37. Hailey
Chapter 37
Hailey
T he bruises on my throat are darkening. I stare at them in the bathroom mirror, fingertips hovering over the marks but not quite touching. They form a perfect necklace of purple and blue, each finger distinct against my pale skin.
“Here.” Finn’s voice is soft behind me. He holds out a jar of arnica cream, face pained as he stares at the bruises. “It’ll help with the swelling.”
I take it with trembling hands. The lid proves troublesome—my fingers won’t stop shaking. Without comment, Finn gently takes the jar back, opens it, and begins applying the cream himself. His touch is feather-light, clinical almost, but I still have to fight not to flinch.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper.
His hands pause. “What could you possibly have to be sorry for?”
“I…” The words tangle in my throat. “I shouldn’t have tried to help. Should have known better than to get close to an alpha when they’re…”
“No, Hailey.” His voice is so very gentle. “What Ren did wasn’t your fault. You were trying to help, and he…” Finn takes a steadying breath. “He broke our trust. All of our trust.”
The cream is cool on my skin, but his fingers are warm. I watch in the mirror as he works, his brow furrowed in concentration. There’s something soothing about his care, about the way his scent wraps around me like an embrace.
“Does it hurt to swallow?” he asks.
I test it, wincing slightly. “A little.”
“I’ll make you some tea with honey after this. The warmth will help.”
My eyes burn suddenly with unexpected tears. It doesn’t even hurt that bad. I don’t know why I’m crying.
“Hey.” Finn’s arms come around me from behind, and I let myself lean back against his chest. “You’re safe here. Stone won’t let him near you again, and neither will I.”
As if summoned by his name, Stone appears in the doorway. His presence fills the bathroom, but instead of feeling trapped, I feel…protected. His eyes meet mine in the mirror, and it takes a lot, but I don’t look away. Not this time. The fury I see in his eyes isn’t directed at me.
“How is she?” he asks Finn, but keeps his gaze on me.
“The bruising is superficial,” Finn answers. “No serious damage to her throat.”
Stone’s jaw clenches. “Small mercies.” He takes a step closer, movements slow. “May I see?” His pine scent reaches me a moment before he takes another step. The same scent I breathed in for the first time after that truck crashed. The one that comforted me back in that cabin. The one I leaned into after that alpha touched me at the mall. The one that’s comforting me now.
I hesitate, then give a small nod. Stone moves closer. There’s control in his movements as he reaches out, pausing before his fingers make contact.
“Tell me if you want me to stop,” he whispers .
His touch is impossibly gentle as he tilts my chin up, examining the bruises. His other hand clenches into a fist at his side.
“I should have gotten there sooner,” he mutters.
“You got there in time,” Finn says firmly. One of his arms snakes around my waist, grounding me. “That’s what matters.”
Stone’s thumb brushes my pulse point, so lightly I almost don’t feel it. “Your heart’s racing.”
“I’m okay,” I whisper, though I’m not sure if I’m trying to convince him or myself.
The anger in his eyes dissipates somewhat. “You don’t have to be. Not right now.”
Something in his words breaks a dam inside me. The tears I’ve been holding back spill over, and suddenly I’m sobbing. My knees buckle, but I don’t fall—Stone and Finn catch me between them, lowering me gently to sit on the edge of the tub.
“Let it out,” Finn murmurs, stroking my hair. “Scream if you need to.”
Stone kneels in front of me, his large hands covering mine where they’re clenched in my lap. “You’re pack,” he says firmly. “I know we haven’t done anything official to honor that yet, but the moment you found your way into my cabin, you found your way home. You’re one of us. Ironwood. Whatever happens, whatever you need—you’re pack. Do you understand?”
I nod through my tears, unable to speak. Pack. The word echoes in my chest, filling empty spaces I didn’t know I had.
“Come on,” Finn says after my sobs have quieted. “We should spend the rest of the day in the nest.”
Stone shifts, uncertain. His hands still cover mine, but I feel the slight tension in them. “I’ll go make that tea and?—”
“You should stay,” Finn interrupts, cheeks warming before he glances at me. “I mean, if that’s okay with you, Hailey? The nest…it helps. With everything.”
Stone’s expression has gone carefully neutral, but something flickers in his eyes that he can’t hide quickly enough. “I don’t want to intrude…especially if Hailey doesn’t?—”
“It’s okay,” I whisper, surprising myself with how much I mean it. His pine scent has become…comforting. Safe.
“Well,” Stone clears his throat. “Tea first. And maybe…pizza? Been a while since we’ve had a proper nest day.”
Finn’s face lights up. “With?—”
“Extra mushrooms, light on the sauce, double cheese?” Stone’s lips quirk. “I do pay attention, you know.” He turns to me. “What about you, sweetheart? Any preferences?”
Sweetheart .
I duck my head, heat creeping into my cheeks. “Um…”
“Hey.” Stone’s thumb strokes across my knuckles. “Whatever you want. No wrong answers.”
“Pineapple?” The word comes out like a question.
Stone recoils in mock horror, pressing a hand to his chest. “No. Tell me you’re joking. Finn, she’s joking, right?”
A startled laugh escapes me at his dramatics. Finn grins, squeezing my waist.
“The betrayal,” Stone continues, shaking his head solemnly. “In my own pack. Under my own roof.”
“Don’t listen to him,” Finn stage-whispers. “He’s just mad because Jax likes pineapple, too.”
