Page 5 of Feral: Part One

“It is here. Out there, you were an Omega looking for a pack. Here? You’re not unique and you get treated like everyone else,” he says, his tone leaving no room for argument. He leans back, studying me for a few minutes before speaking again. “Let’s get some things straight. You follow the rules to a T, and you behave with the pack you’re assigned. Do that, and you’re released within a year. If you decide the rules aren’t for you, you’ll end up in an institution that might better suit your needs.”

And Clara said that this place wasn’t all that bad.

That feral flare starts up and I know that I’m going to end up in a situation I’ll regret. It’s always my mouth that gets me in trouble first and then my insubordination because I don’t know how to submit anymore. “What makes you think I’ll play nice?” I shoot back at the Alpha, letting one of my lips curve up into a strange smile.

“Slate, you don’t have a choice. They don’t send Omegas in here for shits and giggles. Wolfscorge is your last chance. You’ll be paired with a Wolfscorge pack that’s tailored to meet your specific needs.”

“My needs?”

“Yes, they have a specific set of skills to help mold you into a respectable Omega and they want out of this place just as much as you do. It’s a learning experience for sure but they break you in, you might find someone to help take the edge off and then you get out.” The Alpha shrugs like this is just a run of the mill occurrence and that I’ll justaccept it.

I’m not given any time to process the information as the Alpha steps around his desk and comes to stand in front of me, towering over my small frame. “Curfew is at 10 pm, no exceptions. There will be no sharing outside of your assigned pack. The individuals here tend to beveryterritorial and I’m not fond of cleaning up organs off the floor. No leaving the grounds and absolutely no contact with the outside world.

I didn’t really expect anything different.

The Alpha gestures for me to follow him, each step down the hallway making me a little more terrified of what’s going to happen. Is the pack in the room I’m being led to? Is this where I die? Is there going to be an interrogation?

My heart lurches into my throat as I step into a small room, a bed in the corner, several products on a thin table just under the window. There’s a bathroom off to the side but that just makesme more confused. I look to the Alpha for an explanation, a tight smile on his face. “Once your new Alpha has bonded you, he’ll take you up to the house to meet the rest of the pack.”

I freeze, trying to comprehend what the fuck this man just said to me. “Wait,bondedme?”

“Just part of the rules, Slate. I’ve been made aware that you’ve been… tenderized a bit but we can’t have Omegas running around the compound unbonded. It would be a bloodbath during heats. As I mentioned before, these packs are territorial. It’s for safety.”

No. No. No. No. No!

I shake my head furiously, my vision blurring at the edges. “I can’t have those,” I say, my voice cracking. “I don’t… I can’t…” Another bond could kill me but it’s worse than that, some strange Alpha has to fuck me before the bite will actually take. I reach a hand up to my neck, panic starting to claw through me. My breathing kicks up again as I start looking for an escape, tears further blurring my vision. “No! I won’t do it. Not again. I can’t…”

I rush toward the door, the Alpha easily catching me and depositing me on the small bed. “It’s protocol. You’ll get over it and then you’ll have someone to protect you in here.”

I start clawing at the Alpha, screaming for help that I know won’t come as fear takes over my actions. That feral pulse beneath the surface threatens to seep through, a small growl slipping out among my lips. The Alpha either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care as he leaves me there, locking the door behind him.

But I can’t stay here.

Scratching at the door does nothing, only bringing blood and pain, my fingertips raw from the wood, terror coursing through me. Tears streak down my cheeks as I rush toward the window, trying to pry the wood apart from the windowsill but that’s useless as well.

A bite means sex. I know how it works, the Alpha’s teeth in my skin, their body claiming mine, tying me to them. Six times, I’ve been through it, each one worse than the last but in some part, I thought I was in love. I thought it would be a happy ending.

But, I don’t even know this Alpha. They’ll take what they want, leave me bleeding, scarred, and broken all over again. If it’s removed, I’ll probably die. And if they leave it, I’ll be tied to men who don’t even want me.

I press myself into the corner, sliding my ass to the floor and curl into myself. I refuse to betheirs. Not yet. Not ever. They can bite me, fuck me, break me, but they’ll never own me. I’ll burn this place down before I let them try.

Kael

Our last Omega arrived an hour ago, Graves from the main house calling us to let us know. He seemed mildly amused, telling me that we’d have fun with this one. I have no idea what that means except that this Omega is going to be trouble. As long as we get out of here at the end of the year and the Omega leaves Preston alone, I don’t fucking care.

Shrugging on my jacket, I step out onto the grounds, heading down the main path. Thane’s at my side, my cousin just as on edge as I am.

Preston finally fell asleep a few minutes ago after being too wired to do anything other than wait for our new arrival. But Malik’s there, curled up around him, keeping watch. I’m pretty sure Preston’s starting to feel jealous with everyone we keepbringing into the house, his hormones making him clingier. It’s a fucking mess, but I can’t deal with that now.

“You ready for this, cuz?” Thane asks as he falls in step with me. I glance over at the man, wondering how things went so fucking wrong. We couldn’t be more alike in the way we grew up and then, we found ourselves fighting the same fight. His father all but ownsThe Collective, Thane trained as a backup to his sister and then was slighted when someone else got the position.

I was just always second best. Beaten into submission. Told to bow, shut up, and just take it. We were both never enough for our fathers.

Thane throws me a deviant smile, masking the uncertainty of the situation. We could be twins if not for his skin being several shades darker than mine and his tight curls contrasting with my salt and pepper strands.

I shake my head as I run a hand through my hair, my beard scratching my palm. “This shit never gets any easier. The rules get tighter, and every time we bring someone else into this house, Preston gets pissy.”

Thane’s lips twitch into a wider smile. “You mean that he gets pissyandjealous and then tries to sit on your cock all day.” My cousin isn’t wrong and it’s highly inconvenient even if it’s hot as fuck, Preston purposely wearing lingerie to strangle our control. “We’ll just wrangle this new Omega into submission and make it out of here. Have you heard from anyone in the family?”

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