Page 40 of Feral: Part Two
"I don't fucking know. Can I just name them Thing One and Thing Two?"
The suggestion sends us all into another round of laughter. Thane leans over Preston and kisses Slate's forehead gently, lingering there a moment before pulling back. "No, you can't, but we can revisit this later. But for now, time to eat and figure out what the fuck our next step is."
As much as I don’t want to do that, I know that the world isn’t going to wait for us to figure our shit out.
***
Food. Discussion. And then more cuddles. I’m all for that kind of schedule except for the fact that shit fell down the drain ten minutes later when Ulysses and Raphael announced that they would be coming over. I know for a fact there aren’t cameras in this place, but there is absolutely someone feeding the council information. It’s the only fucking explanation for why they would need to conduct a visit so soon after the babies were born.
The worst part is that Nathan mentioned they could shift at any time and I’m desperately hoping that we suddenly have human babies in the living room rather than four fox pups. But we’re out of luck and out of time, a knock at the door sending me into a panicked spiral. Kael moves up behind me, one of his hands settling on my waist as he dips his lips to the bond mark on my shoulder.
“Leek, I have absolutely no idea how this meeting is going to go, but we’re going to protect our Omegas and our babies, okay?”
We all thought about hiding them away or making up some kind of lie, but nothing would make any sense. Especially since we’re pretty sure Nathan is not just a doctor buttheirdoctor. When Thane opens the front door, Ulysses and Raphael stepping inside with Nathan right behind them, I realize that the doctor doesn’t have our best interest at heart.
In fact, the only interest he has is the experiment.
And as a doctor, as ascientist, he’s probably over the moon right now.
Fuck.
Kael guides me toward the living room, both of us sitting at the edge of the couch, effectively caging Preston and Slate inside and away from the council.
“We’re just here to check…”
Thane cuts him off, a chuckle rumbling through his chest. “We’re not fucking stupid. You’d be surprised how much shit we pick up from just staying observant. I know that we’re just part of your little progress bar or some shit, but you’re not getting any farther than the kitchen. That’s the only stipulation I have.”
Ulysses steps forward and Thane lets out a growl that reverberates through the room before pressing a hand to the Alpha’s chest. The council member’s brows crease with anger, his face bleeding crimson. “I will not stand for your disrespect, Thane. You and your cousin have been given a lot of leeway with your pregnant Omega, but—”
Kael cuts him off this time as he stands up to his full height. “I will not stand you disrespecting my pack and my children. The experiment we’re part of isn’t something we can just leave, I get that. I’m not stupid enough to try and climb a wall or hide out in the woods when you’ve got guards crawling every inch of this place. You’d made it so Wolfscorge is the safest place for my family. I’ll take it.For now.However, what youaren’tgoing to do is throw your weight around in my house.”
Ulysses’ face crumbles as he nods, Raphael still as stoic as ever. Nathan pushes his way forward, holding up his little trusty doctor bag. “I’ll just make sure that they’re all healthy and then we can be on our way.”
We.
Not the council, notthem, butwe.
“Nathan, tell me that you’re not part of the council or whatever fucked up hierarchy is here. Tell me that you aren’t one of the scientists keeping this experiment afloat. Tell me that yourexcitement in finding Preston pregnant and then Slate was just because you were happy to bring new life into this world.”
Silence falls between us, but it’s the only answer I need. Kael snarls, his lips turning up to show off his teeth as his hands fist at his side. They had had more conversations than I ever did with Nathan, some akin to an acquaintance and desperately close to a friendship. Nathan was someone we could talk to and ask questions.
It makes sense now how he knew things beyond his expertise; a man who had access to the outside world could bring it inside.
Kael takes a threatening step forward, Nathan going ramrod straight as my Alpha bends down level to the doctor’s face. “We’re just part of the fucking petri dish to your sadistic satisfaction, isn’t it? I don’t know how we didn’t see it before. Of course, they wouldn’t have just left us in here with a doctor who cared about us. It would have to be someone fanatic to the cause, someone who idolizedThe Collectiveand everything they were doing. Tell me, who do you work for?”
More silence.
Neither council member moves, obviously picking up that any sudden movements might have one or both of my Alphas giving into their animalistic instincts. It also tells me that as a feral pack, we might have more leverage than we thought.
Kael’s snarl deepens as he steps closer to Nathan, a small squeak resounding from the doctor before he drops the name.“Alexandra.”
My blood runs cold as I twist to look over at Thane, watching him go from mildly angry to pissed off. “My sister? You’re in bed with my fuckingsister?!” I’m not sure if he’s more torn by the fact that Nathan doesn’t care about us and has been using us for some goddamn experiment or if it’s the fact that Alexandra is in charge of this whole ass thing.
She’s aware and using Thane to further whatever the fuckThe Collectiveis in charge of.
I hold up a hand to try and distract Thane as pure rage surges through the bond. Thane raises one of his hands and then swipes down as he charges Nathan, a growl so full and so loud that it rattles the cabinets. I just stand there as crimson sprays across the couch and carpet, a few droplets landing on my face, a few pretty lines of red now covering Kael.
It takes me a few moments to recognize what happened until a loud thud resounds through the room, heavy breathing following in the deathly silence.
