28. Hailey
Chapter 28
Hailey
I burst through the front door at a dead run, my bare feet hitting wooden steps then gravel with stinging impact. Behind me, voices rise from the house—sharp, angry words that slice through the afternoon air like knives.
“What the fuck, Ren? Why didn’t you stop her?”
Stone’s fury makes me stumble, my heart hammering against my ribs. The omega in me wants to curl up, to submit, to beg forgiveness for causing such discord. But a deeper instinct—the one that kept my hope alive at the Academy—screams run run run.
“Don’t fucking touch me!”
Finn’s voice, raw and broken in a way that makes my chest ache. Oh god. What have I done? His alphas—his mates—they must be so angry. The memory of Jax’s face when he found us makes me want to vomit. Not rage, like I’d expected, but something else that makes me so uncertain, it can only mean something bad.
My feet carry me across the driveway, each step sending jolts of pain through my soles. The gravel bites into my skin, but I barely notice. Everything in me is focused on getting away, on putting distance between myself and the destruction I’ve caused .
“That’s not fair! We never meant to?—”
Jax’s voice cuts off as I hit the tree line, plunging me into shadow and relative silence. But I can’t stop. Can’t slow down. Can’t let myself think about what’s happening back there. About how I’ve ruined everything.
Branches whip at my face as I run deeper into the forest. My borrowed clothes snag on thorns, but I don’t care. The physical pain is almost welcome—a distraction from the chaos in my head, from the memory of Finn’s lips on mine, from the lingering ache between my legs that won’t go away no matter how far I run.
“Hailey!”
Stone’s voice booms through the trees. He’s following me. My heart kicks into an even higher gear, sending fresh adrenaline coursing through my veins.
Don’t think about what he’ll do when he catches you. Don’t think about punishment or pain or?—
No. They’re not like that. Finn said they weren’t like that. But…but I kissed their omega. I kissed him. And I liked it…
A sob tears from my throat as I vault over a fallen log, my bare feet sliding in the leaf litter. The forest floor is damp, slick with decomposing vegetation that squishes between my toes. Every step leaves traces—scent, footprints, broken twigs. I might as well be laying a trail of breadcrumbs.
“Stop! Please!”
Stone’s voice holds something I don’t expect—desperation rather than anger. But I can’t trust it. Can’t trust anything right now. Not when my body still burns with unnatural heat. Not when I can still taste Finn on my tongue. Not when everything I thought I knew about myself has been turned upside down.
A branch catches my cheek, drawing blood. The sting barely registers through the riot of other sensations—my racing pulse, my labored breathing, the fire under my skin that seems to be getting worse instead of better. Is this what going crazy feels like ?
“You don’t understand!” Stone calls, and he sounds closer. Too close. “We need to talk about?—”
I veer sharply left, ducking under low-hanging branches. My feet find a deer trail—barely visible but enough to follow. The undergrowth is thinner here, letting me move faster despite my burning muscles.
What don’t I understand? That I’ve destroyed something precious? That I’m exactly what everyone always said—useless, unwanted?—
No! The thought comes with surprising force. Finn said those things weren’t true. Said I wasn’t dirty or wrong or…
But look what I’ve done. Look what’s happened because I couldn’t control myself. Because I let myself want things I shouldn’t want.
The sound of pursuit grows fainter as I weave through the trees, letting instinct guide my path. Stone is bigger, stronger, but I’m more desperate. And I learned things at the Academy—how to be quiet, how to make myself invisible when Widow came around.
Don’t think about that. Don’t think about anything except putting one foot in front of the other.
A root catches my toe and I stumble, going down hard on my hands and knees. The impact drives the air from my lungs in a pained gasp. For a moment, I stay there, trembling, as pieces of the argument I’d fled echo through my mind.
“Did you think about us at all while you had your tongue down her throat?”
“Like you care! Like any of you have cared what I do for months!”
They were shouting so loud it sounded like they were outside and not within the warmth of their home.
Oh god.
“Hailey!” Stone’s voice comes from somewhere to my right, more distant now but still searching. I go completely still. “Please! Let me explain! ”
Explain what? How I need to leave and never come back?
A new sound cuts through my spiral—running water. A stream or creek, the sound growing louder as I force myself back to my feet. Water means I’ll be harder to track. Means I might have a chance to hide.
But where? The question pounds in my head with each jolting step. Where am I even going? What am I running to?
