Page 74 of Rogue Games

Out of breath, I stand there, hands on my head, wondering what to do next, a sob of despair wrenching from deep inside my gut. Should I ask Wyatt to come and help me search? But then, he’ll be in trouble too.

My mind is spinning, my thoughts crazed and disordered, when I hear footsteps on the stairs, and I know for sure that I'm screwed. Thoughts suddenly calm and quiet, I assess my situation. I'm at the end of the corridor, basement level. This room has no windows, nowhere to escape, and definitely nowhere to hide. He's already picked up my scent.

It was sloppy coming down here, but deep down, I knew that this had to happen, that realistically, having it out with Dean was going to be the only way of finding answers.

Dean is not a stupid man. He was never going to leave a confession note sitting around on his desk for me to take to Blake, or photos of them together dated after her supposed death.

We were always going to have this confrontation, and it looks like it's going to happen right now.

The door to his office flings open, banging hard against the wall behind it, and Dean appears in the doorway, face impassive, a cold hard look on his face that I've never seen before.

This is the face that garnered him the angriest alpha reputation. There's nothing behind those dead eyes. He stares at me without saying a word, assessing me and his ransacked office, and somehow, that’s more menacing than any growl.

Fear slithers up my spine as I wonder what he's going to do next. I've been cocky because he hasn’t been downright aggressive with anyone that I’ve seen.

Do I really think he doesn't have it in him?

“Jamie?” Dean says quietly, taking a step inside before slamming the door behind him so hard that I flinch. “What the hell do you think you're doing?”

When I remain stubbornly silent, he sighs and turns back to the door, flicking the lock.

He seems to grow bigger, his huge frame taking up most of the room, and goosebumps break out across my skin as he shakes his head sadly.

It looks like I'm not going anywhere.

33

JAMIE

Tipping my chin up and with nothing left but defiance, I stare right back at him.

“Looking for evidence,” I say boldly, dredging up some last remnants of confidence that I don’t feel.

“Evidence?” he asks, looking confused, those grey eyes stormy, as he takes two more steps forward, eating up the distance between us. There’s a dangerous edge to his tone that doesn't sound like the Dean I've come to know.

“I’ve caught you snooping before, Jamie, and you weren’t as sloppy as this.”

Papers and books litter the floor, and drawers hang open. I’d be a terrible spy.

“Yes, well no, this isn't my finest work but nonetheless, I had to do something.”

His power fills the room and suffocates my own confidence. It’s a struggle to get a proper breath, and I inch backward, needing to escape the overwhelming effect his presence has on me.

“Do something?” Dean says in disbelief. “About what? To stop me having a moment's peace? Or running this competition effectively? Or proving to my Alpha that I'm able to control my pack?”

One step, then another, he stalks forward, and I retreat, my mind registering how strong and impressive he is, and also how he could snap me like a toothpick if he wanted. Is it wrong to feel scared and turned on at the same time?

“Because all you've done, Jamie, since you got here, is test me,” he continues in a growl, his eyes dropping to my mouth when I bite my lip. “You’re plaguing my dreams. My every waking moment is consumed by you. You’ve been interrogating my pack, even my sister about me, and this is the second time I’ve found you somewhere you shouldn’t be.”

I can’t argue with that. And while I should be concerned about how angry he is, my wolf latches onto the part about him dreaming of me. Despite the fact he’s growling at me, she thinks this is progress.

“You're not fooling me. You're not this new, improved version of the Reynolds men that you claim to be.” I curse myself when my voice waivers, coming out breathless instead of strong and angry. Focusing on the hard line of his jaw and the way he grinds his teeth, I pretend I don’t find him ridiculously sexy when he’s angry, and that the way he moves like a true predator toward me isn’t turning my insides to jelly.

“Who do you think I am then, little rogue?” He’s practically on top of me now, coming around the desk to box me in, and damn it, I want him to be even closer.

“It's all an act,” I whisper, struggling to stay angry as his scent invades my senses. “You don't deserve to have a pack. Maybe if Blake knew you were keeping a family apart, there’d be two packs up for grabs.”

Dean's wolf flashes in his eyes, and a terrifying rumble starts deep in his chest. Fucking with an alpha's pack is a sure way to get yourself killed. His wolf isn’t going to take disrespect like that lying down. I may as well have challenged him.

---