Page 93 of Your Wild Omega

“A-Ah—” I stutter, my mouth going dry. Rickon always guides me on what to say officially, and we hadn’t discussed giving a statement when we didn’t know the outcome or even if the trial would finish today.

Shit, I thought this was a private matter, so how did all these reporters end up here? Well, I guess court cases are public knowledge, and the higher I rise, the more this will happen.

Rickon and Callisto appear at the top of the courthouse steps, and my heart misses a beat. They look happy and relieved.

I draw myself up. Red Jones is no shrinking violet. “It’s been a long day, and I just want to support my alpha,” I tell the reporter. “We’ll release a statement once we’re ready to say more.” I tighten my grip on Zack’s leash. “Agent Josef, will you lead the way?” I ask under my breath, pointing to the stairs.

A flash of resignation crosses the agent’s face, and he nods. “Please make space,” he calls in an alpha-ladened voice that gets the reporters skipping to the sides.

We walk through the parted waters, and I relax as Rickon spots me and waves, running down the steps two at a time to meet us. He folds me into his arms, and I smell traces of stale sweat on him from the long day. It must have been agony for him to sit opposite his ex all that time.

“Congratulations, alpha,” I murmur in his ear.

Rickon draws back a little, but the smile on his face dissolves into horror as his gaze lifts over my shoulder. I stiffen and turn. What on earth could make my sweet Rickon so frightened?

A middle-aged couple stand a few steps behind me and the woman lifts one hand. “Hello, son. It’s been a long time.”

The reporters shove their microphones forward.

Son? My blood runs cold. Rickon doesn’t have parents.

Does he?

Chapter thirty-six

Rickon

Shame floods through me, stealing the strength in my legs. Why now? Why today, when I’m already wrung out and at my limit? The sky tilts. Shock blooms in Red’s face as both Callisto and Zack lunge for me. Somehow I don’t hit the concrete, but a phantom impact runs through my body from my knees to my chest. Winded, they call this.

My birth mother steps forward with a gasp. I hold up my hand, silently begging her not to do this.

“Stay where you are,” Callisto growls, menacing alpha speak darkening his voice.

Zack snarls near my ear, but I have no way of knowing if he’s reacting to Callisto or the unseen threat. Even if he attacks someone, I have no power left to stop him. Not today. Not facingthem.

Red kneels in front of me, taking my cheeks in her cool hands. “Rickon, stay with me. I thought you said you had no parents?”

And I wanted her to believe that for eternity. “I said I lost my parents,” I grind out, my chest feeling like it caves in around the words. “Not that they’re dead.”

Her eyes shutter, confusion seeping into her expression. Fuck! If she learns the truth, will she hate me too? I guess I can’t hide it any longer, but fear steals my breath at the risks ahead. I couldn’t bear to live if Red turned away from me in disgust.

One lost family is more than enough for a lifetime.

Red leans into me and I curl my hand around her slender wrist. “Yeah, I lost them. I got lost . . . We lost . . .” No, that’s not right either. I’m not the one who got lost. I swallow down the sharp-edged lump in my throat. “They abandoned me.”

That’s the truth. My parents fucking abandoned me like a piece of unwanted luggage when I was twelve years old.

My eyes burn, and I squeeze them shut. I don’t want to cry for those screw-ups, yet the tears won’t stop. Reliving my intimate months with Hudson during the court case stripped my armor away piece by piece, and now I’m defenseless.

The woman who gave birth to me steps forward, hands wide in supplication. “Honey, we missed you so much. We thought—”

“Shut up!” I shout, shaking all over. “Haven’t you done enough? Why bother showing up now?” As the words leave my mouth, a camera flashes and the realization hits me. A guttural moan pours through my throat. Of course they’re only here because my pack became famous.

“We tried to reach out,” my sorry excuse for a father says, faking a weak smile. “We wanted to see you.”

“How dare you?” I hiss, clenching my teeth, trying to find my footing. “So now your son’s on the front cover of a magazine, you think you can muscle back into my life? Have you no shame?”

His eyes widen in shock. “We lost you, son—”

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