Page 37 of Feral: Part Two
Thane stands up to stretch, his joints popping audibly after hours of sitting in the same position. "How is Slate?"
"He was still sleeping about thirty minutes ago, but I really don't like him out there alone," I admit. The separation has been eating at me, knowing that our other Omega is isolated just when he needs pack support the most. "I was going to try and coax him inside and possibly get him into one of the other dens. If that doesn’t work, I’ll probably just stay out there."
"Work your charm.”
I nod, feeling the weight of responsibility on my shoulders. Slate's trust doesn't come easily, and I don't want to do anything that might damage the progress we've made. But I also can't stand the thought of him going into labor alone, without any support or comfort. Even if I have to stand at the edge of that room, I will be there.
Thane steps out toward the bathroom, and I bend down into the den where Preston is now alert and watching me with those beautiful gray-blue eyes.
"How you doing, princess?"
"I love them so much," Preston says softly, his voice full of wonder as he looks down at his babies.
A smile takes over my face as I watch him nudge them with his nose, his animalistic instincts still at an all-time high. "You gave birth to beautiful babies," I tell him. "Let me go get your Omega before he has his babies all alone and then I want to hear the names you chose, okay?"
I press a small kiss to Preston's forehead, breathing in his familiar scent mixed with the new ones now added to the den. Then I move down the hall toward the living room, planning to head out to the pool house and convince Slate to come inside where he belongs.
The smile falls from my lips as a sharp pang full of fear explodes in my chest, mixed with pain and confusion that definitely isn't mine. I frown, pausing in the hallway as the sensation intensifies. Something is wrong.Very wrong.
“Fuck, Slate, I’m coming.” I rush outside into the pool house, my heart already hammering with dread before I even see the empty space where Slate should be. The carefully arranged blankets and pillows are still there, but they're cold, which means he's been gone for a while. Maybe even as long as thirty minutes when I last checked on him. "Fuck," I breathe out, panic starting to claw at my throat.
Suddenly, I can feel all of Slate's terror as clearly as if it were my own. The bond between us, which has been growing stronger over the past week, is now wide open and flooding me with his desperation. He's in labor, lost, and absolutely terrified.
And I promised him I would be there.
I rush back into the house, nearly colliding with Thane, who's emerging from the room. "Slate is gone. Stay here just in case he comes back. Why would he leave? I thought…" I trail off, knowing that this isn’t the time to wonder why.
"How the fuck did he get out?" Thane demands, his Alpha instincts immediately shifting into protective mode.
"Through the hole in the fence. It was enough to keep everything else out, but we never planned on one of our Omegas shifting like this. Fuck, I have to fix this shit."
I rush out the front door, feeling through the bond to find out where our Omega is. The darkness surrounding us makes it almost impossible to see anything, but adrenaline pushesme forward. The fear and pain he's experiencing is almost overwhelming, transmitted directly into my nervous system like I'm the one going into labor in an unknown location.
The trail leads toward the woods beyond Wolfscorge's perimeter, into wilderness that’s untamed, raging wildlife that feels like it’s keeping me from the most precious person in the entire fucking world.
I can feel him getting weaker through the bond, his strength ebbing as labor progresses without any support. If I don't find him soon, I might lose both him and the babies he's carrying. At the very least, I’ll lose his trust and I can’t bear the idea of him thinking we abandoned him.
I push deeper into the woods, following instinct and the emotional pull of our connection. Every few minutes, waves of Slate's pain and fear wash over me, keeping me oriented toward his location but also making it hard to think clearly.
"Hold on, little Omega," I mutter, knowing he can't hear me but hoping somehow the sentiment reaches him through our bond. "I'm coming. Just hold on."
Branches catch at my clothes and scratch my skin as I push through underbrush, following the faint scent trail that speaks of fear-sweat and desperation.
When I finally find him, my heart nearly stops. He's tucked under a rocky ledge, his white fox form barely visible. His breathing is shallow and labored, small whimpers escaping with each exhale. He looks so small, so vulnerable, curled up alone while his body tries to bring new life into the world.
I rush forward and drop to my knees beside him. "Hey, I got you. I got you."
That's when I hear his voice in my head for the first time, clear as if he'd spoken aloud but coming through what can only be the mind link Nathan mentioned.
"I don't know where I am and I'm so tired."
The exhaustion in his mental voice breaks something in my chest. "I've got you, okay, but you cannot have your babies out here. Can you hold on?"
Slate nods weakly, and I can feel through our connection how much effort even that small movement costs him. He curls closer to me as I carefully pick him up, his fox body lighter than I expected but still awkward to carry safely.
The trip back to the house feels endless. Every few minutes, contractions wrack Slate's small form, and I have to stop moving until they pass.
"Where will you be most comfortable?" I ask as we reach the house.
