25. Finn
Chapter 25
Finn
T he living room feels too small for this conversation.
I sit perched on the edge of the couch, watching each of my packmates settle into their usual spots—Jax in the armchair by the window, Stone standing behind him with arms crossed, Ren pacing near the fireplace, unable to stay still. Beside me, Hailey tucks her legs beneath her, fidgeting with the sleeve of her sweater in a way that betrays her nerves despite the calm expression she’s trying to maintain.
We’ve been called together for what Jax described as an “important pack meeting,” which is formal even for him. The tension rolling off the alphas is palpable, vibrating through our bonds like a plucked string.
“Alright,” Jax says once we’re all settled. “Ren, why don’t you start?”
Ren pauses his pacing, running a hand through his dark hair before facing us. The haunted look in his eyes makes me want to reach out and call him to me. Makes me want to comfort my alpha, despite everything, and I have to swallow down a whimper and a plea. Whatever this is, it’s important. Let’s deal with this first.
“I met with Riordan Ashgrave,” he begins. “He shared some information that affects all of us.”
As Ren speaks, laying out the details of his meeting, I watch the others’ reactions. Jax’s expression grows more grim with each revelation. Stone’s jaw tightens, his posture becoming more rigid. Beside me, Hailey’s scent shifts subtly, fear threading through her usual honeyed sweetness.
I reach for her hand without thinking, lacing our fingers together in silent support. She squeezes back, and I know that, like me, she’s grateful for the connection.
“So she’s alive,” Hailey says when Ren finishes, her voice steadier than I expected. “And she has someone protecting her from inside the system.”
Ren nods, his ice-blue eyes meeting hers briefly before darting away. “Yes. Someone with enough access to remove evidence, alter reports, possibly even influence the investigation’s direction.”
“And we don’t know who,” I clarify, my mind already cataloging possibilities, likely departments, potential access points.
“Not yet.” Ren shakes his head. “The Ashgraves are working on it. But they thought we should know, given the…personal nature of our involvement.”
A heavy silence settles over the room as we all process this. It’s Stone who finally breaks it, his deep voice rumbling through the quiet.
“We need to find this person,” he says. “The corrupt officer. Before we even think about going after Heath directly.” He moves to stand beside Jax’s chair, his large hand coming to rest on Jax’s shoulder in an unconscious gesture of pack unity that warms me inside. “We need to cut off her resources here first.”
Jax nods, leaning slightly into Stone’s touch. “Agreed. Get rid of the mole and she’ll be just another fugitive, albeit a dangerous one.”
Hailey’s fingers tighten around mine as Jax lays out the extra security measures in response to the threat—GPS trackers in our phones, panic buttons installed in every room, rotating patrols from hired security detail outside the house. His voice is steady, but his scent betrays him: burnt cedar, sharp with something too close to desperation.
I catch Ren’s eye across the room. He sees it too—the way Jax’s shoulders bow slightly under invisible weight. Guilt . The same guilt that once made Ren pull away from us.
“Jax,” I say carefully, “the trackers are one thing, but bodyguards following us to the grocery store?”
His jaw hardens. “Non-negotiable.”
Hailey flinches.
Stone steps forward, voice low. “You’re scaring her.”
Jax’s gaze snaps to Hailey. To the way she’s unconsciously rubbing her throat. Something fractures in his expression.
“I failed you,” he grinds out, hands flexing at his sides. “Both of you. I won’t—” His voice cracks. “I can’t let it happen again. You’ve all said you still want me to lead this pack. So I will.”
Silence.
Before I realize what I’m doing, I cross the room and press my forehead to his chest. “We know, Jax,” I whisper. “But suffocating us won’t erase what happened.”
Jax’s breath shudders. When he speaks again, it’s raw. “Then tell me how to keep you safe without losing my damn mind.”
Ren exhales sharply. “I’ll… we’ll figure it out.”
I watch as Jax struggles visibly with himself, with the instinct to protect that’s as much a part of him as his alpha nature.
“How do we even begin looking?” Hailey whispers, and all our attention slides to her. “It could be anyone in any department.”
“We start with who had access to the evidence that’s disappeared,” Jax says, gathering himself. “We’ll need to gather intelligence on who processed what, who had authority to—” He stops abruptly, catching himself.
The pause is so noticeable that we all look at him questioningly. A conflicted expression crosses his face before he visibly reorients himself, turning directly to face Hailey and me.
“What do you two think we should do?” he asks, the deliberate inclusion so unlike the old Jax that for a moment I’m speechless.
Hailey looks equally surprised, her lips parting slightly before she manages to respond. “I…well, investigating the police department seems good.”
“But do we even have those resources?” I stand and move back to her side. “We don’t know anyone who works with the force, do we?”
All eyes turn to Ren, the question an obvious one. If anyone had those connections, those skills, it would be him.
He shrugs, a casual gesture at odds with the intensity in his eyes. “I’ll find a way. I always do.”
His response is familiar. Confident, solitary, self-reliant to a fault. And it sends a flare of concern through me. “Not if it means putting yourself in danger, Ren.”
His gaze snaps to mine, surprise flickering across his features. “It’s what I do, Finn.”