The memory of Finn’s kiss flashes through my mind again—the gentle press of his lips, the way his fingers had tangled in my hair, how safe I’d felt in his arms. How right. But that’s the problem, isn’t it? It shouldn’t have felt right. He belongs to someone else. Three someones. And I…I don’t belong anywhere.
The stream appears suddenly through the trees—a ribbon of silver cutting through the forest. Without hesitation, I splash into the shallow water, gasping at the cold. My feet are already bleeding through the bandages, leaving faint red swirls in my wake, but I force myself forward.
The water is only ankle deep, but the current is strong enough to make each step a challenge. Good. Let it hide my trail. Let it carry away the evidence of what I’ve done.
But it can’t wash away the memory of Finn’s touch. Can’t erase the way my body still thrums with something I don’t understand. Can’t change the fact that for one perfect moment, I’d felt like I belonged somewhere. Like I mattered to someone.
“Hailey!” Stone’s voice is more distant now, moving in the wrong direction. “Please come back! You don’t understand what’s happening!”
What’s happening? I want to laugh, but it comes out as more of a sob. What’s happening is that I’m poison. I ruin everything. Pa was right. It’s the reason he sent me away.
The stream bends sharply ahead, disappearing around a thick stand of trees. I follow it, my movements growing slower as exhaustion starts to set in. How long have I been running? Minutes? Hours? Time seems to have lost all meaning .
Just a little further. Just until I can’t hear Stone’s voice anymore. Just until I find somewhere to hide. Until I figure out what’s wrong with me? Until this burning under my skin either consumes me or passes.
A fallen tree spans the stream ahead—massive and ancient, its roots torn from the earth by some long-ago storm. Perfect. I scramble up onto it, ignoring the way the rough bark scrapes my palms. The trunk is wide enough to walk on, though my legs shake with fatigue.
Halfway across, I pause to listen. The forest has gone quiet except for the music of running water. No voices. No footsteps. No sign of pursuit.
I should feel relieved. Instead, something like loss tightens my throat.
The other bank is steeper, rising sharply away from the water. My feet slip on wet leaves as I climb, but somehow I make it to level ground. Only then do I let myself really feel the pain—my bleeding feet, my scratched palms, the other various cuts and scrapes and aggravated wounds.
“What have I done?” I whisper, the words carried away by the sound of running water. “What have I ruined?”
But I already know the answer. I’ve destroyed something beautiful—the bond between an omega and his mates. Made Finn doubt himself, doubt them. Created chaos where there was harmony.
And the worst part? Even now, even knowing how wrong it was, I can’t make myself regret that kiss.
My trembling fingers rise to my lips.
It was my very first. And it had been perfect.
“I’m sorry,” I breathe, though there’s no one to hear it. Sorry for running. Sorry for wanting what isn’t mine. Sorry for being what I am—broken and wrong and ruined.
My legs finally give out and I sink to my knees in the damp leaves. The forest spins around me as exhaustion catches up all at once. Or maybe it’s not just exhaustion. Maybe it’s this heat under my skin, this need that won’t go away, this feeling like I’m burning up from the inside out.
A twig snaps somewhere in the distance and my head jerks up. But it’s just a squirrel, startled by something I can’t see. Still, my heart pounds harder. I can’t stay here. Can’t risk being found.
But when I try to stand, my legs won’t cooperate. The world tilts alarmingly, and suddenly the forest floor seems very far away. Darkness creeps in at the edges of my vision as my body finally rebels against everything I’ve put it through.
The last thing I see before consciousness slips away is a patch of sky through the leaves above—endless blue stretched between dark branches, indifferent to the chaos below.
Just like at the Academy, my last thought is of escape. But this time, I’m not sure what I’m running from—or what I’m running toward.
The darkness takes me before I can figure it out.
Consciousness returns slowly. The first thing I notice is the ache radiating through every muscle. The second is the chill that has settled into my bones, making me shiver despite the afternoon warmth.
I blink, squinting against patches of sunlight filtering through the leaves above. How long have I been unconscious? The light seems different, more golden, suggesting at least a couple of hours have passed.
As awareness creeps back, so do the memories.
Finn’s lips on mine.
The softness in his eyes.
His alpha, Jax, appearing in the doorway.
Running.
Running.
Running .
“Oh god.” The words come out as a croak, my throat raw from panicked breathing. I push myself to sitting position, wincing as various cuts and scrapes make themselves known. My feet throb—a quick glance confirms the bandages are ripped and my sole is a mess of small cuts and bruises.
