Page 148 of Untamed

He looks at me with soft blue eyes the color of the Lake. "You're right, Little One. You're very right."

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44 - Faster, Faster

Inuit

Jax sits down next to me, a cold beer in hand. Taking a sip, he stares out over the fields brightly lit with lights we brought up from the school's track fields.

"I don't want Diego to die," he says abruptly. "I have Abbi here, I know, but she... she and her brother are all I have left. Their mother, mysister... Glory is a dead female or as good as. Everyone else is gone or about to be. Everyone."

"You seem to have a new female, Jax. Ironically, my own mate's mother. Who is she to you? A charity case? A mate?" I question him. I'm reluctant to spare Diego, even after Abbi swore that he never wanted to hurt my mate. He harmed her, anyway, whatever the excuses, and I don't want anyone to believe that they can lay even a finger on my female and live to tell about it.

"A mate, goddess-willing," he replies, blunt, honest. "Snow knows that Jessie is still alive. Until I can cut that tie for good, she won't be with me."

"Doesn't your cabin have only one bedroom?" I ask, keeping the smirk off of my lips.

He glares at me, taking another drink. "I sleep on the couch, asshole."

I let the smile take over my face. "Sucks, doesn't it?"

He laughs a sharp bark. "No. She's still there in my home. Haven't felt this good in years," he adds quietly.

I nod and look back out over the pack. Tossing my empty beer back into the cooler, I speak without looking at Jax. "You're staying here, taking care of the pack. Devel says he'll stay behind with you. He can't openly support us in a war."

Jax stands up. "You taking Little Luna with you?"

"I don't want to," I tell him lowly. "I want her safe. But..."

"She'll chase right after you," Jax finishes for me.

My wolf pants, tongue hanging, tail wagging once. My golden cat. I smile a little. "Yeah."

"Who'll act as your second? Rhet?"

"No," I murmur. "Lyri and my brothers have risked enough. Rhet will be there, but he won't be front and center. Thjis and Ezra need to stay with Sarj," I cough, chasing away the croak in my voice. "They, ah, need to stay here."

Jax looks at me in surprise before it clears. He barks out a laugh and claps me on the back. "Interesting choice, In. Fascinating." Shaking his head, he wanders off.

I turn to go inform my new Beta wolf of his position. It is interesting.

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I squeeze a little harder, bringing his face closer to mine. Snapping my teeth just inches from his nose for emphasis, I ask him, "you loyal to your cousin?"

Orion holds still, fighting his instincts to fight me off. "Odd," he croaks out through the pressure my hand exerts on his neck.

"What the fuck is odd?" I snarl.

He taps my wrist with his hand carefully. I let up on the pressure, just a little. "That you ask for her, not yourself."

I let him go, and he stumbles, swaying dangerously from the lack of oxygen.

I dismiss the feeling of surprise at his question. I never thought about the question. It just emerged."She's my luna. Loyalty to her means loyalty to me."

"Unless she betrays you."

I scoff openly. "She knows I'm hers," I brag once again before I think about the words. Shit. "I mean, she and I belong to each other," I mumble.

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