21. Finn
Chapter 21
Finn
C onsciousness comes slowly, like swimming up through warm honey. My body feels heavy, relaxed in a way I haven’t experienced in…I can’t even remember how long. Usually, sleep is ‘meh’, broken by nightmares or the constant awareness of being alone. But this time, I feel wrapped in warmth and comfort.
A soft sigh escapes me as I register the weight against my chest, the silken strands of hair tickling my nose. Hailey. Her scent fills my lungs with each breath—sweet vanilla and honey, now perfectly blended with my sage and rain. We’ve been perfuming in our sleep, our scents mingling in that instinctive way omegas do when they feel safe. Content.
She fits perfectly against me, her smaller frame tucked into the curve of my body like she was made to be there. My arm is draped over her waist, holding her close, and her fingers are laced with mine even in sleep. The intimacy of it makes some deep part of me ache with such longing I almost make a sound.
I can’t remember the last time I felt this…peaceful. This right.
A small sound escapes her—not quite a whimper, but something soft and vulnerable—and she presses back against me, seeking warmth. That’s when several realizations hit me at once.
First, the towel I’d been wearing when I invited her into my nest has come loose during the night. I’m naked. Completely naked.
Second, and far more mortifying, I’m hard. Achingly hard, and pressed right against the curve of her ass.
Oh. My god.
Horror floods through me as I become hyper-aware of every point of contact between us. She’s still wearing my clothes—the sweater and sweats I gave her—but they’re thin, and I can feel every soft curve molded against me. The swell of her hip under my palm, the delicate arch of her spine against my chest, the way her thighs align with mine…
Slick oozes from my tip and I try to arch away before it soaks her sweats.
I need to move. Now. Before she wakes up and realizes what a complete creep I am.
But when I try to shift away, she makes that sound again—that soft, needy sound that would bring an alpha to his knees. Except, it’s my knees that are buckling. When she grips my hand tighter and her scent spikes with contentment, with trust, my throat tightens with some emotion I can’t name.
Fuck , fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.
She feels safe with me. The thought makes something fierce and protective swell in my chest, warring with my embarrassment. I pull in a deep breath of air and nearly groan out loud.
Her scent .
Good God. Her scent makes more slick ooze from my tip. Horror fills me as I arch back enough to see the bead swell before sliding down my shaft. I’m nowhere near going into heat. My cycles are pretty fucking regular and I’m not due for another three weeks. So why …
Wide eyes shift back to the omega in my nest, my heart beating harder with every minute. It’s her scent. It has to be. Even now, every breath I take pushes a pulse straight through my cock.
What in the fuck?
I’ve never been turned on by another omega before. Frankly, most of those bitches make me sick. Alphas are the only ones that can get a reaction from me like this and since I’ve found my pack, only Jax, Stone, and Ren have been able to get me worked up in any way.
So how is an omega…?
I stretch for my phone again and a little whimper escapes Hailey’s lips. She presses back into me and I freeze so hard I might as well be stone. Ha. I’d laugh at the pun if I wasn’t suddenly so terrified.
The phone is useless. Every single thing I search returns nothing. Nothing useful at least. But there’s no way this is unexplainable. It feels like the answer is right there under my fingertips; I just need to type in the right thing.
Hailey shifts, burrowing into a pillow, one that has Jax’s cologne embedded into it, and she whimpers again. That same needy sound that makes my cock ache.
I push down the hard lump in my throat as I stare at her in the shadows that surround us.
She likes their scent. She likes my scent. And I like hers.
If I’m going to guess, she likes Stone’s too, judging from the way I’d found her gripping his jacket.
But that should be impossible.
It’s almost like she’s pack…when there’s no way she could be.
I force myself to take slow, steady breaths, trying to will away my arousal. It’s just biology, I tell myself. Morning wood. It doesn’t mean anything. But my body isn’t listening, too caught up in the press of her against me, the way our scents have merged into something intoxicating.
In the soft morning light beginning to filter through the curtains, she looks like something out of a dream. Her dark hair spills across my pillow, her face peaceful in sleep. But there’s still a vulnerability to her that makes my instincts surge.
