24. REID

Chapter twenty-four

REID

The smell of coffee and bacon lingers in the kitchen, mixing with the faint citrus and honey scent that Zana leaves behind. She’s freshly showered, her dark hair pulled into a tight bun, the sharp lines of her forest green pantsuit making her look every bit the fierce Alpha she is. She presses a kiss to my temple before grabbing her keys from the counter.

“You don’t have to do anything today. Relax. Take it easy. You’re still healing.”

I offer her a wry smile, leaning back against the counter. “Relaxing isn’t exactly my specialty, Zana.”

She straightens, one eyebrow arching as she smirks. “Yeah, I noticed. Try anyway. And don’t let Ethan spoil you too much. He’ll have you in his nest by lunchtime if you’re not careful.”

That earns a snort from me, and she grins, leaning in for one last kiss before heading out the door. The moment it clicks shut behind her, the house feels quieter, heavier. Ethan’s off in his own little world somewhere, probably re-fluffing pillows or reorganizing the linen closet for the fifth time this morning, leaving me alone in the kitchen.

I glance around, my hands itching for something to do. The dishes from breakfast are still scattered across the counter, and without thinking, I start stacking plates and scrubbing pans. It’s muscle memory at this point—cleaning, organizing, keeping busy so I don’t have to think too hard about everything else.

No matter how hard I scrub the counter, my thoughts keep creeping back, like they’re on a mission to ruin my day. Hailey’s texts have been relentless, buzzing every few minutes. Every single one of them is some variation of the same tune.

Where are you?, You’re contracted to be my pack Beta., That Alpha that took you away is just going to bring you right back.

Yeah, because threatening me always worked so well in the past.

I grab the sponge and slam it against the sink, the water splashing up onto my shirt. Great. Just what I needed—wet clothes to go with my simmering rage. I toss the sponge aside, drying my hands with a towel as I glance over at my phone on the counter. It buzzes again, and for a second, I debate chucking it out the window. But no, that would be too easy.

I pick it up, unlocking the screen with more force than necessary. This time, it’s not Hailey. It’s worse. It’s my mom.

Reid, I heard what you’ve been up to. Do you know what this is doing to us? You’re embarrassing the family. Fix this.

A laugh bursts from me—bitter and humorless. Of course, she found a way to make this about her. Because it’s always about her, isn’t it? The family reputation, the family needs, the family’s fucking bank account. Never about me. Never about what I want.

I toss the phone back onto the counter, pacing the kitchen. My hands are clenched so tightly that my nails dig into my palms, but the pain barely registers. Hailey’s constant texts, my mom’s guilt-tripping, the weight of it all feels like it’s crushing me.

For a fleeting moment, I think about the bond mark on my shoulder, the one tying me to the Wilhelms like a ball and chain. I imagine taking a knife to it, carving it out of my skin. But I know better. That mark isn’t just flesh—it’s a contract, a leash, a fucking life sentence. Cutting it out wouldn’t change a damn thing.

Then my phone rings, my mother’s name rolling across the screen. I should let it go to voicemail. I should walk away, pretend I didn’t see it. But I know her. Ignoring her will only make things worse. With a deep breath, I grab my phone and swipe to answer. "Hello.”

“Reid,” she snaps. “Finally. I was starting to think you were ignoring me.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose, the headache already forming. “What do you want, Mom?”

“What do I want?” she repeats, her voice dripping with disbelief. “I want you to explain what the hell you think you’re doing. Running off like this, making a mess of everything. Do you have any idea how this makes us look? What people are saying?”

I close my eyes, leaning against the counter. “I don’t care what people are saying.”

“Do you know what you’ve done to us, Reid?” she snaps. “Do you have any idea how hard it’s been since the payments stopped? Your father and I—”

“Oh, I’m sorry, did the spa appointments dry up?” I cut in, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “Must be tough, Mom, having to scale back from caviar to shrimp cocktail. My heart just bleeds for you.” The attitude comes easy within the safety of this house as if Zana’s lingering scent is giving me the confidence I need to speak my mind.

“Don’t you dare take that tone with me!” she barks. “You don’t understand what it’s like, the embarrassment we’ve had to endure because of you!”

A short bitter laugh comes from me. “Embarrassment? You want to talk about embarrassment? I’ve spent the past three months crammed into a glorified broom closet, fetching tea for a dictator in designer clothes. While you and Dad were living it up on the checks I earned, I was getting my ribs kicked in because I didn’t fold Hailey’s sweaters fast enough.”

“It was your job . You signed up for this. You’re supposed to be good for something, Reid, and this was it. We sacrificed so much for you—”

“Sacrificed?” I snap, cutting her off again. “What exactly did you sacrifice, Mom? Was it the vacation home? The luxury car? Or maybe it was the respect you’ve never had for me? Let's also get something straight. I never signed up for this.”

