32. Finn

32

Finn

The door buckled beneath the force of my hands, and the sound of splintering wood was sharp in the silence. My wolf snarled within me, demanding freedom, demanding I fix what had gone so horribly wrong. Marshall thought he could lock me away like a caged beast, but he didn’t understand—I couldn’t stay in that room while she was out there, hurt and vulnerable.

August’s actions replayed in my head like a curse. His claws. Her blood. The way she’d crumpled and the scent of her pain had filled the air. My chest burned with the memory. He’d lost control, but I hadn’t. I knew what I was doing and would do whatever it took to protect Elisabed, even if that meant leaving everything else behind.

I stormed down the hallway, the walls narrowing with the weight of my rage. It was unbearable—the thought of her lying in some room alone, bearing the consequences of the chaos we’d let swallow us. The house was too quiet, the absence of her voice grating on my fraying nerves.

The moonlight spilling through the windows did little to calm me. I needed to see her, touch her, and know she was still breathing and here with me.

My hand pushed open Marshall’s door, and there she was.

She lay curled beneath the blankets, her dark hair splayed out on the pillow like a river of silk. Her face was peaceful, even as shadows of exhaustion clung to her delicate features. The sight of her should have soothed me, but it only made my anger boil hotter. Marshall had left her alone— again .

“Elisabed,” I said, my voice low and strained.

She didn’t stir.

I moved toward her and knelt beside the bed. “Elisabed,” I tried again.

Her eyelids fluttered, and she finally blinked at me hazily. “Finn?” she asked, confused.

“Yes, it’s me, sweetheart,” I murmured, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

“What...what’s wrong?” she asked, clearly seeing my emotions written across my face.

“Everything,” I answered, my voice thick with frustration. “You shouldn’t be here. Not like this.”

Before she could question me further, I slid my arms beneath her, lifting her from the bed as carefully as I could manage. She was light in my arms. Her warmth grounded me even as my wolf growled with the need to get her out of this cursed house.

“Finn,” she murmured, her voice soft but confused. “What are you doing?”

“We’re leaving,” I said firmly, cradling her against my chest.

Her eyes widened slightly. “Leaving? Why? What about Marshall? And—”

“Marshall will understand,” I said, cutting her off. “And August...” My teeth clenched, his name a bitter taste on my tongue. “He doesn’t deserve to be near you right now. None of us do, not after what he did.”

Her hands clutched weakly at my shirt. “My sister...”

“We’ll find her,” I promised, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me. “But first, I need to get you somewhere safe.”

Her silence unnerved me. She didn’t fight me, didn’t argue, but her gaze lingered on my face as though searching for answers I didn’t have.

The crisp night air bit at my skin, the chill doing nothing to cool the fire simmering just beneath it. The further I carried Elisabed from the house, the less resistance I felt from her, but I knew it wasn’t trust that was keeping her quiet. She was too worn down to fight back. Her body was heavy with exhaustion and everything we’d put her through.

When her voice finally broke the silence, it was soft and laced with fatigue. “Finn...put me down.”

I glanced down at her, her dark eyes barely visible in the moonlight. “Not yet, little omega.”

She moved weakly in my arms, her hand pressing against my chest. “Please...I don’t want to run. I’m tired of running.”

The crack in her voice made me falter for just a moment. I stopped walking, tightening my grip on her as though that alone could shield her from the storm brewing all around us. “You’re not running. I’m getting you away from them,” I said.

“From who?” she asked, her tone sharper despite her grogginess. “Marshall? August? Why are you doing this?”

I took a deep breath to temper the anger bubbling up again. “Because I won’t let them hurt you anymore. I won’t let anyone hurt you anymore.”

She pushed against me again, her strength growing with every word. “I’m not some helpless thing you can just carry off, Finn. I need to find my sister. I need to—”

“Stop.” My voice came out harsher than I intended, and her startled silence twisted something deep inside me. I softened my tone, though the tension still lingered. “You’ve already been in the middle of more danger than you should’ve ever faced. I’m not letting that happen again.”

Her brow furrowed, confusion clouding her features. “What are you talking about?”

I exhaled sharply, the words clawing their way out of me. “The pact that keeps the six alphas allied—it’s the only thing keeping us sane. When it’s broken—and it will be broken—all of us will lose ourselves.”

Her face paled. “I know. Marshall told me a long time ago.”

“He did?” I asked, my voice raw. She nodded. She’s been carrying this weight the whole time, and I didn’t even notice. “So you know what this means,” I continued. “The bond is older than any of us, forged to hold our kind together, and when it snaps, there won’t be any going back. Not unless someone is strong enough to bring us back.”

Her silence stretched between us, heavy and suffocating. She didn’t need to ask the obvious question—I saw it in her wide, terrified eyes.

“You were meant to be that person,” I said softly, hating how the word felt on my tongue.

“I still don’t understand. Why me?”

I closed my eyes, struggling to find the right words. “Because you’re strong, Elisabed. Stronger than any omega I’ve ever seen. You were strong against Raol and at the trial without your wolf, and you’re even stronger now that your wolf is back. Marshall and I marked you because we thought you could handle it. That you could ground us, bring us back when the time comes. But August...” My jaw tightened at the memory. “After what he did to you, I don’t know if this plan can work anymore.”

