Page 77 of Savage Games

Brad walks past me to stand with the other alphas, leering in a way that makes bile rise into my throat.When he catches my eye again, he slowly drags his tongue across his upper lip, a gesture so deliberately suggestive that my stomach churns.

At that moment, my wolf vows to bite his tongue clean off if he tries to come anywhere near me with it.

"Thirty seconds."

I can’t do this.Backing away from the line, I shake my head as Eli and Dash reach out to me, trying to pull me back into position.

“I can’t.He’s in pain.I have to find him.”

And then, like an answer to a desperate prayer, a shout rings out from the forest's edge.

"WAIT!"

Every head turns toward the sound.

Jax emerges from the trees, moving awkwardly.It takes a moment to understand why, but my heart stops, then pounds back to life with painful force.He's half-carrying, half-dragging someone much larger than himself, someone who leans heavily against him with each stumbling step.

Wyatt.

The morning light illuminates their approach.Jax's determined grimace, and Wyatt's ashen face, his massive frame diminished somehow, folded in on itself with pain.My mate, who normally towers over everyone, seems smaller, fragile even, as he clutches at Jax's shoulder for support.

But it's his eyes that truly terrify me, glassy, blinking rapidly and unfocused, fighting to stay open through what must be excruciating pain.

I run toward them, abandoning any pretense of casual concern.I reach them just as Wyatt's knees buckle, his weight nearly taking Jax down with him.

"Help me."Jax grunts, his face strained with the effort of supporting Wyatt's much larger frame.

Dean is there in an instant, grave concern on his features as he assesses my mate.

I duck under Wyatt's other arm, taking some of his weight, and the contact sends a jolt through the mate bond, a surge of recognition and relief that nearly brings me to my knees.He's burning hot, fever raging through him, but his skin is clammy with sweat.

The bond flares to life, pulsing with pain that isn't mine, but relief that is.His skin burns with fever, yet his clothes are soaked with cold sweat.The scent of illness clings to him, mixed with something acrid and unfamiliar that makes my nose wrinkle.

"What’s wrong with him?"I demand, my voice tight with fear.

Jax's expression is grim, his eyes flashing with barely contained rage."Wolfsbane."

Horror floods me, and the men and women standing around gasp.Wolfsbane is poison to our kind, one of the few things that can kill a shifter.

Someone tried to murder my mate in the most dishonourable way possible.

Jax’s voice drops to a growl and there’s a wild look in his eyes."Someone stabbed him in the back with a silver knife coated in wolfsbane.I found him collapsed about a mile into the forest, barely conscious."

I have a feeling that if Wyatt didn’t badly need his skills as a healer, he’d be seeking pay back

The crowd's reaction is immediate, gasps of shock, and murmurs of disbelief.Even the most competitive alphas look disturbed by this revelation.Wolfsbane poisoning is no small matter.It's attempted murder, plain and simple.

“Fucking wolfsbane?No.That’s too far.Even for me.”Ryan steps forward, shaking his head, a frown weighing down his brow.

It’s despicable.Even Ryan disapproves, and he’s one of the people who wants Wyatt gone the most.

"He needs a healer," I say, urgency making my voice sharp.

Wyatt's head lolls against my shoulder, his breath coming in ragged gasps."Naomi," he mumbles, slurred but unmistakable.

I rest a hand on his cheek and inch closer, letting him feel my presence.

"I'm here," I tell him, no longer caring who hears or what they might think."I've got you.You're going to be okay."

---