Page 86 of Feral Omega

PLAGUE

We've been walking for miles when Valek staggers into a nearby tree. I stop beside him, my brow furrowed as I examine the gash on his temple. Blood mats his light hair, trickling in steady rivulets down his high cheekbone.

The cut is deep, a vicious gash that will likely need stitches. But the bigger concern is the knot already swelling on Valek's skull, a sickly purple marring his pale skin.

That little omega of ours packs quite the punch.

I shake my head, fighting the urge to smile at the thought of Ivy taking this ruthless killer down with nothing but her wits and a well-aimed rock. She's proving to be full of surprises, that one.

Valek jerks his head back, fixing me with a scathing glare. "Enough fussing, bird boy. We need to keep moving."

I arch a brow but say nothing. He's embarrassed, lashing out to save face like a cornered predator. Can't say I don't understand the impulse—we alphas do love our pride.

Thane's deep voice cuts through the crisp mountain air, his tone clipped with impatience. "We're wasting time."

We plunge back into the twisted maze of the forest, Valek taking point with that uncanny sense of his. The snow crunches beneath my boots, each breath a plume of frozen vapor in the chill air.

Whiskey is already long gone, and as usual, he hasn't been answering when Thane tries to contact him. But I'm sure he's fine. He's nothing if not resourceful.

Or lucky. It could certainly be luck.

But some of us need to take a more measured approach, just in case she fell into the snow and her tracks have been covered up, so I scan every inch of forest consumed beneath our boots.

My gaze drifts to the looming silhouette of the mountains, those jagged peaks ripping at the slate-gray sky like the serrated edges of a blade. So much untamed wilderness, so many places for a lone omega to vanish without a trace.

A shiver that has nothing to do with the cold races down my spine.

We can't lose her out here. Can't let those twisted bureaucrats at the Council win by sacrificing her to these merciless heights on some misguided attempt to control us.

Control me.

The thought kindles a slow-burning ember of rage in my chest. How dare they use her, put her in harm's way like some sort of...

My eyes narrow, fingers flexing at my sides.

Fuck.

Now she's out there alone, best case scenario.

Worst case? She's with Wraith.

My vision bleeds crimson at the edges, a snarl building in my chest. How many times have I considered ending Wraith, putting that rabid beast out of his misery before he can hurt someone? How many times have I stared at that mask, at the shredded ruin of his face, and thought about doing us all a favor?

I could do it so easily. Slip a bit of something extra into a vaccine.

He's barely human, really. It wouldn't even be murder.

How many times have I been tempted?

Too many to count.

And now, because of my weakness, Ivy is out here alone with that same feral alpha. Completely at his nonexistent mercy, with nothing to protect her but her own wits and a few scraps of stolen gear.

My chest constricts, each ragged breath like shards of ice in my lungs. I can't lose her. Can't let her slip through my fingers and be lost to this frigid hell, not when I've only just found her.

"Hey." Valek's harsh rasp cuts through the haze of my spiraling thoughts. "You still with us, Doc?"

I blink, the world snapping back into focus. Thane and the others have paused ahead, all eyes on me with varying degrees of concern and impatience etched across their features.

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