Page 108 of Savage Games

I've never met anyone like him.

He shrugs, tossing his fork on the plate."You want to win this thing?I'll be right here cheering you on.You want to walk away and build something new with me somewhere else?I'm already packed.I don't care what it looks like to anyone else.You're mine now.Your mate is the only title I need."

It's so casual.So matter of fact.

I don't realize I'm crying until he's brushing away the tears with his thumb.

"Naomi," he says softly, lips brushing my cheek.“Come here," he murmurs, pulling me tighter against him.“I’ve got you.”

I go willingly, curling against his chest, ear pressed to his heart.His arms wrap around me, secure and warm.His heartbeat syncs with mine.Steady.Strong.

"Remember that first day?"he asks quietly, his voice rumbling pleasantly beneath my ear."When you came up to me after that woman touched me?Your eyes were so blue, and you were standing there with your friends, and you could have just ignored me like everyone else.But you didn't."

I smile against his chest, remembering the electrifying moment our eyes met."My wolf knew immediately.She was furious."

"Mine too," he murmurs, pressing a kiss to my hair."I nearly tore her hand off."

The memory of how far we've come, from strangers at the edge of a competition field to mates ready to face alphas together, settles something deep in my soul.

"We're going to be fine," he says, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.“Trust me.”

When I tilt my face up to look at him, he kisses me properly.Slowly.Thoroughly.Like we have all the time in the world.

And we do.

Because whatever happens with Dean and Blake, whatever comes next in the Games, we'll face it together.

I pull back, tracing the line of his jaw with my fingertips."I love you, you know."

His smile is blinding."I love you, too."

And as we sit there tangled in each other's arms, with half-finished plates cooling beside us, I feel something settle deep inside me.

We're stronger now.Together.And I’m not scared of Brad any more.

40

Naomi

The door closes behind us, and even that tiny sound makes me jump.It feels like the slamming of a jail cell door.

Dean's office is warm, neat, and way too quiet.Shelves are lined with books and ledgers.Small tokens and relics from past alphas.The window behind his desk lets in soft light, filtered through the pines.There are no pictures.No familiar smells.Even his own seems to have faded.He clearly doesn’t spend much time here.

Maddie stands beside me, her slight frame rigid with tension.Her hands twist together nervously in front of her, and I can feel her wolf close to the surface, ready to bolt at the slightest provocation.I reach for her, squeezing her fingers gently, and she gives me a tremulous smile that doesn't reach her eyes.

Staring at the back of the closed door, I can still feel Wyatt through our bond.Steady and strong.Ready.I drag my eyes back to the two big alphas standing before us and suck in a deep breath.We can do this.

Blake stands to one side, arms crossed.His imposing height and broad shoulders make the spacious office feel suddenly cramped.His expression gives nothing away, but his eyes, sharp, assessing, miss nothing as they move between me and Maddie.

Dean moves to sit behind the desk, resting his hands loosely in front of him like he has all the time in the world.He doesn't start with questions.Just nods once, inviting us to speak.He’s giving us the chance to tell him everything, tell him the truth, before he grills us for information.

Maddie's beside me, stiff and small in her chair.Her hands are clenched in her lap, knuckles white.Her jaw works silently.Her wolf is close, tighter than I've ever felt it in her.Maddie’s fight-or-flight mode is riding her hard.I half-expect her to bolt for the door already.

I reach over to rest a hand over hers.She squeezes back once.

And then she begins to talk, quietly, barely more than a whisper, but we can all hear her.Nobody so much as breathes lest she stop.

"I didn't mean to kill him," she says, voice thin but calm."But I'm not sorry that I did."

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