Page 68 of Feral

“Zach!” I scrambled to my feet and stepped around the Jeep. “Zach, it’s over.”

The feral alpha whipped around, nostrils flaring as he stared at me.

“Hey, it’s okay. You did so, so well, big guy. You’ve taken out all of them—these men are our friends. Remember?” I kept my voice deliberately gentle and soft as I walked toward him, hands out.

He growled, but the sound was much less aggressive now. Some of the fire in our bond eased and he came toward me, throwing the gun to the ground with a clatter.

“I’m okay,” I said when he reached for me, skimming his hands over my body to check for injuries. “You protected me well—all of you.”

Another growl, more of a grunt this time, as he buried his nose in my hair and began scenting me.

I caught Jerome’s gaze under Zach’s armpit and flushed when he averted his eyes. Even without the hardness rising against my stomach, it was pretty obvious what Zach’s battle lust was transforming into, and while the SEALs had definitely overheard us in intimate moments before, they’d always been kind enough to pretend like they hadn’t. Not really an option in the middle of a deserted road, surrounded by bullet-riddled vehicles and mauled bodies.

“Zach—Zach!”I called, patting at his chest to get his attention, but gently enough to not trigger his urge to show me who was the dominant party in our relationship. “We can’t—we have to keep moving. There could be more of them coming. We need to get away.”

His growl was distinctly displeased this time, but thankfully he wasn’t a complete slave to his instincts. He pulled his nose out of my hair and turned toward Jerome, still keeping me wrapped up in the protective shield of his arms. “We leave. Now.”

“We can’t cross the border in cars with more holes than a Swiss cheese,” Jerome muttered, rubbing his scalp with a frustrated grimace. “And it’s only a matter of time before someone comes across the massacre, and then law enforcement will be on the lookout for the perpetrators.Fuck!”

I stared at the broken bodies scattered on the ground all around us, dread settling in my gut despite our victory. Getting across the border without drawing attention wasn’t our only problem. I hadn’t been lying when I told Zach that more could be coming for us. Morewouldbe coming—he was too valuable an asset for them to ever let him go. It didn’t matter how far we ran.

“They won’t stop,” I said. “It doesn’t matter if we make it across the border or not—Zach is too important to them. So long as he’s alive, we’ll never be free.”

I swallowed my panic and looked up into my mate’s eyes. I’d do anything for this man—absolutely anything.

“There’s only one thing wecando. Zach and I… we have to go back.”

* * *

I drovethe black Jeep all the way up to the gate shielding the compound my mate and I hated so much. My head pounded the closer we got, sweaty palms clutching at the steering wheel.

The soldier stationed there waved at me to roll down the window. I gave Zach one last glance and found the strength I needed in his gaze. He might not have understood the full scope of what I’d planned—but he trusted me.

“We’re not open for visitors, ma’am,” the soldier said as he looked in the window.

“I’m not a visitor,” I said. “Let Dr. Axell know that Lillian Dorne has returned with test subject 351. Please.”

The soldier’s eyes widened as his gaze landed on Zach and he pulled out his sidearm, aiming it at my mate.

Zach growled low, the warning clear.

“Please, there’s no need for that. Just call Dr. Axell,” I said. “We’re here to surrender.”

The soldier heldus at gunpoint while we waited for the doctor to arrive. Zach spent the entire time shielding me from the weapon with his body, a continuous growl rumbling from his throat. The soldier—a beta—did his best not to let the alpha’s aggression rattle him, but I saw the relief in his eyes when two white-clad figures approached us.

Seemed Dr. Axell had brought Dr. Urwin.

“Well, well,” Dr. Axell drawled when they stopped safely behind the armed soldier. “If it isn’t our wayward analyst. I must say, I am very surprised to see you return voluntarily. Especially since the tactical team sent to procure you went radio silent a few days ago.”

Despite his haughty tone, the sharpness in his eyes was unmistakable.

“I…” I didn’t have to fake the quiver in my voice—being this close to the two men who’d ruined my life made acrid terror burn in my gut. I put a hand on Zach’s broad back, a silent reminder that I would never let them hurt him again, and then dropped to my knees in the dirt, eyes downcast. “I can’t go on. Youbrokehim. I can’t… He’s too wild, I can’t… I’m here…We’rehere to surrender. Please, all I ask is that you don’t hurt him again. I’ll cooperate, I’ll try to help with him as much as I can, but please, don’t hurt him again.”

The two doctors stared down at me in silence for a moment.

“Bring them in,” Dr. Axell finally sneered. “He followed her here—he won’t give you any trouble so long as you keep the female in check.”

I’d been preparingmyself for the humiliation of getting stripped upon returning to the lab, but it took everything I had to hold it together as I stood naked in front of both doctors and several lab assistants as they looked me up and down, scribbling on notepads as they went over the state of us both.

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