Page 121 of Untamed

"Your bite didn't hurt like this."

"Because I ammeantto Mark you!" I seethe furiously, instantly regretting it when she retreats from my arms but knowing she's safer at a distance from me right now. I bend and let my fist rip and tear at the earth the way I wanted to destroy my brother.

"You are mine! My mate! My female!" I howl my fury to the night sky. The moon is drowning in blood tonight. I wonder if she sees? If she knows how much I hate her at that moment? My little brother's torment is now mine, too.

"Inuit!" Alpha Jax approaches me carefully; his eyes are narrowed on the scene. "What the fuck happened?" he snarls when he sees Willa.

I growl in response, but my mate doesn't hesitate to tell him the story.

"Pup bit me. He is hurting, but Gnome took him away?" she poises the last as a question.

"Holy fucking goddess," Alpha Jax swears softly. He tilts my mate's head very gently to peer closely at her neck. "How are you feeling, Little Luna?" he asks her.

She shrugs a shoulder, giving me sideglance, swaying in exhaustion. "Mactiir is very angry," she whispers. "Entirelyenraged; maddened, infuriated, irate."

"I can imagine," Alpha Jax sighs. "Well, this bite looks pretty nasty, sweetheart-"

"Don't call her sweetheart," I snarl. A small tree is uprooted. I stare at it blankly, feeling my mate's wince. She loves these damn trees, doesn't she? Shit. I toss it aside like kindling. I'll plant her some more trees.

I spin around and stalk towards them. Alpha Jax stiffens, posturing towards me, but I just ignore him. Stopping short of them both just outside of arms reach, I ground out my plea. "Please,Qitsuk. Will you Mark me?"

"Mactiir," she responds slowly. "You want me to bite you?"

I smile weakly at her formal words. "Please," I repeat. I fight the urge to cry and howl my fury to the sky again.

I go to my knees so that she can reach me more easily. Her canines sink into my shoulder, just under my throat. I close my eyes with relief.

It stings, but there is nothing more. My eyes spring back open. "What is wrong?" I rasp out. "There's no venom, Jax."

I clutch my mate securely to me while I seek Jax's worried gaze. "Why isn't it working?" I shout. Qitsuk squirms in my arms, trying to free herself. I hold her more tightly.

"Inuit, easy In. Let her go."

"Never," I rage at him, my hands clenching her more tightly.

"Mactiir," a soft palm caresses my cheek. "Shh. Calm, my male. Shh."

I close my eyes and nuzzle her hand. My grip loosens, but I don't let her go. I won't let her go.

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37 - Red Cabinet

Inuit

I clutch my mate to me as I help her down from the truck. Our mouths meet, tongues tangling. She moans softly, the whimper forcing me to remember that she needs to be treated gently right now. Her body slides down mine, my hands cupping and squeezing her ass before I let her feet touch the ground. I eye the wolves surrounding us. My wolf curls his lip, showing his canines. Let them see whose female this is.

Her Mama grabs her as soon as I let go. My mate turns in her arms, and before I can even open my mouth to tell her to go inside, Lyri is there.

"What happened?" she gasps, enfolding both my mate and her Mama in her arms.Qitsukis a head taller than both older females, but she still curls into their arms naturally. A little female who needs to be comforted. Just not by me, not right now.

"Take them inside," I mutter to Alpha Jax. We drove to the packhouse, much to my utter and complete disgust. The ranch is just too far away, on the other side of the territory from the BlueSnout and where we need to be. I don't know where Elias took Sarj. It's better that I don't know.

"I want to stay outside," my cat's head comes up, her lower lip jutting out slightly with her words.

I can't help myself. My alpha-wolf and I need to touch her. With her Mama and Lyri eyeing me, I reach out and run my thumb over that sexy-as-fuck lip. "It's safer, kitten," I murmur. "You need to rest and eat." She moves into my touch, golden eyelashes fluttering.

The eyes of the Mauja we dragged here are crawling all over us. They all saw what happened, saw me carrying my mate out of the woods, rumpled and exhausted from her desperate sprint and being attacked. Some of them may have seen the Mark on her neck, already red and inflamed, angry. They would have heard the tale from the young Mauja wolves who ran with the pack. They would have seen my utter and complete rage that I couldn't prevent what happened to my beautiful female.