Page 84 of Your Wild Omega

“Good grief, even your voice is beautiful,” my pseudo mom declares. “Call me Lexi, or Aunt Lexi if you feel comfortable. I won’t beat around the bush, my darlings. I’m dying to meet Red in the flesh. Are you free for lunch on Thursday?”

“And I’m dying to introduce you both.” I grin at Red, and she blushes. “Let me check our filming schedule.” I flick through my calendar. Thursday they’re filming race scenes with a stunt double, since Red’s riding skills aren’t quite enough for the galloping scenes yet and no one wants to risk an injury. “Yeah, we’re free 11-2 p.m. although that could change on the day if it rains. Can I confirm with you Thursday morning?”

“Sure, Ricky,” Aunt Lexi says. “Happy to work around you, so long as I get to see you.”

Zack wraps his arms around Red’s waist and peers over her shoulder at the phone.

I grin and rake my fingers through his scruffy hair. “Oh, and we have one more alpha who’s part of our family, as well as a guest from the OCB.”

“More the merrier. Wait, are you saying you have another alpha in your pack?” Surprise shines in her voice.

“Yeah, Aunty. Our family grew. I’ll tell you all about it when we see you.”

Lexi Wren, thoughtful as ever, asks about the family’s diet, and I let her know Red’s a vegetarian. Zack eats everything. My heart fills up as I imagine the two halves of my family coming together. Aunt Lexi’s the sweetest, most encouraging person, so I know she’ll take Red and Zack into her heart. Just like she took me in without hesitation when my life fell apart years ago.

I hang up, lost in thought, but Zack points at the TV. “Act. More.”

I laugh and switch the movie back on. Makes sense our third pack member is a movie lover too.

Chapter thirty-three

Red

With such a hectic schedule, the days until the Thursday lunch appointment vanish in a blink. Our car pulls up in front of a gated property on the hill overlooking Laversham city and Ricky leans out to key in a security code. Out the window to the right, the Ommywood phallus rises, but it looks smaller from this perspective with no sky behind it. This is the neighborhood my slimy co-star Brad bragged about living in.

Big. Pretentious. Old money. Slick. The type of place that would birth a confident man like Callisto. The big black metal gates slide open, and we move inside, the car crawling slowly along a driveway leading to a mega mansion.

I lean closer to the window to see, my breath misting the glass. “This is where Callisto grew up?”

Rickon chuckles. “Yep. I spent a lot of time here too, after—well, after I lost my parents.” He tries to mask it, but pain lingers in his voice.

My heart sinks. We’ve raced from one life crisis to the other, which left us with very little time to get to know each other. But Callisto, and the family I’m about to meet, know nearly everything about Rickon and his tragic past. They spent time together in this big house as youngsters running wild, building forts, having pissing contests, and who knows what else teenage boys get up to—and I didn’t get to be a part of it.

Zack rumbles and leans over, releasing his seat belt when it stops him. He peels back my collar and presses his lips to my bond mark. His scarred hands fold around my waist, enveloping me. I gasp as the sensitive spot on my skin propels heat through my body.

I’m not sure if it’s because Zack left his teeth in for so long when he bonded me, or because he re-bit the same spot after, but it’s like he’s created a personal reset button. When he kisses me there, I forget how to think. And if he sucks on it at all, well I’m a goner.

Thankfully he doesn’t suck right now, ’cause I need my legs to be in working capacity to meet Rickon’s replacement family, but as he pulls away, I feel lighter, like my regret has dissolved. I reach out to stroke his cheek, the peppering of coarse hair nibs tickling my fingertips, and my heart softens. Zack never experienced those things growing up either, so we’re the same in our misfortune. But now we are building all these memories together.

“Here we are,” Rickon says, switching off the engine. “Let’s go meet the family.” He sucks in a deep breath and nods, like he’s bracing himself, which is weird because he always speaks of Lexi Wren and her two partners with so much fondness.

Agent Pierce is tagging along with us today and he opens the door for me.

“Why, thank you, gentle monster,” I quote before I’ve thought it through.

Agent Pierce’s brows jump. His gaze flicks to Zack getting out behind me, who probably fits that title more than anyone.

“It’s a line from a movie,” Rickon says, grinning across the car roof at me.

“Oh, that makes more sense,” Pierce says, relaxing. “What’s the appropriate response?”

Rickon and I bob our heads toward each other as we quote together. “It was my awkward pleasure, Queen of the Damned.”

The agent laughs. “It was my awkward pleasure, then. I’m not gonna say the rest because I don’t want to upset Zack over there.”

I laugh as I take Zack’s leash and close the door behind him. “He wouldn’t know what it means.”

“Yet,” Pierce shoots back, flashing an exaggerated wince. “But I bet he keeps grudges.”

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