Page 31 of Untamed

I sip it against my better judgment.Don't eat from his hand, but this is drinking, so it must be alright.

"I don't think I've ever seen that dopey look on your face," one of the star-friend males says to Mactiir.

I slide my gaze to the Blue-Star, trusting that Mactiir isn't planning any sudden movements at the moment. The male is grinning. It makes his eyes light up even brighter. I wonder what makes these males so different from all of the rest of them.

"She is my mate," Mactiir says with emphasis. A crease appears on his forehead between his eyes. I resist the temptation to reach up and smooth the wrinkle out.

"Well, I have to get Elna to the clinic," the dark male announces. "I'll add her to your count this week, In. This is what, three wolves?"

The female who tried to touch Mactiir is moaning softly, her hands covering her wounded eye. This female offered to train with me? Father would have destroyed this female. He has no patience for tears.Females are weak, but you won't be.

Hadno patience for tears. Father is dead, and so is Mama.

"What's wrong, my Bliss?" Mactiir wraps a thick arm around my waist.

I let him. It feels good. Held close to him, I notice his size again. He's so much taller and broader than Father. It reminds me of Mama's warnings about the Pack. The Pack values strength above all else. Father agreed. There's no place for weak wolves in the world.

When I was twelve, I caught a tiny bluebird. For months I tried to work on my quickness, my agility. That was the test: to capture a bird with my bare hands. I did it. I had to sneak up on the tiny thing. I stalked it for over a day, just lying in the tree next to the next until I became just a part of nature.

When I held it in my hand, it was sofragile; delicate, frail, insubstantial.

Then, it pecked me, and I was so startled I let it go. It flew away, free, and beyond any wolf's abilities to capture it again. The bluebird flew free, and so will I, fragile or not.

"Come,Qitsuk."

I go with Mactiir, but only because the chains give me no choice. And, this place is a little scary.

"Lyri will return in just a few days, In," Blue-Star says.

Mactiir's jaw clenches. "I know, Rhet."

"I'd get rid of those chains before she comes home."

"Thank you for your advice," Mactiir says sarcastically. "Let's go,Qitsuk."

He takes me to a... a vehicle.

I've never seen a vehicle before, only in pictures. A few were driving or stopped in the distance while I was up on the dead tree, but I was so enamored with staring at the wolves in the Pack that I didn't notice the vehicles.

Now, this dark grey behemoth is looming closer and closer with every step. My feet slow.

"You've never seen a truck before, huh,Qitsuk?"

I don't even try to glare at him. I'm busy staring. The vehicle is shiny metal, more metal than I've ever seen in one place before. The wheels are different than I expected, black with thick, deep grooves coated in mud. The truck's bed has all sorts of things inside and smells of animals that I don't recognize. My feet stall while I try to sort through the strange scents. I think I smell chickens, even though I haven't smelled one of those in years, but I don't know these other creatures. How is that even possible?

"We can't drive all the way home," Mactiir says as he opens a door and, with me in his arms, sits in the seat. "There isn't a road to the cabin. It's a footpath. You'll feel comfortable there,Qitsuk. It's got all sorts of female shi-crap."

He talks a lot.

I stop listening to him when he turns a little metal key in the... what is it called? And the engine roars to life. Embarrassingly, I jump a little. It's much louder than I expected. The book said it's a purr. Engines purr or sputter. They don't growl like this. Maybe something's wrong with this vehicle?

I should tell Mactiir his vehicle is too loud, but that would mean talking to him.

Reaching around me, he places one hand on the steering... wheel! The other falls to my thigh. I glare at his hand on my skin. His chest rumbles just like the engine. He's laughing at me.

I snap my teeth in his face.

"No,Qitsuk," he gently reprimands me, tapping my upper lip with his forefinger before returning his hand to the steering wheel.

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