Page 87 of Feral Omega

"Yeah," I growl, forcing the tremor from my voice. "Just thinking."

Valek's brows knit, something like understanding flickering in those fathomless dark depths. "About what you're gonna do if we find our rabbit torn apart by that wild dog Thane's been letting off leash? Funny, I was thinking the same thing."

He isn't wrong.

"Shut the fuck up and find her," Thane snarls, his voice a guttural growl one tone off from an alpha's bark.

I grab his arm, because I can tell he's thinking about lunging. Few subjects are more sensitive for him than his brother, and the last thing we need is him flying into one of his rages right now.

"Enough, both of you," I mutter. "We need to move."

They both hesitate, and I decide I'm done playing peacemaker. "Fine," I say, trudging forward. "Rip each other apart if you like. I'm finding her."

Eventually, they follow, a grudging and noiseless truce. They don't have to like each other. Hell, I don't like either one of them right now.

Ivy needs us calm. Needs us focused, and sharp.

Because if Wraith has hurt her, if that rabid mutt has so much as laid a finger on her delicate flesh...

The wind picks up, slicing through my layers with icy teeth. I hunker down, bracing against the sudden onslaught as the first flurries begin to swirl through the skeletal trees.

Valek curses a blue streak in his native tongue, waving a hand to beckon us forward at a quicker pace. We press on in grim silence, the snow crunching beneath our boots the only sound save for our ragged breaths misting the frigid air.

My gaze sweeps the bleak terrain, searching for any sign of our missing omega. A scrap of fabric snagged on a branch, a wayward footprint marring the pristine powder...

But there's nothing. Just the endless march of snow-capped peaks and gnarled trunks, the world slowly disappearing beneath a veil of swirling white.

And thanks to the suppressant, tracking her by scent isn't an option.

At least other alphas won't have an easy time finding her, either.

Dread coils in the pit of my stomach, icy tendrils snaking through my veins. What if we're too late? What if the winter has already claimed her, swallowing her tiny form in its merciless maw?

I can't lose her. Won't.

My fingers tighten around the strap of my med kit until the knuckles blaze white. I will tear this frozen wasteland apart with my bare hands if I have to.

Because Ivy is ours.

Valek slows to a halt, raising a fist to signal the rest of us. I tense immediately, a feral snarl building in my chest as my gaze snaps to the treeline.

A massive silhouette emerges from the swirling vortex of snow and shadow, looming and imposing even at a distance.

Wraith.

The breath freezes in my lungs, every muscle coiling with the urge to lunge forward, to tear into that twisted creature with until I've ripped the last shred of life from his ruined body.

Before I can react, another bulky figure comes through the blinding whiteout.

Whiskey.

And there's a shock of auburn hair over his shoulder, waving in the wind like a flag. My throat constricts, my jaw clenching so hard it hurts.

Ivy.

The sight of her limp form draped over his back sends a spike of pure terror through me. She's not moving.

Is she...?

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