Page 4 of Feral, Part Two (Wolfscorge #2)

Thane

The weekly grocery run is by far my least favorite activity, but it’s also one of the only activities that allows me out of the house without suspicion.

While we could go every week, we’ve stopped taking Preston, and none of us really wants to part from him longer than we have to.

Add in the fact that the guards are usually everywhere, prowling through the little pathways they’ve created, and it just feels like more and more of a hostile situation every day.

How I didn’t figure out until just a few days ago that we weren’t getting out of here, I have no fucking clue.

A heavy sigh falls from my lips as I lean back against one of the oddly placed trees in Wolfscorge, staring at Malik rustling the fruit stand just a few feet away.

Malik’s fingers sort through the apples, turning each one to check for blemishes.

Wolfscorge has no currency, just a barter system where guards decide who gets more based on credibility.

Our pack’s influence means we get better food, especially with two pregnant Omegas to feed now.

The food gets brought in here at odd times, so no one can actually determine when the gates will open.

There’s never been a successful escape, not that it mattered.

For a long while, we were only supposed to be here for three years.

Now that that has gone up in flames, I’m going to need a better fucking plan.

Whispers swirl around us, eyes darting our way like they have been for the last few hours, no doubt everyone having heard of Slate’s arrival and that he’s pregnant.

There aren’t many secrets here in Wolfscorge, even less with one of the Betas running gossip around the compound like it means something.

I fold my arms across my chest as I lose myself in my head.

Watching Slate and Preston wrap themselves around each other over the past day or so has been wildly entertaining.

It’s adorable as fuck and when my cousin gets all huffy and puffy about it, it’s just hilarious.

I will say I miss holding my Omega, some part of me wanting to slot myself between them.

Feeling them through the bonds has changed my perspective on things.

Including the Beta chewing on his bottom lip as he turns an apple over and growls at a rotten spot.

Over the years we’ve been together, I never once felt something romantic toward him.

He’s gorgeous, with that silky hair and hazel eyes, a man with two sides: one kind, nurturing, pulling people in with soft words, the other sadistic, ripping them apart with a grin.

I’ve watched him charm someone to pieces, then turn around and make Preston or Slate melt with a whisper, and it’s always been a thrill to see.

However, since this morning, there’s been this thread of curiosity, of intrigue, wondering if I just pushed the bar a little bit. If I decided to find out if those thin lips taste as dangerous as he looks. If I just…

Someone bumps my shoulder, and I look over to see Beck, one of the few Alphas I don’t hate in this godforsaken place. He carries a newer weariness about him that wasn’t there a few weeks ago, Beck nodding towards the veggie cart where his other Alpha, Monet, picks through squash and zucchini.

Monet is wildly smaller than Beck, nearly the same size difference between Kael and Preston, although Monet’s shoulders are broader than Preston’s.

I will never understand how that Alpha has held his own in here, but I’ve heard he’s like a rabid animal when protecting what’s his.

Rumor has it that he tore some guy’s face off for trying to steal Beck.

Not sure I believe it.

“Did you finally tell him how you feel?” I ask, my curiosity getting the better of me.

Beck snorts, his lips twitching into a smile.

“No, he’s still skittish as fuck. Says all of five words every night, and the Omega they gave us locked herself in our basement.

She’ll open the door for dinner, but other than that?

I haven’t seen her. Fuck, I thought she was a guy at first and I don’t even know her name.

” His voice is tinged with frustration, but there’s a shrug in his tone, like he’s accepted it.

I raise an eyebrow, shifting my weight onto one leg as I continue studying Monet.

“Wait, what? Monet’s been here for like, what…

three weeks? And they already gave you an Omega?

” Three weeks of nothing sounds like hell.

I couldn’t imagine being an Alpha in that house, my instincts pushing me to bond with the others, to make them mine, and not being able to.

Beck shoves his free hand into his pocket, the other holding a few bags full of produce and other items. “I don’t know.

Nathan’s the only one who’s really been able to get them to talk.

He’s talked to my Omega and apparently, they’re both healthy.

I heard her voice the other day. It’s… sweet.

” Beck used to be one of the more vibrant Alphas in the compound, hope swirling around him like a drug.

Now, he just seems resigned to his fate and it won’t be me telling him that we’re not getting out of here.

“Does it bother you that they didn’t accept you right away? That the council just kind of threw stragglers your way?”

He shakes his head, his gaze drifting to Monet.

“Not really. There’s enough space that we’re all pretty spread out, and I have nothing but time.

I know they’re mine and maybe that makes the waiting worse, but if I force the issue, it’ll never work.

They’ve both been through shit and the darkness I see in Monet’s eyes haunts me. We’re getting there. Slowly.”

A flare of desire bursts through the bond, but I tamp down my reaction. Whoever is getting fucked back at the house is having a good time.

Beck straightens up a little bit, a soft smile playing on his lips when Monet picks up a zucchini and holds it out for Beck to see.

The larger Alpha nods, sending Monet’s lips curving upward before Beck speaks again.

“Rumor mill has it that you have two pregnant Omegas. How’s that working out for you? ”

“Complicated. We were forced to bond the second one within a day or so after he got here. He’s been beaten up pretty badly, bonded and unbonded six times before us.”

Beck grunts at that revelation and leans a little closer to me.

“They’re doing something fucked up in here.

Aren’t they?” I almost tell him no, but he just shakes his head.

“Don’t fuck with me, Thane. Everyone in here knows that you were once part of The Collective.

Why do you think the council set you up at the house you’re in?

One that’s a bit farther away from the rest of us? None of us fuck with that system.”

