Page 30 of Feral: Part One

Epilogue

Kael

It’s been hours since Slate shifted back from that damn fox form, his swollen belly a stark reminder of the mess we’re in. I’ve checked on them three times—once in Slate’s room and then twice in Preston’s after they had moved, only to be met with a hiss from one or both of them. Each time, I back off but my instincts are screaming to protect them both, even if Slate’s presence still feels like a jagged edge in our pack.

I head to the office just across the hall, unsurprised to see Malik and Thane poring over years of notes on the Lowden family,The Collective’sshady dealings, and the incident that landed us in Wolfscorge. We might not be able to reach the outside world but at the very least, we can trade information and provisions to build our case.

Knowing that we’re probably not getting out of here makes it all a little more difficult to believe that any good will come of this but I’m not giving up that easily.

Thane hunches over one of the older files on my father, Malik cross-legged on the floor sifting through newspaper articles about our arrest. Nothing made sense then and it all happened so fast. Even now, while I’m convincedThe Collectivehas something to do with Slate’s ability to shift, I wouldn’t even know where to start.

The bond pulses with their focus and the erratic emotions of nowtwoOmegas who have no intention of letting us anywhere near them for the moment. A soft grunt tears from my throat and Malik looks up, throwing me a small smile. “Hey, they still not letting you in there? Doc said it’s normal. Said that Preston is going to be very territorial for a bit.”

Thane snorts. “I thought Alphas were the territorial ones.”

Malik shakes his head and leans back on his hands, his silky hair falling back over his shoulders. “Have you ever tried to move around one of Preston’s pillows? How about when that girl touched you at the market? He nearly ripped her head off. Alphas are more growly with it but cross an Omega and they’re worse.”

“Yeah, sure,” I push out as I run a hand down my face, scouring the room as if it will have answers for me. “I think we’ve been going about all this shit wrong.”

Malik’s hazel eyes flash with annoyance, mostly because we’ve been trying to find a link for three years and keep coming up empty. “Yeah?”

I step inside, running my hand through my beard as I fall into one of the chairs. “If they’re trying to create moreFerals, then they’re purposely putting together situations to make it happen. I think we have to know how aFeralis made and then everything else might make sense.”

Thane hums his agreement as he swivels to look over at me. “What are we going to do when the council gets here?”

“Does it matter? We put on a front. Slate’s ours and then when the council leaves, we talk about boundaries.” It can’t be that difficult, right? I don’t want him anywhere near us but for the sake of the fact that we’re bonded, I can’t push him away.

Malik laughs, a sharp sound that cuts through the quiet. He stands up and then parks his ass on the edge of the table near me. “Alpha, I don’t think that’s going to work. I already told you Slate’s ours. You can take all the time you need to figure out what that means, but since you’re bonded to him now, it’s going to be a hell of a lot harder to ignore him.”

“I know. My protective instincts are in overdrive. Two pregnant Omegas? Who the fuck thought that was a good idea?”

Thane leans back, his fingers drumming on the desk. “Not us, but someone did. The doc’s right—this isn’t a coincidence. Veltmoor, the council, Slate’s shift, his knot, his pregnancy—it’s all connected.”

I did some minimal research on fox biology—translation, Malik did and then graced us with it, which explained some of Slate’s more unusual tendencies and biological aspects. It didn’t, however, explain how all of those scars along his body are all but healed.

My mind moves to the chaotic thoughts swirling in my head, my instincts morphing from protecting just Preston to wanting to provide for Slate too. That fox form was something else entirely, creating a pull so strong that my desire to make Slate hurt has all but disappeared. I can’t hate him like I want to but I’m not ready to love him either.

Malik clicks his tongue, bringing me out of my head. “Thane and I were looking through a few things, nothing that stood out before but it does now.The Collectiveis known for resurrecting or testing on many different types of species. They’ve pioneeredanimals that have gone extinct, creating living cells. All of that. Do you remember the list?”

I frown, my brows furrowing as Thane slides me a folder. “There’s only bits and pieces of things I could remember in there but the fox might beThe Collective’semblem but that wasn’t the only animal they were messing with.”

Thane and I were always on the business side of things which made it easy to forget that much of whatThe Collectivedid was biologics and chemical processes. And all of it was done in house. There was an aquarium and several animal exhibits but none of that meant much to me.

Until now.

Because if they can createFeralsand ultimately, shifters… there’s no telling what species is next.

“Jesus Christ, they wanted to see if it worked. If they could… Slate is an experiment, isn’t he?”

Thane shakes his head, his shoulders sagging. “No, all of this is. You’re right. We need to figure out how they’re makingFeralsbecause that’s the key. Somehow, Wolfscorge is part of this and I’m guessing Veltmoor too.” A small smile spreads across his face when his gaze meets mine. “You’re feeling him, right now. Aren’t you?”

“For a while, it was peaceful,” I say. “He was happy as that fox, and now that he’s shifted back… it’s so much.”

Malik grins as he slips onto my lap, his fingers tracing my beard, a sultry spark in his touch. “Now you understand how fast he pulls you in. Preston used to feel like that. Remember when he’d hide food all around the house, thinking he wouldn’t get to eat? I remember the first time Thane thought it was just extra snacks.” Malik chuckles as he runs his nose along my chin. "I still have scars from Slate when I fucked him in the pool house,” he purrs, his words laced with heat. “I should’ve known then hewas some kind of shifter. Felt like I’d been clawed, but in the best way.”

“This isn’t going to be easy,” my cousin pushes out. I glance over at him, wondering what’s going on in his head since all this started a few days ago. He’s been bonded to Slate the longest and I can already tell that he has feelings for the Omega.

“Shit like this is never easy.”

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