Page 99 of Your Wild Omega

I nod.

“These are rules. Me and Red make your rules, and we say yes or no to you.” He points out to the window. “But there are big rules that everyone has to obey. These are called laws.”

His teeth dig into his bottom lip, gouging the skin. I reach up to pressure them off, feeling the heat and warmth inside. He lets me slip my finger into his mouth, his eyes sliding shut.

“Laws,” I repeat softly, withdrawing my hand. I want to hear his words.

“Right, laws. But sometimes, people disobey laws.”

I hum. I know what disobey is. “Zack not stop.”

“If you don’t stop when we say stop, yes, that’s disobeying. But people who disobey laws get punished. They go to prison, the place you lived in when Red first found you.”

I growl, baring my teeth at the memory of that stinking, closed-in place that choked my existence.

“Yeah, it’s not good, but some people deserve to go there, if they break the law.” He cups my jaw, smiling kindly. “Not you. You did nothing wrong.”

I nod slowly, pressing my hands into his back as I gaze up at him. The shadows darken his face, only the faintest light from the kitchen machines and low moonlight catching on his pale skin. I need to know more.

“Today. Who disobey law?”

He sighs. “A man called Hudson. A long time ago he was . . . something like pack to me. Heaskedbut when I said no, he disobeyed.”

Shock makes me twitch. Someone elseaskedWhite Mine?

“And when I said no again, well—” The alpha in my arms slides his hands down to circle my throat. “He hurt me, here. Squeezed so tight my skin turned black.”

I jerk to my feet, knocking the stool over with a loud clatter. I know what that means because I’ve done it to challengers. They stop moving and don’t get up again. That means—

“Kill,” I mutter, fiery anger boiling inside me. “He kill you?”

“No.” My alpha shakes his head. “He just wanted to hurt me, I think. Or scare me. But he was angry, so he might have. Who knows?”

He reaches out his hands, silently asking for me, and I step forward, still trembling with rage.

“It’s okay,” he says against my shoulder. “Our omega saved me. She chased him away.” The slender body in my grip heaves. “I wasn’t strong enough to protect her that day, so she protected me. With a fork.” His soft chuckle blows across my back.

I don’t know everything he means, but I understand one thing. “Ohm save Zack too.”

“Yes.” His fingers glide through my hair. “We have that in common.”

I pull back so I can study his face. “I kill non-alpha.”

White Mine’s fingers dig into me. “No, Zack, you can’t. Killing is against the law.”

A shiver possesses my body, jerking me roughly. “No killing?” I tilt my head, running that strange idea around and around.

“That’s right. If you kill anyone, they will send you back to prison.”

Another growl vibrates through my chest. I’ll never go back there.

“Exactly. So promise me you won’t kill anyone.” His eyes glint with reflected light as he stares at me. He’s very serious.

I mull over his words. How can killing be wrong when that’s what I did all my life to face challenges in my territory? White Mine says I didn’t do anything to deserve prison, but it sounds like I did. Should I tell him I killed many times before? Maybe he’s just saying not to do it again. After all, things are different now.

But that’s not the real problem. “Why Call-ee?”

“Right.” He brightens. “I forgot the most important part.” His fingers stroke my upper arms as he speaks, warming my skin. “So, when a person breaks the law, or is accused of it even if they did nothing wrong, they go to court. Lawyers like Callisto show the evidence and help the judge decide if someone broke the law or not.”

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