Page 41 of Feral: Part Two
Jesus.
Fucking.
Christ.
I quickly scurry over to check on our Omegas, both of them holding their pups to their chest as we take in the situation. Blood pools beneath Nathan’s body, both of my Alphas on edge, their lips curled up in dangerous snarls. Neither one of them is moving, though, pinned by whatever weapon Raphael has raised, ready to fire.
“Rein that shit in,bothof you. Fuck, that was one of the good doctors.”
I kneel between Preston and Slate, the three of us both confused and just a little terrified. One, because I’ve never seen my Alphas so vicious. Two, because even with that bit of feral tenacity, we don’t stand a chance against a fucking gun.
Ulysses just sighs, his shoulders sagging in defeat. “I fucking told Alexandra that this bullshit was going to get out of hand. You can’t create chaos and expect to contain it.” He throws out a laugh as he steps forward and then crouches down to inspect Nathan’s body. “Oh, good, he’s still breathing. Thank fuck because I didn’t want to bring a different doctor in here.” He stands back and twists to look at Thane. “Calm the fuck down.You’re not going to hurt me because then that gun is going to be pointed at one of your Omegas.”
“You wouldn’t,” I push out, dragging them closer to me. “You’re fucking bluffing.”
Ulysses kicks at Nathan’s body, pulling a groan from the Alpha. “Really? Because I don’t need your Omegas anymore. We fucking made it work. We got the shifters, the pups, and the formula. Your Omegas are still here so long as theybehave.”
He pulls out a phone and starts talking into the earpiece after pressing a few buttons. I don’t understand anything he mumbles before he meets each of our eyes. “Someone will be by to gather up the doctor. I would advise you not to fucking kill him or you’ll be dealing with someone who has a bit more… scientific enthusiasm.”
Ulysses heads back out the door, Raphael keeping his gun raised as he presses forward. He stops just inches from the couch, eyeing the babies with curiosity before nodding his head. “They came out better than I hoped. Alexandra is a fucking genius, that woman. It’s too bad she has a mate or I’d volunteer.”
Thane’s nostrils flare, but he doesn’t move, doesn’t try to swipe at Raphael like I can tell he wants to. We just all stay put as Raphael heads out of the house as well, leaving the rest of us alone with the doctor.
“What. The. Fuck.” Slate pushes out. “When Nathan said feral, I didn’t think he meant… do you have claws?”
Kael shakes his head, holding his hand up to his face. “No. Just blunt force apparently. A lot of it. Fuck, I was going to kill him. I still might.”
Thane drops down to his knees and pinches Nathan’s chin. From where I can, there’s a large red stripe across the Alpha’s chest that is still bleeding profusely. If whoever is supposed to pick him up doesn’t get here quickly, Nathan will absolutely die. I’m not that torn up about it. “Tell me why the fuck you’d do allthis and I need more than scientific curiosity and a boner for my fucking sister.”
I hold my breath, waiting for some asinine answer or something to brush off the subject because I don’t expect Nathan to tell us the truth.
He coughs up some blood, his back arching with pain before he speaks, his breath ragged. “Chance of a lifetime.” He drags in a breath. “Pups? It was an impossibility. I needed to know if it could be done. And it can be. I’ve seen the greatest thing in mankind.”
Slate slips out of my hold and drops his pups in my lap before marching over to Nathan. My eyes widen as he stomps on the man’s chest, both Thane and Kael taken aback by Slate’s forwardness. “You destroyed my fucking life. The only thing I knew was Veltmoor and pain and loneliness. You’re telling me all of that was to see what you think is a fucking miracle? All I wanted was to be loved!”
Kael reaches out for Slate, but he slaps the Alpha’s hands away, my heart in my throat as the first tear falls down his cheek. Preston snuggles into my side, tearing my attention away and I don’t expect to see the bright smile on his face. “Oh, my beautiful Omega is going to kill him.”
Shit.
Slate
Nathan stares up at me, no expression on his bloody face, his breathing becoming more labored by the second. Kael tries to reach for me again, but I just growl at him. I need this. I need to understand why I had to be part of this bullshit. I would have been happy with any of the packs that had taken me in. I loved all of them in some part, even if I knew that I couldn’t afford to love.
Tears stream down my face as he meets my gaze, no apology behind those pupils. “A means to an end, Slate. A beautiful end. You have a pack. Why does it matter?”
My brows furrow as the rage my Alphas are feeling surges through me. “Why does it matter? WHY DOES IT MATTER? I nearly died with each of those surgeries. I thought no one loved me. I thought I was worthless. I fucking hurt myself becauseI needed to feel the pain that I felt in my fucking chest. I let myself bleed because there was no other way to process my goddamn emotions and you ask why does it matter?” I grit my teeth together, the tears falling faster now. “I suffered for your little experiment. I hated myself and my body. I hated being an Omega.”
“Slate—” Thane reaches for me this time and I swipe at him.
“No! Don’t touch me. I need this. I need to knowwhy.” I turn back to Nathan and spit on him, saliva hitting his cheek. “But your why is stupid. We’re just specimens in a lab, in a cage for you. You create because it’s fun and interesting and wild, but you forget that I’m fucking human. That I’m an Omega. That I deserve to be loved. Kael said I deserve to be loved.”
The realization that I’ve gained more than just a pack hits me all at once and then it just makes me angrier that I had to suffer to get here.
Nathan starts to speak again, but I don’t want to fucking hear it. I raise my foot and stomp down on his chest, the Alpha crying out in pain as my heel connects with the wounds Thane inflicted. I don’t stop there. I keep going. I keep pounding him with my heel, needing him to bleed, to hurt, to fall apart the way I did over the years. “I’m more than just a pawn,” I cry out. “I’m their Omega. And they’re mine.” I meet Kael’s gaze, my Alpha resting back against the couch with a small smile on his lips. He’s not stopping me, knowing very well that Nathan’s life rests in my hands. “MyAlpha.”
And then I stomp onto Nathan’s chest one more time, relishing in the cry that tears from his throat as my foot sinks into his chest. Bones crack beneath my heel as his body goes limp, my ankle stuck in his chest cavity. I’m not even sure how many times I beat him, but it was enough to cave his chest in, enough to reveal that he’s just a worthless body now.
Kael tugs me back toward him, my foot catching on Nathan’s ribcage when pulling it out of his flesh. I wretch at the side, Thane chuckling as he pushes to his feet. “I will say that that was the most magnificent thing I have ever seen in my entire life. Encore. I’d watch you do that shit again.”
