Page 48 of Feral
“Boys?” Darius squeaked, and Tanner shook his head.
“Just a figure of speech. They’re a little too small to see just yet, I think. Probably the next scan though, given the rate they’re growing.” He continued along, taking measurements and making notes, and the whole time I stared at the screen like it was a crystal ball.
Finally, he was done taking measurements on all three cubs, as they moved and squirmed out of the way of his probing. “Cheeky little buggers,” he laughed, when he finally got the head measurement of the last cub. “They look great. Growth is in line with what I think it should be, they’re active and their heart rates sound good. Congrats, Dads.”
Dads. Holy shit.
28
KITTEN
I’d made the guys all go to their own jobs today. I’d been here over two months now—I needed to grow some lady balls and get out and do things myself. This was a good first step.
I sat in the waiting room of the Alpha General’s office. Radic had brought me some coffee, which I sipped gratefully. Non-instant coffee and pastries from the bakery were just a few of the happy bonuses that came from moving into town. If I focused on these small things, and not the fact I hadn’t watched the sun rise in months, or run through the woods in my human skin beneath the moonlight, I wasn’t as homesick.
Courtland opened the door to his office with a smile. “Omega,” he said, bowing his head in respect. “I’m surprised to see you today. Ready to start your new job?”
“No, uh, well yes. I’d like to start if I could. I’ve gotten my bearings and I think I’d like to do something that contributes back now. But that’s not the only reason I’m here.”
“Can you push my next meeting back, Rad? Actually, reschedule it altogether. I’m sure we’ll think of some way to fill the extra thirty minutes,” Courtland said to Radic, in a voice that was little more than a rumble.
Radic flushed, but that was the only sign the Alpha was flirting with him. His expression remained purely professional. Courtland grinned, and then let his own face slip into something more neutral.
“Come in, Kitten.”
Once upon a time, the very idea of walking into a room and being alone with the most powerful Manix in existence would have made me break down into an anxious mess. But as Courtland indicated the wide couch, taking a seat in the single seater opposite me, I felt pretty damn comfortable. His power was like a heavy blanket, but it was comforting and not suffocating, to the point I was sure he was tamping it down to make me feel less threatened.
That was the mark of a real leader.
“What can I do for you, Omega? Are you being treated well?” The small edge that crept into his voice led me to believe he’d rectify any ill treatment in a rather permanent manner.
“Yes, sir. The Wiley-Fletcher-Reid Pack treats me like I’m made of the most precious material on earth. I’m very happy with them.”
Courtland smiled. “I’m happy to hear it. Let me know if you run into any troubles though. I won’t tolerate ill treatment of Betas or Omegas by anyone, let alone the people who vow to love and protect you. So did you want to sign your employment contract now? Maybe write out a report on what you think needs to be done to maintain the forest and wildlife within the borders?”
I nodded. “Thank you, sir. Actually, um, I was coming to see you about another issue, though I guess it’s kind of related. Have you spoken to Doc Tanner?”
Courtland shook his head. “No, your medical records are private, even from me. I have, however, spoken to my sister Naja. I hear you’ve inherited a new branch on your family tree. I think that makes us extended family also.” He smiled. “She insinuated you might want to look at your father’s diaries and ledgers from around then, so I had someone dig them out of the records room this morning.” He stood, and grabbed a small cardboard box from beside his desk. “I got them a couple of years either side of your supposed birth year, just in case.”
My eyes might have welled with tears, which seemed to send the Alpha General into something that might have resembled panic.
“No, don’t cry,” he said in his Alpha voice, which just made me whimper a little and try to suck the tears back in. “Ah fuck, no, I didn’t mean for that to be an order. Fuck. RADIC!”
The good-looking Beta burst into the room, his eyes ping-ponging between the panicked Alpha General and me, with tears streaming down my cheeks.
“What the hell did you do, Court?” He hurried over to me and wrapped me in his arms. “Hey, it’s okay. Tell me what’s wrong?”
“You guys are so nice.” I hated that my voice was wavering. “You were all meant to be evil and mean, people who just wanted to subjugate me and feed me to the Alpha Manix. I missed out on so much. And I can’t write reports because I never learned to write, because I couldn’t come to town to go to school. I feel like I’ve missed out on half of my life already.”
Courtland blew out a breath. “Kid, you’re barely more than a child in our world. You’ll have decades, maybe even centuries to figure all this out. There’s time to learn anything you want. This isn’t a problem. But you can always talk to any of us if you have any issues, and we’ll do our best to fix it. For now, you can dictate your reports into this.” He went to a filing cabinet, pulling out a cellphone. “It has a dictation function. Get one of your Alphas to give you a crash course on how it works.”
He pinched his nose. “I want to tell you that the opinions fed to you during your upbringing were wrong, and I hate to echo what so many others have probably already told you, but your guardian wasn’t wrong about the nature of the Manix, at least back then. I met your father. He almost refused treatment for my cubs because they were half-bloods. They were this big”—he held his hands about twelve inches apart—“and he was willing to let them die because they weren’t pure enough for him. What would he have done to you, do you think? Is that why you want these diaries, to understand the man better? Because I’m not sure you’ll find what you’re seeking in there.”
“I’m part Griffin,” I blurted out. Courtland’s mouth fell open, and even Radic’s arms dropped in shock as he jumped back. “On my mother’s side, I guess. I’m looking for clues about who she was. I thought…” I swallowed hard. “I think I'd like to meet her. But I don’t want to take my Alphas or Darius. They don’t say it, but I think they’re mad that she just left me out in the woods, waiting for me to die. She couldn’t really have known there was an ancient hermit out there, could she?”
They were silent as they let me have my stream of consciousness meltdown, then Radic patted my arm. “I don’t know, Kitten, but whenever you’re ready, let us know and we’ll send our two best Legion members with you. But talk to your Alphas—they’ll want to know what's going on with you.” The phone rang, and he eyed his Alpha. “Can you go five minutes without making her cry?”
Courtland frowned and gave him the finger. “Away with you, Beta, before I fire you.”