She stirs slightly, and I hold my breath. Please don’t wake up. Please don’t wake up and feel what a pervert I am. Please?—
When she settles again, I breathe out a breath of relief. It takes very precise, tiny movements to dislodge myself from her and slide from the nest. Clothes. I need clothes.
In the dim light, I fumble around the floor, trying to find something—anything—to cover myself with. The towel is lost somewhere in the nest, and I’m not about to risk disturbing Hailey to search for it. My hands pat blindly across the carpet, finding nothing but air.
Fuck.
I glance at the door, calculating. The light switch is just inside. If I’m quick…
Drawing in a steadying breath, I stretch toward the wall and flick on the light, eyes flying to Hailey first before I spot a pair of gray sweats draped over a chair. I hurry to grab them before I snap the lights back off, praying the momentary brightness hasn’t disturbed her.
Hailey shifts in the nest, making that soft sound again, and I freeze. But her breathing remains deep and even. Still asleep.
Relief floods through me as I snatch the sweats and practically tiptoe to the bathroom. The second the door closes behind me, I lean against it, letting out a shaky breath. My cock throbs, demanding attention, and I can feel slick sliding down my shaft and rubbing into my belly button where it pokes me.
Grabbing a washcloth, I dampen it with cool water, trying to clean myself up. But every time I touch myself, my body responds with another pulse of arousal. Her scent is still all over me, in my nose, on my skin, and it’s making it impossible to think straight.
The cool water helps a little. Not enough. I press my forehead against the mirror, forcing myself to take deep breaths. Think unsexy thoughts. Math problems. That time I walked in on my parents. The way those sleazy alphas at the gala looked at me before…
But then I catch another whiff of vanilla and honey from my skin, and my cock twitches hard enough to make me groan.
This isn’t working.
After five minutes of desperate attempts to calm my body—including splashing more cold water on my face and doing jumping jacks until I’m slightly out of breath—I finally manage to get myself under enough control to pull on the sweats. They do little to hide my persistently hard cock, but it’s better than nothing.
I creep back to the nest, where Hailey is still sleeping peacefully. She’s rolled onto her back now, one hand stretched out into the space I’d vacated, like she’s searching for me even in sleep. The sight makes something unfurl within me in a way that has nothing to do with physical desire.
She wants me. My presence, at least. And the fool that I am, yearning to be wanted so long, I can’t help but climb right back into her arms. There’s something devastating about being wanted this simply, this honestly. No expectations, no disappointment, no history of pain between us—just the pure, instinctive need for closeness. I've been so careful not to need my alphas too much, not to reach for them when they’re clearly pulling away. So careful not to be clingy, demanding, too omega. Yet here I am, sliding back into a stranger’s embrace because the emptiness of being unwanted has worn me so thin I can barely breathe through it anymore.
It should feel like cuddling up to a stranger. Instead, it feels like cuddling with my best friend.
How pathetic. I’ve only met her a day ago and I’m already yearning like this.
I try not to think about it too much. Just one moment at a time. Man, she must have been really, really exhausted to have slept so long. Mild annoyance swells as I frown, pissed at Stone that he kept her in that old musty cabin.
That’s when a knock at the door makes us both jump .
“Finn?”
Jax’s voice. Panic floods my system.
Hailey whimpers, pressing closer to me, still half-asleep but instinctively seeking protection. Our mingled scents spike with distress.
“Don’t you fucking come in here,” I call out, my voice rough with all the fucking emotions piling up in me. I curl around Hailey, my body responding to her distress even as my mind races with panic.
There’s a pause, then: “Finn, I…there’s something…”
“Just go, Jax!”
I hear him hesitate at the door, and for a terrifying moment, I think he might come in any way. But then his footsteps retreat, and I let out a shaky breath.
Beside me, Hailey has gone very still. She’s awake now, her scent sharp with anxiety. I realize I’m still pressed against her, still obviously aroused, and shame floods through me.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, finally managing to put some space between us. “I didn’t mean…the towel came loose, and I…”
She rolls over to face me, and the words die in my throat. Her eyes are wide, pupils dilated, and her cheeks are flushed. Our scents are still intertwined, but there’s something new there now—something warm and sweet that makes my head spin. And she’s…she’s shuddering so hard the blankets surrounding us are vibrating.
