In the Alpha's Bed (Stealing the Alpha Book 3) by Kate Rudolph Page B

Mel was on her ass before she realized she was under attack. But that didn't last long. Mel wasn't normally a fighter, but she could hold her own when it was life or death. And though she and Maya were fighting for the same pack against Ava and her coven, Mel wasn't under any misconception that they would be anywhere near friends once this all was over.
    This was a fight of pure instinct and pent up rage. It poured through Mel and she let it flow, pounding her fists against Maya, rolling in the dirt, and not feeling the pain of the blows that landed.
    They rolled in the dirt, neither able to claim dominance over the other. When Mel landed on her back, she pulled her legs in close and kicked out, launching Maya several feet back to where she slammed into the trunk of a nearby oak.
    Mel let out a scream and charged at her, but Maya was ready for it and swept Mel's legs out from under her. She landed on top, straddling Mel's waist. Maya's red hair was a tangled mess around her face, making her look more demon than human. Mel reached up and dug her hands deep, pulling as hard as she could, making Maya yelp.
    They weren't using claws. As angry as both of them were, as desperate to have this out, neither was willing to escalate it to that level. Once their claws came out, only one of them would walk away.
    Besides, it would take far too long to shift properly, and whoever did it first would be vulnerable to attack in the meantime.
    Mel struggled out from under Maya and kicked her again. Maya must have tripped over a branch because she fell backwards and then down a ravine behind the trees.
    The fight was over.
    Neither of them had won.
    Mel stayed where she was, waiting for Maya to climb back up. When several minutes passed, she grew concerned. She could still hear Maya moving, so she wasn't dead, but she might have been stuck. Of course, Mel knew that Maya would drop dead before asking for Mel's help. Mel wanted to let her stew a little longer, but they had work to do and every minute they wasted was another minute that Ava could bring the hurt down on them.
    So she walked to the edge of the ravine and looked down. No wonder Maya hadn't come back up. She's found an expired witch's circle – a spot where a witch or group of witches had performed magic. And by the look of the burnt out plants, it had been done recently.
    Mel sat on the edge of the ravine and eased herself down, half-sliding in the dirt. She walked over to Maya, beginning to feel every bruise and cut that had just been inflicted upon her.
    "This is witch crap," Maya announced.
    Mel nodded, "Probably looking for the Well."
    "This is too close to the house. One of our patrols should have sensed them." It wasn't arrogance. Four miles from Luke's house, in the heart of the pack territory, was far too close for the witches to make it without detection.
    "There are spells that mask scent," Mel said. "They don't work for long, though."
    "Wonderful." Maya edged around the circle, staying out of the main ring. It was about ten feet wide and nearly bare of vegetation. It looked almost like someone had set the entire thing on fire, but it abruptly stopped with plants half-charred in a perfect circle. "So is this the Well? Did they find it?"
    Mel shook her head. She crouched down and traced her fingers through the dark, dry dirt. It had rained a few days ago, but the dirt here was bone dry. Another after-effect of whatever spell they'd used.
    She looked back up at Maya and her heart jumped, beating rapidly. "Maya, freeze!" A vine had snaked its way down one of the trees and ran over Maya's foot. The werelioness hadn't even noticed.
    But Mel recognized the sickly yellow-green of that vine, and she could almost taste the foul magic in the air. And luckily for both of them, Maya held still.
    "Look down," Mel instructed, keeping her voice even, "But don't move an inch."
    Maya looked down and then back up at Mel, "It's a vine." She didn't sound impressed, but she didn't move.
    "It's