Rickon groans and curls around my feet until he’s lying down, resting his head on my leg. “Totally. He didn’t kill anyone, but he broke a few bones—theirs, not his own. Callisto says this might delay getting him out because they can’t cite good behavior now.”
In so many ways, this helplessness feels the same as my heat, trapping me in a body that’s useless when I need it most. I clench my fists and knock them together. “Should I try breaking him out again?” I mutter, even though I know I can’t. I’m still not sure how Callisto weaseled me out of the last charges.
“They know who you are now,” Rickon warns, squeezing my leg. “The same trick won’t work twice. Let Callisto handle this one. He really is good at what he does.” He squirms a little, and then flops onto his back. “Um, Red?”
I skim my hands through his silky platinum hair, teasing the strands with gentle tugs. “Yes, alpha?”
“So, right after you passed out, and I was still pretty worked up . . . um, Callisto and I kinda made out.”
My breath hitches. “For real?”
“Yeah. Like, maybe a base more than making out?” He groans and presses his face into my leg. “I dunno what to say, but Ididn’t want to hide it from you. And now I can’t even fucking face him.”
I scrape my fingers gently along his scalp, feeling his sadness as my own. “Why, my love?”
He sighs heavily. “Well, he happened upon my bond mark, and kinda flipped out and said some stupid stuff. I was in the middle of telling him to leave when I felt Zack fritz.”
I press my lips together, sorting through my tangled thoughts. For Rickon, making love with his crush would be a dream come true, but possibly a nightmare as well since we aren’t a pack. I want Rickon to be happy and I’d never stand in his way, but can they have a relationship at this distance? It wouldn’t be the sort Rickon’s been dreaming about.
It’s no surprise the lawyer got upset. Of course Callisto would take issue with his best friend bonding the wild alpha. Zack threw Calli out of our pack, and I didn’t stop him. More than that, I felt relieved not to have to accept the lawyer with all the emotional guilt attached. And since then, I think we’ve become friends, which is special in its own way. Even if I do miss him like a hole in my heart.
And now, when it seems too late, Rickon’s gotten a bittersweet taste of his wish—the one he had to say goodbye to when Callisto got kicked out. What a mess.
Rickon tightens his hands around my leg, quivering faintly. “Are you mad?” he whispers.
“I’m not upset with you, if that’s what you’re worried about,” I tell Rickon, tickling my fingers down his neck. “Callisto’s gonna be part of our life, one way or another. And honestly, I don’t even know how to feel about him now. He’s my alpha, and a part of me wants him no matter what. Like, being sandwiched between you two in heat, that was so sexy it nearly broke my mind.”
Rickon chuckles. “Yeah, it was.”
I coax Ozzie out onto my shoulder and lean back, closing my eyes against the bright sunlight. “Yeah, I think . . . I think Callisto’s changed a bit. The apartment gift and the court cases were all mind-blowing, but it’s more that he’s giving us his time now, don’t you think? And Zack’s changing too.” I stop, letting the possibilities fall into the silence.
“Yeah, he has changed,” Rickon muses. “The fact he’s even looking my way means he’s viewing the world differently. But he did say some shit about Zack I didn’t appreciate while he was upset.”
I lean over and hug Rickon’s head, dropping a kiss on his fair hair. “To be fair, everyone but us two would have some shit to say about Zack.”
Rickon snorts. “Yeah. But he also cut me pretty deep. Thing is, I’ve never felt like less of an alpha to Calli, but he was saying I couldn’t handle the bond and stuff . . .”
“I’m sorry, Rickon.” I hold my alpha close. “Maybe with all the heat pheromones he wasn’t thinking clearly. Remember, I said a bunch of shit I didn’t mean.” I tap a fingernail on his head. “Maybe Callisto needs to write a letter too.”
Rickon chuckles dryly. “Like passing notes back in high school.”
“Yeah.” I grin with him and rock him gently. At least he’s cheered up for now.
When Zack threw Callisto out, it felt final, but I’m slowly learning that everything changes. My omega instincts say our pack hasn’t reached its final form yet, but only time will tell.
“How about we just focus on getting Zack out of prison?” I tell my alpha. Bunching a lock of my long hair together, I tickle his ear, and he slaps me away with a laugh. “That’s enough trouble for now, right?”
“Words of wisdom,” he says, sitting upright. “You seem to have a bit more spark now.”
I shake my head, peeling the blankets off my legs and swinging my feet over the edge of the bed. “Not really. Ghost Red still has her hands around me, keeping me numb.” I gaze out the window, picking through my thoughts. Have I accepted fate, or gone numb because I can’t do anything for Zack?
Maybe it’s the news that Zack’s still fighting for me, even when separated.
“I’m just too stubborn to give up,” I mutter.
Ricky chuckles and swings off the bed, holding my shoulders. “Don’t get up yet. Let’s get a nurse in here to check you over and take that IV out.”
I shudder, keeping my eyes off the tubing running up a stand to the fluids bag. “Fine.”
