Page 15 of Rogue Games

Jamie raises an eyebrow, daring me to tell her no again so she can fight with me some more, but I won’t. Callum’s right, there’s no way out of this now. I’ve already agreed to let them compete. My warriors heard my decision. And if there’s one thing I value, it’s integrity. I’m a man of my word.

“Fine,” I mutter, and a breathtaking smile splits Jamie's face, shaking me to my very core. She’s radiant as she claps her hand together and bounces on her toes with glee.

I need to get out of here before I say or do something stupid. I remind myself that if these rogues aren’t up to the challenge, they’ll be beaten in the qualifying round and sent packing. Then this alarmingly intriguing she-wolf will be out of my territory and out of my hair.

“All of the shared accommodation is assigned already, and it’s late.” I declare. “You’ll have to stay in the packhouse tonight until we can get something arranged for you, if you make it through to the next round.”

That’s a lie. There is more than enough accommodation, but Callum knows better than to contradict me in front of our new guests. I want them where I can keep an eye on them. They are rogues after all. I won’t be taking any chances. My pack, my rules.

“When we get through,” she corrects, her gold eyes dancing with mischief and a grin on her face. “And the packhouse will be ideal, thank you.”

I frown, suspicious now that she’s suddenly being nice. What is she so happy about?

“Callum, will you escort our new guests to Lynn and ask her to get them settled on the first floor?” Callum blinks, not expecting me to hand them over to him, but I need to clear my head. “Excuse me, I need to get back to dinner.”

That’s the last place I want to be, and Callum knows it, but he says nothing.

“Come on,” Callum says to Jamie and Wyatt, waving a hand in the direction of the main house. He gives me a perplexed look when I make no move to follow along.

Jamie holds my gaze as she walks past, and I hear the telltale flutter of her heartbeat. She’s not nearly as unaffected as she pretends to be either.

My fingers wrap around her arm gently, and she stops, keeping her gaze forward. Her skin is soft and smooth, like a rose petal, and my thumb moves just a fraction, smoothing a few remaining goosebumps from her skin after her dip in the freezing river.

“These alphas aren’t going to play fair,” I warn her. “They’ll do anything to get ahead and they won’t take it easy on you, Jamie. Why not just let Wyatt compete?” I stare at the side of her gorgeous face, willing her to turn so I can see her expressive eyes, and the emotion flashing through them.

“Do any alphas play fair? None that I’ve met.” The bitterness in her voice tells me there’s a lot more to that story. “I’m used to being underestimated. That doesn’t mean I still won’t try.” She scoffs at the suggestion that she stand aside and let her brother win. There’ll be no deterring her.

“I can’t give you any favourable treatment. You know that, right?” The sight of her in dripping wet clothes, marching toward a packhouse full of people that won’t be happy to see her, draws out a protective urge in me. My wolf wants to take care of her, not throw her to the wolves.

She whips her sharp gaze toward me. “I didn’t ask for any.”

No drama. No bullshit. I can tell from the truth in her words that she really doesn’t want to be treated any differently, and I respect her for it. I release her arm reluctantly and step back.

“Okay, but you can’t say I didn’t warn you. Let’s see what happens.”

9

JAMIE

My shaky legs carry me through the old forest on autopilot. While my subconscious focuses on not tripping up, my thoughts are stuck on Dean Reynolds.

I can’t believe that arrogant asshole isn’t even going to bother escorting us to the packhouse. That’s how little he thinks of us.

Aside from the fact that he's showing no interest in claiming me, what kind of alpha leaves two rogues, who snuck onto his territory uninvited, in the hands of his beta to go back to a party? Especially when one of them is as strong as my brother. Does he really not see us as a threat?

And to add insult to injury, Dean hasn’t even gone back to the party. At least, not yet.

Every nerve in my body is fixated on the intriguing alpha, who is, in fact, travelling further into the depths of the ancient dark woods, the opposite direction to the party that grows louder with each step we take.

I raise an eyebrow at Wyatt who merely shrugs, unconcerned by the mysterious alpha’s behaviour. We’re in. That’s all he cares about.

My wolf, on the other hand, is not impressed. In fact, she’s downright insulted that he’s chosen not to accompany us. What I thought was him being a pompous ass, she chose to interpret as flirting, not understanding that an alpha like him has no interest in a rogue like me.

I don’t share the same desire to follow the man into the trees that my wolf does, I will admit that despite his brutish attitude, he's easily the most attractive man I’ve ever met. His hypnotic silver eyes pull you in. And that scent, a heady combination of outdoors and strong alpha pheromones, had me weak at the knees.

Not that it matters. He might be handsome but he’s clearly a dick. And I’m here for answers, not a man.

Instead of dwelling on why my wolf is so smitten, I focus on the fact that Wyatt and I have achieved our primary objective. We’re in, with the added bonus of getting to sleep in a real bed for the night. And Dean’s suggestion that I leave the competing part to Wyatt makes me think my brother has a chance.

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