Page 107 of Wild Omega

Red giggles and kisses her alpha a few more times. The scene reminds me of Red and her conversation about knots with the nurse at the Center. If she hasn’t had Ricky for nearly two weeks, I bet she’s real hungry.

My cock agrees, which is none of its damn business. Fuck!

Rickon slides the omega off his lap and buckles her in before reaching for his own seat belt. The mirror shows the grin on his face, and it’s a look of pure joy I’ve never seen before. My breath catches.

“Well, are we going or not, driver?” Red asks, shifting to cross one leg over Rickon’s knee in a tiny act of defiance. Or maybe she just can’t bear not to be in contact.

I chuckle and switch on the engine. Never in my life have I been a third wheel. All through college it was Rickon I invited to come with me when I had dates. Was it this bittersweet for him?

“Did you see the look on their faces?” Red says with another giggle. “That’ll teach them for thinking I was making it up.”

“Making what up exactly?” I ask, easing out through the gated checkpoint. In the rearview mirror, I see Rickon take her hand and lace their fingers together.

Red grins and rests her chin on her fist, staring out the window. “I’ve told them for years my alphas were coming for me.”

Shock runs through me, and I touch the brake pedal by accident, jolting us. The woman at the center of my criminal cases, this sweet omega, rotted away on her own in an abusive omega trading hub, waiting for her alphas to come rescue her, but they didn’t come. She had to go to them. And after all that, I ran for the hills. I must be the world’s biggest asshole.

I grip the steering wheel tight and apologize for the jolt. Asshole or not, I still need to have a career, so it’s not like I could have just dropped everything. But from the sounds of it, Red might have accepted even the smallest sacrifice on my part. If I hadn’t so royally screwed up, I could be in the back seat now, holding her. My stomach churns.

Regret sells no apples, as Dad used to say. But it sure stings. Burns me the whole drive back to my place, even as Red and Ricky chatter excitedly in the background, mostly talking about the upcoming film.

I park the car in my space under the building and grab Red’s suitcase, leading Red and Rickon to the elevator. We switch elevators in the lobby since all traffic goes through the ground floor, and then I swipe my card on the residents’ elevator.

“We’re on the top floor,” I tell Red as I push the button with a ten on it. “I’ve got a keycard for you upstairs.”

Her thousand-watt smile gives me an instant tan. “Exciting!” She looks around the polished interior and bumps her shoulder against Ricky’s. “Bit different from your front steps.”

Ricky snorts with amusement. “Understatement of the year. Callisto already had money before he became a lawyer. Now he’s just stupid wealthy.”

“So don’t mock my interior design skills, or I’ll sue you,” I joke.

Red slides a sultry look from me to her lover. “So now we just spend all his money while he works his ass off?”

Ricky loses it, leaning against the handrail to laugh. “Sounds good to me.”

I snort. “Says the man who rarely lets me pay for our beers.” I catch Red’s eye and grin. “But go ahead and spend it, if you can.” I wink at her. So far she’s refused to accept even free legal help from me, so it would be great if she did spend my money. Then I could feel like I was doing something useful for her.

The elevator grinds to a halt and the doors slide open. We step across the narrow foyer and a flutter of nerves explodes in my belly as I consider that I’m bringing an omega into my house. I’ve never felt nervous with any woman I’ve brought here before.

“Home, sweet home,” I say, unlocking the double doors and throwing them wide open.

Rickon bends down, grunting with effort as he scoops Red up. When he sways, I brace his arms. He’s a lightweight guy, after all. Red laughs and clings to his neck as he carries her just across the threshold, and then staggers. I leap forward but miss, and they go down in a tangle of limbs.

“Shit!” Rickon cries, reaching for her head. “You okay?”

Red flops on her back, laughing.

The parrot in his cage in the corner shrieks. “Bastard! Fuck off!”

“Yeah, I deserved that,” Ricky says with a groan.

The omega presses her hands to her mouth as peals of laughter erupt. “Good timing, Ozzie,” she gasps.

Chuckling, I reach down and offer them both a hand up. “I’m not sure if the floor got christened or you guys did, but welcome either way.”

Red gets smoothly to her feet and looks around, taking in the spacious open plan centered around a staircase that doubles back on itself. “Nice.”

“Rooms are up.” I point to the ceiling and take her suitcase.

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