5. Finn

5

Finn

The house was again too damn quiet—the kind of silence that got under your skin and clawed at you. I hated it. Always had. It reminded me of the grieving quiet after an attack, the attack that changed my life. I would always prefer the bustling of children goofing around and ignoring any and all authority, but that wasn’t the life I had now. No. Now, it was all about whispered conversations and working in the shadows.

But we would change that soon.

The quiet gave my mind too much room to wander, to focus on the wrong things—like the soft sounds of her breathing down the hall and her scent still clinging to my skin, sweet and maddening, instead of our next steps and strategy.

Elisabed.

Even her name stirred something dangerous in me. I’d never admit it to the other two, but my wolf had been restless since last night, pacing, growling, and snarling for more. He didn’t care that we’d claimed her, that we’d marked her. He wanted to own her completely, to bury himself so deep she’d never forget who she belonged to.

And hell, I wasn’t doing much better.

I grabbed the tray off the counter—coffee, eggs, toast, bacon. Simple. I wasn’t about to try too hard—she needed to see me for what I was. The stories she’d probably heard? They weren’t just tales to keep pups awake at night. They were warnings. And I wanted her to know she wasn’t safe, not even here—especially not with me.

When I shoved the door open, she was sitting on the bed, her knees pulled up, her body swallowed in one of August’s shirts. It pissed me off immediately. Not because it was his—okay, maybe a little —but because she looked so damn small in it, like she thought hiding would protect her from us. From me.

She immediately froze when she saw me, and I could smell her nerves, sharp and bitter.

“Morning, sweetheart,” I said, kicking the door shut behind me. “Hope you’re hungry.”

Her eyes darted between the tray and my face before she straightened, trying to look braver than her scent suggested she was feeling. “I...I didn’t expect breakfast.”

I chuckled. “Didn’t think we’d let you starve, did you?” I stalked closer, setting the tray on the small table near the bed. “Though if it were up to me, I’d say you owe us a little gratitude after last night.”

Her cheeks flushed, and I bit back a growl. She looked too damn pretty when she blushed—too tempting. My wolf was clawing at the edges, begging me to pull her into my lap, to taste her again. To take her. I wasn’t lying to August when I said we should breed her and bond her to us. Hell, I’d do it right now if I could. She was a means to an end, but that didn’t change the fact that I now wanted her to be mine .

I got a taste of her last night and immediately became an addict.

“Thank you,” she murmured, her voice soft, her gaze dropping to her hands.

I hated that—that little dip of her head, the way she tried to make herself smaller. It was different than the bold way she had challenged us last night, and I found myself wanting the feisty version of her more than this meek and submissive one. I wanted her looking at me, trembling but never hiding.

“Don’t thank me yet,” I said, dragging the chair out and sinking into it. My legs spread wide as I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. How are you feeling, Omega? Sore?”

Her lips parted slightly, and her blush deepened. She didn’t answer right away, her fingers twisting the hem of August’s shirt.

“Cat got your tongue?” I teased, my voice dropping lower. “Or are you just thinking about whose bite you feel the most this morning?”

She stiffened, her wide eyes snapping up to meet mine. That flicker of defiance was there again, just for a second, and it made my wolf snarl with approval.

“I’m fine,” she said, her voice firmer now, though it wavered just slightly.

“ Fine ?” I repeated, leaning back in the chair and letting my eyes roam over her. “That’s all you’ve got for me?”

She swallowed hard, her gaze darting to the tray like she was trying to focus on anything but me. I wasn’t about to let her off that easy. I wanted her attention on me.

I leaned forward again, my voice turning darker, dangerous. “Let me ask you something, sweetheart. Between the three of us, who took care of you better last night?”

Her head snapped up, her eyes wide. “What?”

“You heard me,” I said, my lips curling into a slow, predatory grin. “Who made you feel it the most? Was it Marshall, with all his growling and control? August, with that calm, steady dominance?” I paused, grinning wider. “Or me?”

Her cheeks were on fire now, and she looked like she wanted to sink into the mattress. “I...I don’t know how to answer that.”

I laughed, the sound rough and full of amusement. “Come on, Omega. Don’t get shy on me now. You weren’t shy last night.”

“This is too much,” she said, her voice trembling slightly. “I don’t even know what to think right now. Everything...everything is overwhelming.”

I tilted my head, watching her squirm, my wolf pacing inside me. She was trying to be diplomatic and keep herself from saying too much, but it wasn’t working. Not with me.

“Overwhelming,” I repeated, my voice low. I pushed out of the chair and stepped closer, towering over her now, watching as she shrank back slightly. “That’s not an answer, sweetheart. But fine. I’ll give you one.”

Her breath hitched as I leaned down, my hand bracing on the mattress beside her. I was close enough to feel the warmth radiating off her skin and catch the faintest whiff of her arousal still lingering from last night.

I whispered, my lips grazing her ear, “If you’re lucky, when this is all over, it will be my pups you’re carrying.”

She gasped and gripped the covers under her. My wolf was growling inside me now, urging me to pin her down, but I refrained. Barely.

Straightening, I grabbed the tray and set it on the bed beside her. “Eat,” I ordered, my voice rough. “You’ll need your strength.”

And then I turned and left, the door closing with a firm click behind me.

My hands were shaking as I made my way downstairs, the scent of her still clinging to me. She was bringing out a side of me I hadn’t seen in years, the side that teased in order to get a laugh or blush rather than a glare. I never wanted to be the strong alpha leader, but, around her, it felt natural. When I stepped up to protect my pack, I felt the weight of obligation. When I thought of protecting her, I felt something completely foreign.

She was going to drive me insane.

But damn, what a way to go.