Page 21 of Welcome to Bone Town

I drop my feet and lean forward. “He went feral?”

Dr. Slate nods.

“Well, shit.” I run my fingers through my beard.

“I don’t get it.” Roman shakes his head, frowning. “They treated her like something precious, sacred. Theirbonding ceremony spared no expense. But then, three years later, she claimed she found her scent matches and up and left, just abandoned everything they had because of fuckingbiology.”

A scent match bond is the only thing that can break an already formed pack bond, but I hear it’s excruciating for the ones left behind.

“I had a buddy in my unit who had that happen—well, I guess not as intense as your brother. He didn’t go feral, but he bonded this girl on his own and not even nine months later she ran off with another pack. He was never the same.” I shake my head.

Roman nods slowly, like he understands. “I just can’t wrap my head around making one person your entire world and giving them that sort of power,” he whispers. “Omegas are… liabilities.”

“Well, I would certainly be willing to risk it. Life’s too short to let fear control you.” I stand up and clap Roman on the back. “You want a beer? They’re warm as piss, but they get the job done.”

“You think I’m being an ass for pushing her away, don’t you?” Dr. Slate groans.

“Nah, I didn’t say that.” I don’t need to say it. I think the guy beats himself up enough already. And I can understand why Cora makes him nervous. She’d be all too easy to fall for. If it weren’t for being on the job, I’d have asked her out the first night I met her.

“But what if…” he takes the beer from me and twirls it in his hands. “What if I…” He clears his throat. “What if I meet my scent match? All of a sudden I’m supposed to drop everything because fate decides I’m destined to be withthis person? What about my plans? The other people in my life?”

“You got other people in your life, prof?”

His growl is low, but it’s not menacing.

“Thought not.” I take a swig of my beer. It’s a bit too heavy with a sharp aftertaste. I’d prefer something lighter with this heat, but beggars can’t be choosers. “Look, fate’s a handsy bitch, but ultimately, you get to decide how to respond to her come ons. You get what I’m?—

An agonized scream pierces the air. We both freeze. Roman recovers first.

“What thefuckwas that?!”

19

Ican’t say I’m particularly excited about sleeping in tight quarters with a man I barely know. My cramps are acting up today, and I don’t want to seem weak in front of the team. Just another prissy omega who couldn’t hack it in the field.

But something about the massive security alpha sets me at ease. He’s formidable, to be sure, but he’s also got this boyish charm and an easy smile. I wonder what he smells like. Does he smell as delicious as that banda?—

“Nope. Not going there,” I mutter under my breath as I walk toward the shower area.

When they delivered the equipment, they also dropped off three small portable shower trailers. Each one is like its own little room with a short open area in the front and a curtain sectioning off a shower area in the back. It seems a little excessive to me, but then again no one wants to flash the camp or have sand blow in when they’re trying to get clean. Even though it’s nothing fancy,and we’re limited to five-minute showers, it feels luxurious after a day spent covered in dirt and sweat.

I spent longer than I thought fiddling with the puzzle box after dinner, trying to get it to open with no success, so it’s late now, and there are no lines for the showers. A nice change from the norm.

I close the curtain, quickly strip out of my grimy clothes, leaving them on the short bench that’s just out of reach of the shower’s spray, and turn on the tap. The small water reservoir built into the back of the trailer sits in the sun all day, and is insulated to keep the water warm. I sigh and rub my tight muscles.

The puzzle box and everything else we’ve found swims in my mind. If we could figure out how it works and get it open, we might find a clue to what happened here or how close we are to Lunara’s temple. Although, I’m starting to wonder if this site could be the temple itself. It doesn’t meet the historical descriptions, but maybe there’s something we’re missing. We’ve found the foundations of a few walls and a few pots, but nothing that suggests the vast place of worship that historical texts allude to. Maybe this is the remains of a nearby town or outpost of some sort. Though, the positioning of the bones really does look like one big—for lack of a better term—orgy.

Could this have been a ceremonial site somewhere near the temple? Maybe where the festivals were held. The tales of those ceremonies are legendary. I kind of wish I could have been there and experienced it for myself.

The scent-neutralizing soap stings my nose, and I’mstruck with a sense of longing for my natural perfume. I’ve spent a lot of my life on scent blockers, but this is the longest I’ve gone without a break from them. Usually I only take them on days when I’m at the university and not on weekends. We’ve been here almost two weeks with nothing but the scent of sand. I didn’t think sand had a scent until coming here. It’s dry and neutral, nothing like the refreshing botanical quality of my perfume or the heady intoxication of the bandana I smelled this morning.

A cramp twists my belly as I think of that piece of fabric stashed away in Bear’s tent. Like an addict, I crave the rich, masculine smell of it.Mine.

“No,” I snap at myself.

A snarl answers.

“What the—?” I’m cut off by a bark that sounds way too close. Entirely inhuman.

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