“It’s what you did ,” I correct, not backing down. “Before we were actually functioning as a pack. Before we promised to make decisions together.”
Something complicated passes across his face—frustration, maybe, or reluctance, but also a grudging acknowledgment. He doesn’t argue further, which feels like its own kind of victory.
“Finn’s right,” Jax says, supporting me in a way that still feels novel. “We need an approach that doesn’t rely on one person taking all the risk. Especially not when we’re all potential targets.”
I nod, gratified by the support but still turning over the problem in my mind. “What about the Ashgraves? They clearly have resources inside law enforcement already. Could they help narrow down the search?”
“Possibly,” Ren concedes. “But they’ll want something in return. They always do.”
“We’re already giving them twenty percent of our Burlington operations,” Stone points out. “That should buy us some cooperation.”
Hailey shifts beside me, her scent changing subtly—determination replacing fear. “What if…” she starts, then hesitates.
“What is it?” I encourage, squeezing her hand.
She takes a breath, straightening her shoulders. “What if we used me as bait?”
The reaction is immediate and unanimous—a chorus of “No” from all four of us, scents sharpening with protective instinct.
“Absolutely not,” Jax says, his voice harder than I’ve heard it in weeks.
“Out of the question,” Stone adds, his expression darkening.
Ren doesn’t speak, but his entire body has gone rigid, his hands clenched at his sides. I watch the conflict play across his face—the urge to move toward Hailey warring with some deeper hesitation that keeps him rooted in place. His knuckles whiten as he grips the back of a chair, restraining himself.
She’s gotten so much braver, because Hailey doesn’t wilt under their collective disapproval. Instead, she lifts her chin, meeting each alpha’s gaze in turn. “Just hear me out. Heath wanted me . If word got out that I was going public with more details about what happened, about what I experienced at the facility…wouldn’t that force her associate to act? To try to silence me or discredit me?”
“And put you directly in their crosshairs?” Jax counters. He’s standing now. Pacing. “No. We just got you back. We’re not risking you again.”
“This isn’t about risking me,” Hailey argues, her grip on my hand tightening. “This is about making sure no other omega goes through what I did. What any of those others went through.” Her voice softens slightly, though her resolve doesn’t waver. “This isn’t about revenge. It’s about making sure Widow’s network is completely dismantled, not just pushed underground until she can rebuild it.”
I watch the alphas struggle with her words, with the undeniable logic behind them despite their instinctive rejection of anything that might put her at risk.
My gaze is drawn to Ren, who has moved to the window, putting physical distance between himself and the conversation. His reflection in the glass reveals a turmoil I rarely see him display so openly—desire to protect Hailey warring with his self-imposed isolation, with whatever demons still whisper that he’s unworthy of touch, of connection, of pack.
“There has to be another way,” Stone says finally, his voice less rigid than before. “One that doesn’t put you in direct danger.”
I’ve been turning the problem over as they argue, and suddenly a solution presents itself. “What if,” I begin slowly, drawing everyone’s attention, “we achieve the same goal without actually putting Hailey at risk?”
Hailey turns to me, curious. “What do you mean?”
“An anonymous tip to the media,” I explain, the plan forming as I speak. “Not legitimate journalism this time, but the gossip mags, the ones that publish anything sensational without much verification. We feed them a story about Hailey preparing to reveal new details about Heath’s operation, names you supposedly learned while in captivity.”
Understanding dawns on her face. “So Heath’s associate would think I’m making a move…”
“But you wouldn’t actually have to do anything,” I finish. “No public appearance, no real statements. Just the rumor of one.”
The alphas exchange glances, considering the proposal. It’s Stone who speaks first, cautious approval in his voice.
“It could work.”
“We’d still need to increase security,” Jax adds, practical as always. “If they believe the rumor, they might still come after her.”
“But we’d be prepared,” Ren says, rejoining the conversation from his position by the window. “We’d know they were coming. We could control the situation.”
Hailey looks between them, then back to me, a small smile playing at her lips. “It’s a good plan, Finn. And it doesn’t require anyone to take unnecessary risks.”
The simple acknowledgment warms something in me.
“We’d need to craft the tip carefully,” Jax says, shifting into planning mode. “Make it believable but vague enough that they can’t immediately dismiss it. Maybe tell them she’ll be dropping off a USB drive with all the information at a certain place.”
“And then we wait,” Stone adds. “See who reacts.”
Ren nods, his expression thoughtful. “The Ashgraves could help with that part.”
I watch as they build on my suggestion, incorporating it into a broader strategy, treating it as the foundation rather than an afterthought. The feeling is…indescribable. Like finally being heard after years of shouting into the wind.
Beside me, Hailey seems to sense my emotion, bumping her shoulder gently against mine. “Good thinking,” she murmurs, just for me. “As always.”
I lean in, capturing her lips in mine. I can’t help it as I slide down into the couch on top of her, a soft whimper releasing from my throat as I settle between her legs.
Somewhere in the room, I’m barely aware of Jax, Stone, and Ren finalizing the plan. Stone will head out tonight, leaving the fake USB drive at some location in the park. Meanwhile, Ren’s already texting the Ashgraves, notifying them of the plan.
That bitch Veyra Heath isn’t getting away with this.