Page 95 of Your Wild Omega

I grunt, feeling too drained to talk.

He leans over and opens the door, and Red slides in. Zack gives the lawyer a long, cold look but then follows her. I stand on the curb, the dry, metallic grunge of the alley clashing with Callisto’s scent on my clothes.

“Are you going to be okay?” Callisto asks.

I nod.

“You should tell Red the truth, if you can manage it.” He reaches over and tilts my jaw until our eyes meet. “She won’t abandon you, Ricky. She’s too tenacious for that.” He smiles, the corners of his eyes wrinkling faintly.

He’s right. Only selfish jerks throw their relationships away without a word like my parents did. I step forward, driven by impulse to throw my arms around him. “Thank you for today,” I mutter against his collar. Their intrusion cast a cloud over our victory against Hudson.

Callisto pulls me close, one hand locking me against his chest and the other cradling my head. How many years has this man been my tower of safety? Frigid and unfeeling at times, and at others, my whole world.

“Come on, Rickon,” Red calls softly. “Let’s go home.”

I draw back with a nod.

“Call me if you need to debrief,” Callisto offers, pasting on his professional smile. My tears soaked his white shirt so much his skin tone shines through above his vest edge. It twinkles with silver eyeshadow and black mascara stains.

“Will do.” I slip into the seat and Red takes my hand, interlocking our fingers. I breathe deep. My tower of security has morphed now.

I close my eyes and lean back as the car accelerates and Callisto slips away.

Chapter thirty-seven

Rickon

The powerful scents of my pack in the apartment chase away some of my distress. Zack tugs me down onto his lap on the couch, and I drop my head onto his shoulder, soaking in the warmth emanating through his shirt. I loosen his top button and slip my fingers beneath to find skin.

I’ve avoided regular bread since I confirmed I was gluten-intolerant at age seventeen, and I still miss the wheat variety sometimes. But with Zack’s bread and maple syrup scent soothing me, it’s like I’m not missing out anymore. His unrestrained scent blooms strong enough to feel like I’m actually eating.

“Mmm,” I murmur in appreciation, digging my nose into his neck.

Red clangs around in the kitchen for a minute before bringing me an iced chocolate. My lips quiver as I take it. I only told her once that I didn’t like hot drinks, but she’s remembered ever since and never served me one.

“How did I get so lucky?” I mutter, wrapping my hands around the cup. The ice cubes tinkle against the glass as I chuckle. “Guess that’s why I had no luck in my childhood. The universe was saving it up to meet you guys.” I lift my eyes to meet Red’s tender gaze.

She nods. “You and me both, baby. And Zack as well.”

Yeah, when I think about it that way, we all got screwed over big-time in our childhoods. I sigh and lean back against Zack’s wall of a chest. “I owe you an explanation.”

“You don’t owe me shit, alpha,” Red says vehemently. Her expression softens as she reaches for my knee. “But anything you want to tell us is welcome. And anything we can do to help? Well, we’re here for you.” My omega gets a sly look on her face. “Not like I didn’t have plenty of secrets when we first met.”

And she still has more, but everything in its own time.

I sip my drink, letting the chill focus me for an unpleasant trip down memory lane. I lick a droplet off my lip and get started. “We were never a particularly happy family. It’s a bit fuzzy now, but I remember my parents complaining about how hard having a kid was. Guess that’s normal for a teen pregnancy. My mom was a beta on a student-exchange program from England, and my dad was on an arts scholarship. Neither of them could hold down a steady job.”

Zack slips his arm around my waist. It’s surprising he hasn’taskedyet, but he sits quietly, cheek resting against my hair like he’s listening intently.

I rest the cold glass against my heated face, letting it cool my feverish skin. “They argued a lot, but it was just normal for me. One day during the school break, they suggested we spend the day at the zoo.” My voice catches and I take another sip, letting the silky chocolate slip through my strained throat. “They said they were going to get lunch and told me to wait on the lawn in the shade.” I snort. “Stupid thing is, I figured I was too old andtoo cool for the zoo, but I was so happy about finally having a family outing, I never even mouthed off that day.”

My voice catches, and it takes another minute before I can go on. “So I waited. And waited.” I grit my teeth as the memory haunts me. I don’t want to cry another tear for those jerks.

I can’t bear the sadness in Red’s gaze, so I turn to stare out the window, the memories I’ve tried to suppress burning through my mind. “I waited until the sun went down. Then I just left and walked home. Was about fifteen miles and took me all night. Wasn’t the first time they’d forgotten about me, you know, so I kinda wanted to punish them with bleeding feet. Make them sweat when they couldn’t find me.”

A rogue tear escapes, and I swipe at it angrily. “But the joke was on me, ’cause when I got home, they’d cleared the place out of just about everything except in my room. Was like they’d never existed. And that’s when I realized it wasn’t an accident this time.”

“Oh, Rickon,” Red moans. She drops her head into my lap, fingers digging into my thighs. “That’s so cruel. To think parents could do that.”

---