Page 132 of Your Wild Omega

“So soon.” The omega looks up at me with rounded eyes. “He’s trying to protect me.” Emotion swims in her eyes. She’s sovulnerable and carrying so much pain; it makes me wish I could share her burden. “It’s up to me, isn’t it?” she asks softly.

“Red,” I murmur, cupping her cheek. Hard to know if I should get angry at Hale or thank him for doing his best on Callisto’s behalf.

My omega turns, eyes focused on the screen. “What happens if he loses?” she rasps out.

Hale shrugs. “The Bureau pays the defendant’s legal fees, and the felon walks free. He gets to go on with his life like nothing ever happened.” Hale’s gaze flicks my way. “And Callisto’s career streak goes down in flames, although he seems to have forgotten all about that.”

But Hale hasn’t, and I haven’t. How many times have Callisto and I discussed his plan to earn a partnership at his firm? That win streak used to mean everything to him, but it seems like we’re not the only ones who’ve changed.

Red looks up at me with a tortured gaze, and fuck if I don’t want to wrap her in cotton wool and protect her from the world. But I can’t because this is something hounding her from her past.

“This streak is really important to him, isn’t it?” she asks.

“Yeah. At least it used to be. It was Callisto’s life goal to make partner in the firm, and a record-breaking win streak would do that for him.” It feels like I’m not being fair to Callisto, so I add, “But like Hale said, I don’t think Calli believes it’s more important than you.”

Not anymore.

Red nods slowly. Anxiety swarms through the bond, making me nauseated. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” I confirm, running my thumb over her jaw.

Red sighs. “The other day, I thought I smelled him in a crowd; the guy who did this to me. It was terrifying, like he could reach out and touch me at any moment.”

Fuck. Her fear explodes through the bond, and Zack snarls as he paces over, circling the room to check for danger. Except this isn’t the sort of thing we can protect her from.

“I—” She rolls her bottom lip through her teeth and hugs herself. “I don’t want to keep living with that fear.”

The noise in the kitchen stops as even the agent pauses while my brave, wild omega finds her way. “I never thought I’d be able to face him again, you know. The things he did to me tore holes in my soul. But now I’m working a real job, and I’m good at it, and I’ve got two bonded alphas.” She sniffs back emotion, eyes glistening. “I’m even fucking crying now and then.”

We both chuckle, and I pull her closer, startling a protest squawk from Ozzie.

Red coaxes the bird out onto her finger and I resettle her hair. “And I put an alpha in his place today,” she adds.

“You sure did,” I mutter, squeezing her arm. Damn, she’s beautiful and so brave.

Red strokes Ozzie’s yellow breast. “I’m a homeowner, and I have a pack. It’s like piece by piece my soul’s being refilled. Patched over like holes in the road,” she adds with a dry scoff. Then her lovely stormy eyes swing my way again. “Because of my alphas.”

Zack parks himself on the armrest, making it creak beneath his weight. He drops his hands on Red’s shoulders, sensing her distress even if he doesn’t understand the reason. Hale waits quietly, letting her work through things.

Her chest expands with a deep breath, and she turns back to face the phone. “I can’t promise to turn up, because this whole thing plagues me. But I think I want my name on that list.” Red nods, still trying to convince herself.

So courageous.

I press a kiss to her silky hair. I’ve seen how this omega screamed her way through her heat, barricading herself in aroom because she couldn’t trust an alpha. Honestly, I never expected her to reach this point, not because I didn’t have faith in her, but because I’ve sensed the depth of her pain. Some things scar too deep to recover from.

But just like Zack’s surprised us every day with what he’s accomplishing, so my omega is making leaps and bounds. It’s true what they say about scent matches being soulmates.

But it’s still my duty to warn her of the consequences. “This isn’t a silent case,” I say. “If you testify, the world will learn your entire story.”

Red nods thoughtfully. “Maybe that’s not such a bad thing,” she says haltingly before reaching up to stroke my jaw. “After all, that story brought me to you.”

My heart explodes with love. “Then I’ll be with you every step of the way,” I promise.

“I think you’re very brave, Ms Jones,” Hale says after a long moment. “And I’m truly grateful.”

“Brave?” Red laughs, her throat catching. She smiles at me, lighting up my heart. “More like crazy.”

“Certifiable,” I assure her, and she chuckles.

Hale smiles with us but quickly returns to business. “Even if you’re not sure about testifying, I need to run you through the process and talk about the questions the defense will ask you. Do you have some time?”

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