Chapter 20
Twenty
WILLOW
An hour later, Torin appeared with Aidan, looking more haggard than I had ever seen him. His auburn hair hung in messy waves on his face and a bruise peeked out from under the collar of his t-shirt.
I stifled a giggle, looking away before my wide eyes gave me away.
Usually, it was Torin who guarded me. It was odd to see Aidan with him as well. Maybe now that I was to be Kaelen’s wife, I warranted extra protection.
That, or the whole thing with the Italians meant I needed two burly Irishmen guarding me.
Well, technically, one burly Irishman and one Scotsman.
Regardless, I found the two of them endearing.
Alphas rarely had committed relationships with betas—at least not outside of a pack setting. If anything, it was a quick fuck before parting ways, but Aidan cared for Torin. I saw it in the way he hovered and held his hand when he thought no one was looking.
In the car on our way to the shelter, my curiosity got the better of me.
“How long have you two been together?”
“About a year,” Aidan said, meeting my eyes in the rearview mirror.
Aidan stroked the nape of Torin’s neck while he drove. Affection warmed my belly. They were part of Kaelen’s family.
Soon to be my family too.
As we pulled onto the street that led to the shelter, Aidan and Torin’s demeanors shifted, their eyes scanning every passerby.
People said Roxbury was unsafe, but I found it charming.
My bodyguards did not share my sympathies as they practically swaddled me, leading me through the entrance.
The animal shelters in places like Back Bay and the South End had plenty of volunteers and donations, but spots like these—off the beaten path—got forgotten.
That was why I kept coming back. Someone had to protect these babies.
“So what warranted the additional escort today? Kaelen going all overprotective alpha? Or does it have something to do with the Italians?” I asked, noticing how Aidan’s hand twitched above his concealed pistol.
The men shared a look. A blush tinted Torin’s neck while Aidan shifted from side to side.
“Is it so horrible that I wanted to spend some time with my beta?” Aidan said, rubbing a small circle on the inside of Torin’s wrist.
Oh, they were adorable. I almost didn’t notice the girl nearly bouncing behind the counter at my approach.
“Hi, Lily,” I said, getting the attention of the frantic girl behind the desk.
“Oh, Willow. Hi. I’m so glad you’re here. Maybe you can help.”
The joy in her eyes faded. A knot dropped into the pit of my stomach, heavier than a leaden weight. A lot of the animals in the shelter struggled to adapt, but there were always cases of abuse or neglect that needed special attention.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“We brought in a new resident three days ago. Black lab mix. She’s young. Somewhere around fourteen weeks, the vet thinks. She’s completely withdrawn. Won’t eat or let anyone near her.”
“What happened to her?”
Aidan and Torin leaned against the wall, listening while scanning the room.
“Somebody tortured her,” Lily whispered, frowning. “She’s in decent shape all things considered, but all the fur on her tail is singed away like someone set her on fire.”
A whispering snarl echoed behind me and I spun, unable to tell if it was Torin or Aidan who had made the noise. If Torin strained any harder, the vein in his neck would burst.
“I’ll see what I can do,” I said, steeling myself for the worst.
Lily handed me a pouch of treats. “She’s in the kennel at the end of the hall. The yard’s empty if you can convince her to go outside.”
I pocketed the baggie, walking across the stone floors lined with kennels that felt more like prison cells. An uneasy feeling slithered around my limbs. I hated it. How cold and detached this place was. After one too many fights with my dad about donating more money to the shelter, I gave up.
The only hope for most of these animals was that someone would adopt them or a well-funded rescue would take pity on them and pull them out. I knew it was impossible to save them all, but that didn’t stop me from trying.
I was never allowed to have a pet. Even though I really wanted a dog, I would have settled for anything. But my dad refused, not letting me have so much as a fish.
A pair of footsteps followed in my wake, but I ignored them as I closed my fingers around the latch to the last kennel. Curled up in the corner sat a pitch-black puppy.
Her poor, bare tail was tucked between her legs as she trembled on the cold stone floor, refusing to use the cot in the corner. A food bowl filled with kibble sat untouched in the corner. Slowly, I crept into the space, sitting on the floor as far away from her as I could.
Lily didn’t mention she was aggressive, but after everything she had been through, it wouldn’t have surprised me.
“Hey, sweetheart,” I said, my voice quiet as I jiggled the bag of treats. “Are you hungry? Is it okay if I sit with you?”
One of her floppy ears twitched at the sound of my voice, and I wiggled the pouch again. When she didn’t react, my heart plummeted into my stomach.
“It’s okay, honey,” I whispered, inching slightly closer, careful not to make any noise. “I’ll never let anything happen to you again. We’re not so different, you and I. I have burn marks too.”
Someone snarled again, and this time I was certain it was Torin.
“They’ll heal.”
At the sound of my voice, she turned her head, still resting her muzzle on her paws. Her large, dark, soulful eyes met mine, and I wanted to cry. In the last few years, I had sat with more abused dogs than I could count, and each one reacted differently.
Most wanted nothing to do with me. Some ate when prodded, but this beauty did something that stole my breath away. She stood, moving across the kennel, never taking her eyes off mine until she curled up in my lap.
My mouth fell open as she nudged at the treats with her nose. Afraid I might spook her if I reacted too loudly, I opened the pouch and hand-fed her pieces while stroking the singed fur along her back. The slight shake in her body returned, but she didn’t leave my lap.
We stayed like that for hours until Lily arrived, giving me the spare key to lock up when I was ready. For the time being, nothing else mattered. My entire focus was on the puppy in my lap, who reminded me so much of myself.
