Page 122 of Untamed

They were so fast. My mate, like quicksilver through the trees. Mybrother, feral and desperate. I failed to stop him in time.

Seething, I drop my hand away from her face. If I keep touching her, even that slight brush of my skin on hers, then I may lose control and fuck her in front of the pack. Instinct, and my wolf are riding me hard, pun unintended.

"Watch my female, Lyri." I stalk away from the females and grab one of the Mauja elders by the shoulder. I try to keep my thumb from digging into the sensitive nerve just at the base of his neck, but I know I fail when he whimpers in pain.

"You're not gonna touch a damn thing in those trucks, yea?" I point to the boxes and bags of documents, laptops, and phones being hauled out of two pickup trucks by RustClaw wolves. "Not one of you will even think about touching that shit."

"Yes, Alpha," is his quiet response.

I growl as I force my fingers to unclench. My blackened claws leave bleeding indentations in his papery-white skin. I feel the tiniest smidge of guilt. He's older than most wolves and not in the best shape, but my wolf feels nothing but scorn. These wolves took my mate from me. I could smell the taint of fear on her skin along with the edge of whirling darkness from her memories. They tried todrownher. My mate. My luna.

"Mauja! You talk, and your family eats!" I bellow out. "Keep silent, and you'll earn yourselves a hard bed in the dirt tonight!"

I pace up and down the yard, scenting these new wolves, occasionally shoving one back or forth when they step too close to me or one another. Their limbs tremble. Not one has any fight in them. Broken wolves, a fractured pack, all of them. I search... search their eyes for lies, search their scent for secrets, search their movements for hidden agendas. I search for weaknesses to exploit.

They scent of piss and fear.

The teeth marks in my neck itch, but I refuse to scratch at the healing bite. It's probably all in my head anyway. My mate's botched Mark itches mysoul. It failed, and I don't know why. Does she not want me? Is her wolf rejecting mine? I thought... I thought she was falling in love with me. I thought her little golden wolf approved of mine.

She fucked my monster, for fuck's sake.

"Who will confess what my fucking piece-of-shit uncle planned? Who knows what the BlueSnout wants?" I let my roar wash over the Mauja. Even the RustClaw are quiet, moving silently and efficiently through the crowds of prisoners.

I kick a suitcase and send it flying twenty feet. It bursts open, and all of the hastily-packed contents explode all over. Pictures, trinkets, papers, some clothes. At least one Mauja wolf must be feeling shitty right now. Not as shitty as I feel. They have no idea how shitty I feel.

One of the Mauja wolves, a strong male of maybe thirty, steps towards me before falling on his knees. "Alpha," his voice irks me with how defeated he sounds, "my mate is pregnant with our first pup. I'll talk."

I don't look at him. I don't spare a glance towards the female just behind him, fluttering her hands in agitation over a heavily swollen stomach. I keep searching but see no reaction in any of the other Mauja. Not one foreign wolf seems upset that one of their own broke so quickly.

Or maybe this male is a liar, and they all know it?

Snarling, I grasp the male's jaw in my right hand, squeezing it until it is just about to snap. Jax, Rhet, even Lyri, are silent. They understand that the Mauja are my wolves, my problem, now. They won't interfere with how I handle my new 'pack' unless I truly become abusive.

I reach out towards his mate's unborn pup with my left hand. The claw on my index finger comes within a hair's breadth of touching the gently pulsing life just under her Mama's heart. Even a flinch, and I'll slice right into her, dealing a blow to both mother and pup with just one claw.

"You're gonna have a little daughter, yeah?" I taunt the male softly. "If you lie to me, what do you suppose I could do to them? What would you do if someone harmed your mate?" My canines jut from my elongated jaw. I am turning into the monster again.

"Goddess, please, Alpha. I'll tell you everything you need to know," his eyes are wide in terror. I inhale, but it's just terror I smell.

"Mactiir!" My mate grasps the hand extended toward the pregnant female and gently pulls it towards her. "Shh, Mactiir. He will tell the truth. No one will deceive you."

"I'll talk, Alpha. Like the luna says. I swear!" the male is trembling so hard his teeth crack together as he speaks. Lyri gently takes the pregnant female and steers her towards the packhouse, her eyes carefully avoiding mine.

"You are displeased?" My cat steps closer to me, my hand still captured in hers. She brings it up to her chest, clutching it between us. "You are angry withme, yes? Why, my Mactiir?"

I want to take her in my arms and hold her close, but I still don't trust myself. Gently I bring her hands to my mouth and kiss her knuckles before untangling our hands and stepping away from her. "It's not you,Qitsuk," I murmur. "Go inside, please?"

Stubborn little cat. She shakes her head, her mouth set in mutinous lines. "Do not be so wrathful to them, my Mactiir," she dares to command me. She sways, exhausted, hurt from the rottingMarkon her neck. Tired from her abduction.

I catch Jax's eyes, commanding him to help me. Jax pulls her away, meeting my eyes without flinching. "Don't kill or maim, In. Remember, they areyourwolves, now. Control."

I don't move until the heavy wooden doors click shut behind my mate. Looking at the male still kneeling before me, I ask him, "what is your name?"

"Jean, Alpha."

"What do you know about my mate, Jean?" I meant to ask him about the Bluesnout and my uncle. The question about my cat just slipped out. Before I can correct myself, Jean speaks.

"She is a wild luna from the FeraxMaw. A golden." The swift reply stuns me. It hasn't been too long since I found my mate. It had to be Diego and Glory who spilled the news to my uncle. And I have no fucking clue where either of them are, those little bitches.

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