Page 78 of Untamed

"Eyes," I bark at him. The speed that I moved must have startled him. The spoon falls back into the stew with a splash, and his head jerks up. Light blue eyes filled with fear look at me. He's covered in dirt and grime, but it can't hide his light-colored hair. Blue eyes and light hair, just like a wolf from the Mauja. Ma had some of this coloring in her. The Mauja... My mother's pack. Ezra and Lyri told me they might be involved in this war against RustClaw.

"G-goddess, fuck!" he curses. His voice confirms Ezra's suspicions. This voice is from IcePaw, or Mauja, as the northern packs call them.

"H-he's Mauja," Greta stutters.

"I'm aware," I growl out. I take a careful step away from the male. My wolf is on-edge. My wolf feels his mate moving further away as Thjis drives her to the packhouse. I should have kept her here with me. Homicidal little thing that she is, at least she keeps my own crazy contained.

"Where were you in the north?" Lyri asks, eyes narrowing.

"In the forest, Luna," comes the weak reply from Greta.

The Luna doesn't like it. Lyri steps forward, eyes narrowed on Greta. "What forest?Wherein the north? How did you find these companions of yours?" She fires questions at Greta. She and Rhet seem to be the most mistrustful of her, while Ezra is focused on the male. My head is spinning. Claws peek out from my fingertips. I want to hurt these lying wolves. I want to hold my mate more.

"N-near the Adsun," comes the stammered reply. "We've been near the IcePaw for the last couple of years. Not with them," Greta adds hastily.

Lyri's eyebrows shoot up in sardonic surprise. "Really? So, you ran west, toward the GriMaw, then south, then cut across the wild and FeraxMaw to get to the Mauja on the Bay?"

Silence falls in the room. Greta shifts on her feet. "I know it sounds crazy, but that's what happened."

Lyri nods, her eyes frosty. "In, why don't you make sure your guests are comfortable?" she tosses the decision in my lap.

I glare at my sister-wolf. She knows that the FeraxMaw trespassers are still in the cells. Not tortured or starving, but locked up tight and sure as hell not 'comfortable.' So now the question is, do I lock these three wolves away, too? Or do I treat them as guests, albeit uninvited ones?

"I'll show you our guest quarters," I tell them, feeling strangled. I risk glancing at Lyri, but she's busy silently communicating with Rhet, whose blue eyes still glare suspiciously.

As I walk down the hallway with Greta and her companions following, Rhet behind them, I pull out my cell and send a quick text. Guests, but not unguarded ones. Asher will arrange for the packhouse to be surrounded by patrols. In effect, Greta is a prisoner.

The icy trickle of unease down my spine makes my fingers hit the button to call Thjis before I can even think about it.

"How is she?" I ask him abruptly.

There's a beat of silence before he responds, "fine. Upstairs, with Sarj."

My fingers tighten on the phone. "With Sarj?" I don't know who to worry about more, my mate or my little brother.

"He seems to comfort her," Thjis says blandly. "She practically flew into his arms as soon as we walked through the door."

I reel backward from the innocuous-sounding comment. Thjis knows how to send barbs deep when he wants to. I take a deep, shuddering breath, my wolf snarling low at the thought of our mate being so accepting of another male. My arms tingle as fur erupts. "They will not be alone together," the alpha in me doesn't hesitate to send the order.

"If you say so," Thjis replies mildly. "I'll check on them in a bit. Just warming up something for your mate to eat. I'll make sure she eats, fills her tummy up with my food."

A harsh choking sound fills my ears. It takes me a moment to realize that it's me. My anger is killing off my air supply.

"Problem?" Rhet sounds too cheerful, too smug. He can hear Thjis through the cell.

I turn my gaze on him. "My mate," I snarl. It's all I can manage to communicate as my hackles rise and fury spits.

"Is with Sarj and Thjis at the ranch. She's fine. Well-taken care of."

I roar in my brother's face. Rhet doesn't flinch, but his eyes become a sharper, colder blue. "You haveguests," he emphasizes. "You should take care of them."

My head turns slowly to look into fear-filled eyes. I snap my teeth at her, telling her without words to stop looking into the eyes of the alpha. Greta's gaze falls to her feet, her soft weeping filling the air. The male has flattened himself against the wall, a sign that he's most likely not a warrior. The other female, silent and tiny, is shaking, trying to hide behind the male's much more stocky body.

"Enough," I rasp out. I stomp to the door of the guest suite. Asher is already ahead of me, sending Tim and Ryan to guard the door. "In here. You will not leave. Food will be brought up." I throw open the door to the suite before turning on my heel and striding back down the hallway as ripples of rage run down my spine.

"Do you need a ride to the ranch?" Rhet asks, the innocence in his voice mocking me.

"I will run." The words are torn from my chest, guttural, and aching for my mate. When my wolf bursts free from my skin, I feel the hurt and anger my cat is feeling. My paws fly over the ground. I need to have my mate.

---