Page 27 of Feral: Part One

“Preston, get out,” he says, his hands steady on Slate’s shoulders.

I freeze, my feet rooted to the floor, my hand reaching for Slate. “No, I’m not leaving him.”

Malik’s eyes harden before he yells, “Kael! Thane!”

Footsteps thunder down the hall, and strong arms wrap around me, pulling me out of the shower. My clothes areplastered to my body as I try to fight Kael’s firm grip. “Let me go! He needs me!”

Another raw, desperate sound tears from Slate as he fights against Malik to get free, his wild movements taking him back to the bedroom. We’re all just staring as he fumbles for the landline, typing in a number and hastily calling a number I don’t recognize. I nearly tell him that it won’t work but then I hear:

“Riley, help me.”

I frown, confused on who that is or who Slate thinks he’s calling. “Who’s Riley? What’s happening to my Omega? Why won’t you let me go to him?” Panic claws through me as I struggle against his grip and then I do the one thing I told myself I would never do to my Alpha.Fight him.I dig my teeth into his arm, Kael releasing his hold on me with a yelp.

However, I don’t get far, Malik catching me around the waist when I try to dash toward Slate. My Omega drops to his knees, clawing at the carpet before letting out another horrid sound before I blink and he’s gone.

In his place is a white mass of fluff on the floor, quivering like a lost cloud. I blink again, my breath catching in my throat, Malik tightening his grip on me. “Preston, don’t fucking move.”

I don’t, unsure of what just happened or how I know that I’m staring at Slate, just in a different form. He feels so… free, so calm. There’s a sudden relief flooding the bond, mixed with confusion and disbelief but he’s not in pain.

I drop to my knees to take in the beauty before me—a gorgeous white fox, wide yellow eyes staring back at me. I thought Slate was beautiful before but he’s Nature reincarnated in this form.

The fox tucks into himself, making a small purring sound before I hear his voice.

>>>What is happening to me? Why… what am I?

Tears gather in my eyes as I scoot a little closer, frustrated that my mates won’t let me hold him. “Slate?” I whisper. “Sweetie,it’s okay.” Malik finally releases me and I scramble over to Slate and wrap my arms around his neck. He’s far bigger than any fox I’ve ever seen, nearly the size of his human form, his belly more pronounced now. He settles against me, Thane slowly running his fingers through Slate’s fur.

Malik bends down to grab the discarded phone and places it on speaker. “Who is this?”

There’s a pause, then a woman’s voice. “Veltmoor.”

Malik hurriedly hangs up and puts it back on the receiver. “Shit. What the fuck? Did anyone else know that we could reach the fucking Omega center?”

I press my face into Slate’s fur, loving the earthy smell that comes with this version of him. Despite the odd situation, I can’t help but touch my Omega. “You’re so pretty,” I whisper, ignoring everything else. “You’re so mine.”

Slate pauses and then leans into my touch.Yours.

I swear my heart swells at the word and to be honest, I’m not even sure he knows what he just said. Not that it matters. One day I’ll make him believe it. For now, I’m just going to hold him. Someone is calling my name and then an added scent that has me trying to understand what’s going on.

A soft knock at the door pulls our attention, and we turn to see Nathan standing there, his gray hair mussed, a leather bag in his hand. His eyes flick to the fox, then to us, and then he just smiles. “I might have some answers for that.”

“What’s happening to him?” I ask, looking up at Nathan, tears spilling down my cheeks. “Why is he a fox?”

“This is part of his feral designation,” he says. “Not allFeralsmanifest like this, but some can shift under extreme stress. I have no idea the exact formula but there’s old texts that go into the nuances. Most of it is nonsense but if you have the time and resources to figure it out… in theory, you could create one.”

Kael grunts at that bit of information, still glaring at me holding onto Slate. He’s going to have to get used to it. “So, what? Slate is a fox shifter?

“Something like that,” Nathan pushes out. “Why don’t we find somewhere a little more comfortable and I can explain what I’ve found. I was hoping I’d never have to put all the pieces together but it seems like Wolfscorge,The Collective, and Veltmoor have been in bed together.”

>>> What is he talking about?

I voice his question for him. Nathan frowns at me in confusion but doesn’t ask.

“I’m saying that the only Omegas we ever get are from Veltmoor and if we’re to believe that there’s no such thing as a coincidence, then it’s very possible that they’ve been working toward this very moment. To create aFeraland ultimately? A shifter.”

“Why a fox?” I ask as I stand up, Slate staying close as he walks beside me to the living room. Kael is hanging dangerously close on my other side.

Nathan just laughs. “No idea. BecauseFeralscan be anything. I’m sure foxes are just the first step. An inventor doesn’t stop when something works. They keep inventing.”

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