Page 83 of Wild Games
I curse, really not wanting his presence to ruin my buzz.
"Sit down." Zane's voice cuts across the dining hall, sharp with authority.
Raven freezes, mid-step, his hand already reaching toward the coffee pot. "I was just…"
Zane’s expression is hard, and his tone flat, leaving no room for argument.
"I know exactly what you were doing. Sit. Down. You're here to work, not take trips down memory lane.”
Raven’s jaw works like he wants to disagree, but something in Zane's eyes stops him.
“And you can forget about getting that royal guard post. Not after the disgrace you made of yourself here, and how you humiliated Jane."
Raven opens his mouth to speak, but Zane glares at him.
“Save it. You’ll have to do a lot of talking to convince her to forgive you.”
The public reprimand draws attention from several tables. Conversations pause as pack members watch Raven's face flush a deep red. The walk back to his seat feels endless, every eye tracking his movement, including Jax’s.
"Harsh," someone mutters from a nearby table.
"Deserved," comes an immediate response.
Jax returns, his hand finding the small of my back again, as he guides me to a table near Dean and Lynn.
As we settle in with our plates, I notice how serene his wolf feels now, with none of the rigid tension from earlier.
Jamie enters the dining hall. Her confident strut and skin-tight leather pants immediately catches our host alpha’s attention. Coffee mug already in hand, she slides in beside Dean at the table, and his arm immediately goes to the back of her chair.
"Morning everyone," she greets warmly. "Big day."
Where Dean looks tired and stressed, she seems excited about the big finale.
"I can’t fucking wait for it to be over," Dean mutters into his coffee. "I want everyone gone. Every last visiting wolf out of my territory by sunset tomorrow. Never again."
Jamie's hand finds his under the table, and she rests her head on his shoulder. "It's been a long couple of weeks."
When he growls, several wolves at the table next to us stand abruptly and make themselves scarce.
"Long doesn't begin to cover it." Dean's voice carries the weight of everything that's happened. "A dead alpha, attempted murder, sorry, multiple attempted murders, magic, and attempts to rig the competition. There’s been more drama than a soap opera. This was supposed to be straightforward. Run some competitions, pick strong leaders, and send them on their way."
He’s muttering something about never doing a favour for Blake ever again when Jamie catches his chin and turns his face toward hers, kissing him gently to silence his complaining.
"Nothing's ever simple when you put this many dominant wolves in one place," Jamie says gently. She leans into his side, a subtle show of support that seems to ease some of the tension in his shoulders.
"I just want everything back to normal," Dean repeats. "No more surprises." His gaze lands on Jax, a hint of a warning there. Don’t do anything stupid. Just get through today.
"One more day," Jamie reminds him, resting her hand over his heart.
"One more day," Dean agrees grumpily, though he doesn't sound reassured.
"He seems..." Lynn trails off, studying Jax as he discusses the possible side-effects of magic exposure with Callum. "Settled,"she finishes, and there's relief in her voice. "His wolf feels calmer."
It's true. Even I can sense it. That constant edge of barely controlled violence has softened. He's still alert, still protective, but the frantic quality that usually clings to him has eased. Is it being with his mate? Is it knowing everyone is going home soon? Or maybe, it’s from a night of wild sex and too many orgasms to count.
It could be all three.
Across the room, Zane sits at his corner table, papers spread before him in neat stacks. Even from here, I can see the rigid set of his shoulders, and the way he holds himself apart from everyone else.