Page 109 of Savage Games

Way to set the scene, Maddie.

Dean's expression doesn't change.He just nods for her to continue.

"Rowan wasn't what anyone thought he was."Maddie's voice gets a little louder now."He was cruel.Not just cold or distant, he enjoyed hurting people.Especially me."

She swallows hard.

"And he knew Naomi was going to be a problem.He was terrified of her and pissed off the moment she said she was moving to the pack.Not just because she was stronger, but because he knew she loved me, and that once she saw what he was doing, she wouldn't let it go on."

My chest tightens at her words.She never told me that.I grip her hand harder and swallow back the lump in my throat.I hope my coming didn’t make things worse for her.

"He told me once that if I ever tried to leave him, he'd kill me slowly.Said he'd use wolfsbane, poison me in small, agonising doses so I'd never see it coming, and even after I figured it out, it’d be too late to fight back."She stares directly at Dean."And I believed him.Because he wasn't just threatening me for the sake of it, he meant it.He told me not to let Naomi put ideas in my head, or he’d get rid of her, too."

Dean shifts slightly, his brow tightening.Blake doesn't move, but his eyes darken.

“I stopped eating and was afraid to drink the water in the house.”Maddie looks down at her thin frame, practically skin and bone after fear made her afraid to touch the food in her own home.

"He'd watch me at meals," she continues, her voice dropping lower."Every bite I took, he'd stare at me, this little smile on his face, like he was waiting for something to happen.And sometimes, I'd get so sick afterward.Maybe he was poisoning me, or maybe it was just the fear…"

She shakes her head and dips her chin, hiding her tear-filled eyes to gather herself.

Blake's jaw tightens, a muscle jumping along his temple.I've never seen such controlled rage in an alpha's eyes before.

"The day it happened, I was packing.Naomi had finally convinced me to leave.She wasn't home, it was just me, alone in the den.I thought he'd be gone until nightfall.Brad came by saying he needed Rowan to travel with him to another pack, so I thought I had time…"

Her voice cracks, but she doesn't stop.

"He walked in and saw the bag.Didn't even speak, just grabbed me.Dragged me away from the door by my hair."

My wolf stirs, angry at the memory I never witnessed.

"I fought back.I don't even remember thinking, just instincts.My claws sliced his arm, but he was so much stronger.And then..."She looks up, and her voice flattens into something distant."My wolf came forward.I’ve always been a slow shifter.I think he was banking on that.But this was something else.She flew out of me and went straight for his throat.There was so much blood…"

The words hang in the air like smoke.

"I didn't mean to kill him," she repeats."But he couldn't heal fast enough.His windpipe collapsed.He choked on his own blood."

I take over, my voice steadier than I feel."A girl in the packhouse mentioned Brad had left alone.I knew Rowan was still around, and Maddie was in danger if he found her getting ready to leave.I rushed over and got there just after it happened.He was on the floor when I walked in.Still gasping.Barely alive."

I can still see it.The way his eyes bulged.The desperate sounds.

"Maybe if I'd called for help, someone could have saved him.”My gaze falls to the floor.

Maddie reaches out and grabs my hand.“If she had, if he’d survived, we’d both be dead now.”

I look at Dean, meeting his eyes."Because I knew if he lived, he'd kill her.He'd kill me.She was my priority."

The truth feels raw in my throat.I chose to protect her.And I don’t regret it, even if I do still struggle with not saving another shifter’s life.

"No one would believe us.He was the Alpha's brother.Maddie was already isolated.If Rowan pointed a finger, that's all it would've taken."

Dean's expression gives nothing away.Blake's jaw tightens, but his eyes remain unreadable.

"Brad knew something was wrong," I continue."He didn't say it outright, but when he came back from the other pack, even though we passed it off as an unfortunate accident while running in the woods.That’s when he started watching us.Testing us."

My skin crawls at the memory.

"Little things at first.Asking where we were.Checking in on Maddie's story about what happened.And then he stopped being subtle."

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