Page 22 of Feral: Part One

Slate opens his mouth to speak, but I shift closer, my nose brushing his neck. A sweetened scent hits me, faint but hard to miss this close, buried beneath his sweat and fear. Sitting up, I frown and throw a leg over his waist until I’m straddling his hips, looking down at him. His stomach is slightly rounded, a gentle curve I hadn’t noticed before, almost matching mine.No way.It takes me a few minutes to gather my thoughts before I speak. “You’re going to make a wonderful daddy.”

Slate scrambles back, his eyes wide with shock. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

I tilt my head, confused by his reaction. “You didn’t know you were pregnant? You’re showing! I can smell it now that you’re this close. That’s a baby in your belly. How did you not know? We’re basically the same size, and I’m three months along. How are you in heat?”

Slate’s hand moves to his stomach, his fingers pressing into the slight swell. “I just get bloated sometimes,” he says. “I’m not in heat. I can’t have those. I just… I should go back to my room.”

A low, possessive growl rips from my throat as I grab his arm and pull him back into the nest. He huffs, his body tensing up beneath my grip, but he doesn’t fight me. “You’re sleeping with me,” I state. “Mine. Mine. Mine.Mine.”

A mix of fear and resignation flicker in his eyes before he relaxes again. “Why are you doing this?” Slate mumbles.

I tilt his chin up, meeting his eyes. “Because you’re mine. I need to see you and have you here. Now, I do.”

He shakes his head, his hand still on his stomach. “I can’t be pregnant. It’s not possible.”

“It is,” I say, my hand covering his. “I know that scent. It’s the same as mine. You’re carrying a baby, just like me.”

His breath hitches, tears welling in his eyes. “I didn’t know. I thought… I thought it was just my body messing up again.”

I have no idea what to say to him, what to do to make this moment better so I just hum again, letting my pheromones wrap around him, calming the storm in his chest. He’s so broken, so scared, and I want to fix it, to show him he’s wanted.

Thane’s voice cuts through our moment. “Everything okay in there, sweetheart?”

I roll my eyes, snuggling tighter into Slate’s side. “We’re fine, Thane. Go to bed.”

He chuckles, the sound carrying through the entryway. “Not happening. I’m staying right here.” Then I press my face into the curve of Slate’s neck, drinking in that sweet scent until I’m drunk on it. “All mine,” I whisper against his skin.

Now, I just have to get my mates to believe that he’s theirs too.

Slate

Iwake up tangled in Preston’s arms, soft puffs of breath against my neck. I would have never let anyone hold me like this, not even the Alphas I thought I loved over the years. In the last few days, I’ve been fucked better, fed better, and held better than I could have ever imagined and the little Omega in my head is hoping and praying this means something.

But I’m not getting attached, especially now that I’m supposedly pregnant. I could have possibly called bullshit yesterday but looking down now, there’s no denying it. I evenfeeldifferent and that sweeter scent is easier to catch now. However, everything is changing too fast. I shouldn’t be growing like this and before this pack, I hadn’t really had sex for almosttwo weeks.

I sit up, careful not to disturb Preston, and glance around the pillow-filled room. Thane’s in the corner, passed out in a chair, his head tilted back against the wall. He looks peaceful like that, less gruff, less terrifying, muscles upon muscles staring back at me. Part of me wants to crawl over and explore him, to taste him until I’m lost in the heat of it. But another part screams to hide, to burrow back under my bed in the guest room, away from this pack, this bond, this place.

I slowly ease out of the nest, but the sudden shift has Preston catching me by my ankle. He throws me a sleepy grin, the Omega is glorious, radiant to wake up to in his sheer robe. “Hi, sweetie. We’re going to shower and then we’re going to eat,” he says. “Things have changed.” He speaks like he’s going to make Kael understand and I don’t believe that for a second.

I shake my head, pulling my ankle free. “Nothing has changed. We both want out of Wolfscorge. I need to find a way to bow to Kael and he needs to tolerate me.”

Preston’s eyes narrow at me before he just sighs. “There will be notolerating. I told you you’re mine.”

“Thane said it was one night.”

The Omega giggles, a luxurious sound that slowly turns into a laugh as he climbs out of the nest, his robe slipping a little down his shoulders. It makes this moment seem more obscene than it is, Preston helping me to my feet. “I’d love to see them try to take you away from me.”

I’m about to fight back again but Preston growls at me before dragging me into the attached bathroom. It’s just as luxurious as everything else in this place, the shower large enough for all four of them and a tub in the corner that could very well be a party-sized jacuzzi. I’m not really present as he turns on the water and then helps me inside under the spray after stripping me of the rest of my clothes.

Preston’s hands are gentle, his fingers tracing soft patterns along my shoulders, his lips pressing kisses to my chest as he washes me. Our bellies brush together, the swell of mine more pronounced in the bathroom light, embarrassment burning through me.

It feels like everything has shifted. I wasterrifiedof my future a few days ago and fearful of what would happen with Thane’s bite in my shoulder. Now, I’m just wondering if some part of me can have Preston and not the rest of them.

His lips find my collarbone, and I tense beneath his touch, my breath catching in my throat. He moves lower, his tongue swirling around my nipple, and a moan slips out, pleasure spiking through me. My hands dig into his damp curls, unsure of if I want to drag him closer or push him away before I ultimately stand back, panic taking over. “Preston,” I gasp.

He looks up, his gray-blue eyes softer and needier than I’ve ever seen them. “You’re not hurting me, and I want this. Besides, the door is locked, and I have the only key. They won’t notice for a little while, and by then we’ll be done.”

I shake my head, tears pricking my eyes. “Why do I feel like you’re trying to get me in trouble?”

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