Page 20 of Untamed

My stomach grumbles as my nose twitches. Drifting under the scent of river, elk blood, trespassers, and Ash's kindergarten is a sweet scent of fish and female.

I stop short.

One deep inhale floods my senses with scent, but the faint sweetness isn't one of them. Thinking that I'm losing my mind, I start patrolling again, more carefully. It takes a few minutes before the scent comes again. My wolf rumbles, but I'm confused. How did this other wolf get here? The river is squeezed between hills in this area. The water churns in rapids that even the best swimmers avoid. The next crossing is miles to the south and is patrolled on both sides by the KilClaw.

She couldn't have come up from the south without Ilian and Argus noticing her presence. Unless she's from their pack? But this scent... I've never smelled anything quite like it before. It's sweet and wild.

Goddess. Do I have a wild female on my land? A growl works its way up my throat. Another trespasser?

I stumble onto the items carefully laid out on the rocks by accident. The scent is slightly stronger on them, and I can see why right away. Damp from the river, clearly someone tried to hide their smell by washing them.

I shift back with Ash's low growl of warning. His eyes are traveling the banks of the river, guarding my back as I examine the things left by our wild trespasser.

A book, illegible. Some tobacco that scents as if it's laced with wolfsbane and weed. I frown at that. Other odds and ends. No food, no weapons, not much to survive with. I pick up a bit of cloth and stand.

My wolf lets out a low huff of displeasure. The scent on the items is nearly gone from being soaked in the river, but the plaid shirt in my fist is a man's shirt. The sweet aroma of the wild female is mixed with an undertone of male musk. I don't like that scent with the female one. Not at all.

A snarl of fury works its way out of my mouth. I look around, wondering where the male is, why I haven't scented him before.

Gold.

Golden eyes.

My lungs abandon me all at once. My heart races, pounding furiously, racing faster and faster. My skin burns with need. My cock is ready, instinct telling me to capture the tricky little wild with the eyes of molten gold. My wolf begs to stalk, capture, Mark, mate, Claim.Ours.

"Hello,qitsuk," I murmur. The endearment falls naturally, a cat, my golden cat. She looks like a panther, more than a wolf, with that coat of golden fur and those eyes.

She doesn't flinch, doesn't react. Even her those liquid eyes are motionless, unblinking, the spectacular glow in them mesmerizing. I've never seen a she-wolf hold so still. The pack she-wolves are constantly moving, flirting, their bodies being used to lure males to their sides, entrapping them in the age-old dance of sex.

My cat looks like she's been poured in place by a master craftsman. Larger than most females, too thin, maybe, her golden fur puffed out as the only warning she displays. I feel respect grow for this female. Not a lick of fear is in her eyes. Wariness, yes, like the wild creature she is, she doesn't trust easily.

I've never seen such a solid coat of this color before. Her fur ripples over lean muscles, long legs telling me that she's young, not quite grown into her limbs yet. My mouth waters. Goddess, what must she look like on feet?

I lick my lips, and her eyes flicker for the first time, down to my mouth, then back up. I understand her then; she's watching my eyes, carefully assessing me as a threat.

I'm only a threat to her virtue. I hope she doesn't think she's going to hold onto it for long.

"Pretty Cat," I say huskily, rewarded with another golden flutter, "won't you come out?" I try to keep my tone soothing. She's wedged in between some rocks, poised for flight. I can catch her, but the thought of what might happen if I chase her makes me hesitate to lunge.

She doesn't budge even an inch. I can feel frustration roll over my wolf. He doesn't like how she's turning the tables, making us beg for her presence. Golden eyes travel my face, a sense of faint disdain, a mockery glinting in her eyes.

"Qitsuk, come out," I order sternly. Maybe she needs a stronger order.

A glimmer of defiance shines in her eyes. Now she's mocking us. A newly-shifted female is laughing at us, at heralpha.

"In!"

I growl as Rhet's voice rings out. I turn my head away, a split second, that's it. When I snap my eyes back to my golden-eyed cat, I see nothing but shadows.

My wolf's roar of pure fury swallowed quickly amid the dense forest. Without hesitation, I am on paws, crashing through the underbrush to the rocks where our wild cat was hiding.

Gone. She'sgone.

My wolf howls in anguish, the loss of her presence hitting him like nothing we've ever felt before. I curse myself. She's wild. A wild, mountain female. I should have pounced right away.

Frantically, I look around. The hint of sweetness dances through the air from all directions.

"Asher, did you see where she went?"

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