Page 144 of Untamed

"The Mauja captured her," Mactiir responds.

"Did you go to war to get her back, or did she escape?" the new young alpha shoots out.

Mactiir regards him coldly, "I am the Mauja alpha," he reminds him.

Hunter-Cousin smirks. "Let the war begin."

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43 - Kings and Fathers

Inuit

"They were good wolves," I tell Jax solemnly, clapping him on the shoulder. The death of Jax's Father, Alpha Macon, rocks me. He was a good mentor, a good teacher. If I feel this way, I can only imagine how Jax feels about the brutal murder of his parents.

"The best," he growls out between clenched teeth. With blatant hostility, his eyes are narrowed on Cullen Grim, the GriMaw Alphason.

"How long were you in BlueSnout?" Jax asks him. Ezra takes flank on Jax's left hand, his own sharp green eyes watching the younger male, too.

"Three days," Cullen snaps back. "And neither you nor the Challenger showed."

A sarcastic laugh interrupts our staring contest. "You should have come here, first, Cuz. Missed all the fun. This one," Conner slaps my back with too much familiarity, "is now the Mauja Alpha. One pack at a time," he adds tauntingly.

It's a blatant challenge to his cousin's place. Idly, I wonder if Elias is here, watching. The old goat will be tickled to find out that yes, there is a shit-ton of animosity between the GriMaw and ClearHowl Alphasons.

I see the fists descend towards Conner Grim and let the urge to roll my eyes take over.

The thinner, weaker body that jumps in front of those lethal weapons makes my blood run ice-cold.

Sarj.

I'm there only a split second before Sarj takes that punch. Gripping the attacking male's shoulder, I wrench him to the side. Those fists glance off of my left arm as Cullen stumbles backward. Conner wastes no time and wraps his arm around my brother's waist, hauling him away from the raging wolf in my grasp.

My brother is safe. It's all I have time to think about before Cullen Grim turns on me.

Fuck. The GriMaw alphason is pissed. I feel my muscles fall into readiness, absorbing the blow sent right into my gut. My body twists, the fists leveled at me countered as Cullen, and I fall into this fight. And, suddenly and without any fanfare, the battle is GriMaw versus RustClaw, and only one Alpha can win.

"Shit!" I hear Jax's voice mix with shouts and snarls but shove it all away. This isn't a fight I'll lose, despite Cullen Grim having a couple of years - and pounds - on me.

Cullen Grim isn't on his territory. He's not holed up behind the wall of teeth and claw and ice of the GriMaw. He's in RustClaw, and I am the alphason here.

Within seconds, claws are unsheathed, lips curl back over sharp canines. There's no time for posturing. We are already too far gone in this to stop with some well-placed threats and face-saving bragging.

I catch his wrist in my hand, the clicking of his claws missing my face by an inch. I twist, putting pressure on the inside of his wrist until it snaps. My other hand finds his chin, forcing his head up and back. His free hand is forced to wrap around my wrist, trying to stop me from snapping his neck, too.

I feel his foot wrap around the back of my shin. Leaning in, I bring my knee up into his thigh. The blow makes Cullen stumble backward, freeing him from my grip.

"Fuck," I snarl, chasing him down. My claws swipe, catching his forearm as he blocks the blow. I have the advantage, but he counters, his claws scraping across my thigh. It's deep, bright red spurting all over the snow.

He's turned it around, my blood loss worse than his broken wrist and shallow cut. I steady myself, adjusting the plan naturally. Let Cullen come to me, now. Let him expend the energy in an attack.

He's almost there when I see my female staring at us with wide eyes and a tiny smile curving her lips. It's just a flash before Cullen's snarling face blocks my view of her.

The monster swells. The sound ripped from my throat is guttural, as basic a warning as there is. My female, my mate, won't be harmed, touched, or evenlookedatby another male.

Both of my clawed hands sink into Cullen Grim's chest. Lifting him, ignoring his claws scrabbling at my arms, I fling him two-handed through the air. He hits the ground over twenty feet away and doesn't move again.

Jax is the one who stops me from stalking over to Cullen and finishing him, once and for all.

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