Page 51 of Your Wild Omega

Ricky brightens with interest. “Oh?”

I pull out my phone and thumb through an Ominterest account about nests. “Yeah, look at this. She hates confined spaces, so I was wondering if we could do anything with the rooftop.”

His brows jump as he takes the phone. “You own the roof space too?”

I spread my hands. “Not own, per se, but top floor privileges. If you’re interested, I was thinking of approaching the complex's management group.”

Rickon thumbs through the gallery of unusual nests and murmurs under his breath. “Callisto, this is really something.” He flashes me a sly grin. “Been thinking about her heat much?”

“Not at all,” I lie with a straight face, making him laugh.

He turns the phone back to show me a space that no one would guess is a nest from first glance. It looks like a tropical getaway. “This.”

I grab the phone, wrapping my fingers around his under the guise of getting a better look at the picture. “That’s my favorite too. Great minds.” I don’t finish the old maxim, but he grins, knowing it.

“Should we ask Red?” he ponders.

“How about a surprise, since she’s always surprising us?” I suggest. “Not all of it, but the framework. If she doesn’t like it, we’ll tear it down and start again, or use it for something else.”

He frowns at the idea of reckless spending, but he can’t hide the excited light in his gaze.

“If I manage the building contractors, can you take care of the outfitting?” I pull out one of my credit cards and offer it to him between two fingers.

He shakes his head, pushing the card away. “I have money now.”

“Please, Ricky?” I beg shamelessly. “I’m already on the outside of your pack, and I’m dying of jealousy. Let me do something.”

He takes the card, playing it between his fingers. “Jealousy?” he asks, running a fingertip over the embossed numbers.

I turn away, my gaze dropping to the cityscape on my screen saver. “You were right, Ricky.” With a pained scoff, I add, “You always are. I fucked up big-time. Couldn’t see past the case in front of me, and now I regret it so much.”

He nudges my leg with his. “Is that why you’re courting her?”

“Not so subtle, huh?”

Rickon snorts. “Subtle isn’t really your strong suit.”

“Not really how I built my career,” I agree.

We share another smile.

Then I ask, “Does it bother you?”

He shakes his head. “Of course not. I—I always imagined us ending up in a pack together.” He sighs, and when he lifts his gaze, it’s filled with pain. “But this is Red’s choice, so you have to ask her. I’m hers, Callisto, all in. Where she goes, I go.”

There it is, the truth I knew but never wanted to hear. Through everything that’s happened since grade school, Ricky was always on my team, but now he’s taking a stance—and for the first time, he isn’t prioritizing me.

I nod, a little breathless. “Yeah, I get it. I’ll ask—I mean, I am asking her.”

Rickon smiles and rises. “Then I wish you good luck. Don’t forget, it’s not just her anymore.” When he closes the door, it feels as if he takes all the oxygen with him.

I knead my palm into my chest. It’s not like I’ve lost Ricky, and nothing’s really changed in our relationship, so this shouldn’t hurt so much. But for some reason, it’s agonizing.

Chapter twenty

Red

The tension in the household between Zack and Callisto isn’t so subtle. Not that we’re home much since we’re filming from dawn until dusk most days. As the main character in the story, I have the highest percentage of scene appearances. I didn’t think being a movie star would be easy, but I still wasn’t prepared for the soul-sucking exhaustion of it, not only physically but mentally.

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