Page 7 of Wild Games
Coward. Weak. Unworthy.
The accusations come from both parts of me, man and beast, united in their contempt for what I’ve done. Running from her. From our mate.
I drag myself to the chains, knowing I need to secure myself before my control shatters completely. My hands shake as I fasten the first manacle around my wrist. The silver-laced metal burns, but it’s nothing compared to the fire in my blood.
The basement door opens, and I tense, a snarl building in my throat, before I recognize Dean’s scent. The fact that he got into my den before I sensed his presence tells me how distracted my wolf is. He can’t focus on anything other thanher.
“What the hell is… Oh.” My brother’s deep voice trails off.
“Don’t,” I warn, not looking up as he descends the stairs. “Not a good time.”
Dean pauses on the bottom step, taking in my half-shifted state and the chains I’m desperately trying to secure despite my clawed hands.
“What happened? This can’t be over earlier…”
I laugh, the sound more beast than man. “Nothing. Just more of the fucking usual.”
Coming down off the bottom step, my brother moves toward me, and I can’t bear the idea of him knowing what I’ve done. He worries about me enough as it is. Even now, with a territory full of visiting dignitaries, and Games that have been plagued by drama, he’s here checking on me, sensing through our bond that something is off.
“Jax…”
“There was a situation,” I interrupt, latching the second manacle with clumsy fingers. “Some of the competitors were getting aggressive and spouting bullshit, and it set him off. It’s just a precaution. Better to be safe than sorry at this stage, with all the VIPs starting to arrive.”
The lie tastes bitter, but not as bitter as the truth would be.
I found my mate and ran from her like a frightened pup.
Dean frowns, clearly not buying it entirely, and glances at the silver circling my wrists. This is more than a precaution, and we both know it. “The competitors were all at dinner or training. I would have heard if there had been an incident.”
“Maybe I misread it, and they were just roughhousing.” I shrug and focus on the ankle restraints, avoiding his searching gaze. “The point is, I need to stay down here tonight. My control is... compromised.”
That much is true. My wolf is raging, demanding we go back, demanding we claim her before another male catches her scent and realizes what we’ve walked away from.
Dean is silent for a long moment. When he finally speaks, his voice is careful. “The new arrival settled in okay?”
So Callum told him I was spying.
My wolf snarls in my head at the mere mention of her by another male, possessive rage flooding through me.
I grip the chains hard enough that the metal groans.
“Seemed to be,” I manage through gritted teeth. “Left just after Callum did.”
Another lie. I can still see her silhouette against the warm light spilling from the cabin windows, every curve and line now burned into my memory.
“Jax.” Dean’s voice holds that particular mix of concern and authority that only an older brother can manage. “What’s going on?”
What’s going on is I’m broken. I’ve found my mate, and she’s everything I never dared dream of. And I’m terrified of what my wolf will do to her if I let him close enough to touch her. Terrified that she couldn’t ever want to take on a wolf as damaged as mine.
“I just need some time,” I say instead. “The Games, all these strangers in our territory, it’s wearing on me the longer it goes on.”
It’s a weak excuse, and we both know it. I’ve handled far worse without chaining myself in the basement. But Dean being Dean, doesn’t push. He knows I’ll come to him when I’m ready.
“Alright,” he says finally, casting one last sad glance at the chains I’ve locked myself up with. “But tomorrow, we need to talk. Really talk.”
I nod, knowing by morning, I’ll have to come up with a better lie.
Dean turns to leave, then pauses. “She’s here to help with our... problem. You’re going to have to deal with her. So whateverthisis, you’ll need to get it under control. And fast.”