Page 73 of Bite

Raine’s sweet perfume explodes in the air around us, turning her cheeks as red as mine feel. Gods, just listening to Dair talk about rut is making me semi-hard. In a husky voice, she says, “So what does that mean? That you’re going to require rut tending, like an omega would need heat tending?”

Dair rubs a hand over his face, nearly panting. “Yeah, that’s exactly what it means.”

“Shit,” I curse, already imagining all the ways Raine and I can take care of our alpha during his rut. “We’ll help you,” I rasp, maybe a little too eager.

Raine nods her head slowly, eyes wide with excitement.

Dair’s eyes darken with hunger. “Right, it’s just that when I’m in rut, I’m in a hormonal haze, just like an omega in heat. The full moon is in less than four days, which means there’s a real risk that I’ll lose myself to rut while we’re unsafe, stuck somewhere in the Wilds.”

“That definitely isn’t ideal, but maybe we can find somewhere safe and I can keep watch in between helping,” I suggest.

“I appreciate that,” he tells me, but starts nervously tugging at the shoulder straps of his backpack. “But . . . me going into rut has a very high likelihood of not only sending you into rut, too, but sending Raine into heat.”

Raine’s face pales a little. All three of us are going to get sucked into a full moon breeding frenzy while we’re stranded in the middle of the Wilds.

“Fuck,” I breathe.

[ 47 ]

RAINE

The Great Plains

3 Days Until the Full Moon

The desire to nest kicks in about the same time as the elevation discomfort. I’ve started to think of our blanket bed in our tent as my nest, especially now that it’s so saturated in the scents of our pack, and I find myself craving its security as we hike. Dair had warned me that my omega instincts might become stronger and more intrusive the closer we get to the full moon. Apparently, his rut cycle is already triggering hormonal shifts inside of me, gearing me up to potentially enter heat. The stress of our situation abrades my omega, making me wish we could bury ourselves in the pack blankets. Maybe rearrange them a little so that everything is just right.

I’m not afraid to admit that this whole situation is freaking me out. I know what heat is—the only way omegas can get pregnant is during heat—but since the collapse, there’s no guarantee that omegas will go into heat, and if they do, it doesn’t guarantee conception. From what I understand, an omega must feel entirely safe for their hormones to trigger heat. But even then, due to the sensitivity of omega instincts, the harshness of the world makes ovulation unlikely. Therefore, I never really thought about being a parent when the chances seemed so slim.

Now, I’m faced with the reality that I might go into heat, and that heat might be ovulatory. I could end up having my alphas’ baby.

Both of my alphas assured me that I didn’t need to help Dair through his rut. Ferris volunteered to find a way to secure him away somewhere, just like Dair did for one of his friends, but the idea of leaving Dair in pain, confused, and needing me, physically hurts. I could never do that to him after he helped me through my bond sickness and has taken care of me and Ferris every day since.

Dair isn’t even sure if my heat will actually be triggered considering how rare it is for omegas to have heats anymore, but even if heat doesn’t occur, his hormones—and potentially Ferris’s—are preparing me to be a rut partner. I have to admit that I’ve been wet since he told us, picturing all the ways Ferris and I can sate his needs.

It’s incredibly interesting, highly intimidating biology, but it’s also kind of sexy.

As for the altitude, breathing has officially become more laborious. We’re trying to take it easy so that I have time to acclimate, but now that we all know the time crunch we’re on, my gentle rise into the mountains has been fast-tracked. The only good news is that our water stores are holding and the closer we get to the mountains, the more water we will be able to find.

One of my alphas walks directly beside me at all times now, both because their hormonal shifts demand it, and because they want to keep an eye on me. Dair is even carrying my backpack for me. “You’ll let me know if you start feeling ill, yes?” he asks in his serious, grumpy alpha voice.

“I promise I will,” I remind him.

“Thank you, baby.” He smiles softly and takes my hand in his for a gentle squeeze.

“How close do you think we’re going to be?” Ferris asks from behind us.

Dair considers the landscape around us, changing from the barren desert to rockier terrain. “It’s going to be close,” he says. “Really fucking close, maybe even down to hours.”

The hope in his voice makes me walk faster. None of us want his rut to happen while we’re in the Wilds and vulnerable to all sorts of danger. Dair is confident that if we can make it close enough to the Foothill Territory, his allies there will help us find a safehouse to ride out his rut, but we have to make it there before we all become moon-addled.

“Ineed a break,” I pant. It’s sometime in the afternoon, but no matter how desperate we all are to make good time, my body simply cannot keep going. Dizziness and pressure in my chest bog me down with every step and I know that I’m getting close to pushing myself too far.

Dair seems reluctant and on edge, but Ferris tells him he can feel my discomfort through our bond. “Alright,” Dair concedes, already readjusting the day in his head. “We just need to find a good place, and then we can finally have lunch while you rest.”

Dair directs us to a small creek with slow, running water. Immediately, I drop to my ass and rip off my boots to soak my feet in the cool water. Ever since getting boots full of sand, my feet have been getting rubbed raw from the small granules that I can never seem to get out, no matter how many times I shake them.

I sigh in relief as the water flows over the open sores along my heels and the inside edges near my toes.