My nose scrunches up in confusion. “What system? The Collective isn’t a…”

“Yes, Thane, it is. And the only reason I’m telling you this is because you got caught trying to rip it apart from the inside.

Not all of the packs here think you’re clean, but I know better.

The problem is that a system doesn’t always unravel all that easily.

All I know is that something fucked up is going on and this place has nothing to do with rehabilitation.

It’s like they’re slowly building a civilization here, hoping we won’t notice until we’re too comfortable in here. ”

Well, damn.

I blow out a breath, my nostrils flaring slightly as I catch a whiff of Malik’s scent.

It’s stronger than it usually is, or maybe I’m just more in tune with my pack than before.

“Beck, you’re not wrong about the fucked up bullshit they’re doing in here.

They’ve never asked us to bond an Omega and definitely not a Feral one.

I don’t know much, but when I have more, I’ll let you know. ”

Beck steps back and resumes watching his little Alpha as Monet picks up a second cucumber, another rare smile breaking across his face. Then he rushes over to Beck as the larger Alpha grins and opens one of the bags before Monet drops the cucumbers inside and darts back to the cart.

“That’s so fucking adorable.”

Beck’s cheeks flush lightly, his eyes following Monet.

“It’s the only time I get any real reaction from him.

Like he’s looking for acceptance or praise, I’m not sure.

This is genuinely my favorite part of the week, but it doesn’t always happen.

” Beck’s expression hardens a little just as Monet starts moving down the small pathway to a different cart.

“Oh, that’s my cue to go. See you around, Thane. ”

I throw him a small wave, waiting until Malik is done smelling the fucking fruit.

A few moments later, he strides up, obnoxiously chomping on an apple.

Some of the juice runs down his chin, and my gaze follows the trickle.

Unable to help myself, I reach forward to wipe it off and stick my thumb into his mouth, much to his amusement.

“You’re a fucking mess, Leek.”

He just laughs at me. “I’ve got everything we need, I think.

Stop staring at my lips, Alpha. Both of us know it’s not going to happen, regardless of how much sexual tension there is in that goddamn house.

” His voice has that lighthearted teasing it always does, but there’s a spark in the bond, a challenge that makes my skin heat.

“It could.” I spit back at him, testing the waters as I lean closer.

Malik’s eyes narrow at me, the amusement slowly fading away. “But it wouldn’t. I’m not sure any of us would enjoy that.” He takes another bite of the apple as we start heading back to the house.

I grab one of his bags from his hands, needing something to hold onto as I work through what’s going on in my head.

“You keep saying it won’t work, but we’ve never tried it.

” That same bit of curiosity from earlier has grown; the need to see this through, even though it doesn’t make sense.

I’ve always known that Malik and I wouldn’t be a thing.

We throw around banter and we might share a kiss because it gets Preston hot, but I’m now thinking about very different scenarios.

And it’s a need.

Not a want.

Malik’s steps slow as he twists toward me, his gaze locking with mine. “We’re not mates. Do you even like me like that?” His voice is quieter now, a hint of vulnerability breaking through the sass.

“Do you?” He clears his throat, his cheeks reddening slightly as I press against his side.

“I’ll put this shit to bed if you let me fuck you once.

” The words surprise me just as much as him, the gravelly edge to my voice mixing with the heat growing in my belly.

Whatever this is, I need it to stop before I do something I regret.

“Why is this so fucking important to you?”

“All you have to do is tell me to fuck off, but you haven’t. Why?”

I wrap my arm around his shoulder, my hand sliding to the front of his neck before capturing his lips in a hard kiss, my tongue pushing past his teeth. Malik shoves me back, his chest heaving, his eyes wide with shock as he glares at me.

He drags his free hand across his mouth before dropping the bags and closing the distance between us.

We crash back together, a flurry of kisses, lips clashing, and tongues tangling in a desperate mess.

Malik grips my waist, his fingers digging into my sides as I drop the bag I took and hold his face in my hands, my thumbs brushing his jaw, desperate to keep him close.

My cock hardens against his belly, straining against my jeans, his cock pressing against my thigh, just as hard, sending a jolt through me.

This almost feels like the beginning of Preston’s heat, when emotions and need run higher than everything else.

The difference is that I haven’t ever wanted to bend Malik over and fuck him until he screams for mercy.

I snap back to reality when a brief chill runs down my spine, remembering that we’re out in the open and not in the safety of the house.

Out here, someone is always watching and cataloguing our movements.

I tear myself away from Malik, despite how much my instincts are screaming at me to take him now.

He looks just as confused and turned on as I feel, my nostrils flaring as his scent boldens a little more and then fades away to its natural level.

What. The. Fuck.

“Let’s get home,” I mutter. He hesitates before we start picking up the bags and shoveling apples and chips back into them.

We walk in silence, my lips still buzzing from that kiss, my head a chaotic mess.

I nod at familiar faces as we pass, a quick hello here and there, but something feels off.

It only dawns on me once we’re within a few feet of the house.

I turn back around and scan the empty path, realizing that while I’ve practiced where to nod and say hello, there wasn’t actually a guard in any of those spots.

“Something is wrong. I haven’t seen a guard since we left the house. ”

Malik looks around, taking in the same stillness.

We usually encounter at least one guard who decides to have a problem with us, but none of that happened.

“Whatever it means, I don’t like it. They were up our asses two days ago with Slate coming in, and now they’re just gone? Absolutely the fuck not, in the house.”

I snort, pushing open the door. “Damn, bossy much? I thought I was the Alpha.”