Page 119 of Savage Games

"There will be no next time," Wyatt says, his arm tightening around me.

Blake nods thoughtfully."You realize what this means?By right of challenge, Brad's pack is now yours to claim.If you choose to."

Wyatt goes still against me as the implication sinks in."I never intended…"

"Nevertheless," Blake interrupts gently."The pack needs a leader, and you have proven yourself worthy."

I look up at Wyatt, seeing the conflict in his eyes.He came here to win a pack through the Games, not to take one by force.But circumstances have changed everything.

"You don't have to decide now."Blake assures him."Think about it.Discuss it."His eyes include me in that statement."But know that whatever you choose, you have my support."

"And mine," Dean adds, joining us."A pack led by you two would be a welcome addition to our alliance."

I blink, surprised by how easily they're accepting this turn of events.They're offering us a place at their table, a position among established alphas, without hesitation.

"What about..."I gesture vaguely toward where Brad was taken, not wanting to voice my fears aloud.

"What happened with Rowan?"Blake finishes for me."The council will review all the evidence.But I've seen enough to know that you both acted to protect yourselves from genuine threats.That matters."

Relief washes through me.Not complete absolution, but the promise of fair consideration, something I hadn't dared hope for.

As Blake walks away, Wyatt looks down at me, uncertainty in his gaze for the first time since this all began."Naomi..."

I press my fingers to his lips, stopping the words."Later," I tell him."Right now, you need to rest."

He nods, allowing me to lead him away from the clearing.

The future is suddenly full of possibilities neither of us anticipated.

But whatever comes next, we’ll face it together.

43

Wyatt

The clinic is quiet, the only sounds coming from Jax's movements as he cleans and bandages the bite wound on my shoulder.

"Stop fidgeting," Jax scolds, pressing a gauze pad firmly against the torn muscle.

I grunt, more from impatience than pain."It'll heal on its own.Just leave it."

My mind is elsewhere, still processing everything that happened in that clearing.Brad's defeat.His confession.The unexpected prize I now have to decide whether to claim.

"The wound from the wolfsbane knife is healing nicely," he observes, gently probing the scar tissue on my back."But you need to take it easy.The poison weakens tissue for weeks afterward, even after the symptoms fade.This fresh bite doesn't help."

I grunt, and Jax spears me with a sharp look.

"Your wolf has had enough healing to do lately.There's no harm in giving him a helping hand.Maybe you could try not to get in a fight for at least another few days?"he says.

"It wasn't exactly my choice," I mutter, though we both know that's not entirely true.I engineered that confrontation, even if Brad was the one who accepted the challenge.

Jax gives me a knowing look as he applies a pungent salve to the bite."You deliberately provoked an alpha while still recovering from wolfsbane poisoning.I'd say that was very much your choice."

I can't argue with that logic.

The door opens, and Naomi slips in, her eyes immediately finding mine.The relief on her face tells me how worried she's been, despite knowing my injuries aren't serious.

"How is he?"she asks Jax, moving to stand beside me, her hand automatically finding mine.

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