Page 38 of Your Wild Omega

Today was a good trial run, but I never imagined Zack would have such a dramatic reaction to a dog. It doesn’t bode well. On the film set, we’ll be around hundreds more people, and weird moving cameras, not to mention horses.

He listened to my orders outside the designer’s shop, grudgingly, but today he’s also shown a new level of independence. He’s growing into his own person, and he might not blindly follow my commands anymore.

I tuck the worries away as I wash my face. I never would’ve made it this far if I was gonna let worries suck me down. Red Hawk never gives up.

Halfway down the corridor, I find a second rose, then another on the stairs. Two more dot the floor to the kitchen, where the final one towers out of a vase next to a slim case. A warm glow flickers in my heart but I remind myself not to get excited. The only person who might leave me flowers is Callisto.

Our discarded clothes from the earlier romp sit neatly folded and stacked on a bar stool. Heat flares in my cheeks as I imagine the lawyer picking up after us.

“Looks like you had a good day.”

I spin to find Callisto leaning in the doorway of the former library. He smiles but looks worn out, shadows smudging the skin under his eyes. We’ve barely seen him in the last few days. His gaze drops, taking in my bare legs, and then he drags his eyes up to meet mine. After a moment, he clears his throat and looks away.

“How are things going with Zack?” he asks, coming into the kitchen and taking a stemmed glass down from the cupboard. “Want a drink?” he adds, reaching for a second cup.

“Um, yeah, thanks.” I slide onto the unoccupied stool. “He’s doing really well.” I rest my hand on top of the clothes. “Sorry for taking your suit without asking. We had a bit of an emergency today.”

His brows lift as he gets a bottle of white wine from the fridge and pours. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah.” I sip from the glass he offers, the dry grape taste tickling my tongue.Pinot Grigio, the bottle next to Callisto’s elbow reads. “It was actually Rickon who was in trouble.”

The alpha’s voice sharpens. “What happened?”

I smother a smile by taking another sip. Does Callisto even know how much he cares for Rickon?

Agent Pierce pads to the head of the stairs to check on us, and then silently returns to the room he shares with Agent Josef. No trouble here.

I outline my day between sips, adding in Zack’s unexpected reaction to the dog, but leaving out his possessive claiming of Rickon. His affections will be apparent soon enough, and it’s Rickon’s story to tell, anyway.

I rest my chin on my hand. “He seemed to think he had to deal with Hannah all on his own.”

Callisto spins the narrow wineglass stem between his fingers. “That’s always been his way.” He sighs and drops his head, dark hair falling forward like a curtain. “I thought it was because Ricky didn’t like people knowing his business, but lately I realized it’s because he didn’t have anyone who had his back. Or he didn’t think he did.”

I trace the circular base of the glass. He’s right. Callisto’s got good intentions, and he acted immediately when he discovered Hudson hurt Rickon, but the fact is, he didn’t know his friend was in danger to begin with.

“And Lyra was such a bitch to him,” the lawyer adds, staring into the far distance. “The things he used to tell me about her stupid errands . . . Doesn’t surprise me she pulled something like that dress business on him.”

Which I won’t let her get away with anymore, assuming we run into each other in the film biz. Lyra will discover she’s not the only one who can make others’ lives hell.

And, on the topic of hellish lives, I have one immediate task to take care of. “Callisto, Zack was in a special cell away from the others.” The words stick in my throat, but I force them out. “They were preparing to euthanize him. Who would do such a thing when he’s so eager to learn?” I roll my bottom lip through my teeth and bite down, using the faint pain to center myself.

Callisto leans both forearms on the bench top and sighs. “Yeah, it’s a little hard to believe. I heard from Leroy—ah, he’s the assistant director at the OCB here—” He jerks his thumb over his shoulder as if the headquarters were just a block away. “Thesting down in Darinian brought in a lot of feral alphas, which clogged up the prison system. Sounds like they’re too eager to make space.”

I growl under my breath and clench my hands into fists, channeling my rage down toward the ground. “So a man’s life is only worth what he eats and a few yards of space?” I can’t stand thinking about how close I came to losing Zack forever.

I look up, catching Callisto’s concerned gaze. “How can I help these alphas so this doesn’t happen again? I can’t bring them all home, but at least they shouldn’t die just because their omega hasn’t found them yet. That’s so inhumane!”

He winces, but it slowly dissolves into a smile as he studies me. “You’ve got a big heart, Red.” He reaches out and strokes my hand, the gentle movement easing the rigid tension inside me. “And you’re right. I think someone down in Darinian started a welfare fund for the rescued alphas, but it mustn’t have been enough to save Zack. Want me to find out the details?”

I perk up. “Oh, I bet that’s my friend Rose. She has two of them in her house.”

Callisto blanches. “Two? How in the blazes do they manage that?” He shakes his head and clucks his tongue.

I snicker at his shock. Two alphas like Zack would be a handful for sure. “I’ve got her number, so I’ll ask about the fund,” I say. “But if there’s a legal way to protect them from, you know, that fate, could you look into it?”

He squeezes my hand, smiling across at me like I’m precious to him. “Of course. And send me the fund details once you know and I’ll donate too.”

I sip more wine and study the tall alpha through my lashes. He has a good heart, once he’s focused. It’s just that most of the time, his head is elsewhere.

---