Page 72 of Savage Games

She studies me for a long moment, then nods decisively."You’re weak.Finish your food.Jax is out looking for Wyatt, and he'll bring him back.You need to focus.The next trial starts in thirty minutes, and you need to be there."Lynn's voice takes on the edge of authority."Because giving up now means letting him win."

The words hit their mark with painful accuracy.I pick up my fork again, mechanically finishing the food she's brought for me.

"Good," Lynn says, satisfaction in her tone."This next trial is going to test everything you've got."She stands, gathering the empty plate and cutlery the second I take the last bite, and thrusts a bottle of water into my face."And Naomi?Stop hiding who you are.It's time these wolves saw what you're really capable of.You're mated to a wolf like Wyatt for a reason."

As she walks away, her words echo in my mind.

Stop hiding.

I think of Brad's confidence, his certainty that his lies about Maddie will be believed.I think of Wyatt, of the strange, urgent pull I feel toward him, even now.And I think of my sister, who found the courage to flee a monster.

Maybe it's time I found some courage too.

The mate bond tugs again, more insistently this time.

It's not just anxiety or stress.Something is wrong.Something is very wrong.

27

Naomi

The starting area buzzes with nervous energy.

Competitors stretch side by side, darting suspicious glances at each other.The field narrows with each round, and the stakes climb higher.The easy camaraderie of the first stages is gone.Everyone means business now.

I can't focus on any of it.

My gaze sweeps the assembled wolves for the tenth time, searching for that massive frame that should be towering above everyone else.The one person who should be impossible to miss.The one wolf everyone knows they have to beat if they want to get their hands on a pack.

But Wyatt is nowhere to be seen.

The mate bond in my chest has transformed from an uncomfortable tug to a painful urgency, like a physical force yanking at me to leave.My hand keeps straying to the spot between my shoulder blades, where that strange burning sensation continues to throb.I've tried ignoring it, pushing it beneath my worry about Brad's schemes and Maddie's safety, but I can't anymore.

I try to catch Jamie’s eye and attempt to convey my worry, but she’s caught up with her Luna duties and seems to be studiously avoiding looking at me.

Where the hell is he?

Eli and Dash approach.Their usual cheerful faces are tight with concern.They've been Wyatt's roommates since the competition began, and while I barely know them, I've seen how they've accepted him when most others wouldn't have.I take a deep breath, hoping to catch a recent scent on them, but nothing.He hasn’t been with them either.

The brothers both share the same earnest eyes and quick smiles, though today, those smiles are nowhere to be seen.Unlike most competitors who've treated Wyatt with suspicion or outright hostility, these two have become his friends.

"Hey," Eli says, glancing around before leaning closer and speaking in a hushed tone."Have you seen Wyatt this morning?"

“Shit.”I frown, disappointment clawing at my insides, even though deep down, I know he isn’t close by."No.I was hoping he might be with you."

Dash shakes his head."His bed wasn't slept in.I mean, that's not unusual for Wyatt, but… normally, he comes back and tries to pretend he did."

I blink, caught off guard, and Dash flushes, shrugging unapologetically when he realises he’s given something away that I amn’t aware of.

"He sleeps outside sometimes," he clarifies quickly."Well, most nights.Says the walls feel too close after years as a rogue.But he always shows up for breakfast, and his stuff's usually there."

More guilt.Another detail about the man I'm supposed to spend my life with that I've missed.While I've been obsessing over Brad and Maddie, I should have been getting to know Wyatt, his habits, his needs, his story.Instead, I'm learning about him secondhand from wolves who've known him for less than a week.

"Did something happen?"I keep my voice neutral, just one competitor asking about another.

The brothers exchange a look that makes my stomach clench.What else don’t I know?

"Our room was trashed yesterday," Eli says, dropping his voice."Someone got in during dinner.Destroyed everything.Wyatt's stuff mostly, but ours, too."

---