“Please,” she whispers, reaching for me. “Please don’t go.”
Her head dips, brows furrowing, and she curls into herself as if ashamed of what just spilled past her lips.
The vulnerability in her voice undoes me. I let her pull me close again, let her tuck her face against my neck. Her hands fist against my chest, but the trembling doesn’t stop.
Something protective and fierce swells within me—a feeling I thought had withered after months of being unable to heal the fractures in my own pack. I want to shelter her, to stand between her and whatever demons chase her. The intensity of it is almost frightening, this sudden certainty that I would fight for her, would tear apart anyone who tried to hurt her again. It’s an omega’s protective instinct, yes, but it feels deeper, more primal—something written in my very bones.
“I’m s-sorry,” Hailey whispers again, even as her fingers tighten on my chest, reminding me I forgot to put a shirt on. Her scent is a mess of contradictions—need and fear, comfort, and shame all tangled together. “I shouldn’t…I don’t know why I…” She starts to pull back, but her body betrays her, swaying toward mine like she can’t help herself.
“Hey,” I murmur, keeping my voice soft, gentle. All thoughts of embarrassment forgotten in the face of her need. “It’s okay. You don’t have to apologize. I’ve got you.”
She shakes her head against my chest, a small, distressed sound escaping her. “But I do. I…I slept in your nest and…” Her words fragment as she struggles, her whole body still trembling. “Your m-master. That was your master, wasn’t it?”
“My what ?” Fucking hell, what did they do to her at that place? I grunt out a strange laugh. “I don’t have a master.” I don’t add that maybe, if Jax decided to treat me like his slave, that I wouldn’t mind. That if he tied me up and demanded I fuck him every night, I’d be more than willing. That anything would be better than sleeping in the nest alone night after night.
I feel her stiffen then try to withdraw again, but it’s half-hearted at best. Her instincts are clearly screaming for comfort, for connection, while her mind seems to be fighting it every step of the way. I know that battle all too well.
“Please,” she whispers, and I’m not sure if she’s asking me to let her go or begging me to hold on. Maybe she doesn’t know either. Her breath hitches. “I don’t want trouble.” She tries to pull away again, but the shuddering worsens. “W-what’s wrong with me?”
“Nothing’s wrong with you,” I tell her, but she’s already shaking her head again .
Her scent spikes with distress, and my own instincts surge in response. I want to wrap her in my arms, to soothe away whatever’s causing this internal war. But I hold back, letting her set the pace, letting her work through whatever this is.
“S-sorry,” she stammers, her fingers alternately clutching and releasing me like she can’t decide whether to hold on or let go. “I keep saying that, but I…I mean it and I…I don’t know how to stop. I don’t know how to…” A thin keen leaves her throat, so raw and so distressed that I react automatically. A whimper leaves my throat too as I pull her to me and we fall back into the cushions.
My heart thunders, the spike of distress in her pushing adrenaline in me. I’ve never reacted so strongly to another omega’s pheromones in my life, but it feels like Hailey’s raw fear is coursing through me, too. Tears spring into my eyes that I have no clue the source of, not until I feel her shoulders shaking as her body releases her sorrow.
“Oh hon…” I grip her closer, one hand rising to soften her hair.
“I…I took too much,” she says. “I was greedy. A good omega is never greedy. I’ve gotten you in trouble.”
Even with tears running down my jaw, I’m sane enough to listen to her words and realize they’re bullshit. Some propaganda spread by whichever assholes kept her prisoner.
I grip her tighter. “Shhh.” I press my lips into her hair. “Hailey, I’m not in trouble.” Though I can’t tell her I have no idea what will happen in the next few hours when I reveal her presence to the others. “I’d never get in trouble with Stone or Ren or Jax.”
Puffy eyes look up at me. I can see the worry there, pure and innocent. She really is terrified that because she fell asleep here in my nest, that my alphas will be livid. And if they are, well that’s their problem. It’s not like they’ve been sleeping in here with me.
I meet her gaze, squeezing the tears from mine. “Listen to me.”
She sniffles, but focuses on me.
“I’m an omega, right?”
She nods .
“And you trust me because I’m an omega?”
