Page 47 of Unforgivable

"She wouldn't let us clear it before," one of them explains.

I just grunt. I'm tired and ready to go home to my warm house and soft bed... and even softer female.

I eye up the young males as we finish working an hour later. My brain is a little fuzzy from exhaustion. Maybe that's why it's only occurring to me now how strange it is that these two came down from the mountains right before a massive snowstorm.

"Why are you visiting your great-aunt?" I ask them. I try to make my voice sound mild, but I know I failed at the return of the wariness in their expressions.

"Ah, we just are," one of them offers.

I raise an eyebrow in their direction. "Not much of an explanation." I keep my face neutral, but my wolf is posturing to the pup, the threat of violence simmering underneath my skin. I want an explanation because they're not 'just' visiting.

Discomfort crosses his face. "Aunt Gloria told our grandfather about a female," he mutters finally. "She ah... Nian is MateLess, and-"

I explode towards him with purpose.

I sink claws into the younger of the two males. The MateLess. The one who will steal my female from me. My wolf rumbles in my chest, a warning growl that reverberates deep despite being muffled in the snow. I shake the pup back and forth, rattling him down to his bones, slamming him face-first into the ground. It won't hurt him too badly. This is a lesson. You don't try to steal another male's female.

I don't hear that old female approach. A thwack hits me right on my sensitive left ear. I let out a snarl. The pain from my ear radiates right into my skull, making it ring.

I slide my eyes to the right. Luna Gloria is holding a large wooden ladle, snapping it in my face. The pup is limp in my grasp. Alive, just playing dead. My claws are sunk in deep but not hitting anything vital. I know what I'm doing.

And now Luna Gloria is going to know what I'm doing. Shit.

I release the pup. He falls to the ground, moaning, but smartly doesn't move a muscle as his body starts the slow process of knitting back together.

"What are you thinking?" Luna Gloria raises her spoon threateningly.

I stand, my mind racing for an explanation.

"He is staking his Claim on the female, Auntie," the pup still standing blurts out. Idiot.

Luna Gloria's eyes narrow on me. I tower over her, easily outweighing her at just over two hundred pounds. I'm not the size of an alpha, but I'm close. Those faded blue eyes travel to Thjis next. I can only imagine the stern look on my brother's face.

"Aren't there three of you?" she snaps.

"Ezra," Thjis responds.

Something flickers deep into those eyes. I'm fooling myself into thinking it's knowledge. It's just the snow glinting off of her cataracts, most likely. This old bird can't possibly know that we all plan on having Lyri together; that she's ours, not just mine.

I'm not imagining the dark humor that lights up her wrinkled face. Something's making this elder wolf very amused.

"Well, are you younglings finished with my path or not? I need the shed open, too. Numb-nuts," she mutters, still with that grin on her face, as she spins around. "Argus, get your brother."

Argus steps forward, slowly, wary of me, and loops his brother's shoulder over his own to drag him inside.

"Sorry about your female. We didn't know she was Claimed," he says formally.

I huff.

"Fucker. Couldn't you just punch him? Had to go all dominant on his ass. Shit. Now we have to clear the path to the shed without them helping. We'll miss dinner for sure," Thjis stomps off.

I huff, staring down at the specks of blood in the snow. Shaking out my limbs, I retract the claws and pick up my shovel.

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Lyri

I hear the rumble of a car engine and smile. I would skip to the door to greet the males, but I think my skipping days may be over permanently.

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