But the physical pain is nothing compared to the wave of shame that crashes over me as my mind fully clears. What have I done?
Not just the kiss—though that memory brings fresh heat to my cheeks. No, what’s worse is what came after. I ran. Like a coward, I ran away and left Finn to face his alphas alone. Left him to deal with the consequences of my actions.
“You stupid, selfish girl,” I whisper.
The argument I’d heard as I fled plays through my mind again:
“Don’t fucking touch me!”
Finn’s voice had been so raw, so hurt. And instead of staying—instead of taking responsibility for my part in it—I’d run away and left him there. Left him to face their anger alone.
My stomach churns. He’d been nothing but kind to me. Fed me. Clothed me. Made me feel safe for the first time in…forever. And how did I repay him? By kissing him, causing problems with his mates, and then abandoning him to deal with the fallout.
“I really am worthless,” I breathe, pressing my palms against my eyes as tears threaten. But no—I don’t deserve to cry. Don’t deserve that release.
A breeze stirs the leaves overhead, carrying with it the scent of the forest. Of freedom. Of escape. I could do it, I realize. Could keep running. Disappear into the wilderness and never look back. Never have to face what I’ve done.
The path stretches before me, metaphorically, if not literally. I could follow this stream, find my way to a road, eventually. Make my way…somewhere. Anywhere. Start over where no one knows what I am or what I’ve done.
But…
Finn’s face flashes through my mind again. Not the passion of the kiss, but earlier moments. The gentle way he’d smiled while making me breakfast. How careful he’d been with me. The warmth in his eyes when he told me I wasn’t broken.
He believed in me. Trusted me. And I repaid that trust by running away when things got hard.
“No.” The word comes out stronger than I expect, surprising me. “No, I won’t be a coward. Not this time.”
My legs shake as I push myself to stand, but I force them to hold my weight. Everything hurts—my feet especially—but I deserve that pain. Welcome it, even. Let it be a reminder of my cowardice, of what running away costs.
The house lies somewhere behind me, through the trees that all look the same now. But I remember the stream. If I follow it back…
Fear closes my throat at the thought of what awaits me there. Stone’s fury. Jax’s cold disappointment. Ren’s…whatever Ren will do. They have every right to punish me for what I’ve done. For disrupting their pack. For kissing their omega. For making him doubt their bond.
But Finn…Finn doesn’t deserve to face their anger alone. Not when it was my fault. My weakness. My inability to control myself. After all that training at the Academy, the least I should have been able to do is control myself.
“I can be brave,” I whisper, though my voice trembles. “I can do this. For him.”
The first step is the hardest—both physically and mentally. My feet scream in protest as I put weight on them, and every instinct screams at me to run the other way. But I force myself forward, back toward the fallen tree I’d used to cross the stream.
Each step is an argument with myself:
They’ll hurt you .
No, Finn said they weren’t like that.
They’ll throw you out .
Maybe, but at least I’ll have faced the consequences of my actions.
They’ll make you watch while they punish him .
No. No, I won’t let that happen. I’ll take the blame. All of it.
I’ve been whipped before. Slapped. Pinched. Starved.
I can bear it.
The stream comes into view through the trees, water still flowing silver-bright in the afternoon sun. Nothing has changed here in the hours I’ve been unconscious, but everything feels different. I’m not running away this time. I’m walking toward something. Choosing to face what comes instead of hiding from it.
Is this what bravery feels like? This sick, trembling feeling in my stomach? This certainty that I’m walking toward pain but doing it, anyway?
My feet find the fallen tree again, bark rough under my abraded soles. Halfway across, I pause. The house lies in that direction, through the trees. Still time to turn back. Still time to run.
“No,” I say it out loud this time, letting the word carry over the sound of running water. “I won’t run anymore.”
Not from this. Not from them. Not from myself.
The thought stops me for a moment. From myself? But…yes. That’s what I’ve been doing, isn’t it? Running from these feelings I don’t understand. From the way Finn makes me feel safe and wanted and…something else. Something I don’t have words for.
The heat under my skin hasn’t faded—if anything, it’s worse. Every step makes me aware of the slickness between my thighs, the ache that seems to pulse in time with my heartbeat.
The forest looks different from this direction, but I force myself to move carefully. Methodically. Looking for signs of my earlier passage—broken twigs, disturbed leaves, places where blood from my feet has dried on stones.
Time stretches. The sun moves overhead, shadows shifting through the trees. Every sound makes me jump—a squirrel chattering, leaves rustling in the breeze. But no voices call my name now. No one searches for me.
