Page 95 of Feral Omega

This is Ivy, my omega.

Not some thirsty bitch in heat to be mounted and rutted until the fire burns itself out.

She deserves more than that. Deserves to be cherished, worshiped in a way none of us twisted fucks are even capable of.

But we're all she has.

Ivy shifts on the narrow cot, the thin sheet pooling around her waist to reveal the soft curves of her body, slick with sweat. Those fathomless eyes fix on me, the very color of the sea, heavy-lidded and glassy with the fever raging through her.

I'm starting to judge Plague a little less, if that's the way she looked at him when she begged him to help take the edge off.

Supposedly.

"Thane," she murmurs, the word so breathy it has fresh desire running through me.

I clear my throat, buying a moment to compose myself as I cross to her bedside. "How are you feeling?"

A ghost of a smile tugs at those full lips, achingly sensual. "I've felt better."

A raspy chuckle escapes me before I can rein it in, the sound edged with a hint of a growl. "I'll bet."

She regards me through lowered lashes, that shrewd intelligence glinting in her heavy-lidded gaze. "Are you here to ream me out about Plague?"

I arch a brow at her choice of words, tamping down the flare of possessive jealousy that threatens to surge up and drown me. "No," I say gruffly. "But I do need to ask you something."

Ivy tenses, that lithe body coiling like a wire pulled taut. She studies me for a long moment, as if weighing her words. "Was I the one who asked him to...?" she trails off, a flicker of uncertainty ghosting across those delicate features.

I nod once, holding her stare steadily. "Yes. Were you?"

She hesitates, worrying that full lower lip between her teeth. Then, so softly I almost miss it, "...Yes. Are you going to punish me?"

My brow furrows at the tremor in her voice, the sudden spike of fear souring her scent.

Her gaze snaps to mine with a potent mix of defiance and wariness.

"Why would I punish you, Ivy?" I ask gently, reaching out to brush a stray lock from her damp forehead. "Your body is your own. You have the right to decide who touches you."

God, I want it to be me.

She blinks at me, lips parting slightly on a soft exhalation. I can practically see the wheels turning behind those piercing eyes as my words register, as she processes the simple truth of her autonomy that most alphas would deny her.

After a long, charged moment, she seems to shake herself from her reverie. "If that's not why, then…"

I give a low chuckle, shaking my head slowly. "No, darlin'. That's not why I'm here at all." Leaning closer, I catch her gaze and hold it, willing her to see the sincerity in my own. "The truth is, you're not safe here like this, Ivy. Not with that convoy due any day now to complete the deal. Your scent..." I trail off, nostrils flaring again as that maddening aroma washes over me anew.

She flushes, pupils dilating until those aquamarine irises are just thin rings around black pools. "My scent?" she echoes, a tremor in the words.

I nod, swallowing hard. "It's a beacon, little rabbit. Calling every unattached alpha for miles to come sniffing around like dogs in a rut." My lips quirk in a wry smile. "Present company included."

To her credit, she doesn't flinch from my wolfish grin, that proud tilt to her chin never wavering. But I don't miss the way her throat works in a convulsive swallow, the slight hitch of her breath.

She knows exactly what I'm referring to. What her luscious scent stirs in the most base parts of an alpha's hindbrain.

"So," she murmurs, holding my stare with an intensity that has my blood thrumming. "What's your solution, then?"

The tip of her tongue darts out to wet those full lips, the innocuous gesture sending a fresh surge of desire coursing through me. I grit my teeth against the sudden urge to lean forward and claim that teasing mouth with mine, to swallow those soft whimpers and breathy cries.

"You need to choose one of us," I rasp, the words emerging as more of a growl than I intended. "One of the pack to get you through this heat, to keep the rest of those bastards from sniffing you out."

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