Feral (Shadow Bred, #3)

by Grace McGinty

“Flying fuckballs.” Cooper tripped, catching himself at the last minute. “Did you just say… Jesus, I forgot the guys said they taught you English. It didn’t occur to me that it would be a seventeen-year-old boy version of English.”

“Like a Pokémon?” I barked out a laugh, and Kitten threw me a furious stare. Darius too. “You taught her about Pokémon but not the courting habits of the Manix? Figures,” he grumbled. “But she isn’t wrong. They kind of leveled up like Pokémon.”

“What am I supposed to do with him?” she whispered, her eyes wide like he was a bomb strapped to her chest.

“Everything okay? Sorry I took so long—I swear Corvin grows three extra arms when he’s drunk. He’s like a horny octopus.”

“No, I mean I’m rich. Lorso left me everything he had, the remainder of his Pack’s investments and money. I’ve got millions of dollars, last time I checked.”

“Just so we’re totally clear... You want two D’s in the V? Double meat in your taco? Two pilgrims in the cave of wonder?”

I wanted her so well pleasured that she would never even dream of leaving. If that meant I had to debauch my Google search history, then so be it.

Darius gave us all dirty looks, but his words were gentle. “Today, we were having an amazing lovemaking session, and Kitten may have accidentally initiated a matebond with me.” He waved one hand at a raw bite mark on his chest, as if it was just a cat scratch and not the beginning of a lifelong tie. I slumped back against the wall. “Holy crap!” Darius threw me another angry look, so that was clearly the wrong response. “Well, you did kind of accidentally steal her eggs, so maybe this makes you guys even?”

“Let me grab the doppler. Darius, if you wouldn’t mind getting up on the exam table, we’ll check out these cubs.” Darius grinned. “I don’t know, Doc. Did you wipe it down after the previous patient?” Tanner turned red at Darius’s teasing. “Of course I did, you cheeky bastard. Get up there before I convince you that you’re giving birth to bird-lions instead of babies. No one can actually tell on these things anyway, not without a trained eye.”

“Can you go five minutes without making her cry?” Courtland frowned and gave him the finger. “Away with you, Beta, before I fire you.” Radic snorted. “Couldn’t survive without me, and we both know it.”

Honestly, I know he’s your dad, but I think we should dig him up and piss on his corpse.”

“Hold your fucking horses!” There was a bang and some muttering. “Fucking younger generation. We’ll see how quick they feel when they’re eighty and can barely take a piss anymore because of an enlarged prostate. No hurrying then,” a man grumbled from the other side of the door before wrenching it open. “What do you wan—” His mouth fell open with such force that his dentures fell out and hit the porch, bouncing away. “Leandra?”

“Hey, Mom. How are you doing?” She shuffled toward me quickly, so I couldn’t even run away. I mean, I was a grown-ass Alpha, but I would still run from my mom when she had that look on her face. “How am I doing?” She patted my cheek, and I grimaced. Yeah, this was going to be bad. “How am I doing?” she repeated. “Well, you called me ten weeks ago to tell me that Darius is expecting cubs, and then I don’t hear a single peep from you. Then this morning, Cooper’s mother called to congratulate me on having a new daughter-in-law. Now, why would I have to hear from Linda Wiley that my only son has bondmarked another Omega, rather than from my son himself? What could possibly be so important that you couldn’t take five minutes to call me yourself?”

Darius leaned over and kissed my ear. “Baby, I had every reason to hate your guts, and you wooed me in seconds. This is nothing.” I frowned at him. “I wooed you with the power of my vagina, Darius. That doesn’t apply here.” Beckett cleared his throat as I heard his mother chuckle on the other side of the door. My face flushed bright red.

Holy shit. I was spawned from absolute evil. “And no one thought I should fucking know this before I walked into her goddamn living room and ate cake?” Okay, I might have screeched that last part. How could they have been so damn insensitive? Needing to get away before I said something I regretted, I turned and ran in the opposite direction. “Kitten!” Cooper shouted, but I dead-eyed him over my shoulder. “Do not follow me or I will kick you in the balls, Cooper Wiley,” I yelled, sprinting off.

Gatlin grunted. “I’m shit at this talking thing. You should have seen Naja’s face when they all suggested I come and talk to you. She thought it was funny as hell. I don’t do… feelings well.” I snorted. “Maybe that’s hereditary too.”

The cubs were practicing their choreography for a flash mob in my womb.

“Let’s go, baby. Have I told you lately that you’re fucking amazing?” she crooned to him, and it was a testament to how much he loved her that he just purred. If I’d tried to say the same thing at that moment, he would have eaten me.

Cooper released the clamps and stood up. “Thank the Goddess.” Then he passed the hell out with a thump. No one could catch him, and his head thudded against the floorboards. He’d be fine, of course, but my poor, traumatized Alpha. Tanner actually laughed. “I’m surprised he lasted that long.” He looked up at Darius. “Just a little more, Omega, and you can rest with your cubs.”