Why would they? A bitter voice whispers in my head. Why would they waste time looking for the omega who ruins everything she touches?
But that’s not true. Finn said it wasn’t true. And maybe…maybe if I’m brave enough to go back, to face what I’ve done…maybe I can prove it’s not true.
The trees begin to thin ahead, and my heart kicks into a higher gear. I know these woods now—recognize this part of the forest from my headlong flight. The house can’t be far.
Fear rises in my throat, threatening to choke me. My steps falter as every instinct screams at me to turn back. To run. To hide. But Finn’s face flashes through my mind again—not the passion of the kiss, but the moment after. The tenderness in his eyes. The way he’d looked at me like I was something precious.
He believed in me. Saw something in me worth saving. Worth protecting.
Now it’s my turn to protect him.
My feet find their way back to the deer trail I’d followed earlier. The house must be close now. Any moment I’ll break through the trees and see it.
Keep moving. One foot in front of the other. Focus on what matters.
Finn matters.
The thought gives me strength I didn’t know I had. Lets me push through the fear that wants to freeze me in place. Because this isn’t just about me anymore.
The trees part ahead and I glimpse a clearing through the branches. The house. My heart stutters in my chest, but I force myself forward. No more running. No more hiding.
Each step feels heavier than the last as I approach the edge of the forest. The gravel driveway stretches ahead like a river I have to cross. Beyond it, the house looms—beautiful and terrifying all at once.
I take a deep breath, squaring my shoulders despite the trembling in my limbs. One step. Then another. Each one carrying me closer to whatever comes next.
I might be worthless.
I might be broken.
But I am not a coward.
Not anymore.
The front porch comes into view, and with it, a figure in the upstairs bedroom. The nest, I realize. My heart stops, then starts again with painful force.
Finn.
He hasn’t seen me yet, his head is bowed, crown pressing into the glass, shoulders slumped in a way that makes my chest ache. He looks…defeated. Broken. And I did that to him.
But I came back to fix it. To make it right. To be brave, just this once.
One more step.
Another.
Another.
Until finally, he must see the movement.
His head snaps up, eyes widening as they find me. For a moment, we just stare at each other across the distance—me bleeding and dirty and trembling, him looking like his world has ended.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, though he’s too far away to hear it. “I’m so sorry.”
But I’m here now. And whatever comes next, I’ll face it.
For him.
The moment stretches between Finn and me. His eyes are wide, disbelieving, like he can’t quite trust what he’s seeing. I open my mouth to speak again, to try to find words that could possibly make this right, but movement at the door makes the words die in my throat.
One of the alphas.
Ren.
My heart stutters, then races. Of all Finn’s alphas, he’s the one that terrifies me most. Maybe it’s the way he moves—tall, silent, and deadly as a shadow. Maybe it’s those ice-blue eyes that seem to see right through me. Or maybe it’s the power that rolls off him in waves, contained but lethal.
He fills the doorway like a storm about to break, his face an unreadable mask as those cold eyes fix on me. The urge to run nearly overwhelms me again—my muscles coil, ready to flee. But no. I came back for a reason.
For Finn.
Before I can second-guess myself, I drop to my knees. The gravel bites into my already torn flesh, but I ignore the pain. My palms press flat against the ground, and I bend forward until my forehead touches the backs of my hands. The position leaves me completely vulnerable—exposed, spine curved, every instinct screaming danger.
“Alpha,” I manage, my voice barely a whisper. “I—I’ve come to beg forgiveness.”
Silence answers me. I can feel him approaching, even though he walks so silently. My body trembles, but I hold the position.
“What I did was unforgivable. I kissed your omega. I made him doubt your bond. I—” My voice catches, but I force myself to continue. “I deserve whatever punishment you see fit. But please, please don’t blame Finn. He did nothing wrong. It was all me. It was all m—my fault.”
The gravel crunches under the alpha’s boots as he draws closer. My heart pounds so hard I’m sure he can hear it.
“Take your anger out on me instead. I can bear it. Just…don’t hurt him. Please . ”
The boots stop directly in front of me. I squeeze my eyes shut, waiting for pain, for his hand to grab my hair, or?—
Strong fingers wrap around my upper arm, and suddenly I’m being hauled upward. A small sound escapes me—not quite a whimper—as I’m brought face to face with those arctic eyes.
