Page 49 of Savage Games

I have to get out of here.

"Please," she drawls, chin propped in her hand."I saw him watching you throughout dinner.And now, Brad's suddenly so interested in you, giving you jewelry, practically announcing his intentions to the entire games, yet you look like you're about to puke into your dinner."

Oh god.Is it that obvious?

"You're either the luckiest girl in the Games or the sneakiest," Amy says it playfully, like we're lifelong girlfriends, but there's an edge to her voice that tells me this is more than passing interest.

Many of the females here are more interested in finding an alpha mate than making friends or winning a pack.Does she think I'm playing games?

"Neither."I shake my head too fast."Brad is my alpha, nothing more.Wyatt and I are just helping each other through the competition."

"Right," Amy drawls, clearly not believing me."Just be careful.These alphas don't like to share their toys."

My wolf bristles at being called anyone's "toy," especially Brad's.

With that bombshell dropped, Amy turns her attention to Trish, who's chattering excitedly about some male she met earlier.No longer the subject of conversation, I tune them out, my fingers absently turning the velvet pouch over and over.I can’t leave it behind, but I really don’t want it either.

Before I can plan how to dispose of it, the door bursts open.

Callum strides in, his presence like a live wire snapping through the room.He doesn't even pretend that everything is okay.Face flushed and veins bulging, he shouts as he crosses the room."Blake."His voice is clipped, urgent."Need you.Now."

The room falls silent.Blake's already halfway to his feet, all alpha command and coiled readiness."What happened?"

It must be bad if they can't handle it without Blake.Every single person in the room stops what they're doing and stares.

Callum visibly bristles under the weight of their attention but continues on, not having time to conduct this conversation more privately.

"The forest."

The mate bond flares suddenly with a surge of emotion, not mine, but his.Determination.Anger.Pain.My wolf slams against my skin, desperate to break free and find him.Something is wrong.Very wrong.

Blake crosses to the door immediately, trusting that Callum wouldn't be involving him unless it was vitally important.

The hum of conversation rises as everyone guesses what's going on.The atmosphere turns electric, wolves shifting uneasily, scenting tension in the air.Nosiness finally gets the better of everyone when chairs creak, cutlery clinks, and everyone abandons their meals and heads toward the forest.

I follow the crowd pouring outside, my heart hammering so loud, it drowns out the rest of the room.A sinking feeling inside me, a knowing, a pull on the fragile bond, tells me exactly who's caught up in this.

Wyatt.

The night air hits me like a slap, cold, carrying the crisp bite of pine needles and the faint metallic tang of blood.Above us, the sky is a heavy dome of ink, stars pinned like jagged glass.The trees sway under the weight of a gentle wind, not even remotely stormy, yet we can hear snapping branches and something crashing through dense undergrowth deep in the woods.

Somewhere in the distance, a bone-chilling snarl shatters the quiet.Raw.Feral.

My mate.

The sound goes straight to my heart, vibrating through my chest.I clutch my arms, nails digging into my skin to hold myself together.Every instinct in me screams to run to him, but I can't.Not here.Not when eyes are already on me.Instead, I step backward, melting into the crowd, ready to slink into the shadows and go the long way around.

Wolves shift, skin melting into fur, jaws stretching into muzzles.

"Nobody follows us," Blake booms out, and everyone freezes, including me.“

His command washes over us like a physical force, the power in his voice impossible to resist.Even my wolf, stubborn and strong as she is, hesitates.Blake's authority isn't just his title, it's something intrinsic, something ancient that speaks directly to our most primal instincts.

The other visiting alphas move first, their wolves massive and gleaming under the moonlight, paws pounding the earth as they charge into the darkness.Then, when he's sure we're all following his order, Blake leaps into the air and transforms into his magnificent black beast, catching up with the others easily as they charge toward the chaos.

Behind me, voices murmur.Snippets drift to me in the air as everyone slowly snaps out of their daze.

"Did you hear?Someone trashed Wyatt's room earlier."

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