Page 31 of Rescued

Mika’s voice is rough, and I can feel the hurt radiating off him.

“Granted,” he continues, “the ones who spoke out were high-ranking. And there were a lot of them. But all Zane would have had to do was say, ‘Tough shit,’ and it would’ve ended there. He didn’t, though.”

Mika’s holds me close, and his head tilts slightly as if he’s working through the memory again.

“And I’ve never heard of any other gay shifters in Zane’s pack,” he says, his voice quieter now. “If there had been, they probably left before anyone could find out.”

I squeeze him, not sure what to say. I want to tell him that his pack doesn’t deserve him, that he’s better off without people like that in his life. But I know those words won’t erase the pain of being rejected by the people who were supposed to be his family.

For now, I just hold him, letting the quiet settle around us. Whatever he’s lost, I can’t fix it—but I can be here for him now. And I’ll be damned if I let anyone else hurt him like that again.

I lean back, still holding Mika in my arms, but needing a little distance to look him in the eye. His warmth against me is comforting, grounding, but I can’t ignore the need to say this out loud.

“Okay, first off,” I begin, making sure my voice is firm but light, “your alpha sounds like a pussy who caved to pressure.”

Mika’s mouth opens, probably ready to fire back, but I raise a hand, cutting him off.

“Ah-ah, let me finish.”

He snaps his mouth shut, his expression and one of curiosity.

“Second,” I continue, softening my tone, “is there anyone above him you can go to? Someone who could reverse this if you wanted to be reinstated in the pack?”

The words feel heavy as they leave my mouth. I don’twantMika to go back to New Mexico—not if it means losing him. But if that’s what it takes to make him happy, I’ll deal. I’d just have to go with him, that’s all.

Mika shrugs, his body stiffening slightly in my embrace. “I guess I could appeal to the Civitas alpha—the one in charge of all the packs in NewMexico. He’s first in the chain of command over Zane. But honestly? I don’t know if it’s worth the effort.”

The casual way he says it takes me by surprise. I’d expected more hesitation, more longing, but he seems almost…resigned.

“We have a hierarchy,” Mika adds, smiling faintly when he catches the look on my face. Yeah, I’m not exactly hiding my surprise. A hierarchy? This is news to me.

“There’s the pack alphas,” he explains, his tone patient. “Then Civitas. Above that is the Dux Ducis, and so on up the chain until you reach the Alpha Anax. He’s the big bad alpha at the top of the whole system.”

I blink, processing the information. A whole hierarchy of alphas? For some reason, I’d always assumed there were just a few scattered packs, operating independently.

“I just don’t see the point,” Mika says, breaking through my thoughts. “They’ve already done what they’ve done. Even if I could force Zane to take me back, I’d never go. That’s not my home anymore.”

Before I can respond, Mika leans down and kisses me. The sweetness of it catches me off guard, and I have to blink a few times as emotion grabs me. His lips linger, soft but sure, as if he’s trying to pour every unsaid word into the kiss.

When he pulls back, his voice is low, steady. “I don’t want to go back, Gabe. I want this. With you.”

The words settle deep in my chest, heavy and warm. I hold on to them, letting them wrap around me.

Still, my mind lingers on what he said about the hierarchy. It’s fascinating, but something about it feels…off. I study Mika, taking in the tension coiling through his body. He’s holding back, I realize. There’s more to his story, more to the way he left his pack, but he’s not ready to share it yet.

And that’s okay.

I won’t push him. Whatever happened back there hurt him deeply—so deeply that trust doesn’t come easily anymore. I can wait. In the meantime, maybe I can offer him something of my own. Something that might help him feel less alone.

I take a breath, letting my hands slide up to cup his face. His golden-brown eyes meet mine, filled with a mix of sympathy and hope that hits me right in the gut.

“I understand how much that hurt, Mika,” I say softly. “When I told my parents I was gay, they didn’t just disown me. They told me I was an abomination, a mistake, going to hell—you name it. At the time, I thought I’d never get past it.”

Mika’s gaze sharpens, his fingers tightening slightly on my waist as he listens.

I swallow hard, trying to keep my voice steady. “If it hadn’t been for my grandparents, I don’t know where I’d be. They took me in, loved me, made sure I knew I wasn’t broken. But it still took me a long time to stop feeling like there was something wrong with me, you know?”

Mika doesn’t say anything, but the way he’s looking at me—like I’m the only thing that matters—makes my throat start to close.

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