“You ungrateful little—” Her voice sharpens, but then there’s a pause, a shuffle on the other end of the line. My stomach twists as a new voice comes through.

“Reid,” my father growls. “What’s this nonsense I hear about you refusing to go back? Do you have any idea how much you’ve let this family down?”

“Let you down?” I say, my voice rising. “Let’s talk about how you’ve let me down. You never wanted a Beta for a son. I wasn’t strong enough for you, wasn’t perfect enough for Mom. All I’ve ever been to you is a tool—a means to an end. And before you try to pull the ‘we’re family bullshit, no, you’re not. You’re leeches, sucking me dry and tossing me aside when I’m no longer useful. You think I don’t know what you’re really mad about? The money stopped. That’s all this is to you. And you know what? I’m done.”

“Reid,” my mother snaps, cutting back in, her voice shrill. “You will fix this. You will go back to that house and finish your job. You owe us.”

“Owe you?” I laugh again, the sound almost hysterical. “Let me tell you what I owe you. Nothing. Not a damn thing. And if you keep pushing, I’ll make sure everyone knows that contract was forged.”

There’s a beat of silence before my father speaks again, his voice a few octaves deeper than before. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Try me,” I snark. “Let’s see how the Wilhelms like finding out they were scammed by the great and noble family who raised me.” The line goes quiet and I hang up, feeling some sense of peace at finally getting all the words out. It’s been a while since I felt safe enough to speak my mind but it feels good.

Really good.

And that’s when the temperature in the kitchen shifts as a soft, high-pitched whine catches my attention.

I freeze, my heart stuttering in my chest as a wave of scent floods the house. It’s summer in full bloom—bright sunshine, ocean breeze, the warmth of sand under bare feet. Ethan. His scent is everywhere, wrapping around me, pulling me toward the living room.

Ethan is sprawled across the living room floor in his makeshift nest, the little Omega tearing at his clothes as he meets my gaze. “Oh, thank fuck,” he whines as he reaches for me, dragging me onto the floor beside him. I laugh at his insistence, a sound that soon dies in my throat when Ethan wrangles me onto my back and shoves my shorts down my legs.

He swallows my cock whole, humming around my length, even as his ass is perched high up in the air, twitching, needing something to fill it. “Ethan, I don’t have what you need,” I say, although it comes out more like a purr. I push against his shoulders, trying not to succumb to his filthy mouth. He’s not letting up though, my cock instantly hard as Ethan takes what he wants.

My head falls back against the carpet as I steel my emotions, realizing that Ethan is in the middle of a heat spike. Just the best time for it, really.

“Ethan, fuck, where is your phone? I need to call Zana. Fuck, Tahn, just hold on a second.” The nickname comes out in a rush as I tug on Ethan’s hair seconds before spilling down his throat. He clings to my thighs, slurping every last bit of cum before continuing, my cock hardening again. This is a pleasurable torture but I still don’t have the right parts. “Hey, Tahn,” I try again, Ethan looking up at me with a rabid smile. “Let’s call Zana, okay?” He just hums but doesn’t move. Goddess, his heat is going to be torture, isn’t it?

I search around the living room, sighing as my gaze lands on a phone sitting on the coffee table. Reaching for it is a bit odd, but I grab it and scroll through Ethan’s contacts before finding his Alpha— our Alpha.

“What’s wrong, baby? Is it Reid?”

“Fuck, no, Alpha, shit.” My words get caught again as Ethan lets out a huff of frustration and then climbs up my legs. He then drops himself on my cock, a strangled moan leaving my lips. “Zana, Ethan is having a spike.”

I expect her to be angry because Ethan is not being gentle. He’s also not being subtle about it. Instead, I get her laughter. “I’m on my way but I can assure you he’s not in heat. You wouldn’t be talking if he was. Pulling up now.”

I don’t know whether to apologize or give in as Zana hangs up, two seconds later stepping into the house still amused at the situation. I’m tempted to flip Ethan over and truly fuck him into the carpet but I don’t know how this budding relationship between us works. I know they’re mine but the feral look in Ethan’s eyes as he struggles to find that orgasm, as he struggles to use me to find it is something else entirely.

“Stop teasing him, Reid. Fuck him like you did me.”

“I don’t have what he needs.”

“And I think you do.” She raises an eyebrow, reminding me of last night. I swallow carefully, waiting just a moment longer for her approval. “Reid, baby, he’s your Omega, just as he is mine. Fuck him. Love him. Take him apart.”

That’s all I need as I flip him over, ready to devour my Omega for the first time in my life.