Page 57 of Your Wild Omega

She ignores me and slides her fingers along the edge of her breast, unsticking the invisible tape.

“Are you crazy?” Lyra scoffs, looking around frantically. “We’re in public,” she hisses as Red loosens the scalloped bodice.

“You publiclydemanded I give the dress back, didn’t you?” Red asks, smiling. “So here it is.”

The gown billows outward as she drops it, the layers of cream gauze twinkling with mother-of-pearl hues as it falls. A hot flush runs through me at the sight of my omega standing in her heels, a G-string, and nipple stickers in the middle of a pool of fabric surrounded by Ommywood’s best and brightest. They all murmur in shock.

Glorious.

My omega holds herself without a single sign of self-consciousness, as if to tell Lyra that in this war, nothing will remain unexposed. I want to take a photo to capture the moment, but that would be too obvious. In the crowd, I see plenty of cameras out. My gaze locks with Aileen, Donna Feraski’s manager, as she holds up her phone to get a better view. At least there should be evidence of how Lyra provoked her.

Lyra glances around at the crowd, as if suddenly conscious of how large our audience is. She leaps forward, grabbing Red’s wrist. “Are you an idiot? This stunt won’t—”

An ominous rumble slices through the air like thunder. Lyra’s gasp fills the following silence. None of us see Zack move, but the next moment he stands in front of Red, holding Lyra dangling by her upper arm. My hands burn, registering the pull of the leather leash handle across my skin.

The feral alpha’s scent floods the room, smelling like charred bread with honey. His alpha presence sets my neck hair on end.

Heat flushes through my loins. Bugger me; the pair of them are firecracker-hot, standing there together. A whimper slides through me, swallowed down at the last moment, but not quick enough to escape Red's notice. Her gaze slides my way from the corner of her eye.

The OCB agents step closer warily, weighing their options.

“Zack, put it down,” Red orders, as if he held a toy or a stick.

He growls, quivering with barely-suppressed rage. I’ve grown so comfortable with Zack that I’ve gotten used to his powerful presence, but now the air ripples with the alpha’s intensity, affecting everyone within a dozen yards. His killing instinct seems but a breath away.

“Zack,” Red repeats, a warning in her tone.

Zack shakes Lyra once and then drops her without ceremony. She lands on her feet but staggers, gasping in fear.

Red strokes Zack’s cheek. “Well done,” she says.

Lyra nurses her arm as she backs up. She whips around to face the crowd, the whites of her eyes glinting. “He’s dangerous. You all saw that, right?”

“Saw you grab my omega first? Yes, that’s what we all saw,” I reply. I dig out my wallet and draw Callisto’s business card. “Here’s our lawyer’s details, if you want to discuss how you defamed Red Jones, demanded her dress, and then assaulted her.” I hold the card out to her with two fingers. “After that, we’ll be happy to discuss her bodyguard stepping in for defense.”

Lyra trembles in equal parts fear and fury, glaring at us. Then she spins on her heel and stalks away.

I watch her stiff back disappear into the crowd, feeling light as a feather. No one’s ever stood up to Lyra like that. Finally, after an entire year of belittling me, I got to see her humbled—all thanks to my beloved omega.

A rush of complex emotion swells inside me, stealing my energy. The weakness makes my knees wobble, and I reach out to grab Zack’s arm. His muscles flex as he takes my weight, the faint simmer of his anger vibrating through my touch. I didn’t even realize Lyra still had a hold over me until Red severed my last connection to the difficult actress. Free at last.

“Rickon?” Red asks, concern in her gaze.

I stare into her blue-gray eyes. “You’re amazing,” I murmur.

Her radiant smile gives me courage, and I release Zack and bend down to glide her dress up her body. After securing the zip, I run my hands around her ribs and chest to re-stick the tape. The silkiness of her mounded breasts sends new hot flushes boiling through me.

“I can’t decide which way you look more beautiful,” I murmur into her ear. “But I know which one I don’t want others seeing.”

She chuckles. “Greedy?”

I drop a kiss onto her shoulder, over Zack’s bite scar. “Very.”

She turns her head just enough for our cheeks to brush. “Did I do good?”

The yearning in her voice eats at me. Red’s such a beautiful mix of strength and fragility. “Yes. That was the bravest thing I’ve ever seen. No one’s stood up for me like that since I became an adult.” Not since the days Callisto protected me in school have I felt like someone has my back. “You were perfect, Red.”

She nods and sucks in a deep breath. “And now my naked butt’s going to be all over the news.”

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