Chapter 3: Jamie

3

JAMIE

“H ow did it go?” Wyatt greets me at the edge of our temporary camp, which is nothing more than a raised platform built between trees and foliage fashioned into a roof. But it’s better than sleeping in the mud.

As I step inside, I glimpse the tiny wooden sculpture he’s whittled away while waiting anxiously for my return. My brother’s nothing if not protective. He didn’t want me to go alone to check out the launch, just like I didn’t want him to go. So, I keep my body language loose and pretend nothing exciting happened.

I’m rattled after seeing the chaos at the launch and being bombarded by so many scents and powerful auras. Living outside a pack for years, being around lots of wolves isn’t something I’m used to, which must be why I’m so jittery. I’ve heard the stories about frenzied wolves losing their minds when the alluring scent of a female in heat hits them, but it’s another thing to see how single-minded their focus became. It was… fascinating.

Not that it had any effect on Dean, though.

Usually only mated males can resist the pull, and yet somehow, I know he’s not marked. Mainly because no woman mated to a man that good-looking would be anywhere but at his side, especially on a night like tonight, with so many single she-wolves on the prowl.

My wolf agrees. Shifters are a possessive bunch. If he were mine, I’d have been there rubbing myself all over him like a cat.

“Well?” Wyatt demands, eyebrow raised, and I struggle to put my finger on what’s bothering me so much. Dean Reynolds, the alpha who unknowingly has our future in his hands, has me spooked. He’s more than I imagined.

“It was… enlightening. Alpha Reynolds isn’t exactly what I expected.” Choosing my words carefully, I keep my eyes averted. I can’t explain it myself, but for some reason, I feel like I’m lying to my brother.

“You’re going to need to elaborate.” He waits. And he’ll keep waiting until I give him the low-down on the launch.

Straightening out the thin blanket that will pass as my bed for the night, I replay tonight’s events in my mind.

“He’s detached, and cold, rather than cocky. Not the typical charming alpha, like Cooper Jones or Blake Steel.” I shrug, not sure how to express the twisted feeling in my gut. “He’s more formidable, though. I could sense it, even from far away. I don’t think he’s going to just let us walk in.”

Wyatt nods to himself as he considers my words. “That makes sense given the pack he’s part of.”

My wolf practically swoons, remembering how easily he put those pups in their places, but I refuse to encourage her admiration. She’s forgetting that he punched someone in the face and stepped over them. He’s obviously incredibly handsome, with perfect teeth, and so strong, with big muscles, and shoulders a woman would love to dig her nails into, but that doesn’t mean he’s a good man. Walking over someone’s unconscious body doesn’t exactly scream kind and empathetic. And in our situation, that’s what we need.

“He’s not just going to let us enter.” I’m certain of it. If he rules the launch party with an iron fist, registration and entry to his once cloistered pack will be even stricter. And he doesn’t seem like a man who’ll get drawn into a debate over his decisions.

Wyatt frowns, looking concerned. We’ve come this far though, and I’m determined to see it through. After being chased off yet another pack’s land, these idiot alphas all seemingly threatened by having a rogue wolf as big as Wyatt nearby, we have no other options.

“What about the other competitors you saw? Do you think we have hope?”

With a tired shrug, I refuse to admit my chances aren’t great. Much as I like to think I can put it up to the best of them, every sparring session with Wyatt knocks me back down to earth. But I can’t tell him that, or he won’t let me enter alongside him. “I think I can get past the first round anyway. From what I saw, you have a chance to go all the way, if you don’t mess it up.”

Wyatt looks away, hiding his smile, because he knows I’m not wrong. He’s bigger and stronger than most. It’s caused us some issues over the years, but if anyone’s going to win us a new home, it’ll be my brother.

Which is precisely why I didn’t want him going to the launch, where the other wolves would target him for not being one of them . It could have been him in that brawl getting his entry number torn to pieces.

“And what will you be doing while I’m winning us a place to live?”

“Sightseeing?” I shrug, but Wyatt shakes his head. He can read me like a book.

Before tonight, I felt confident that once we got onto Reynold’s territory, we’d have a good chance of getting the answers we want. Now, I’m not so sure we’ll even make it across the border.

Finally meeting Wyatt’s eye, I tell him what I’ve been ruminating over for the entire journey home. “He knew I was there.”

“Did you…?”

Raising a hand, I cut off Wyatt’s questions about what I did wrong to give my position away. There’s nothing I would do differently. Dean sensed me watching him, somehow.

“I have no idea how he knew, but he did.”

The memory of Dean’s eyes locking onto my position sends a shiver down my spine. Oh, he knew.

“If I’d competed tonight, I could be through to the second round already.” Wyatt pouts. He was furious that I didn’t want him to attend the launch, but I’m being strategic. He probably could have beaten the smug asshole that got the bye, but in the long run, it would have worked against him.

And I’d be left camping out here alone, without Wyatt around to protect me, until the competition was over. No thanks.

“You need to be there at the first event, learning who the biggest threats are, and catching the attention of the judges.”

Steel hasn’t elaborated on exactly how the winner will be picked or what the scoring system is. All anybody knows is where and when it’s on. While there will be tough physical challenges, I don’t believe for one second that there won’t be components based on emotional intelligence and leadership skills. It can’t all be about who can run an obstacle course in the fastest time.

Or at least, I hope not. Otherwise, I’ll be out straight away.

“Plus, the last thing we need is for you to get injured or dragged into a row by some jackass with a chip on his shoulder before we even get there.”

We’re rogues. There are plenty of wolves who’d pick a fight with Wyatt for that alone. But a rogue who’s a serious contender? He might as well paint a target on his back.

“There were lots of strong wolves, but there were also some idiots who’ll weed themselves out sooner rather than later. It’s not going to be easy to stand out in a good way. You need to be as visible as possible.”

Wyatt tucks his wavy brown hair back behind his ears and nods, hating the idea of being on show after years of trying to blend in. But he knows that I’m right. We’ve spoken about this before. Acting like an alpha for the duration of our stay in Reynolds’s territory, provided they let us in, is just as important as winning the challenges. That includes staying out of drama and petty squabbles.

“Plan B it is. We still have the element of surprise now, and this will definitely make you memorable.”

Wyatt scoffs. That’s an understatement. Nobody will be expecting us to turn up. The last thing we need is to give them time to come up with a reason to turn us away. Dean Reynolds will want us off his territory as soon as possible, and any excuse will do. It’s up to us not to give him one.

“We’re going to need our beauty sleep then, and to keep our strength up,” Wyatt says, handing me a plate of charred meat cooked over his small fire.

“Speak for yourself,” I quip, immediately leaning out of reach before he can hit me. “It doesn’t take much to polish a diamond.”

He presses his hand to his heart, pretending to be wounded by my words. His expression turns serious again as he moves back to his post, guarding us as we sleep in another pack’s territory. Grey Ridge isn't known for being violent, but you can never be too careful. We’ve learned the hard way just how unwelcome rogues are.

“I’ll get up at 4 a.m. and let you grab a few hours before we leave.” I call to his retreating back.

Wyatt waves away my offer, but I’m getting up and taking over whether he likes it or not. We’re going to need to work as a team to have any hope of moving through the competition.

With a big stretch, I let my wolf push forward and take control, shifting to stay warm in the chilly night air. She’s not happy that we left the brewery without getting to interact with the other wolves; something she’s missed desperately.

We’re going to be spending a lot of time surrounded by other shifters. She’ll get her chance.