Tiny, scared, and alone, even if she tried to hide it.
I admired her bravery. Despite feeling those things, she trusted me enough to take a chance on me. Something splintered in my chest, my omega cooing at the thought of our alpha. If this puppy could face its fears, maybe I could too.
She saw something in me, something that made her fears appear less scary. Even though I didn’t want to admit it, I felt the same way when I was with Kaelen. He hadn’t given me any reason not to believe in him.
The wedding had to happen, regardless of whether I wanted it to or not. I didn’t have a choice, even if Kaelen tried to give me the illusion of one. I imagined being ripped away from him, forced to marry and bond with some pot-bellied alpha old enough to be my dad.
A sob squeezed my lungs, and I quieted it before either of my guards could ask me what was wrong. My omega paced. She wouldn’t survive the loss of Kaelen. And a small part of me knew I wouldn’t either. I clung harder to the sweet puppy, relieved when she didn’t pull away.
“Miss Willow,” Torin’s gruff voice called. “Time to go home. It’s getting late.”
“I can’t leave her.”
They whispered behind me. I scowled at them before bringing my attention back to the puppy.
Hours later, the tiny black dog slept in my lap, trembling against my chest. My head started to droop. Every time, I snapped it up, forcing myself to stay awake. If I fell asleep, I knew they would carry me out and make me leave.
I wouldn’t.
“Willow,” a silky, familiar voice called.
My body reacted instantly, attuned to his commanding presence. The knot in my stomach loosened, and my omega perked up, delighted that our alpha was here.
Bastards.
Of course, Torin and Aidan ratted me out to their boss.
“Kaelen,” I said, squaring my shoulders and looking straight ahead.
“It’s late,” he murmured, his footsteps cautiously moving into the kennel.
Luckily, the puppy didn’t seem bothered by his presence, or at least, didn’t react to it. Shadows darkened above me as he crouched. A heavy hand rested on my waist, and it immediately calmed me.
“So?”
“So you should come home and rest.”
He kept his tone even. I expected him to be frustrated, to yank me away. He continued to prove all my fears wrong.
Maybe I could do this. Maybe I could be happy.
“She needs me,” I whispered, nuzzling into her fur as he came to stand in front of us.
And maybe I needed her.
“I see that. Come on then.”
One massive hand extended towards me. My gaze darted between that and his oddly serene eyes. They looked gentler than I had ever seen them. I wanted to call them beautiful. Call him beautiful.
Instead, I retreated further in, not quite ready to give up the high ground.
Even though he was towering over me like a giant.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Bringing my soon-to-be wife and our puppy home.”
“Ours?”
“Yes, mo chroí. I’m sure the shelter won’t mind. It seems like she has found her person.”
My heart skipped a beat. If I weren’t holding onto my precious bundle, I would have jumped into his arms and kissed him.
I struggled to stand, still holding the shaking puppy to my chest. She didn’t recoil when Kaelen reached out and went willingly into his arms as he held her.
At fourteen weeks, she wasn’t tiny, but looked like it, cradled in his thick forearms. Nestling the puppy in one arm, he offered his free hand to me.
Rough fingertips brushed against my smooth ones as he tucked me into his side. As we walked out, he dropped a wad of cash on the counter.
“What’s that for?”
“Adoption fee,” he said, threading his fingers with mine in his free hand.
His thumb rubbed over the sapphire ring on my finger. My stomach lurched, my omega pleased with our alpha’s claim on us. Even if she wanted more. She craved his mark. His bite. The only thing that would make us his—completely.
“It’s like a hundred dollars. That was way too much.”
“I’m bad with math,” he said with a shrug. “It’s close enough.”
“Did you just make a joke?” I asked, swatting him with our still-laced hands.
“Why do you sound so surprised? I’m funny.”
A pair of stifled snickers broke out behind us. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one amused by Kaelen. While there were times I glimpsed a more relaxed side of him, that was when we were alone. When he was working or around his men, he remained stone-faced.
I thought back to the terrifying image of him on the first day I met him. When my dad slapped me. I didn’t imagine many people found Kaelen Finnegan funny.
“Do men usually laugh when you threaten them?”
I’d meant for the question to come out more like a joke instead of an accusation. I expected the mirth on his face to vanish. The opposite happened, and his mouth spread in a wide, twisted smile that would frighten anyone else.
“No,” he whispered. “But I do. If I’m the one carving them to pieces, it’s because they did something unforgivable, and I enjoy watching them beg for mercy.”
A dark part of me loved the idea of it. I knew Kaelen was dangerous, but he wasn’t wasteful. For so long, too many people were allowed to be cruel without repercussions.
Maybe I was twisted too, because I liked knowing that Kaelen was waiting in the shadows to punish anyone who dared to hurt anyone he cared about.
I trusted my alpha. I trusted Kaelen.
Even though it terrified me to do that.
“Scáth beag,” he whispered, lifting the puppy so he could kiss the top of her head.
“What’s that mean?” I asked as we slipped into the back seat together.
“Little shadow.”
I grinned, watching as our little shadow snuggled into Kaelen’s lap as content with him as she had been with me. After a minute, she stopped shaking, her chest rising and falling with steady breaths. Kaelen splayed a hand over my thigh, giving it a squeeze.
Pieces of hair fell free from his bun, lying between his brows. I reached up, pushing them off his face. A vibration grew in his chest as his eyes darkened.
“Thank you,” I whispered, kissing him. “You have no idea how much this means to me.”
“Anything for you, Willow.”
I believed him.