Chapter 19 – Jamie
19
JAMIE
T he advantage I had on the sand portion of the run is long gone. With a relatively flat, even trail ahead of us, the men I passed earlier are catching up.
And most of them aren’t pleased to see me at the front.
“Are you trying to prove a point?” It’s one of the wolves who vocally opposed our entry last night. Today, I think he’s more pissed off that I beat him up the rock wall. “That you can bag an alpha by rolling over for him? Big deal. He’s not interested in you, Rogue, at least not for anything more than some cheap thrills. I’d fuck you too and then spit on your used up cunt, but that doesn’t mean I like you.”
That one shocks even me, and I falter, turning to look at him, scarcely believing he said those words out loud. His contempt for me is clear in the way he sneers at me with hatred in his eyes as we run side by side.
“Just run your own race, Samuel,” I say, glancing at his name and race number. I really don’t want any trouble, but as he shows his teeth and a low rumble starts in his chest, I have a feeling I’m going to get it anyway.
Samuel drops his shoulder and slams into me, knocking me hard sideways. Anticipating he’d do something as he went by, I manage to veer away in time to avoid taking the full impact, but he still knocks me off my stride, and I stumble over a gnarled root that sticks up in our path.
“What the fuck?” Wyatt’s further back but his voice booms through the trees as he sees what’s going on. I could fall back to my brother’s side, but I need to press on if I have any chance of making the cut off. Wyatt will find the obstacles we’ll come across later much easier than me, and I don’t want to hold him back.
“How do you expect to lead a pack if you need your brother to fight for you?” Samuel sneers, casting a glance back over his shoulder to make sure Wyatt isn’t bearing down on him. Coward. He wouldn’t be so brave if he was here. “It’s a disgrace. Reynolds should never have allowed any females in, let alone you. He should have tossed you back into the gutter where you belong.”
Classy.
I wish he was an anomaly, but he’s merely voicing what plenty of the other wolves are thinking. They’re just smart enough to keep it to themselves.
“Get over it.” Huffing as I dodge an attempted elbow to the ribs, I decide continuing this conversation isn’t going to get me anywhere. I need to stay far away from this wolf, and anyone who sees my inclusion in the event as some kind of affront to their status.
“You’re no luna. Don't kid yourself.” Watching as he glances back once more to pinpoint Wyatt’s location, I growl but slow to let him go ahead, cursing when he takes his foot of the gas and eases up with me. I know what he’s doing. He doesn’t see me as a real threat in the competition. He’s baiting Wyatt by bullying me.
“Samuel, if you’re so worried about Wyatt, you should be pushing on while you have the chance. Because he’s going to catch you, and he’s going to kick your ass.”
I know even before it happens that I should have kept my mouth shut. The blow that comes feels like a truck driving full speed into me.
My back jerks as Samuel knocks me to the ground, my momentum toppling me off the path and into the trees. I raise my arm to protect myself just in time as I crash into a thick tree trunk and land in the mud.
“Fuck.” My cheek stings from the rough bark, and my forearm throbs with the force of the impact.
“If you have any sense, you’ll stay down.” Samuel’s grating laugh fades into the distance as he takes off.
Another wolf stops and shoots me a contemptuous look, before he follows behind his friend.
This is a fucking joke. Dean warned me that people wouldn’t play fair out here, but this is petty school yard stuff.
Brushing the pine needles off my palms, I clamber back to my feet and stuff down the desire to chase after Samuel and get my revenge. There’s no point. I’m not trying to beat him; I’m trying to beat the clock. Getting through to the next round is the main aim of the day, not showing some dumbass that he’s not as tough as he thinks he is.
I can do that later, but only if I get through.
“Are you okay? Need a hand?” Another contestant stops on the path, hand raised to his brow to shield his eyes from the sun. He glances around, unsure about the wisdom of being seen helping me but with a good enough moral compass that he can’t just ignore me.
“I’m fine. Honestly, keep going. Every second counts.” I give him a bright smile and wave him on, hoping my light tone distracts him from the bead of blood I can feel making its way down my cheek.
Looking torn, he turns away. “If I get the chance to shove him into the lake, I’ll do it. Just for you.”
“Deal,” I laugh, surprised by the generous offer, and take a few steps gingerly back toward the track. My hip aches, but other than that, I’m fine. It won’t hold me up. My shifter healing will kick in and have me as good as new in no time.
I can feel Wyatt’s concern as he draws closer, and I shake my head as he glares in the direction Samuel went, revenge in his eyes.
“Don’t do anything stupid. That’s what he wants. Just focus on getting around the course. Samuel will get his comeuppance.”
I believe Dean when he says there is always someone watching. I could feel it back at the rope climb. The stealth of his wolves is legendary. When we snuck in, we didn’t see them until they wanted us to. If Samuel thinks he can play dirty and get away with it, he’s underestimating his future colleagues. Something I doubt Blake or Dean will take kindly to.
Swallowing back a whimper of pain, I limp back onto the path and set off again, the ache in my back and face fading to nothing as my adrenaline kicks in. I’m not going to let that jackass ruin my chances. I’m determined to show Dean I’m not the kind of person who backs down from a challenge.
As I run, pushing as hard as I can, I focus on my mission, the real reason me and Wyatt are here, using my anger to push me on. When Alpha Graham Reynolds was killed, dethroned by Dean, his own son, in a vicious and bloody battle, instead of feeling worried for my mother, we rejoiced.
Finally, she was free. We expected her to come and find us, but she never did.
Knowing that Graham killed his previous mate, we wondered whether he’d done the same. Maybe she’d died years before.
Looking for evidence, we tried to cross the border once and were spared from punishment by an older enforcer who told us to leave and never come back.
After pleading with our old pack to find out where she was, word came through from Dean Reynolds himself that she was dead, killed by his father in the same violent rage that almost claimed the life of Maya.
Except I knew deep down that was a lie, because I could still feel her heart beating as if it was my own.
Which leaves only one reasonable explanation. She’s still trapped there, unable to leave because of Dean’s pack's ridiculous border controls. Nobody was allowed in, and clearly, nobody was allowed out.
Then the borders opened for this event, and it was an opportunity too good to miss.
Wyatt and I deserve the truth. For all we know, she’s still stuck here. I need to know where she is and what happened to her. And I’m determined to stay in this competition until I find out.