Page 16 of Feral: Part Two
I’m mildly amused by the sudden attraction to a Beta I’d trust with my life and also a little concerned about how much I suddenly need him. My nostrils flare as I catch the scent of his arousal, something that’s never turned me on before, all of the tension, confusion, and fear and need that's been building since this morning crashing together in a wave of pure want.
I attack his lips, kissing him hard as I push him back against the cabinet. His mouth opens under mine, welcoming the invasion of my tongue with a soft sound that goes straight to my cock. My hips rock against his, his own arousal pressing against my thigh, spurring me on. My cousins purr rattles through the kitchen, a primal, possessive sound that has me letting out my own.
Kael stalks toward us, slipping behind Malik and resting back against the fridge. I pull back to watch him dip his lips to the bond mark on Malik’s shoulder, his back arching toward me, a devilish smile spreading across my lips. “I never knew our Beta was so fucking delicious,” I purr out before attacking Malik’s lips again.
His hands settle on my waist as I reach down between us to cup his cock in my hand, stroking him through his pants. He bucks into my hold, a grunt falling from his lips as I nibble on the bottom lip. His fingers dig into my flesh as I pick up my pace, Malik mumbling something about how he’s going to come when reality crashes back in with the sound of knocking on the front door.
We all freeze, our heads turning toward the entrance, a snarl curling my lips upward at the interruption. I pull back from Malik, my heart hammering against my ribs. "Fuck, sorry."
Malik just leans back against Kael, his breathing coming in small pants, his lips swollen from our kiss. There's something dazed in his expression, like he's still processing what just happened between us. And god, I kind of want to devour that look.
I force myself to move and walk over to the door as I resituate myself before peering through the keyhole. "Fuck, it's someone from the council."
I straighten my shirt, trying to make myself look a bit more presentable, then throw open the door with what I hope passes for casual confidence. The council member who steps inside is one I recognized as some middle-aged Alpha with the kind of smile that never quite reaches the eyes. He always looks like a miserable bastard, but I’ve pissed him off once or twice and it wasn’t pretty. He’s also very fucking thorough, which I now know was his way of documenting how feral of a pack we were.
He looks around the kitchen, taking in the three of us with calculating interest. "Where are your Omegas? If I find out that the new one is outside in the pool house again..."
I clear my throat, trying to buy time to think of an explanation that won't get us all in deeper shit. But before I can speak, the council member is already heading straight for the back door that leads to the pool house.
Malik goes after him, throwing us a worried look before disappearing out the back door. Ulysses is fucking determined to do his job spectacularly in whatever way will piss us off the most, which means that the moment he finds the pool house empty, he's going to want to search the rest of the house.
I dash toward Slate's room, Kael right behind me, my heart dropping into my stomach as we stop inches from the edge of his den.
Two foxes are wrapped around each other in a tangle of blankets, their white fur almost glowing in the dim light. They're clearly asleep, curled together in a way that's both protective and intimate. But it's Preston's sweet as fuck scent that has me on edge. Nathan mentioned that our Omega’s scent would sweeten to something almost like a thick syrup when he was ready to give birth, but it shouldn’t be this soon. Fuck, even Slate’s scent is sweeter than usual.
"What the absolute fuck," Kael breathes beside me, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Fucking hell, yeah, whatever, we can't explain this," I mutter, my mind racing through possibilities and finding nothing that makes sense. I don’t trust the council, never did, and there’s no way I’m letting them know our Omegas can shift. They’ll find out eventually, but I’m not endangering our mates, especially not when they’re pregnant.
Kael looks around frantically, his eyes darting between the foxes and the door. "Let's get them in the bathroom. We can atleast buy ourselves some time and then maybe Ulysses will come back later."
"I'm not ready for this bullshit," I mutter, but there's no choice. We have maybe thirty seconds before the council member finds us, and explaining two fox shifters is going to be a hell of a lot harder than explaining why our Omegas are taking a bath.
I get onto my knees in the nest, trying to make myself less threatening as I approach the two white forms curled together. Slate looks up at me in his fox form, those dark eyes I know so well now set in a completely alien face. He hisses, a sharp sound that carries both warning and fear.
"Hey, babe, I know that you don't want to be touched in this form, but I either need you to waddle your ass over to the bathroom or shift. I don't care which one."
Silence stretches between us as Slate just stares at me.
"Fuck, I'm going to grab Preston first, okay?"
I reach into the den, carefully sliding my hands under Preston's fox. He's heavier than I expected, his pregnant belly making him awkward to lift, but he doesn't struggle. If anything, he seems to melt into my touch, trusting me completely even in this vulnerable state.
Slate watches as I move toward the bathroom, his eyes tracking every movement. There's something protective in his gaze, like he's making sure I'm handling his Omega with the care he deserves. I have no fucking clue how we’re supposed to move Slate because the only other option is Kael carrying him and that will never work.
But Kael has been surprising of late, the Alpha crouching down as he makes himself smaller. It’s breathtaking the way Slate flattens his ears back against his head before perking up at Kael’s voice.
"Slate, the council is here right now and we have absolutely no idea what check-up they're looking for, but I'd prefer them not to find my Omegas in their most vulnerable state. I'm not going to let them take you away from me."
Slate blinks a few times and then nods, lowering his head slightly.
“Can you walk? I need to get you into the bathroom with Preston just in case Ulysses comes in here.”
I hold my breath, not expecting it to work, but Slate’s connection with Preston is much stronger than his connection to us. He stands up on his four feet, making his way to the bathroom as well, but there's something different about the way he moves. Not submission, exactly, but cooperation. Like he's choosing to trust Kael's judgment in this moment.
We all crowd into the small space barely big enough for the four of us. Kael helps Slate into the tub and then I place Preston beside Slate, our second Omega still standing as if something is missing.
That's when Slate does something that makes my heart stop. He raises his snout to Kael's thigh and rubs along it for a second, the gesture so clearly affectionate that it takes my breath away. It's a claiming of sorts, a recognition of pack bond that goes deeper than words or human understanding.
