Page 62 of Your Wild Omega (The Feral Actress #2)

I hit accept, struggling into an upright position. “Hi, Hale. Is everything okay?”

Red comes over and climbs into my lap. I shift her to one knee, bracing her back against the armrest so we can both see the screen, being careful of the parrot nestling in his favorite place under her hair.

The middle-aged man on the video display laces his fingers together as he leans forward, revealing the legal office behind him with bookcases, potted plants, and a panoramic photo of a sunset over a desert.

“Hello, Rickon.” He stiffens as Red leans in to appear on the video and waves. “And you must be the famous Ms Jones.” He plunges on before we have time to respond. “I’m Hale Rabast, Callisto’s slave—I mean paralegal.” The man smiles wryly to show he’s joking, luring a chuckle out of Red.

He grows more solemn, switching gears to business mode. “Rickon, I’m sorry to call you out of the blue, but there’s something really sensitive I need to discuss regarding the upcoming case.” His gaze flicks from me to Red and I get the picture.

I glance over at Red, weighing the options.

“You want me to go?” she whispers.

Hale interrupts. “No, Ma’am. I don’t want to upset you, but it’s probably best if you hear what I have to say, since it involves you.”

She shivers. From his tone, I already know it’s something we don’t want to hear, but we can’t bury our heads in the sand. If we ignore problems, they’ll get bigger and bolder, like Brad did.

Hale clears his throat. “I’ve worked for Callisto for about five years now, and I’m not exaggerating when I say he’s one of the finest lawyers I’ve ever seen.” His brows lift and his mouth quirks. “Not that he needs to hear it from me.”

My arm’s straining to hold the phone up, so I lean forward and prop the device on the coffee table so I can hold Red properly, bracing us both for what’s coming.

Hale grimaces. “This is rather unprofessional of me, I suppose, so sorry in advance,” he says, shoving curly hair back from his face.

“But I’m about to send off the confirmed list of witnesses for the State vs.

Fibbistachi case, and I think you need to know it’s not one Callisto can win.

” The paralegal’s lips press together as he gazes at Red.

“Ma’am, I know I can’t even imagine the horrors you’ve been through . . .”

She turns her face away, and I ache for her. Red doesn’t want his pity.

The paralegal charges on. “But since your name isn’t on this list, I need to know for sure you want it that way. I can’t add you later. Callisto said you wouldn’t be testifying and he doesn’t know I’m asking now, but I couldn’t submit it without at least trying.”

I cover Red’s head with my hand, wanting to shield her. He’s right. It is unprofessional to go behind his lawyer’s back, but I know from conversations with Callisto that Hale’s as ruthless as he is. And I recognize what this situation is: a last-ditch effort to support his lawyer.

“Wait,” I say, holding up my free hand. “When does the trial begin?”

“Next week.”

My stomach cramps up, and Red shivers. “He didn’t tell us,” I whisper.

“So soon.” The omega looks up at me with rounded eyes. “He’s trying to protect me.” Emotion swims in her eyes. She’s so vulnerable and carrying so much pain; it makes me wish I could share her burden. “It’s up to me, isn’t it?” she asks softly.

“Red,” I murmur, cupping her cheek. Hard to know if I should get angry at Hale or thank him for doing his best on Callisto’s behalf.

My omega turns, eyes focused on the screen. “What happens if he loses?” she rasps out.

Hale shrugs. “The Bureau pays the defendant’s legal fees, and the felon walks free. He gets to go on with his life like nothing ever happened.” Hale’s gaze flicks my way. “And Callisto’s career streak goes down in flames, although he seems to have forgotten all about that.”

But Hale hasn’t, and I haven’t. How many times have Callisto and I discussed his plan to earn a partnership at his firm? That win streak used to mean everything to him, but it seems like we’re not the only ones who’ve changed.

Red looks up at me with a tortured gaze, and fuck if I don’t want to wrap her in cotton wool and protect her from the world. But I can’t because this is something hounding her from her past.

“This streak is really important to him, isn’t it?” she asks.

“Yeah. At least it used to be. It was Callisto’s life goal to make partner in the firm, and a record-breaking win streak would do that for him.” It feels like I’m not being fair to Callisto, so I add, “But like Hale said, I don’t think Calli believes it’s more important than you.”

Not anymore.

Red nods slowly. Anxiety swarms through the bond, making me nauseated. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” I confirm, running my thumb over her jaw.

Red sighs. “The other day, I thought I smelled him in a crowd; the guy who did this to me. It was terrifying, like he could reach out and touch me at any moment.”

Fuck. Her fear explodes through the bond, and Zack snarls as he paces over, circling the room to check for danger. Except this isn’t the sort of thing we can protect her from.

“I—” She rolls her bottom lip through her teeth and hugs herself. “I don’t want to keep living with that fear.”

The noise in the kitchen stops as even the agent pauses while my brave, wild omega finds her way.

“I never thought I’d be able to face him again, you know.

The things he did to me tore holes in my soul.

But now I’m working a real job, and I’m good at it, and I’ve got two bonded alphas.

” She sniffs back emotion, eyes glistening. “I’m even fucking crying now and then.”

We both chuckle, and I pull her closer, startling a protest squawk from Ozzie.

Red coaxes the bird out onto her finger and I resettle her hair. “And I put an alpha in his place today,” she adds.

“You sure did,” I mutter, squeezing her arm. Damn, she’s beautiful and so brave.

Red strokes Ozzie’s yellow breast. “I’m a homeowner, and I have a pack. It’s like piece by piece my soul’s being refilled. Patched over like holes in the road,” she adds with a dry scoff. Then her lovely stormy eyes swing my way again. “Because of my alphas.”

Zack parks himself on the armrest, making it creak beneath his weight. He drops his hands on Red’s shoulders, sensing her distress even if he doesn’t understand the reason. Hale waits quietly, letting her work through things.

Her chest expands with a deep breath, and she turns back to face the phone. “I can’t promise to turn up, because this whole thing plagues me. But I think I want my name on that list.” Red nods, still trying to convince herself.

So courageous.

I press a kiss to her silky hair. I’ve seen how this omega screamed her way through her heat, barricading herself in a room because she couldn’t trust an alpha.

Honestly, I never expected her to reach this point, not because I didn’t have faith in her, but because I’ve sensed the depth of her pain.

Some things scar too deep to recover from.

But just like Zack’s surprised us every day with what he’s accomplishing, so my omega is making leaps and bounds. It’s true what they say about scent matches being soulmates.

But it’s still my duty to warn her of the consequences. “This isn’t a silent case,” I say. “If you testify, the world will learn your entire story.”

Red nods thoughtfully. “Maybe that’s not such a bad thing,” she says haltingly before reaching up to stroke my jaw. “After all, that story brought me to you.”

My heart explodes with love. “Then I’ll be with you every step of the way,” I promise.

“I think you’re very brave, Ms Jones,” Hale says after a long moment. “And I’m truly grateful.”

“Brave?” Red laughs, her throat catching. She smiles at me, lighting up my heart. “More like crazy.”

“Certifiable,” I assure her, and she chuckles.

Hale smiles with us but quickly returns to business. “Even if you’re not sure about testifying, I need to run you through the process and talk about the questions the defense will ask you. Do you have some time?”

I tilt my head, studying her as she slowly nods.

Red refuses to allow her past to define her.

I can’t say if testifying is the right step for her emotionally, but I am certain she won’t be a hostage to her fears forever.

And I’ll be at my beautiful omega’s side for that journey, however long it takes.