Page 158 of Untamed

Snow nods, determined, as she walks back to Blout. We ring them, Inuit's family taking up hard stances, including Orion, with narrowed eyes and arms crossed over chests. A ring of death for Blout. He's trapped like a rat in a cage.

Something flickers in Snow's eyes. A strength found in the pack that is here to support her. My two females aren't alone anymore.

I'm not alone anymore.

Turning towards Blout, Snow approaches with the knife held high. She starts, small cuts, minor wounds, taking him apart, piece by piece while his screams fill the air.

The alpha-wolf in me smiles in approval, his tail wagging just the slightest bit.

---

Willa

"Do not kill him, Mama."

I don't think anyone is more surprised than me to hear my own voice say those words. An hour passed with Mama slowly dismantling this wolf, and I said nothing and felt nothing. The words were wrenched from my gut,disobedient; unruly, defiant, rebellious.

Mama turns, shock clear on her face. I falter, not understanding why, but knowing that this male can't die. Not yet.

"Not yet," I repeat that thought out loud.

Mactiir gently presses his mouth to the top of my head. "Do you want us to patch him up,Qitsuk?"

"Yes."

The words feel forceful. Unnatural, but so right. Is it because he is my real father?

No. Even my she-wolf dismisses that idea. Father is my father. This male is nothing. This feeling is something else. Somethingother. Without thinking, I try to wriggle free of Mactiir's arms so that I can nudge my bare toes into the dirt. He doesn't let me go. I don't think he even realizes that I am trying to get free of him for a moment. All I achieve is losing one of the pretty dark-purple slippers Purple insists I wear.

"Enough, Anya," Mactiir barks, stopping Mama when she protests softly to Old Alpha. "Asher, make sure this fucker is patched up and contained in the cells. Two guards at all times."

"Yes, Alpha." The sandy-haired male who always seems wide-eyed in amazement doesn't look as kind as he typically does. His narrow-eyed gaze of disgust is fixed on my false father.

Mama won't look at me as Old Alpha takes her and pulls her away from the broken, bleeding body. He takes the silver blade from her grasp and hands it back to my cousin.

"You sure about this?" my Hunter-cousin asks me doubtfully.

"Yes." I am sure. Unfortunately.

"Orion."

"'Sup, Alpha?" My Hunter-Cousin smirks at my Mactiir.

"Make sure no one disturbs us for at least two hours."

My Hunter-Cousin's grin widens. "Only two hours? Lost your touch already?"

"I will break your spine in half," my Mactiir says calmly. Then he gently kisses me."We'll go sleep, yeah, Bliss?"

"At the blue cabin?" I ask, hope filtering through my confusion. Why can't my false father die?

His walnut-eyes glance at me in concern. "No, Bliss. We can't leave the pack alone yet. Not until all this shit is over."

I wilt back onto his shoulder. "I'm tired, Mactiir. We need to go to the Lake still. And Mama is mad at me. And I'm just... I'm so tired. Exhausted. Depleted."

"Weary," he teases me gently. He kisses me on the tip of my nose. "Fatigued."

I snort, "no, those words aren't enough."

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