Page 7 of Rescue Me

Just like they did the last time.

The front desk of the motel barely acknowledges me and my emotional state, producing a room key on the second level when I cough up fifty dollars in mostly crumpled-up ones. It takes entirely too long to get up the stairs but once I get into my room, I drop my bag and sprawl out across the bed.

My hands shake as I fumble with my bag and unearth a small, worn photograph, my fingers brushing over the creased edges as I hold it up to the dim light.

The image is of my grandparents, taken long before I was born. They’re standing in front of their old house, my grandmother’s arm looped through my grandfather’s, both of them smiling like the world couldn’t touch them. There’s a warmth in their eyes that feels foreign now, a love so genuine it almost hurts to look at.

Tears prick at the corners of my eyes as I stare at the photo, my vision blurring. My grandparents were the only ones who ever truly loved me. They didn’t care that I was a Beta. They didn’t see it as a flaw, as some genetic failure to meet expectations. To them, I was just Reid—their grandson, their pride, their joy.

If they were still here, they never would have let this happen. They never would have let my parents sell me off like some kind of commodity. My grandmother would have marched into the Wilhelm estate and demanded I be treated with respect. My grandfather would have stood by her side, his presence alone enough to make anyone think twice.

But they’re gone and all that’s left is this photo. A relic of a time when I felt safe as a kid, when I believed the world could be kind.

The tears spill over, sliding down my cheeks but this time I don’t bother wiping them away. What’s the point? There’s no one here to see them, no one who would care if they did. I’m twenty-four years old and instead of building a career, exploring the world, or finding a place to belong, I’m trapped in servitude. My days are spent cleaning up Hailey’s messes, enduring her tantrums, and serving two Alphas who see me as less than human.

I clutch the photo tighter, my nails digging into the edges. This isn’t the life I wanted. It isn’t the life I deserve.

The pain in my side flares as I shift, a hiss slipping through my clenched teeth. My body protests, but I force myself to sit up straight, to breathe through it. The physical pain is grounding, in a way, a reminder that I’m still here. Still alive. Still fighting, even if it doesn’t look like it.

But something has to change. I can’t keep doing this—not for another day, let alone another year. The contract may bind me to the Wilhelms, but contracts can be broken. There has to be a way out, a way to take back control of my life. I don’t know what it is yet, but the thought plants itself in my mind, a small, stubborn seed of defiance.

I set the photo back in my bag. My grandparents wouldn’t want this for me. They wouldn’t want me to waste away in that house, in this life, bound by people who don’t even see me as a person. They’d want me to fight, to carve out a life worth living, no matter the cost.

I lie back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. The pain pulses through me with every beat of my heart, but I let it fuel the rage building within me. Things are going to change. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday. I’ll find a way out of this hell. I’ll reclaim what’s been taken from me. And when I do, I’ll finally be free.

I close my eyes, the faintest hint of a plan beginning to form in the back of my mind. It’s not much, not yet, but it’s enough to keep me going. For now, that’s all I need.

Chapter five

ETHAN

Zana’s office smells like her—cinnamon, honey, and the deeper, grounding scent of her Alpha. It calms me, but not enough. I tap my foot against the leg of the chair, a steady rhythm that echoes in the quiet room. She’s at her desk, all focus and sharp angles, her head bent over the paperwork she’s been rifling through for the last twenty minutes.

I’m supposed to be a good boy. She told me to wait, her tone soft but firm. “I’ll be with you in a moment, Ethan,” she’d said, giving me one of those smiles that makes my insides turn to mush. I’d nodded, eager to please, but that was twenty minutes ago, and my patience has officially run out.

I kick my feet harder, scuffing the toes of my shoes against the floor. Zana doesn’t even glance up. Her pen glides across the page and I catch the faintest curl of her lips—amusement. She knows I’m squirming. She’swaitingfor me to break.

It’s a game we play, this push and pull. She tests my limits, watching to see how long I can last before I snap. And I always snap.

“Zana,” I say, my voice edging toward a whine. She doesn’t respond, her focus unwavering. I huff, crossing my arms and glaring at the stack of files in front of her. “You’re ignoring me.”

“I’m working,” she replies, her tone smooth and unbothered. “And you’re supposed to be waiting. I think I specifically told you that if you were a good boy, I was going to let you fuck me tonight. And if you weren’t,” Zana pushes a growl into her words. “That I was going to fuck you instead.”

My insides warm, my cock stiffening uncomfortably in my pants. I reach down to adjust myself, unashamed that my Alpha’s words affect me so much. “Ihavebeen waiting,” I grumble, leaning back in the chair. My foot catches the edge of her desk and I push, rocking the chair slightly. “It’s important, remember? I wouldn’t have come all the way here if it wasn’t.” It definitely wasn’t important enough to leave the comfort of my nest but I was restless and bothering my Alpha in her private office at the law firm seemed like a better alternative.

“Hmm,” she murmurs, still not looking up. The faint smile is still there, teasing.Testing.

I groan, flopping forward in the chair dramatically, my arms draping over my knees. “Zanaaaa.”

Her pen pauses and I glance up to see her eyes flicker to mine. There’s a hint of amusement in her gaze, making my heart skip a beat. She’s so beautiful it’s almost unfair—her navy suit fits her perfectly, tailored to highlight her tall, commanding frame. I’d picked it out this morning, pairing it with a silver tie that brings out the streaks of blonde in her dark hair. Her deep brown eyes are the same dark tone as her skin, golden undertones shimmering every time she shifts beneath the light. She’s perfect, effortlessly so, and every inch of her screamsAlpha.

And she’smine.

Her lips twitch and then she laughs—a warm, rich sound that fills the room and wraps around me like a hug. “You’re insufferable,” she says, leaning back in her chair. “Come here, little one.”

I’m out of the chair before she finishes the sentence, practically bouncing across the room to stand in front of her. “Finally,” I mutter, crossing my arms again. “I thought you were going to leave me sitting there all night.”

“You were fine,” she chuckles as she pushes away from the desk, her hands settling on my waist. Elegant fingers dig into my hips as she pulls me closer, a smile playing on her full lips. “What’s so important that you had to barge in here at midnight, hmm?”

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