Page 74 of Untamed

My wolf has never felt more alive than now. Chasing his mate through the trees. Admiring how nimble and quick she is.

Some mates are so in-tune with each other that they can nearly read each other's minds, tapping into their thoughts as clearly as if they’re their own. Others just seem to get feelings and impressions. Most fall in the middle somewhere, or so we're taught.

I don't know if I'm seeing her thoughts or if these are simple impressions of what she's thinking, but it's impressive either way. The hum of energy in my cat makes every hair on my wolf's ridgeline stand up. We are hyper-focused on our mate. Our luna.

Qitsuk darts back in front of me, jaws snapping at my forelegs. I growl half-heartedly, not at all angry as she bounds away again. I don't like her leaving me, even if it's just for a game of chase, but she's having so much fun I don't have the heart to stop her.

When we reach one of the open meadows, she bounds over to me, eyes flashing with mischief. A nudge of her snout to my neck gives me a new insight. She wants to race. And, she's confident she'll win.

My wolf lets out a grumble deep in his chest.Weare going to win. Our love and caring for our mate doesn't mean we let her stomp all over what makes us male. What makes us dominant.

Another low growl and Qitsuk freezes, ears laid back, muscles quivering. I feel my own muscles bunch, then she explodes into motion. And, I'm right behind her. She's nimble, as agile and clever as I remember from our inauspicious beginning.

She dodges and weaves as fast as a greased pig through the trees, and it almost feels like her wolf is taunting us. She's at home, here, in her element, the Wild Luna in the forest.

But, I am Alpha. Her alpha. I tackle her just a few minutes into our game. She growls, flipping herself onto her back. I growl back, my wolf rumbling deep in my chest. A low warning for our female.

She huffs, squirms, goes still for a half-heartbeat, only to try another angle to wriggle away from me. My wolf chuffs a laugh, right in her face, and pins her down with a massive paw on her chest.

She barks in surprise at his high-handedness, but I don't correct his presumption. The golden she-wolf needs to learn that he has his pride, too.

Her snapping teeth can't reach us, but he nips her snout, anyway. The third reprimand in the short minutes of our run.

Qitsuk goes rigid under me just a moment before I feel a shift in the air. Other wolves are joining us. The RustClaw, excited to see their Alphason and his Luna playing on paws.

I let her up, nudging her close to my body in a silent warning to the pack to watch how they interact with her.

She is still, ears pricked forward, eyes bright and alert, tail held high. My cat, ready for anything, looks over her pack. From the ground, for once. Imagine that.

She takes a steady step forward, and I stick by her side like glue. I can't read her, other than a heightened wariness. She is distrustful of these wolves but curious. It may be all I can hope for right now.

The wolves stare back, their expressions ranging from curious to out-right friendly. RustClaw likes what they see.

A yipping howl breaks the silence. Three recently-shifted pups tumble into the glade we've stopped in. Their paws are a little too big for their bodies, their ears flopping around their heads. Even when they stop wrestling to stare at my mate, they manage to look ridiculously inept and young.

One of them, one of the Jensen sisters, Fleur, I think, shies away, her posture wilting under the golden stare. These three are loners, not delinquents, by any means, but Sarj has told me that other wolves are hesitant to accept these three.

No one is more surprised when myQitsuksurges forward, barking madly and circling the little female. My mate's wolf isn't sticking to the silence her feet insist on. Golden fur ripples as she crouches, tail wagging madly, and barks again.

The Jensen female cocks her head to the right, one ear flapping over. Then, with a full-body quiver of delight, she leaps at her Luna.

Qitsukdodges her easily, twice, before she nips at the flank of one of the other pups, Holden Meyers, and barks again. He joins Fleur, and the third wolf leaps into the fray.

MyQitsuktakes off running, and the three mischief-makers don't hesitate to follow. I smile on the inside. She looks so mature already, feminine and powerful that I forgot at first... My sweetheart is probably the same age as these wolves.

A burning in my gut feels an awful lot like guilt. I would be punished for Marking her at such a young age in some packs.

Other wolves gather, the oldest watching the playful juveniles with watchful happiness.

A nudge to my side reveals Ezra's pale yellow wolf, his eyes gleaming with mischief. He nudges me again, and I rumble a warning. I want to play, but not in front of the entire pack. Later, when it's just my mate, I'll have some fun.

The hum of an ATV pulling in too fast brings our heads around. "Alpha!" Asher is driving, his face pale, eyes wide as burning holes. "More visitors," he tells me grimly.

I howl, reining in the playing wolves.Qitsukcomes with them, trotting along and glancing around, still as curious as a cat.

I shift back. "Where are they?" I snap at Asher.

"Packhouse. They drove here."

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