Page 33 of Rescue Me

Ethan gasps, mock-offended. “Excuse you, I am a delight.”

“Sure you are,” I say, leaning back. “Keep talking, ‘delight.’ Maybe you’ll distract me enough that I forget how much my ribs hurt.”

He sticks his tongue out at me, but he keeps talking, his voice filling the room with warmth. And for the first time in a long time, I feel like maybe—just maybe—I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.

I wake up to the sound of breathing. It’s soft, steady, and definitely not mine. For a moment, I’m disoriented, my body heavy and my ribs aching like I’ve been hit by a freight train. Again. The room smells like summer—fresh grass, sunlight, and something sweeter—and I blink blearily at the ceiling, trying to figure out why my chest feels warm and weighted.

Then I look down.

Ethan is curled up against me, his head resting on my heart, his dark curls a mess against my shirt. He’s dead to the world, his breath puffing out softly in little bursts. I frown, not because I’m annoyed but because... what the hell is he doing here? And why does it feel so good?

The ache in my ribs pulls me back to reality and I wince, shifting slightly. That’s when I see her. Zana’s perched at the far end of the couch, a laptop balanced on her knees, her sharp eyes focused on the screen. She looks every bit the powerhouse I expected—cool, collected, and entirely too in control. Unlike Jackson and Lyle’sideaof control, I quite like Zana’s version.

She glances up, catching my movement, a small smile tugging at her lips. “You’re awake,” she muses, her voice calm but with that Alpha edge that makes it clear she’s been keeping a close watch. “How do you feel?”

“Like I got run over by a truck,” I mutter, my voice hoarse. “Twice.”

Her smile deepens as she sets the laptop aside. “Not surprising. You were a little touch-and-go for a while there. Ethan insisted on staying close. Said he needed to make sure you were breathing.”

I glance down at the Omega, my chest tightening in a way that has nothing to do with my injuries. Ethan shifts, nuzzling against me, and I feel the faintest brush of his scent. Warm, safe,mine.

Mine. The thought hits like a punch to the gut and I swallow hard, my hand moving on instinct to rest lightly on his back. He stirs at the touch, his eyes fluttering open. Those big, brown eyes blink up at me, and for a second, I forget how to breathe.

“Reid,” he murmurs, his voice thick with sleep. “You’re awake.”

A smile breaks across his face, soft and unguarded, and it does something to me. Something I’m not ready to name. I lean down, pressing a kiss to the top of his head before I can think better of it. He sighs, content, and settles back against my chest like he belongs there.

Zana clears her throat, pulling me back to the moment. Her expression is still calm, but there’s a new sharpness to her gaze. “Reid,” she starts, leaning forward slightly. “We need to talk.”

“Can we not?” I ask, trying for snark but coming off more tired than anything else. “I just got out of one nightmare. Do we really need to dive into another?”

“This isn’t a nightmare,” she states before relaxing her expression. “It’s about your future. Ours. You’re here now, but that doesn’t mean you have to stay. If this isn’t what you want, I need to know. Ethan needs to know.”

My entire body stiffens, the weight of her words settling over me. My fingers twitch against Ethan’s back, his breathing changing, becoming shallower. He’s awake now, fully awake, and listening to every word.

Zana continues, her gaze unyielding. “I want you here, Reid. Ethan wants you here. But if you don’t want this—if you don’t want us—I won’t risk his happiness. I won’t keep you if this isn’t what you want.”

The air feels heavy, the rush of blood in my ears nearly deafening Want? What do I want? My whole life has been about surviving, about bending to someone else’s will, about doing what’s expected. Wanting wasn’t part of the equation.

But now... I glance down at Ethan, his eyes wide and searching, his scent tinged with nervousness. My chest tightens again, and something in me shifts. The idea of walking away from this—from him, from her—feels wrong. Like cutting off a piece of myself.

“I...” My voice catches and I clear my throat, trying again. “I don’t know how to do this. How to be... part of something like this. But I’ve spent so long just trying to survive and all I’ve ever wanted was a family. People who give a damn. Maybe this could be that.”

“It’ll take time. But we’ll figure it out. Together.”

Ethan makes a soft, happy noise, his arms wrapping around me in a gentle hug. I chuckle, despite the ache in my ribs. “Easy there, sunshine,” I tease. “I’m already half-broken. Don’t finish the job.”

He pulls back, his cheeks flushed, but his smile is brighter than the damn sun. “Sorry,” he says, not sounding sorry at all. “I’m just... happy.” Then he snuggles right back up to my chest like he belongs there. There’s a sound coming from him, something similar to an Alpha purr but wholly Omega. It takes me a few seconds to realize that he’s purring for me—a sound that Omegas only make for their mates when they feel safe enough to do so.

And Ethan is making it for me.

If that doesn’t scream family, I don’t know what does.

Chapter twenty-one

ZANA

It’s been just over a day since I brought Reid home. He’s still on the couch—his semi-permanent home, bundled in blankets that Ethan picked out—soft, warm things meant to make him feel safe. But Reid doesn’t look safe. He doesn’t look comfortable. He looks like someone waiting for the other shoe to drop, like every moment is a breath held too long.

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