Page 308 of Pucking Feral: Part Two

I feel it.

A vibration in my own chest, so quiet I almost don't realize it's mine as I float in that strange half-awake space. A soft, fractured sound, barely there, embarrassingly careful.

I've never purred.

I didn't know I could.

Chapter 64

Thane

I'm in the tunnel outside the locker room, helmet tucked under one arm, tape still half-wrapped around my left hand because I stepped out mid-prep like an idiot when I saw the caller ID. Even out in the hall, I can still hear Whiskey yelling about stick tape and Plague telling him to shut up before he tapes him.

I shove my finger into my free ear to try to make out what my father is saying. He never calls at a convenient time. Never.

"The decision's final," Dad says. Unless I missed it with Whiskey's bellowing, he didn't even bother to ask how I am. He's all business today.

So it's probably bad news.

"And?" I manage to croak.

"You can all keep playing. The whole pack. The instinct defense holds."

My lungs empty in a rush. I sag against the wall, pressing the heel of my taped hand against my forehead.

"But there's a condition," he adds.

Of course there is.

"The pack bond has to be verified as complete. All five alpha marks on your omega, confirmed by medical examination. That's non-negotiable, Thane. The league's position is that incomplete bonds don't qualify for full instinct defense protection. If she's only marked by four of five, the claim is legally fragile and Wade's lawyers will eat it alive."

My jaw locks.

"You hear me?" Dad presses.

"I hear you."

"How many marks does she have?"

"Four."

My father goes silent long enough I'm starting to sweat. "Who's missing, Thane?"

"Wraith."

The silence stretches longer.

"Is it because Wraith can't safely⁠—"

"I know what he can't do, Dad."

My voice comes out sharper than I mean it to. I pinch the bridge of my nose and breathe. Through the concrete wall, I hear the muffled thump of sticks hitting the floor and the excited buzz of the crowd filtering down from above.

"How long do we have?" I ask.

"End of the month. That's when the formal review closes. If the bond isn't complete by then, the instinct defense gets downgraded to individual claims. Which means Valek's assault charge goes back on the table, and Wraith's bite becomes aggravated battery instead of protective instinct."

Fuck.