Page 98 of Rogue Games

Shaking his head, he sits on the bed beside me and cradles my hand in his, running his thumb back and forth over my pale skin. His features are tight, and dark shadows hang under his eyes.

Dean isn’t a dramatic man. I’m not here as a precaution. I must have been really hurt.

“How long was I out?”

Rubbing a hand down over his stubbled jaw, Dean sighs and shakes his head again, staring at me with a haunted look in his eyes. “Two days. Two long fucking days.”

That’s a long time for a wolf. Stunned, I stare around the tiny room. I’ve been here for two days, and by the looks of Dean’s rumpled clothes and unshaven chin, so has he.

“I’m so sorry,” I whisper, tears springing to my eyes. “The games. Shit. I’ve ruined the games for you, again.” I can’t look at him, staring instead at the blindingly white sheets covering my legs. I’ve caused nothing but trouble for him since I got here. This was his chance to impress all the other packs and it’s been chaotic from the start, all thanks to me.

As soon as I’m well enough, I’ll leave. If Maggie wants to get to know me, she can meet me outside his territory.

Who knows, maybe Wyatt will win, and we’ll all be able to move to his new pack. Her and Jax can visit us there. It would be nice to have a fresh start.

Dean’s hold on my hand tightens. “Look at me, Jamie.” His tone is firm, and I can tell he’s in no mood for messing around. And I’m too tired to argue.

Slowly, I lift my gaze to his, pushing down the shame and embarrassment I feel.

“If you hadn’t put yourself in harm's way…” Dean growls but coughs to clear his throat and disguise it. “The wolf's claws nicked your artery. If you hadn’t done what you did, it would have been Freddy lying here hurt. Or worse.” He closes his eyes as he shakes his head and falls silent. It doesn’t bear thinking about.

Memories of pushing my way through the crowd when I saw Freddy toddling after Dean trickle through my hazy mind in bits and pieces.

“I don’t even know why I followed him. I just had a bad feeling.” Wincing as I shift position, I lower my eyes again. “My wolf was feeling protective.”

Dean lifts a glass of water from the locker beside my bed and puts the straw to my lips, allowing me to take a small sip before he pulls it away. He brings it back after I swallow, and I take another tiny drink.

“Why did you do it?” he asks, setting the glass down, his broad back turned to me, every muscle bunched up tight like he’s still on high alert.

I frown.

“What do you mean?” I don’t understand what he’s asking. Is he talking about breaking into his office again?

“You’re not from this pack, Jamie. Why did you jump in front of a practically rabid wolf? There were lots of other people there.” He fidgets, adjusting the flowers in a vase near my head and fussing with the wires hooked up to the steadily beeping machines. His hands go still, waiting for me to answer.

I’m struggling to comprehend what’s going on but decide to humour him and answer the world’s most obvious question.

“Because I was there and none of them saw him. They were all looking at you.” My wolf felt compelled to follow him when she saw him wander off alone.

“Nobody is going to stand by and watch a child get hurt. And…” Fidgeting in the bed, I press my lips into a thin line, not sure how he’ll react to the next part. “Well, you might not like this, but this is the closest thing I have to a pack of my own. Maggie is here. Jax. You.”

I trail off, feeling like an idiot for staking a claim on him when he’s told me nothing is going to happen between us. But I have blood here. That must count for something, even if he doesn’t want me to stick around.

Dean nods but doesn’t comment on the last part, returning instead to the accident. “Nobody else helped because most of them couldn’t. Those were two alphas in the ring, Jamie. Most of the crowd froze in the face of that level of aggression from two dominant males. But not you.”

Shrugging, I guess that’s true. Most wolves are more submissive than mine but I’m not sure why he’s fixated on this. “Makes sense. I’m a rogue. It’s not the first time I’ve been in a fight or faced an angry wolf on my own. I’m just glad I was able to get there in time.”

Dean growls, his wolf protective of its mate, despite the man’s opinion of me. He might not like it, but that’s the reality of life with no pack to back you up.

My eyelids droop, tiredness creeping in and making it difficult to focus on the conversation. I snuggle into the too hard bed as best I can. Dean’s expression softens as he plucks a blanket off a nearby chair and drapes it over me.

“You didn’t submit because you were supposed to be this pack’s luna, Jamie. You protected him because it’s what you were always meant to do.”

Too choked up to speak, I watch him as he tucks me in carefully, his handsome face deep in concentration as he makes sure my toes are covered and none of my wires are tangled. He really is a good alpha. He’d be a wonderful mate. I was lucky to be chosen for him, even if I fucked it up.

My eyelids flutter, my weak body unable to cling to consciousness for another second.

Maybe he’s right. That could be why I was so determined to get to Freddy. In a sad way, it makes me feel better about leaving. At least I got to do one good thing for Dean’s pack first.

---