He peels one eye open, looking about as happy as a cat in water, but after a few more prods I get him up on his feet. Zack lifts me up to drape over his shoulder, and I hang there patiently as he carries me downstairs. The ache in my neck doesn’t sting as sharply today, and it’s kinda moved down into my shoulder, which is more bearable. Besides, with the way Zack’s set on carrying me, I might never have to move myself again. The idea makes me chuckle.
“Red!” Lexi cries as she catches sight of us. “You’re all over the news. Lordy, I was so scared for you, my girl!”
I reach my arms down Zack’s back, and she hugs me as best she can around the bulky alpha. “I’m fine, Aunt Lexi,” I tell her. “My alphas saved me.”
“She bloody saved herself like the champion she is,” Rickon declares, padding down the stairs behind us. “We just got there in time to pick her up.” He covers a yawn.
“Good grief! What a nightmare you’ve all been through.” Lexi bursts into tears as she pulls him into her hug.
Pressed tight to her, Rickon’s eyes flutter closed, and a beautiful peace flows through the bond. “How are you, Mom?”
She straightens, stares at him, and jerks him in for another hug, bawling her eyes out. Shit, I love her to bits.
“Put me down, Zack,” I order.
He grumbles but sets me on my feet, holding the back of my tank top as I walk forward. “Thanks for coming, Mom,” I tell her.
She gasps and releases Rickon. “You too, songbird? I’m so happy I might burst.” The omega nearly strangles me in another hug, releasing me only when Rickon mentions my injuries. I grin over her shoulder as Simon and Lector come closer.
“We brought pancakes,” Lector says, holding up two big carry bags.
Zack actually releases me. “Pancakes?” he asks, tipping his head. We all laugh.
As we set out spreads and Lexi chops fresh strawberries, the dramatic story spills out. When Lexi hears that Clarissa Jones is dead, she plops down on a chair and sobs, saying how unfair it is for Rickon. The alpha himself pats her shoulder and tells her it’s okay; even goes as far as thanking Lexi for sponsoring his birth mother all those years ago. There are people, there are angels, and somewhere above that sits Rickon. He needs a day of the year dedicated to him.
Even if he’s at peace, I can’t help wondering how he feels about me. It was an accident, but I’m still the one who killed her. I fiddle with my fingers in my lap, processing that idea. Can I call it an accident if I flicked the safety off? I wasn’t trying to kill anyone, I just didn’t want to die myself.
“Biscuit.”
I snap alert to find Rickon crouching at my feet. Gazing down into his lovely green eyes, a lump forms in my throat.
“Don’t even go there, my darling,” he orders. “You did what you needed to do to stay alive, and that’s all that matters to me. Got it?”
I nod mutely, my heart squeezing. He’s right. I’ve had enough suffering in my life without torturing myself.
“Ohm-ee-ga,” Zack rumbles warningly, drawing my gaze. “When you in challenge, you must be winner. Always. Good job!”
I choke on a laugh. Trust Zack to simplify something like this. “All right, Alpha,” I tell him. My family gathers around me, offering gentle touches and encouraging words, their love chasing away every dark thought. If any doubts rise again, I’m sure Doc Leanne will set me straight.
“Guess this means another court case,” I say, wrinkling my nose.
“Do we know any good lawyers?” Simon quips, breaking the last of the tension.
Amid the laughter, we gather at the table and load our plates with warm, fluffy pancakes, drowning them in syrup and the whipped cream the Wrens brought over.
After we’ve downed a few, Simon laces his hands together over his plate. “We’ve got some news of our own.”
All eyes snap his way.
He grins and motions for his brother to take over. Lector chuckles. “Alpha Cash is now officially under the control of Wren Industries. The takeover happened yesterday.”
I fall back in my chair as Callisto and Rickon cheer, and Zack demands to know what it all means. Their voices come from a long way away as the reality burns into me. The fortune Ray made selling omegas, haze, and human dignity has been ripped from his hands. My throat swells. I feel like I’m floating in some place far removed from time and space, a place where I’m light as a feather.
“Red?” Rickon calls. He squeezes my hand, watching me with a concerned expression. Bit of déjà vu going on here.
“Shit,” I mutter, swallowing hard as gravity sucks me back into my body.
“You okay?” he asks.
