Page 144 of Smoke and Lure

Minsi rolled her body, attempting to get away.

Morlie locked her thighs against her opponent’s sides and rolled with her.

They tussled and swung, going blow for blow.One moment Morlie was on top, then Minsi.

Finally, Morlie allowed Minsi to roll them again.Once she was underneath her, she wrapped her legs around Minsi's waist where she’d broken the other she-wolf’s ribs, locked her ankles, and squeezed.

Minsi screamed.

Morlie pressed tighter.

“Fuck!Fuckin’ bitch, get off me,” Minsi growled.

When Minsi arched back, gripped Morlie’s knees, and attempted to force her legs loose, Morlie seized her opportunity.Shooting her hands up, she grabbed Minsi by the throat with both hands and called forth her wolf enough to extend her claws in and bury them deep into the muscles and tendons at the sides of Minsi’s throat.The she-wolf’s blood pooled around her fingers.

Minsi gasped and struggled, clutched at Morlie’s arms, and tried to tear her hands away, but Morlie held fast.

“Submit!”

With nails sharp, Minsi scratched at Morlie’s arms, scratching and pulling, struggling to free herself.

Even as searing pain from the shredded skin of her forearms and blood ran down her arms to drip and stain her shirt, Morlie refused to release Minsi.“Submit!”she barked.

Minsi stared down, her nose in an odd angle, and one eye swollen as she locked her one good, narrowed, almond-shaped eye on Morlie.

Morlie felt Minsi’s fierce grip.The other female no longer tried to pull her hands away but seemed to be holding her.

Morlie thought that Minsi would force her to rip out her throat instead of submitting, but as she stared up at the person who had been her enemy for so long, her heart constricted.

She saw the watery amber gaze and realized that Minsi’s war was no longer with Morlie but with herself.Morlie could clearly see that everything Minsi had thought about herself, all of her identity, had been constructed around being the strongest, fiercest she-wolf, and side-by-side with the Omega Pack Alpha, and now she had to let that idea go willingly.

“Submit, Minsi,” Morlie whispered, but her demand was still finite.

“I submit and recognize you as the claimed-mate of my Alpha.”Minsi’s voice came out rough and garbled, her vocal cords trembling around Morlie’s fingers as Minsi closed her eye and bowed her head.

Minsi’s hair curtained the she-wolf’s battered face.

Morlie held there for a moment, then shifted them to the side and allowed Minsi’s body to drop to the ground before Morlie retracted her nails and pulled her hands away from the other shifter's throat.

She rolled her sore body up until she was standing on her feet.Every fucking thing hurt.

She glanced toward Minsi and saw her slowly getting to her feet.“The Alpha female!”

Morlie stared across the field and saw Faolan still standing at the front line.She gave him a sharp nod of thanks, the gesture also permitting him to assist Minsi.

It didn’t add to Morlie’s victory if Minsi remained at her side, defeated.The other she-wolf was still Pack.

Faolan strutted forward to collect his mate.

Morlie raised her head and pressed her tender shoulders back as she met the gazes of the Pack members gathered in the large crowd.

Even with Minsi’s declaration, the Pack sat still, silent.

Her heart pounded in that moment, afraid that perhaps the Pack was not with her, not in support of her beating one of their finest warriors.

Then they all broke out in roars and chants, and a few people barked in response.

Lovel and Rudie rushed her.Amira moved at a slower pace.

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