Page 9 of Feral: Part One

Thane laughs, a low, sultry sound that fills the kitchen. “You guessed right, and now I need to get my dick wet. If I stick it in that Omega, Kael will lose it. You up for a little something something?”

I chuckle and then shake my head, my long hair brushing my shoulders. “Yeah, I don’t like you like that. Go stick your dick in Preston. However, am I clear to stick my dick in the new Omega? I can’t be hearing all that and just sit here with my hand.” I gesture down the hall as a needy whine echoes from the nest, followed by a sharp gasp. Silence follows and then we hear ‘stop teasing me!’, both of us laughing as the air fills with the scent of slick and sex.

Thane falls into a seat at the kitchen island, his smile fading as he draws my attention back to him. “I think this new Omega might be the death of us, though.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because we were required to bond him before we brought him back here.”

I freeze, the mug halfway to my lips. “Bond him? As in,bitehim?” That’s never been asked of my Alphas before and we’ve never had the desire to keep any of the Omegas that we ‘rehabilitate’. Honestly, to my knowledge, I don’t know where any of them end up. Definitely not in Wolfscorge. The memory of Kael stalking in here, blood dripping down his chin comes back to haunt me. “Wait, did Kael bond him?

Thane shakes his head. “No. It’s only a temporary bite, but they know about Preston, so we didn’t have a choice. We had to do something and neither one of us was going to fuck Slate. Especially not in the state he was in.”

“That’s what I felt through the bond. Jesus Christ. You know that it woke Preston up? I’m not even sure either of us knew what it was but it was unsettling.”

Thane shrugs as he throws a hand out and wiggles his fingers for my mug. I nearly tell him to fuck off but it looks like he needs it. He gingerly takes my mug and downs half of it. “I’m not bonded to you the same way, Leek. Even with Preston, I didn’t feel anything change after Kael bit Slate. All I know is that this Omega is not like the others and nothing like Preston. He didn’t even want the bond.”

I blink, my hands gripping the counter, the wood rough under my palms. “What are you talking about? He’s a feral Omega, of course he’d want a bond.” Every Omega I’ve known, even the broken ones, craves a pack, a bond, something to anchor them. Feral Omegas are worse—they need a bond to survive, to get lost in. I’m beginning to think that there’s something more to all of this than just ‘rehabilitation’.

“He might be feral but I think the number of times he’s been rejected made him a little wary of getting another bite. When Iasked why, he pulled off his shirt and I couldn’t tell you how many bond removal scars he’s had.”

“Seriously? Why the fuck would they send someone like that to Wolfscorge? He would be better helped in an institution of some kind.” The thought of an Omega with that many scars, that much pain, locked in our pool house, makes my skin crawl. Wolfscorge is a prison, not a hospital, and we’re criminals, not healers. We can’t fix psychological pain and I definitely don’t want to be bonded to an Omega who lost his marbles.

I fucking knew something weird would come up before we were released. I fucking knew it couldn’t be that easy.

Thane’s eyes darken as he lets out a low growl and then leans closer. “He asked why everyone doesn’t just leave him to wither and die. Leek, I don’t think he wants anything more than to not exist, and to be honest, if I had gone through that many broken bonds, I probably would feel the same way.”

Slate sounds like a wound that won’t close, an impossible fix given to us to keep us here. This is going to fuck with everything. I run a hand through my hair, dread clawing in my chest. “You go fuck your Omega and I’m going to take some food to Slate. Anything else I should know?”

Thane shakes his head as he stands and stretches, his spine cracking a few times. “Not particularly. He’s a funny mix of skittish and feral. Make him feel comfortable. Get a feel for him. Fuck him if you’d like. I’ll run interference with Preston if need be.” He throws me a wink and then he’s already halfway down the hall, shedding his shirt. “Cousin, save some of our Omega for me. I’m hard as fuck and need to knot something.”

Another needy whine spills into the kitchen as the door to the nest is open, my cock thickening even more until it’s almost painful. Yeah, I’ll definitely be sticking my dick in crazy because I need an outlet. I ramble through the kitchen, grabbing some fruit and leftover muffins from last week, hoping and prayingthat the blue things are blueberries and not mold. Regardless, Slate might enjoy it if he hasn’t been eating.

The moment I step into the pool house after unlocking the door, I realize something is off. The room feels like someone died in it, dread and despair hitting me all at once. Setting the food down, I move toward the bathroom, the shower running but it doesn’t cover up the stench of distressed Omega. “Hey, Slate?”

I push farther inside, my heart in my throat as I stare at the Omega curled up under the spray, the full scent of his slick meeting my nose. And then I hear the most distressed whine I’ve heard in my entire life. He almost seems like he’s in pain but I know from many years of schooling that feral Omegas don’t get heats.

I’m about to call his name again when his eyes shoot open and they meet mine. Beneath the anger and fear, he’s asking for help and it’s like a beacon I can’t ignore. God, my mates are going to kill me.

Malik

What. The. Fuck.

It’s eerie the way he’s staring at me like that and then his eyes close, another burst of slick wafting into the air. His body shakes as a whine falls from his lips, the Omega curling up into himself as he turns away from me. His scent is a sweet-bitter tang that’s nothing like Preston’s. I wasn’t sure what to expect from a feral Omega, but this wasn’t it. He’s in some kind of spike, a twisted version of a heat I guess, and he’s suffering.

None of my biology books growing up explained what we were supposed to do in this situation. After all, for the most part, feral Omegas were a myth—a way to keep Alphas tethered to their Omegas lest they add more chaos to society.

Heaving a deep breath, I step into the shower and cut off the cold spray before gathering him up in my arms and carryinghim over to the bed. I hate myself for what I’m feeling now, this visceral hold on my heart for an Omega I don’t even know. I’m supposed to be the bastard that likes to break these Omegas slowly and instead, I know for a fact that this broken man in front of me is going to fuck me up.

I’m not sure who is going to kill me first—Kael or Preston. Maybe both. Probably together. Hopefully, I get one more fuck in before they decide I’m no longer worth it.

Think Malik, think!I look around the room, searching for a solution and then realizeIcan be the solution. I have no idea how feral spikes work but an Omega just needs a knot, right? I can at least simulate that with the number of toys Preston leaves in this part of our house. A few quick searches through the drawers and I find what I’m looking for, a thick, ripped green silicone ring that will fit snug over my cock.

This shit is going to ruin me. I remember the last time Kael had me wear one of these while he fucked me and it was simultaneously the best and worst thing I’ve ever done.

I head back over to Slate, the Omega writhing on the sheets, his fingers digging into the fabric as he tries and fails to find release. His cock is leaking steadily, the scent of his slick making me want to flip him over and fuck him into oblivion. But that’s not what he needs and while I might be an awful person, I’m not a bastard.

His body arches with a cry as he comes, white ropes splaying on his stomach and thighs, his body flush with need. That’s when I see the scars Thane described but there’s so much more than that. The knicks and bruises along his torso and the lines across his arms speak a very,verydifferent picture into existence.

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