Page 19 of Your Wild Omega (The Feral Actress #2)

Chapter fifteen

Red

Hushed noises downstairs tell me people are moving in the apartment, but Zack and Rickon still sleep deeply on either side of me, their warm breath misting my skin.

Honestly, it’s a squeeze with the three of us in Rickon’s queen-sized bed, especially since Zack’s solidly built, but I feel safe rather than claustrophobic.

Anything coming to get me would have to climb over an alpha, and since Zack always takes the side nearest the door, they’d have to go past him.

It’s no accident Zack ends up on that side.

After we all fall asleep, he climbs over us and resettles himself on that side.

He’s always thinking about protecting me.

After the boys’ beautiful claiming, the three of us kissed and stumbled our way up to the bedroom and continued making out.

My shoulder stings a little from Zack’s affection, since he often uses his teeth on the mark, but it’s bearable.

I cover my eyes with my arm and grin. His fixation is cute, and now it seems like Rickon’s included in his possessive instincts.

The way Zack told me to take off his collar was so dominating it makes me wonder what the future might look like for us as a pack. Sometimes Zack seems simple and childlike, and then occasionally, like today, he exudes an ancient wisdom.

Damn, I’m getting sentimental for sure now.

Carefully I inch down the bed, joining my two alphas’ hands together in the vacated space, then ease off the edge.

I slip into one of Rickon’s shirts and fresh underwear before tiptoeing out through the door.

Something hard but slender snaps under my bare foot and I glance down to find a long-stemmed red rose lying across my threshold.

I lift the blossom to my nose and sniff. Callisto’s timber scent lingers, mixing with the rose’s oversweet tones. Sickly sweet. Reminds me of my omega friend with her pack of caged alphas. I must call her and tell her about my own alpha fishing trip.

The green stem dangles in my hand, broken but not cleanly. A faint pang tugs at my heart as I pop into the bathroom. Darkness blots the light outside the window, telling me we spent all afternoon making love and napping.

“Three days left,” I murmur, popping the rose stem behind my ear and tilting it to stay in place. Three days until my job starts and Zack faces the world.

Today was a good trial run, but I never imagined Zack would have such a dramatic reaction to a dog. It doesn’t bode well. On the film set, we’ll be around hundreds more people, and weird moving cameras, not to mention horses.

He listened to my orders outside the designer’s shop, grudgingly, but today he’s also shown a new level of independence. He’s growing into his own person, and he might not blindly follow my commands anymore.

I tuck the worries away as I wash my face. I never would’ve made it this far if I was gonna let worries suck me down. Red Hawk never gives up.

Halfway down the corridor, I find a second rose, then another on the stairs.

Two more dot the floor to the kitchen, where the final one towers out of a vase next to a slim case.

A warm glow flickers in my heart but I remind myself not to get excited.

The only person who might leave me flowers is Callisto.

Our discarded clothes from the earlier romp sit neatly folded and stacked on a bar stool. Heat flares in my cheeks as I imagine the lawyer picking up after us.

“Looks like you had a good day.”

I spin to find Callisto leaning in the doorway of the former library.

He smiles but looks worn out, shadows smudging the skin under his eyes.

We’ve barely seen him in the last few days.

His gaze drops, taking in my bare legs, and then he drags his eyes up to meet mine.

After a moment, he clears his throat and looks away.

“How are things going with Zack?” he asks, coming into the kitchen and taking a stemmed glass down from the cupboard. “Want a drink?” he adds, reaching for a second cup.

“Um, yeah, thanks.” I slide onto the unoccupied stool. “He’s doing really well.” I rest my hand on top of the clothes. “Sorry for taking your suit without asking. We had a bit of an emergency today.”

His brows lift as he gets a bottle of white wine from the fridge and pours. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah.” I sip from the glass he offers, the dry grape taste tickling my tongue. Pinot Grigio , the bottle next to Callisto’s elbow reads. “It was actually Rickon who was in trouble.”

The alpha’s voice sharpens. “What happened?”

I smother a smile by taking another sip. Does Callisto even know how much he cares for Rickon?

Agent Pierce pads to the head of the stairs to check on us, and then silently returns to the room he shares with Agent Josef. No trouble here.

I outline my day between sips, adding in Zack’s unexpected reaction to the dog, but leaving out his possessive claiming of Rickon. His affections will be apparent soon enough, and it’s Rickon’s story to tell, anyway.

