Page 71 of Your Wild Omega

He holds my gaze, and it seems he’s genuinely concerned. “With all due respect, ma’am, the cutter is quite noisy and produces quite a few vibrations. The blade itself won’t cut skin, but what if he gets upset?”

“Let him hear it first,” Rickon suggests.

“And I’ll sit on top of him,” I add. “And Agent Josef will step in if he looks like he’s getting aggressive.”

The doc sighs and makes a few notes on his computer. “All right, let’s try.” He gives us a demo of the cast saw, and it sounds like we’ve stepped into a carpenter’s workshop.

Zack stiffens, upper lip curling.

I guide my wary alpha into the chair and push his hand down onto the wide armrest. “You need to keep your arm here, and the doctor’s going to cut through the cast, Zack. Can you manage that?”

He stares up at me with trusting eyes as I climb onto his lap, knees on either side of his hips. “Stay,” I order sternly.

Zack freezes in place, his blue eyes fixed on me. I run my finger over the bumps in his nose where it’s been broken, probably more than once, and then lock my hand around his elbow, holding him in place. Talk about exercises in trust.

The saw starts up. Zack’s eyes widen and he throws both arms around me and tugs, turning my body away from the doctor. Bless him, trying to shield me.

“No, Zack,” I repeat as the saw cuts off. I push his arm back onto the ledge. “Stay.”

He grumbles quietly and still turns me away, but this time he leaves his hand in place. His eyes narrow on the saw as it touches his cast.

I turn his face back to me. “We’re good. You won’t be itchy there anymore, and I’ll get to see a part of you I haven’t seen before.”

Zack’s nose wrinkles. Then his lips quiver. A noise I’ve never heard before, a hissing, snorting sound, escapes him.

“Bugger me,” Rickon says, cupping both hands over his mouth. “He’s laughing.”

Zack writhes, his healed arm quivering but not leaving the armrest. His eyes squint shut as fresh bubbles of laughter squeeze through his gasping mouth. So fucking cute.

The saw cuts out. Even the doctor grins. “Some people do find the vibrations ticklish. Almost done.” He gets out a pair of scissors with a longer bottom blade and cuts through the inner padding. The cast peels open.

Zack peers down at the opened cast. The skin beneath is paler than the rest of his arm, holding a grayish hue which makes the dark hairs stand out more. My alpha stares in wonder as I release his elbow.

The doctor guides the alpha’s thumb and little finger toward each other. “Can you squeeze these?”

Zack touches his tips together.

“Good. Now try a fist.” The doctor demonstrates and Zack imitates him.

Then my alpha leans around me to stroke the injured arm, gazing in wonder. Probably seems like magic to him. I slide off his lap to give him space.

The doctor scoots his chair away and taps into his computer again. “Give it a gentle wash and pat dry when you get home. Apply some moisturizer too. The skin will likely take a few days to return to normal. Just make sure he doesn’t pick at it.” He prints off instructions for some follow-up exercises and cautions us that Zack might have a little pain for the next week or so.

Butterflies flutter through my tummy. The last trace of Zack’s time in Alpha Lodgings is gone. And he laughed. I guess time heals many things. Maybe there’s hope for me too. Maybe the other Red won’t always hold me hostage, and the hole in my heart from an absent alpha will close over. Eventually.

Rickon leans in and runs his palm over Zack’s forearm. “Looks good, hot stuff.”

Zack vibrates with a silent laugh, and I trail my fingertips across his bare skin, making him break into another chuckle. I want to hear that sound every day from now on. Judging by the grin on Rickon’s face, he’s thinking the same thing.

“Thanks, doc,” I say before we head out.

He nods. “I think you’re doing a wonderful thing, young lady. Let’s get him back in eight weeks for a full checkup including blood work, okay?”

Once we pay the bill and pile back in the car, Rickon swivels in his seat. “Where to now? I can’t believe this, but we actually have a free day.”

I should tell him to take us to a real estate agent, but I don’t want to. I hum under my breath, thinking of what I’ve read about the city. “We could go to the zoo,” I suggest.

“No,” Rickon says immediately, voice hard. He rubs his face and softens. “I, ah, I think that would be too overwhelming for Zack. Remember the dog incident?”

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