Page 96 of Feral Omega

Ivy stills, that lithe body going utterly motionless. Even her breathing seems to halt for a few precious seconds as my meaning sinks in.

Then, so softly I almost don't hear it over the thunderous pounding of my pulse in my ears, "You're going to... let me choose my heatmate?"

I lean back, giving her space as I force myself to nod. "Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

Her gaze darts away, those delicate features pinching in a frown. "Because... because you're alphas," she whispers, so low I have to strain to hear her. "You take what you want. That's how it's always been."

The anguish in her voice, the raw vulnerability she's allowing me to glimpse... it's like a physical blow, stealing the breath from my lungs.

What nightmares lurk in her past, what horrors were visited upon her at the hands of my kind to forge such bone-deep trauma? The thought has fury surging through me, white-hot and caustic.

Reaching out, I cup her cheek in my palm, forcing her to meet my eyes once more. "Not this time, Ivy," I say, the words edged with the weight of an oath. "Not with us."

She searches my face for a long moment, her gaze seeming to bore straight through to my battered soul. Whatever she finds there seems to reassure her. Her shoulders slump fractionally, the fight bleeding out of her in a slow exhale.

"But..." she murmurs, worrying that full lower lip again. "Won't it cause... tension? If I choose one of you over the others?"

I consider her words carefully, tamping down the rumbling growl building in my chest at the mere thought of her choosing one of the others. Of watching one of my brothers claim her, take her to heights of ecstasy that should be mine alone to provide.

Finally, I force myself to meet her stare head-on, unflinching. "It doesn't matter," I say, the words a low rumble of finality. "Whatever you decide, we'll accept it. No arguments, no challenges. You have my word on that."

Ivy holds my gaze for a few heartbeats longer, that clever mind no doubt weighing every angle, every unspoken implication of my promise. Then, slowly, she gives a small nod.

"What about..." She trails off, teeth worrying at her lip again. "What about Wraith?"

The name hits me like a physical blow, panic and instinctive rejection surging through me in equal measure.

I can't have heard her correctly.

Or has she lost her mind?

"Wraith?" I echo when I'm able to speak again. I can't keep the edge of disbelief from my tone.

Ivy nods again, more firmly this time. "He saved me when I escaped," she murmurs, something achingly vulnerable flickering across those delicate features. "Tended to my wounds, kept me alive when the others were hunting me. I... trust him."

I stare at her for a long moment, utterly dumbstruck. Of all the alphas for her to choose, I never could have anticipated Wraith. My brother, even if it isn't by blood, the rabid beast even I can barely control most days.

"Ivy..." I begin, only to trail off with a shake of my head. How can I explain the gravity of what she's suggesting, the risk she'd be taking by allowing Wraith to get that close to her?

She can't understand the level of core-deep darkness that lurks behind that impassive mask, the violence that rages just beneath the surface at all times. The magma flowing hot and deadly beneath stone.

As if reading the doubts flickering across my face, she leans in, hand coming up to brush my arm. "The others don't trust him," she murmurs, each word laced with quiet conviction. "Do you?"

I open my mouth to deny it immediately, to insist that no, of course I can't trust him to so much as breathe the same air as her. I love him, I'd die for him, but I know him. He's a beast, a force of nature that can never be tamed or controlled. God knows I've tried. Put my own life, my own people, at risk just for his sake, but her? She's the one thing I won't risk. Not even for him.

He's my brother, but he's still a monster.

A real monster.

But the words won't come. Because as much as it terrifies me, as much as it makes every protective impulse flare white-hot with the need to keep her safe...

I realize I'm insane.

I do trust him.

With her, at least.

Not the version of him that rages through battle with feral abandon, tearing through our enemies in a frenzy of bloodlust and savagery. But the quieter side, the gentler facet he only allows me to glimpse on the rarest of occasions.

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