I rest my chin on my hand. “He seemed to think he had to deal with Hannah all on his own.”

Callisto spins the narrow wineglass stem between his fingers.

“That’s always been his way.” He sighs and drops his head, dark hair falling forward like a curtain.

“I thought it was because Ricky didn’t like people knowing his business, but lately I realized it’s because he didn’t have anyone who had his back. Or he didn’t think he did.”

I trace the circular base of the glass. He’s right. Callisto’s got good intentions, and he acted immediately when he discovered Hudson hurt Rickon, but the fact is, he didn’t know his friend was in danger to begin with.

“And Lyra was such a bitch to him,” the lawyer adds, staring into the far distance. “The things he used to tell me about her stupid errands . . . Doesn’t surprise me she pulled something like that dress business on him.”

Which I won’t let her get away with anymore, assuming we run into each other in the film biz. Lyra will discover she’s not the only one who can make others’ lives hell.

And, on the topic of hellish lives, I have one immediate task to take care of.

“Callisto, Zack was in a special cell away from the others.” The words stick in my throat, but I force them out.

“They were preparing to euthanize him. Who would do such a thing when he’s so eager to learn?

” I roll my bottom lip through my teeth and bite down, using the faint pain to center myself.

Callisto leans both forearms on the bench top and sighs.

“Yeah, it’s a little hard to believe. I heard from Leroy—ah, he’s the assistant director at the OCB here—” He jerks his thumb over his shoulder as if the headquarters were just a block away.

“The sting down in Darinian brought in a lot of feral alphas, which clogged up the prison system. Sounds like they’re too eager to make space. ”

I growl under my breath and clench my hands into fists, channeling my rage down toward the ground. “So a man’s life is only worth what he eats and a few yards of space?” I can’t stand thinking about how close I came to losing Zack forever.

I look up, catching Callisto’s concerned gaze. “How can I help these alphas so this doesn’t happen again? I can’t bring them all home, but at least they shouldn’t die just because their omega hasn’t found them yet. That’s so inhumane!”

He winces, but it slowly dissolves into a smile as he studies me.

“You’ve got a big heart, Red.” He reaches out and strokes my hand, the gentle movement easing the rigid tension inside me.

“And you’re right. I think someone down in Darinian started a welfare fund for the rescued alphas, but it mustn’t have been enough to save Zack. Want me to find out the details?”

I perk up. “Oh, I bet that’s my friend Rose. She has two of them in her house.”

Callisto blanches. “Two? How in the blazes do they manage that?” He shakes his head and clucks his tongue.

I snicker at his shock. Two alphas like Zack would be a handful for sure. “I’ve got her number, so I’ll ask about the fund,” I say. “But if there’s a legal way to protect them from, you know, that fate, could you look into it?”

He squeezes my hand, smiling across at me like I’m precious to him. “Of course. And send me the fund details once you know and I’ll donate too.”

I sip more wine and study the tall alpha through my lashes. He has a good heart, once he’s focused. It’s just that most of the time, his head is elsewhere.

“Thanks,” I whisper.

“Anything else on your mind?” Callisto asks, releasing me and topping up his wine.

I cover my glass when he offers me more. “What’s going to happen about the charges for my heist? Will I go to prison?”

He spreads his hands on the bench, wide shoulders rippling under his fitted suit.

“Well, I don’t want to be insensitive, but I can actually use Zack’s, ah, sentence, in our favor for this one.

I’ve drafted an appeal to have the charges dropped based on your scent matching and the alpha’s unfair destination.

Leroy’s providing a statement that the alpha spoke intelligent words, and I’ve got a report from the sheriff confirming the same thing, so those Lodgings psychologists will get left out in the cold. Hope this gets them fired.”

Gotta agree with him on that.

Callisto grins, warming to the topic. “Honestly, impersonating an OCB agent is harder to wriggle out of, but I think I can get the sentence reduced to a fine, given the circumstances. For an omega, sometimes the reason does justify the means.”

A lump forms in my throat. On top of everything, I guess I was more worried than I realized about the possibility of leaving Zack. But Callisto’s attitude reassures me. He deals with this sort of thing all day long, and he doesn’t seem concerned, so neither will I.

“That's good news. Thanks for your help.”