Page 113 of Savage Games

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.”

---