Page 16 of Savage Games

"I don't know what you mean," I say, playing stupid, but he scoffs and moves closer once again.

His breath against my ear makes my stomach turn."Don't play dumb with me, Naomi.Do you think I don’t know this is your escape plan?It’s adorable, really."

I try to move away, but his fingers dig into my flesh as he grabs my arm and tightens his grip, harder and harder until I stop pulling.

"But what kind of sister would leave Maddie to face the consequences of her actions alone?"

A sickly feeling washes over me, and a ball of dread forms in my stomach.

No, no, no.

He will not ruin this for me.This is my one chance to get her out.

His grin turns even more wicked."You're going to use the dumb rogue to win that pack, a pack that you want so badly.But you’re still going to be mine, Naomi."

“What are you talking about?”My brain stutters, unable to wrap itself around what he wants.

Brad’s expression looks bored, like he’s disappointed in me for not connecting the dots faster.

“Use him, Naomi, and those feminine wiles of yours.Then make sure he loses.The big brute will be so happy that anyone is being nice to him that he’ll fall for you, hook, line and sinker.”

Brad chuckles while I fight to keep the look of disgust off my face.

“NO.”My tone is more forceful than I wanted it to be, and the other wolves turn to stare.“I mean, you said it yourself.I don’t have a chance of getting near the final.I mean, look at him.Look at all of them.”

Tipping my head in the direction Wyatt has gone, I’m relieved he’s not there.I have a feeling Brad would test his composure.Then I nod toward Kain and Eli who stand off the side, heads tipped together as they discuss something quietly.

Brad scoffs at the suggestion that anyone other than Wyatt is an actual threat, despite these two being favourites to win.

“You’ve been playing hard to get, Naomi.”He tuts.“But no more.My friends have seen your wolf now at training.They laughed at me, Naomi, laughed, because I’ve yet to convince you to join our pack, and my family, permanently.”

Damn it.I generally try to keep my wolf secret, but it’s hard when wolves are such social creatures.And this is exactly why I never wanted to officially join Brad’s pack, because he’d be able to command her, use her power.He'd have control over us.

“This Wyatt, he’s nothing more than a dumb rogue.A blunt tool.One we can use to win.”

There is no we.When will he get this into his thick skull?

“No,” I repeat, less forceful this time, the weight of my alpha’s aura settling around me, making it hard to remain defiant.

Brad’s expression turns dark.“My dear, Naomi.You say it like you have a choice.”

6

Naomi

“I… what are you talking about?”

Dread.Icy dread runs through my body.

My mind goes blank, as it often does when Brad turns those cruel grey eyes on me, and I can’t get my brain to function as he unleashes the full force of his dominance.

His wolf isn’t much stronger than mine, it's just that he's an asshole about it, and uses his alpha position to force submission far more often than others do.

If every strong shifter unleashed their power in a show of dominance with every wolf they met, they'd do nothing but fight and posture.Good manners and the rules of pack hierarchy dictate you keep your animal on a leash and only use your alpha command when the situation requires it.

Alpha Steel never behaves this way because he doesn’t need to.Respect and trust garner more loyalty than fear.

But Brad is a bully, plain and simple.He can't help himself.He just loves pushing people around.

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