Page 28 of Savage Claim

I grabbed Fane’s arm before he could take another swipe at Torin. “Stop! You’re going to kill him.”

“That’s the plan.” Fane’s mouth curved into a snarl as Torin slumped against the trunk, whimpering. Movement caught his attention as the two males, still in animal form, tried to leave. “Stay right fucking there.”

Fane released another roar with so much power behind it that my knees wanted to bend. Torin dropped to the ground along with the other two, and all four of them, including Gray, rolled onto their bellies, whining.

“What the hell is going on?” Barric stormed out of the trees, his irises glowing and canines sharpening as he scrutinized the four wolves, two bleeding and Fane growling over them with crimson staining his hands.

“Why don’t you ask your male pack members?” The demon shifter angled toward me until his body brushed mine, his skin a blazing fire. “I found Torin trying to force his claim on my mate.” Tremors rippled over him as his fury pulsated through the bond.

Torin scoffed. “He’s lying. Tate led me out here. She propositioned me.”

I nearly threw up in my mouth. “Now who’s the liar?”

“Enough!” Barric shouted, his voice garbled by the massive canines protruding from his mouth. “All of you, in my office. Now.”

Fane refused to move his hand from my thigh as we sat on the couch in Barric’s office while Torin and Gray—both dressed now—occupied the chairs in front of the desk, and Hank and Marcel stood along the room’s edges.

“Maybe if you hadn’t been busy flirting with that visiting she-wolf, Torin wouldn’t have attacked me,” I said, ignoring Fane’s attempts to pull me closer. “The douchebag thought you didn’t care what happened to me.”

“How many times do I have to tell you I wasn’t flirting with her, Teague? I was just trying to get a damn drink in peace when she cornered me.”

“Aw, you poor, helpless baby. Did the scary she-wolf corner you?” My silent voice oozed sarcasm.

“This is ridiculous, Alpha Barric.” An older male with the same tawny hair and golden eyes as Torin stood behind him. A vicious scar dug into his neck, definitely claw marks. “I’m sure it’s all just a misunderstanding. My son would never attempt to steal another wolf’s mate much less force a claim on one.”

“Except he did,” I said. “They followed me into the forest with that very intent. His friends were there to hold me down.”

Fane flinched at my words, and the rage still throbbed around him, heavy and choking. “If this ever happens again, let the amulet out and eviscerate the motherfuckers.”

Fane had known I’d been trying to keep the Infernal Sol’s power at bay. “And then what? Are you going to keep Barric from locking me up? Because that’s exactly what he’d do.”

He cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders. “No one is locking you up.”

His fierce tone had my pulse rising. I wanted to believe him, but I’d been held prisoner because of this amulet so many times I lost count.

Torin’s father narrowed a glare at me. “You’re confused. You’re a bitten wolf and haven’t been here long enough to know the ways.”

“But I’m not, Wes.” Fane stared the man down, and even sitting, he was a hundred times more intimidating than Torin’s father. “I know exactly what I walked up on, and I have every right to kill your son and the other wolves involved.”

“My son isn’t dying over some?—”

Barric popped his knuckles as alpha power throbbed from him. “Tell me the truth, Torin. Did you or did you not attack Tate?”

Torin swallowed thickly as all the blood drained from his face. “I, uh, I just wanted to mess with her. I wasn’t really going to let it go that far.”

A low growl built in Barric’s chest, worked its way up his throat, and burst from between his teeth. “I don’t stand for that kind of behavior in this pack. All four of you will be punished. We don’t treat our females with such disrespect.” The alpha turned to Fane and me. “I apologize on behalf of my pack. You two are excused while I deal with them.”

Wes scoffed. “This is bullshit, Barric. That girl wouldn’t even be allowed here if The Collective?—”

“That is not something we discuss here,” the alpha snapped, his jaw grinding as his eyes burned into Wes like they were trying to melt his flesh off. As he curled his hands, the white scars crisscrossing them widened. “You know I don’t tolerate it.”

My heartbeats tripped all over themselves, and of course Fane caught it, arching his brow. Barric clearly didn’t like Wes mentioning The Collective Hunt.

Fane grabbed my hand as he stood, yanking me up with him. “If I see any of you near her again, I’ll rip your throat out. I don’t give a damn about consequences.”

As we left the office, Wes released a string of curses followed by a hissed whisper. “I can’t believe you allow either of them to stay with the pack. She’s a troublemaker, and he’s an unhinged beast. He’s a half demon, worse than that bitten trash.”

The demon shifter shook his head at the insults and trudged down the hall, his hand still firmly locked around mine like he feared I’d slip away and cause more havoc. “He’s lucky I didn’t rip his son’s heart out and serve it to him for dinner.”

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