Page 58 of Savage Games

“Maybe it was self-defense.”His voice is steady and careful, like he’s already anticipating my reaction."Brad's brother was..."He exhales sharply."Rowan was a monster, Wyatt.That's what they all said, though never above a whisper.The pack healer, an older woman named Elise, pulled me aside when no one was looking.Said Maddie came to her at least twice a month with injuries she couldn't possibly have gotten by accident."

Jax's eyes darken."And when I asked why no one stepped in, Elise just looked at me like I was naïve.'You don't cross the alpha's family,' she said.'Not in this pack.'"

I don’t need the details to know what that means.

He beat her, at the very least, and maybe worse.Shifters have accelerated healing powers.He must have been doing it regularly for anyone to have noticed marks.

I’ve seen it before.Not all matings are happy ones.Some bonds are a death sentence, traps disguised as fate.Just ask Dean Reynolds’s mother.

Anger burns in my chest, hot enough that I have to clench my fists to keep my wolf from surging forward.If Rowan were still alive, I'd kill him myself.My wolf growls in agreement, bloodlust surging through our bond.

Naomi.

She'd been trying to get Maddie out of that pack for months.No wonder she was desperate enough to enter the Alpha Games.Her sister's life was literally at stake, and Brad was holding all the cards.

“So Naomi moved there to convince her sister to leave…” Jax continues.“But what if she couldn’t?”

Did she take matters into her own hands?She is strong enough.My mind drifts back to her powerful wolf, a wolf that could go up against even the strongest of males.

If Jax is jumping to this conclusion, then everyone else will, too.

“The pack says Brad has been giving Maddie a hard time, punishing her for what he suspects, and they think she’s gone moon mad, that the pain of his death, and the abuse now by her alpha… I couldn’t leave her there.Anything could have happened.”

Is she moon mad?It wouldn’t be the first time a wolf’s mind had fractured after losing their mate.Naomi might be too close to her to see it or want to admit it.

And now Maddie’s here.Brad’s leverage is gone.

“You’re a good man, Jax.”

He smiles and shakes his head.“You can remind Dean and Blake of that when they come for me over this.”

“Feign ignorance.You merely generously invited a competitor's sister when she expressed an interest in coming to watch her compete.Nothing wrong with that.”

Jax barks out a laugh, then gives me a dark smile.“Unless she is a murderer and is moon mad.Then I’m definitely not getting out of this one.”

"How about this?"I say, clapping him on the shoulder."If I win, I'll offer you sanctuary, and you can come live with me.Maybe a new place with fewer memories will help settle your wolf.A fresh start."

I picture my future territory, a place where outcasts and misfits can find a home.Where wolves like Jax, with scars and traumas, can heal.

"I'll even build you a bunker above ground.With windows," I add, remembering how Jax keeps himself locked in a basement when his wolf gets too wild."Natural light does wonders for the soul."

Jax looks taken aback and coughs before he speaks.“It might come to that if this goes down the way I expect it to.”He looks up at the brightening morning sun and sucks in a deep breath.“So, stay the fuck out of trouble until you have this competition in the bag.”

22

Wyatt

“Does Brad know she’s here?”I clench my jaw.“Is Jamie still with her?Is she safe?”

My mind goes to the scene in the hall, with Brad draping himself over Naomi, and her stiff, awkward posture.She didn’t want his attention, but didn’t tell him to go away, either.I thought it was just because he’s her alpha and wouldn’t take kindly to the public humiliation.

But it’s more than that.She was afraid for her sister.

Jax nods slowly.“Yeah.Callum’s with Maddie now.He is not happy.”

I close my eyes and attempt to calm the beast raging inside me.The pieces are slowly clicking together in my head as I pour over our previous conversations.It’s sharpening into a picture I don’t like.

“It doesn’t make sense though,” I mutter to myself.“Why would he not punish the people he thinks are responsible for his brother’s death immediately?No alpha would let that slide.”

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