I try to lower my gaze—submission, deference, everything I was taught—but his other hand catches my chin, forcing me to meet those penetrating eyes. There’s something in them I can’t read, something that makes my breath stop in my chest.
“Look at me,” he commands softly, and there’s an edge to his voice. Not anger, exactly, but something else. Something that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. “Really look.”
He doesn’t use an alpha command, but with that chill in his voice, I can’t help but obey, though every instinct screams at me to look away. His eyes search mine, and for a moment, it’s like he’s seeing straight through to my soul. To every dark corner. Every scar. Every moment of terror at the Academy.
“You ran.” It’s not a question. Not an accusation either. Just…a statement of fact, delivered in that quiet voice that somehow carries more weight than a shout.
“Y-yes, Alpha.”
His thumb brushes my chin, the touch unexpectedly gentle. “Of course, you did. It’s what they trained you to do, isn’t it? Fear us.”
The words hit me hard. How does he…?
“But you came back.” His eyes never leave mine, studying every micro-expression. “That wasn’t part of their training, was it?” His eyes seem to get even more intense. “You overrode your fear of us and returned.”
My heart continues hammering against my ribs. There’s something about the way he says it—like he knows exactly what he’s talking about. Like he understands precisely what happened behind those cold stone walls of the Academy.
“I,” I whisper, trying to drop my gaze again. He doesn’t let me. “I couldn’t leave Finn. ”
He stiffens at the sound of his omega’s name on my lips, those cold eyes still searching mine.
“You talk like you actually care about him.”
I swallow hard, unable to answer.
“Even though you only just met him…” The alpha muses. A smile plays on his lips, but there’s something wrong with it. As if it’s not real. “Of course, you do. Finn’s amazing. Finn is perfect.”
Something behind my ribs pains in response to his words, and I don’t know why.
“But you…” He twists me so I’m pressed against him, forcing me to face him fully. “You’re different. You came back.” His eyes narrow a fraction. “To face consequences. You pushed back… You were trained not to.”
Each word lands like a dart. I want to look away, but his grip on my chin prevents it. Forces me to face whatever this is.
“You wonder how I know?” That almost-smile again, but this time there’s something darker behind it. Something that makes my stomach clench. “Let’s just say I’m…familiar with how places like your Academy operate. With their methods. Their goals.”
A chill runs down my spine despite the afternoon heat. The way he says it…It’s the voice of someone who knows. Really knows.
But that’s impossible. Isn’t it?
Before I can process this, he lets go of my chin to pull out his phone, never releasing his grip on my arm. His eyes finally leave mine as he pushes some buttons on the touch screen, and I almost sag with relief at being freed from that penetrating gaze.
“She’s back,” he says into the phone, voice clipped and professional now. “Yes, unharmed. Mostly.” A pause as he glances at my bleeding feet. “I’ll take her inside.” Another pause. “Of course, I won’t hurt her. I’m not a monster, Jax.”
He ends the call with a sharp tap and pockets the phone. When his eyes return to mine, they’re unreadable again. “Come on. You need medical attention, and we have much to discuss.”
He turns me toward the house, his grip firm but not painful. My mind spins with questions I don’t dare ask. With implications I’m not sure I want to understand.
And there, in the doorway, is Finn.
The sight of him steals my breath all over again. He looks…destroyed. Hope and fear war in his expression, along with something else—something raw and vulnerable that makes my chest ache. His eyes are red-rimmed, like he’s been crying, and fresh guilt crashes over me.
I did this. I caused this pain.
“Hailey,” he breathes, and my name on his lips is both benediction and curse. “You came back.”
“I—” The words stick in my throat. How do I explain? How do I tell him that running away was easy, but leaving him to face the consequences alone was impossible? That he’s the first person who’s ever made me feel like I might be worth something, and I couldn’t bear to prove him wrong?
But before I can find the words, Ren is moving us forward, his presence an immovable force at my back. “Inside,” he says, and there’s no arguing with that tone. “Both of you.”
Finn steps back to let us pass, and I catch his scent—warm and sweet and home. My body responds instantly, that strange heat flaring under my skin again. Our eyes meet for just a moment, and I see my own confusion reflected there.
What is happening to me? To us?
But Ren’s grip remains steady, guiding me into the house where consequences wait. I straighten my spine as much as I can, though my legs shake with exhaustion and fear. I came back to face this. To be brave.
For Finn.
Even if Ren’s words echo in my head like a warning. Like a prophecy. Like a secret I’m not sure I’m ready to understand.