Page 30 of Rescued

“I’m glad you headed down this way, Mika.”

I lean in for a quick kiss, sweet and soft, but it leaves me wanting more. I back up before I get too tempted to keep him here longer.

“Where’s all your stuff?” I ask, my tone light but curious. “Clothes, ID, things like that?”

The question makes him hesitate. Mika tugs at the waistband of his sweats, keeping his gaze away from mine.

“Are you sure you want to talk about this, Gabe?” His voice is quiet, almost hesitant, but when he glances at me, there’s a flicker of something else. His eyes heat, turning sultry as they drop lower, reminding me that I’m still very much naked.

“Yeah, I do,” I say, trying to sound firm despite the flush crawling up my neck. “And you need to.”

I plop back down on the couch, only realizing too late that maybe I should’ve grabbed something to cover up first. Mika’s gaze lingers, dragging over me in a way that has me half hard again in seconds.

Grunting, I grab my shirt off the arm of the couch and toss it over my lap, shrugging when Mika’s eyebrows lift in amusement.

“Quit stalling and spit it out, babe,” I tease, trying to coax him into talking.

Mika’s smirk softens, but his shoulders tense slightly as he moves to sit beside me. I can tell he’s still weighing what to say, still deciding how much to share.

I stay quiet, letting him work through it. Whatever it is, I’ll take it, bit by bit. The man has his secrets, sure, but I’m not going anywhere. Not until he knows I’m here for all of it—him.

“I’m not…fine.” Mika’s voice is strained, and his body language tells me he’s ready to bolt.

He peeks toward the leather chair, taking a step as if to put some space between us. No way am I letting that happen. I reach out, grab his hand, and tug firmly.

“Uh-uh,” I say, pulling harder when he hesitates.

Mika gives in, sitting down on the couch beside me. He doesn’t try to free his hand, which is a good sign, but he still won’t meet my eyes.

Yeah, no. We’re not doing this distance thing.

“Who’d you kill, Mika?” I tease, grinning as I toss out the most ridiculous question I can think of.

His head snaps up, those deep, whiskey-colored eyes wide with surprise. He studies me intently for a moment, and I see the faintest twitch at the corners of his eyes—like he’s fighting not to smile.

“Very funny,” he mutters, his voice dry. “I thought for a minute you really believed—”

Whatever Mika was about to say cuts off with a sharp exhale as my elbow jabs him lightly in the ribs.

“That’s for even thinking something so stupid,” I say, shaking my head. “I was just trying to show you that whatever this is, it’s not the worst thing in the world. I know you didn’t kill anybody. So, how about you tell me whatdidhappen? How’d you end up here with nothing?”

I take his other hand, gently pulling it away from where it’s been nervously picking at the couch cushion. His fingers feel warm but shaky in mine.

Mika exhales a trembling breath. “Really, I didn’t do anything. Being gay—that was enough for my pack to decide they didn’t want me. They kicked me out, shunned me, whatever you want to call it. I left everything there…”

Hisvoice hitches, and before I can stop myself, I’m sliding my arms around him. I hold him firmly, resting my head on his shoulder as he pulls me closer.

“I could have taken some things,” Mika continues, his voice rough. “Personal stuff, I guess, but my home was pack property.” He shrugs, jostling my head slightly. “I should have stayed calm, thought things through before just walking away. But I couldn’t. I was angry and hurt, and so fucking shocked. How could they do that? How could my alpha let them? Christ.”

A knot forms in my chest, anger and sorrow twisting together in a way that’s hard to contain. “I’m so sorry, babe. That’s…that’s seriously fucked up.”

I’m trying to keep my voice calm, to hold back the sharp, biting anger bubbling under the surface. But it’s hard not to blurt out something like, “How backward and inbred is your pack?”

“How can they even do that?” I ask instead, forcing my tone to stay level. “And what about other gay shifters? There’s no way you’re the only one.”

“I can smell it, you know,” Mika murmurs, his lips brushing the top of my head. “Your anger. It has a sharp, almost smoky scent to it.”

He kisses me there, just soft enough to soothe some of my tension. “It flatters me that you’re so indignant on my behalf, Gabe. But as for how they can do what they did…well, the alpha is the pack leader. What he says goes. I’d thought Zane—my alpha—was a friend. But when members of the pack came to him and said they wanted me gone, he sided with them.”

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