Page 20 of Their Marked Mate

Titus swung, rotating his torso to put more power behind the blow.

Alex absorbed one punch but avoided the others. He was only using a small fraction of his strength or agility, but he was losing interest in the fight. The outcome was a foregone conclusion and the longer he indulged this fledgling, the more apt he was to try again.

Alex released a fast, focused series of punches, hitting Titus in the abdomen and face.

The youth staggered back, blood running from one nostril as he tried to regain his footing.

“Had enough?” Alex challenged, advancing fast.

“Fuck you,” Titus snarled and raised his fists.

Releasing his wolf just enough to ignite his gaze, Alex absorbed lupine energy and felt his muscles ripple. He punched Titus squarely in the face and his nose surrendered with a sickening crack. “Party time is over. The adults have work to do.”

Blood gushed from both nostrils now, but Titus came up swinging. His arms windmilled, making the youth look cartoonish.

With the agility of a true alpha, Alex twisted and bobbed. He easily avoided the younger man’s fists while landing every punch he threw. Ready to end the demonstration, Alex rocked back onto his left foot and kicked Titus in the ribs with his right.

Titus twisted sharply then collapsed with a groan.

Alex lunged toward him, but Titus covered his head with his arms and pulled his legs up toward his chest. “Mercy,” he called out, voice sharp and urgent. “I’m sorry, alpha. You win. You win!”

Lupine energy still burning in his eyes, Alex held out his hand toward Titus. “Your pack is young and disorganized.” He helped the younger male to his feet. “You have the potential to be a good leader, but you must be willing to learn.”

“I made my move too soon?” Titus asked softly, clearly aware of the crowd surrounding them.

“Your challenge came much too soon.”

Titus nodded, eyes downcast. “I’ll focus on my pack.”

“See that you do.”

Nate opened the gate securing the cage and let Titus out.

Alex stood in the middle of the cage and let out a lupine howl. He accented the sound with stinging pulses of alpha energy. The howl was picked up by the onlookers until the sound echoed eerily. Pausing to soak in the affirmation, he pumped both fists in the air then made his way out of the combat cage.

“Does he have any idea how much you were holding back?” Nate waited until Titus was gone before he asked the question.

Alex took the towel Nate held out and dried off his face and neck. “He might not, but they do.” He nodded toward the onlookers who were just starting to disperse. “My youngest alpha learned a valuable lesson today. I saw no reason to humiliate him.”

“Elias would have ripped out his throat,” Nate said grimly as he handed Alex his shirt.

“Elias was a fool. The cats outnumber us three to one. Every member of this village is valuable.” Alex draped the towel around his neck and started walking. His entire torso still gleamed with sweat, so he waited to pull on his shirt. “Let’s go check on our mate. I haven’t seen her since breakfast yesterday. I’m hoping she finally has something to report.”

“To have something to report, she’d have to actually work on the protocol, and we both know she has no intention of doing so,” Nate predicted.

“You’re right,” Alex admitted. “I’m just not sure what I want to do about it.”

“You’re going to have to take control of her,” Nate stated emphatically. “It has been inevitable from the start.”

Alex released a measured sigh. “I’m drawn to Luna because of her feistiness. If she surrendered without a fight, I’d probably lose interest.”

Nate nodded but said nothing.

“It’s irrational,” Alex added. “If a male challenged me the way she does, I’d beat the shit out of him. What just happened in the cage is proof of that. But she glares and smarts off, and it makes me so hot I can’t think of anything but fucking her.”

Nate held back his smile, but amusement made his dark eyes gleam. “Courting is hard work, especially with a female as crafty as ours.”

Alex paused and faced his beta, lowering his voice so no one else could hear. “The human in me wants her badly, but my wolf is still unaffected by her scent.”