Page 19 of Feral: Part Two
"You taste even sweeter than the last time," he murmurs, his voice thick with desire. I murmur something like a thank you, Kael’s hands moving to slide along my belly. “Before you say it, we don’t need your thank you. The least we can do is make sure our Omega is sated.”
Kael hums his agreement behind me, the hate I have for him slowly cracking. I don’t trust him fully yet, but I’m one step closer.
Kael
The bundle in my arms is completely passed out. Little snores escape from Slate’s lips as he settles deeper onto my knot, my body relaxing in a way that it hasn’t since this Omega showed up in the main house. Everything about his existence told me that he was going to fuck it up for us, but I’m seeing that I was wrong.
He was dealt just as bad a hand as we were. Correction, his hand was worse and I’ve only been making him suffer because I couldn’t fathom that beneath the gruff exterior, he was just looking for someone to accept him as is.
"I don't think I've ever seen you so calm before," Thane observes from where he's perched at the other side of the tub.
My hand moves in slow circles over Slate's belly, the warmth of his skin grounding me in a completely different way thanPreston’s does. "Something has changed, biologically. I don't know what exactly, but something's different."
"I never got to watch you fall for Preston because it was chaos and we were all falling for him at the same fucking time," Thane continues, my cousin reaching up to run his fingers over the stubble growing across his chin. "But now? It's amazing how soft you can be when you want to, cuz."
I glare at him, the movement causing a slight shift that makes Slate whimper softly in his sleep. "How the fuck are you not affected the same way?"
"I didn't fight my bond with Slate," Thane replies with a shrug of his shoulders. "Sure, I wanted to hate him and I thought he was going to be a danger to Preston, but once we actually bonded? I realized I didn't actually hate him, just what he represents. And that's not his fucking fault."
The honesty in Thane's voice cuts through my defenses. I can feel the sincerity of his words through our pack bond, and it makes my own resistance feel petty and self-destructive. He's never lied about his feelings, never pretended to be something he wasn't.
"So, that's it?" I ask, disbelief coloring my tone. "You just accept him?"
"Until the babies come, yes. And then I'm going to find out what kind of dynamic suits our newest Omega best. He's all about that pain and seclusion and being used, but I'm not actually sure that's him. I'm not entirely sure he wants that, just that he thinks he deserves it. But he's already got a lot to unpack and we're about to have several children running around here."
Thane sees through the walls Slate has built, recognizes the difference between what Slate thinks he deserves and what he actually needs. It's unsettling and comforting at the same time.
I look down at Slate again, my hands continuing their gentle exploration of his swollen belly. I can feel my uncertaintythrough the bond, the way I'm still fighting against what my instincts are telling me. I don't want to hurt him, don't want to rip him away from Preston anymore, but I'm still not sure where that leaves us.
"What's stopping you from accepting him?" Thane presses.
I'm quiet for a long moment, my internal struggle playing out across my features. "Nathan said that our instincts would be more primal, that we would need to connect more, and I can't tell if this is that or something real."
Thane snorts, the sound echoing off the bathroom tiles. "You're a big bad Alpha, figure it out."
When I sigh, the sound vibrates through my chest where Slate is pressed against me. The resignation in it tells me I'm finally starting to let my walls down, finally starting to accept what's been building between us despite my best efforts to fight it.
"I know you and I don't really do heart-to-hearts and you don't do emotions," Thane continues, "but look at it this way. Both of us are perfectly fine with Malik taking care of Preston while we're here to take care of Slate. He needs us more right now, and neither of us are clamoring to get back to Preston. A few days ago, you would have been. Biology or not, you're comfortable right here. Tell me I'm wrong."
"You're not wrong," I admit, "and maybe that's what terrifies me. We're not getting out of here, Thane, and yet I have one more person to shield from whatever evil is running through this goddamn place. My Omega," I murmur, just loud enough that Thane can hear it.
A ripple passes through the connection between all of us, and suddenly, everything just feels complete. Like the last piece of a puzzle has finally clicked into place, creating a picture that makes perfect sense.
“You finally claimed him,” Thane breaks through the moment, his voice dripping with awe. “Like,reallyclaimed him.”
The bond between the five of us feels more alive than it has in days; each of my mates’ emotions and feelings rippling toward me.
Preston
You can do this!
I shout at myself, focusing on human hands and feet and not endless white fur. Not because I want to shift but because I can feel Malik and Kael’s worry on either side of me. I’m not even sure what’s happened in the last few hours, but the light that usually shines into this room is almost gone, which means it’s been hours since Thane carried me into the bathroom.
I haven’t slept that well in months, but now it’s time to be human again.
I just can’t fucking figure out how to do it.
A grunt tears from my throat as I try to focus, gas bubbling up in my gut when I squeeze my hands into fists.Nope, no. Not that. Fuck.I unclench everything and take a deep breath before focusing one more time, the shift an almost automatic change.