Her eyes filled with tears, her voice trembling. “This wasn’t my choice, Finn. I didn’t agree to any of this. This is...this is too much.”

“I know,” I said quickly, guilt clawing at me. “I know, little omega. And I’m sorry. But we didn’t have another option. We still don’t.”

Her tears spilled over then, and the sight of them nearly brought me to my knees. “My sister...” she said. “She’s out there, and I’m here. What if Raol hurts her? What if he—”

“Don’t,” I said sharply, my voice cracking. “Don’t say it. Don’t even think it.”

Her sobs hit me like physical blows. Her anguish wrapped around me and squeezed until I could barely breathe. I stopped walking, my feet rooted to the ground as I tried to steady myself. “Elisabed...” I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper.

But she didn’t stop crying. And I couldn’t blame her.

My arms tightened around her as though that alone could protect her from the horrors of this world. “I’ll get her back,” I said, the words more of a vow than a promise. “I swear to you, I’ll get her back.”

Before she could respond, a low growl cut through the night air.

I turned sharply, my wolf rising to the surface as I scanned the darkness. My eyes locked onto a figure emerging from the shadows. His broad frame was unmistakable even in the dim light.

“Put her down, Finn.”

Marshall was here.

His face was a mask of fury, his eyes blazing as they landed on me. My hackles rose at his command, my grip on Elisabed tightening instinctively. “Not happening.”

“I’m not asking again,” Marshall growled, his voice low and deadly. “Put. Her. Down.”

“No,” I shot back, my own voice trembling with fury. “I’m not leaving her here to get hurt again. Not by August. Not by you.”

Marshall’s eyes flared, his wolf so close to the surface that I could feel its presence like a heatwave. “You have no idea what you’re doing. You’re running blind, and it will get her killed.”

“She’s not safe here!” I roared, taking a step back. “Look at everything that’s happened tonight. August nearly broke her, and you—what, you think just keeping her in that room makes it all fine? It’s not fine, Marshall. None of this is fine!”

“I’m trying to keep her alive,” Marshall barked back. “Something you’re about to ruin with your impulsive—” He stopped himself, a muscle in his jaw twitching as if holding something back.

“Say it,” I challenged. “Go on, say whatever it is you’re choking on.”

Marshall hesitated, his gaze flickering to Elisabed for a split second before snapping back to me. He clenched his fists, the words tumbling out like an explosion. “She’s pregnant, Finn!”

The world seemed to tilt on its axis.

“What?” My voice came out hoarse, the air punched clean out of my lungs. I stared at him, my mind scrambling to understand what he’d just said.

“She’s pregnant,” Marshall repeated, his tone tight with urgency. “The healer confirmed it earlier. That’s why she can’t go anywhere, Finn. She needs to stay. She needs to be protected here.”

I looked down at Elisabed, her face pale and tear-streaked. She wasn’t denying it. My heart hammered in my chest, the implications slamming into me like a freight train.

“Pregnant?” I echoed, the word foreign on my tongue.

Elisabed closed her eyes, a fresh wave of tears slipping down her cheeks. “Yes,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “I am.”

“Damn it,” I muttered, my grip on her loosening as I tried to process the revelation. My wolf, always so sure of his instincts, now howled with confusion. “How...how could this happen so fast?”

Marshall stepped closer, his towering presence a mix of authority and frustration. “You know how,” he snapped. “It’s been over a month since the first time. Our bond with her, the marks...it’s not just physical, Finn. It’s everything. And now she’s carrying our child.”

“Which one of us—”

“Does it matter?” Marshall cut me off sharply. “It’s all of ours. That’s how this works. And you can’t take her away from the only place we can keep her safe.”

I couldn’t find my voice. My mind raced with images of Elisabed—fragile and hurt, but stronger than any of us gave her credit for. And now...now she was carrying a life inside her. A life we were responsible for.

“Finn,” Marshall said, his tone softening slightly. “I know you’re angry. I know you don’t trust August, and I don’t blame you after tonight. But running isn’t the answer. It’s not just about us anymore.”

Elisabed moved in my arms, her tears glistening in the moonlight. “Please,” she said softly, her voice barely audible. “I just want to find my sister.”

Guilt hit me like a punch to the gut. I’d been so consumed with my own anger and my own fears that I’d almost forgotten what this was all about for her. I tightened my hold on her, hating how small and fragile she felt in my arms.

“I want to find her too,” I murmured, my voice thick with emotion. “But you can’t help her if you’re not safe. If you’re not whole.”

Marshall stepped closer again, his gaze unwavering. “Let’s take her back inside. We’ll figure this out together. But not out here. Not like this.”

My wolf snarled in protest, and the thought of surrendering her to anyone else sent me a fresh wave of anger, but deep down, I knew he was right.

I finally relented, gently setting Elisabed down on her feet and steadying her. “This isn’t over,” I said firmly.

“I know,” Marshall replied, his gaze meeting mine with equal determination.

Elisabed looked between us, her expression unreadable. “Let’s go,” she said, her voice soft but resolute.

I watched as Marshall moved to guide her back toward the house, my wolf pacing restlessly beneath my skin. The fire in my chest hadn’t dimmed—it had only grown. But for now, I swallowed it down, knowing that the fight wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.