until I’m practically panting.

The wind shifts, and I get another trace of his scent. My knees actually buckle. I’ve never reacted to anyone like this. Since Raven, no other wolf has been able to catch my attention.

Until now.

A tiny growl escapes me, part frustration and part invitation.Come to me, it says.Stop hiding and claim what we both know you want.

The sound seems to startle us both. The presence wavers, his shock at our connection is as palpable as mine. For a moment, I think he’ll emerge from the shadows, striding forth to take what’s his. Anticipation builds within me until I can barely breathe, before my hopes are dashed, and a familiar feeling of dread seeps into my bones as the male pours cold water over my dreams.

Instead of crossing the clearing to take me as his, he retreats. The forest swallows him, leaving only the lingering trace of that devastating scent and the ache of unmet need.

I stumble back inside and then lock the door with shaking hands. My body still burns, still wants, still calls for the stranger in the woods. Ten years as an investigator, six as a specialized enforcer, and nothing has affected me like that brief, unseen encounter.

My wolf whines, wanting to hunt him down. Her mate. He must be.

But the human part of me is terrified. Not of his wildness, God help me, that actually attracted me even more. No, I’m terrified because whoever was watching me from the shadows didn’t come forward to claim me.

He ran, turning his back on our bond.

And I’ll be damned if I make a fool of myself over another wolf who doesn’t want me.

4

JAX

Ibarely make it back to the basement before my legs give out.

My wolf howls his fury at our retreat, clawing at my insides with a violence that makes me double over. The concrete floor is cold against my palms as I struggle to breathe through the pain of all but denying the mate bond.