Page 62 of Savage Games

Shuddering, I stride purposefully toward the packhouse.I need something to distract myself, something to keep my mind from spiraling.My stomach growls, reminding me I need something else, too.Breakfast.

If I don’t eat now, I won’t eat at all, and if I pass out in the middle of the next round, I’ll only have myself to blame.

The dining room is already filled with competitors when I walk in.I force myself to relax, to act like everything is fine, like my entire world isn’t hanging by a thread.For a second, my nose catches a scent, and I pause, unable to place it immediately.

Then I feel it.

An unmistakable wave of power rolls over the room, silent but suffocating; a presence so strong that it demands submission before he even speaks.It’s blunt and unyielding, unlike Blake’s more subtle, seductive aura.

Dean.A very unhappy Dean.

I barely have time to register his approach before he steps into my space, his dark eyes fixed on mine.He’s here for me.

“Naomi,” he says, voice calm.But there’s something in it, something that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

Dean Reynolds stands before me, his six-foot-four frame blocking my path.Unlike Brad, who wears his power like an expensive suit, Dean's authority is as natural as breathing.His dark eyes bore into mine, searching, assessing.He's dressed simply in jeans and a henley, but he might as well be wearing full ceremonial alpha regalia for the impact his presence has.

I swallow hard, forcing my voice not to shake.I am supposed to be proving I can run a pack as his equal, after all.“Alpha.”

He studies me for a moment, his gaze sharp, assessing as he absorbs my body language and takes a subtle sniff of my scent.“We need to talk.Somewhere private.”

My stomach drops.What now?A ripple of hushed voices and whispers pass through the room.They’re wondering the same thing as me: what did I do?

My heart stumbles over itself, beating so fast it makes me dizzy.I nod stiffly, forcing my feet to move as I follow him out into the corridor and toward a quiet, sterile office, where the noise of the dining hall is a distant buzz.

The office is immaculate, a desk of polished dark wood, a wall of books, and large windows overlooking the forest.Lynn stands by the window, arms crossed, her expression unreadable.My heart sinks further.This isn't just a casual chat.

He nods toward a leather couch, and I sink into it, resting my hand on the worn arm.If Dean thinks I need to sit for this, it’s probably a good idea.

He doesn’t waste time.

“Your sister is here,” he says.“Maddie arrived in the early hours of the morning.”

The world tilts.I stop breathing.

No.

The words hit me like a physical blow.My vision tunnels, darkness creeping in at the edges as the blood drains from my face.This can't be happening.This wasn't the plan.

Not here, not now.

Not when everything is already falling apart.

I was supposed to win a pack and come get her, to get her away from Brad without involving anyone else, especially the other alphas in the territory or the council.

I stare at him, frozen, my mind scrambling to process his words.But he keeps going, his tone even and steady, like he already knows what I’m thinking.

“I have granted her sanctuary until we can get things squared away,” he says.“She told me about her mate, about losing him recently.About what he did to her before he passed.”

Dean’s knuckles turn white where he grips the table behind him.

“And about how Brad has been trying to protect his brother’s name by forcing her to stay silent and keeping her close.”

The words barely register.My pulse is hammering, my throat closing.

Six months of walking on eggshells around Brad, of enduring his unwanted advances and thinly veiled threats, all of it crumbling before my eyes.Maddie was supposed to stay hidden, stay safe, until I could win this competition and create a haven for us both.

Now she's here, vulnerable and exposed.And if she's talking about what Rowan did to her...

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