Page 96 of Untamed

Inuit roars, taking a casual swipe at Rhet as he stands protectively in front of two wolves I don't recognize. Another strange wolf is lying in a bloody heap, the male's chest is torn in half, innards spilled everywhere over the Persian rug.

"Elias," I murmur lowly, "who is with Snow?"

"All of the other wolves, Alpha," comes the old goat's swift reply. "Entire pack is outside. Everyone is clear-done scared. They don't know if Inuit can pull himself back from this."

"Lost his mate?" Devel is looking at Inuit with wary respect. He moves to stand near Ezra, looking on helplessly with the heavy silver chains in his hands.

"She was abducted," Ez whispers. Not quiet enough, judging by the snarls Inuit lets rip free.

"My mate. You know where ssshe is."

I can only describe the sound of Inuit's voice as a hiss. Not like a snake, like a fucking dragon. I half-expect smoke to be pouring from his mouth. The female he's staring at with lethal intentions is a sobbing, hysterical mess. Inuit thinks she knows where his mate is. If I were her, I would talk.

Inuit is so focused on the hapless female that he doesn't notice Ezra creeping up behind him with silver. Or, he does, as he swipes at his brother without even looking toward him. The silver chain goes flying, smacking Ezra in the face and leaving a red streak behind.

"I will eat your brain from your skull and sssee your memoriesss that way."

Ezra tosses us a desperate look, but Devel, Sam, and I are already moving. We ring Inuit, the three of us, with Ezra readying himself for another attempt with the chains.

"He was tranqed, so no more drugs," Ezra says softly.

I roll my shoulders. The hard way it is. Inuit is young, not even full-grown, yet we have five males here to subdue him. But, even so, this is going to be the fight of my life.

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Inuit

I feel the loss of her. It makes my insides bleed, my alpha-wolf howl in savage ferocity. I've never felt this way before, so wild, so unhinged. I could have ripped through my pack, drank their blood, eaten their flesh, and chewed on their bones.

Digging my claws into the earth below me, I force my body to rise upward. Chains on my wrists and ankles clank together.

"Easy, In."

I look up into Alpha Jax's face. He seems calm, but I can see his intense worry deep inside.

"My mate?" I croak out.

His mouth tightens. "Taken. Alive, as far as we know," he rasps out. "Thjis was shot in the left thigh trying to run down the van. Lyri and Ezra are with him at the clinic. Rhet is on the phone, calling in our allies." He sums up the situation.

I look at the chains binding my wrists. On the ends of my hands are thick, wicked-looking claws, as long as daggers and black as ink. Not normal. My head is pounding as if someone is repeatedly punching me in the head. The links of the chain are nearly as thick as my wrists. They're draped over my legs, shoulders, back, and chest. "Did I kill anyone? How long has it been?"

"One of the packless wolves, and less than a day. Fucked up pretty much the entire packhouse trying to kill... Greta is it?"

"I saw her," I spit out some blood pooling in my mouth. "Just after they shot me."

"She's in the cells," Alpha Jax replies, still holding onto his cool. "Along with several other wolves."

"Who helped her?" I rasp out.

Alpha Jax is silent for a beat. Something harsh moves across his face. "My former Beta," he grates out. A short, sarcastic laugh bursts from his mouth. "Max's unhappy, his whole family are, with the loss of their positions. They waited eight years to get their revenge. They've all 'bugged out,' as Elias said."

He rubs a shaking hand over his face before bringing his hands to my wrists, wrestling with the key in the lock.

"My mate," I mutter as the chains fall to the earth. "My mate is with the Mauja?" I feel like tossing my lunch but force myself to stand and shed the rest of the silver.

"Yes, with help from…Jessie. She's alive, and I lied to all of you about that."

"You... lied," I ask him. "Are you still with her?" I don't understand this betrayal. Jessie ripped out Jax's heart and spat on it.

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