Page 8 of Rescue Me

I hesitate, suddenly unsure how to put it into words. My fingers twist together and I look away, studying the edge of her desk instead of her face. “I want to sue my dad,” I blurt out finally.

Zana blinks and then her brows arch. “For what?” This isn’t the first time we’ve had this conversation and it probably won’t be the last but my Alpha takes this outburst in stride like she does everything else. She leans in, her lips attaching to the side of my neck, immediately calming the chaos running through my mind. I lean forward, gripping her shoulders as she drags her tongue up my neck and then pulls back, licking her lips. Her eyes are half-lidded with desire as she pulls me closer until I’m standing flush against the chair, her knees on either side of my hips. “What’s going on, little one?”

“I don’t know!Anything!Something. I just—” I stop, the words catching in my throat. I take a deep breath, willing myself to calm down when Zana arches a brow at me. “I just want him to pay for everything he’s done. The way he treated me, the way he treats my sister—”

“Ethan,” she says gently and my shoulders sag. I know that tone. It’s the one she uses when she’s about to tell me something I don’t want to hear. “You can’t,” she says, shaking her head. “There’s nothing to sue him for. Emotional abuse isn’t something you can easily take to court as an Omega, not without evidence, and even then... it’s complicated.”

“But it’s not fair,” I say, my voice breaking. “He got to control every part of my life. He made me feel worthless. He still has Camila trapped there—”

“You’re not there anymore,” she interrupts. She reaches up to caress the side of my face. “You’re free. You’ve moved out. And Camila...” She pauses, considering her words carefully. “Camila will have to make her own choices, Ethan. You can’t save her if she doesn’t want to be saved.”

My older sister, a Beta, faces the same disgusting gaslighting tricks I did. I only got out because an Alpha claimed me but Camila is still there, biding her time until she has enough money to move out. I hate that I can’t do anything to help her, to get her away from our father… I look away, my throat tightening. “You don’t get it.”

“I do,” she whispers. “More than you think. But this isn’t the way.”

My fingers curl into fists, frustration bubbling beneath my skin. I know she’s right, but it doesn’t make it hurt any less. My dad has always been this looming figure in my life, casting a shadow over everything I do. He controlled what I wore, who I talked to, where I went. When my mom died, it got worse—rules upon rules, expectations I could never meet. And the worst part? I still hear his voice in my head sometimes, telling me I’m not good enough, that I’m a failure, that I’m everything an Omegashouldn’tbe.

I force the thoughts away, focusing instead on the woman in front of me. Zana watches me with an intensity that’s both comforting and unnerving. She’s my Alpha, my mate, and I know she’d tear the world apart for me if I asked her to. But this? This isn’t something she can fix.

“I just...” I trail off, struggling to find the right words. “I just hate him.”

“I know, baby. I know. Come here, Ethan.” She tugs at my waist and waits for me to respond. “You’ve been such a good boy waiting for me.”

My heart flutters, the words dissolving every ounce of frustration I’ve built up in the past half hour.

“Go on,” she muses, her hands dropping to rest on the arms of her chair. “You know where you belong.”

I crawl into her lap without another word, my legs folding up as I settle against her chest. Her arms come around me instantly, strong and secure and the tension in my shoulders ebbs away like it was never there. She smells like safety, like comfort, and I burrow my face into her neck, exhaling a shaky breath.

“There we go,” she murmurs. “That’s better, isn’t it?”

I nod, my cheek pressing against the soft fabric of her blouse. “Much better,” I mumble.

Her hand strokes down my back, slow and soothing, as if she knows exactly how frayed my nerves are tonight. “I love you,” she says, the words rumbling through her chest. “I love you so much, Ethan. Even if I can’t fix everything, know that I love you.” She pulls back just enough to look at me, one hand coming up to cradle my cheek. “You’re mine now, baby. You’re not going back to him. I can’t protect you from inside your father’s house and you know that. You have the biggest heart, always wanting to save the ones that you love but life isn’t always that easy.”

Her words sting, but they’re true. The fresh bite on my shoulder pulses faintly, a reminder of the flurry of emotions and adrenaline that led to her marking me three months ago. It had been a blur of passion and need, her teeth sinking into my skin with a mix of possession and love. I reach up to touch the mark now, my fingers brushing against the raised skin.

I wouldn’t take it back. Not for anything.

“I still need to get some of my stuff,” I mumble. “Camila packed up a few more boxes. I just... I don’t want to hear his voice.”

Her arms tighten around me, her chin resting on the top of my head. “I’ll be with you,” she says. “You don’t have to do it alone.”

I nod, but the anxiety doesn’t go away. It settles in my chest, heavy and aching, like something is pressing down on my ribs. It’s a familiar feeling, one I’ve tried to ignore for a while but lately, it’s been harder to push aside. There’s something missing, something I can’t name, and the not-knowing makes it worse.

Zana must feel the shift in my scent because she pulls back again, her brows knitting in concern. “What’s wrong?” she asks, her fingers brushing the curls away from my face.

“I don’t know,” I say, my voice cracking. Tears prick at the corners of my eyes and I blink rapidly, trying to hold them back. “It’s just... my chest hurts. And not in a physical way—it’s not that—it’s something else. I don’t know what it is, Alpha. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

Her hands cup my face, her thumbs wiping away the tears that escape despite my efforts. She places a soft kiss to the bridge of my nose before meeting my gaze. “Hey,” she murmurs. “It’s okay. We’ll figure it out. Do you think we need to see Dr. Bardin?”

I shake my head quickly. “It’s not like that. I mean, it’s physical, but it’s not... not something a doctor can fix.” I trail off, my words fumbling. “It’s like this... longing. For something I can’t name.”

She watches me carefully, her eyes dark with understanding. “You’ve been through a lot, Ethan. Maybe it’s just your heart catching up to everything you’ve had to carry. It’s okay to feel like this. You don’t have to have all the answers.”

“I just feel so lost sometimes,” I admit, my voice barely above a whisper. “Even with you... sometimes it feels like there’s a piece of me missing.” I hate saying it but Zana told me once never to lie to her, to always tell her what was going on in my head so that she could fix it. But I’m not sure she can fix this.

She presses a kiss to my forehead, then another to my cheek, and finally, her lips brush against mine. It’s soft, tender, and I melt into her, the ache in my chest dulling for just a moment.