She nods again.
“Then trust me when I say this.” I clasp her face in my palms, using my thumbs to wipe away her tears. “Everything they taught you at that Academy is a lie.”
Her breath snags, but she doesn’t pull away. Her eyes are wide, uncertain, but there’s something else there too—a desperate kind of hope, like she’s been waiting her whole life for someone to tell her this.
“You’re not greedy for seeking comfort. You’re not wrong for needing connection. And you’re certainly not bad for finding safety with another omega.” I stroke her cheek gently, feeling her lean into the touch even as doubt clouds her expression. “They taught you that omegas should be small, shouldn’t they? That we should take up less space, want less, need less?”
She nods, another tear sliding down her cheek.
“But look at me, Hailey. Really look at me. Do I seem small to you? Do I seem like I make myself less?”
Her eyes search my face, and I can see the wheels turning. “No,” she whispers finally. “You’re…you’re strong.”
“Because that’s what omegas are. We’re strong. We’re fierce. We’re protective and nurturing and powerful in ways they never wanted you to understand.” I pull her closer, letting our foreheads touch. “The way you feel right now? The need for comfort, for connection? That’s not weakness. That’s your strength. That’s your heart telling you what you need to heal.”
As I say the words, I realize I’m speaking to myself as much as to her. For so long, I’ve been tamping down my own needs, swallowing my pain, pretending I don't ache for the connection my alphas once freely gave. I’ve been making myself smaller, quieter, less needy—exactly what I’m telling her not to do. The irony isn’t lost on me, nor is the burn of recognition in my chest.
She trembles against me, but her scent is shifting, fear giving way to something warmer, something hopeful .
“Everything in you is screaming that this is wrong, isn’t it? That you’re taking too much, wanting too much? That you’ll make my alphas angry?” When she nods, I continue, “That’s not your voice, Hailey. That’s theirs. The people who hurt you, who tried to make you small. But you’re not small. You’re not wrong. You’re perfect exactly as you are.”
A sob catches in her throat, but it’s different now—like something is breaking loose inside her, something that’s been trapped for far too long.
“You deserve comfort. You deserve safety. You deserve to take up space and make noise and feel everything you’re feeling without shame.” I brush away fresh tears from her cheeks. “And anyone who tells you different is lying.”
She makes a soft sound and without thinking, I press my lips to her temple, trying to soothe her.
She stiffens in my arms for a moment before she melts.
“They’ll find me,” she whispers. “They’ll find me and?—”
“No,” I say firmly, tightening my hold on her. “I won’t let them.”
And I mean it. I don’t know who “they” are, but at this moment, I know one thing with absolute certainty: I will protect her. Whatever it takes, whatever it costs me, I will keep her safe.
Even if it means facing my alphas. Even if it means confronting everything I’ve been running from.
Because somehow, impossibly, this broken, beautiful omega has become mine to protect. And I won’t fail her the way I’ve failed at everything else.
The thought of my alphas finding her—of what that might mean for all of us—sends anxiety spiraling through me. They’re already stretched thin, already struggling with whatever demons have haunted them since the accident. Adding another complication, another omega…it could shatter what little remains of our bonds. Yet despite that fear, I can’t bring myself to regret bringing her here. For the first time in months, I feel a purpose burning th rough me that has nothing to do with carefully maintaining a crumbling pack. I feel necessary again. Vital.
She tries to pull away, but I hold her tight. She shudders, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks.
“Why?” Her voice cracks. “No one’s ever been…why are you so nice?”
The question makes a sort of sad sorrow fill me. The fact she’s suspicious of kindness is heartbreaking. But I can’t answer her question. Not straight on, at least.
All my research in the wee hours of the night only pointed to one possible thing. That we’re some sort of mate to each other. The way her scent ignites a fire in me, I could almost believe it.
But such a thing is fabled. Shared only between alpha and omega. Omegas are never matches for other omegas. So I don’t know what the hell this is.
“I’m going to show you,” I whisper into her hair. “Everything they stole from you, everything they made you afraid of—I’m going to show you how beautiful it all really is. How powerful you are, how worthy.” My voice catches, but I push on. “And maybe…maybe we can both learn to believe it.”