“Traitors, the lot of you.” But Stone’s eyes are dancing as he stands. “Fine. One abomination pizza coming up. The things I do for pack.”
The word sends a warm flutter through my chest once more. Pack. Home.
The nest feels different in daylight. Softer somehow, with sunlight filtering through gauzy curtains and catching dust motes in its beam. Finn arranges pillows while I hover uncertainly at the edge.
“Here,” he pats the space beside him. “Get comfy while we wait for our resident pizza critic to return. ”
I sink into the nest, immediately enveloped by the mingled scents of pack. Finn fiddles with the remote, pulling up some reality show about omega matchmaking that has me hiding smiles within minutes.
“Oh no,” Finn groans as one contestant makes a particularly bad decision. “Girl, he literally just told you his pack lives in his mother’s basement and that they collect taxidermied squirrels! What are you doing?”
A giggle escapes before I can stop it. Finn looks delighted.
“Just wait,” he says. “It gets worse. Last week, one alpha showed up to a date wearing?—”
Heavy footsteps in the hallway make us both look up. Stone appears in the doorway, laden with pizza boxes and what looks like a tray filled with tea.
“Delivery for my nest dwellers.”
“Finally,” Finn says, making grabby hands at the food. “I’m starving.”
Stone sets everything down, but remains standing, his large frame awkward at the edge of the nest. Despite the invitation, there’s still something hesitant in his posture, like he’s not quite sure where he fits in this soft, intimate space.
Finn rolls his eyes. “Oh, get in here, you big alpha. The nest won’t bite.”
Stone’s throat moves. “You’re sure?”
Finn nods, already reaching for a box of pizza. Stone’s focus shifts to me. “You can say no if you want, Hailey. I won’t feel bad.”
“Stay?” I add softly, and something in Stone’s expression melts.
He stretches, blowing out a breath of air before he settles beside us. I don’t miss the fact he’s careful not to disturb Finn’s careful arrangement of pillows and blankets. “What fresh horror are we watching now?”
“Only the finest in omega dating disasters,” Finn grins, reaching for another pizza box. “You’re just in time for—oh my god, is that his ex-omega?”
Finn’s wide eyes are on the screen as he takes out a slice of pizza and digs in. The sound he utters from his throat immediately has my eyes darting to him, and then suddenly he’s the only thing I can look at. Something at the center of my thighs wakes up the moment he moans again.
Stone clears his throat and shifts. A pillow appears suspiciously quickly in his lap, almost as if he’s hiding something. When he barks out a laugh at a joke on screen, it sounds slightly forced.
“She did not just say that,” he manages, eyes darting at Finn and then at me.
Finn launches into commentary about the show’s history, and I find myself relaxing into the familiar cadence of his voice. The pizza is perfect—even my ‘abomination’ topped one—and the tea Stone made soothes my throat. Gradually, the space between us all shrinks, until I’m nestled between them, surrounded by warmth and the mixing scents of sage and pine.
“This is nice,” I murmur during a commercial break. My cheeks burn immediately…but I’m feeling brave. “Thank you. Both of you.”
Finn’s hand finds mine, squeezing gently. Stone’s response is quieter—just a soft rumble in his chest that I feel more than hear. But it speaks volumes. The bruises on my throat still ache, but here, curled between them in this nest that smells like pack and home, even that pain feels distant.
The show returns with a segment introducing the “special guest judge” for the evening’s challenge. The camera pans to reveal a striking woman with sleek dark hair and impeccable posture. She’s so startling beautiful, I can’t help but stare.
“Veyra Heath,” the host announces with exaggerated reverence. “Business mogul and philanthropist.”
Stone straightens slightly beside me, his attention suddenly fixed on the screen. “Huh. Didn’t expect to see her on this kind of show.”
“Ugh. I can’t stand her. She gave me the creeps when I met her in person.” Finn shivers, but he’s not paying attention to the screen. He’s busy stripping a string of cheese from a pizza slice.
Stone’s eyes narrow slightly. “Her investment firm reached out about acquiring a stake in Iron Fitness last quarter. Pretty aggressive about it too.”
“But you didn’t sell?” Finn asks, reaching for another slice of pizza.
“Nah.” Stone’s expression turns thoughtful. “We built that place from nothing. We’re not looking to give up control, especially not to Heath Enterprises. They have a reputation for gutting companies they acquire. Iron Fitness is our baby.”
The camera zooms in on the woman. Her smile is perfect, practiced, but there’s something cold in her dark eyes that makes my skin prickle uncomfortably.
“Getting noticed by her is still pretty impressive though.” Finn shrugs. “Her family is like the definition of old money—like, generations of it. Being on her radar must mean you guys are doing something right.”
Stone just makes a noncommittal sound, but I notice the way his jaw tightens slightly.
I study the woman on screen. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone more striking. But there’s something almost predatory in the way she watches the contestants. Like she’s performing humanity rather than experiencing it.
“I don’t think I’d want to get on her bad side,” I whisper, not entirely meaning to say it aloud.
Finn nudges me playfully. “Look at you, already developing business-world instincts. ”
My cheeks warm and a soft laugh escapes through my nose. Me? Business-world instincts?
“Oh!” Finn suddenly sits up straighter. “This is the part where they bring out the vision board?—”
As he launches into another hilarious explanation, I catch Stone watching us both, his expression different in a way I’ve never seen before. When he notices me looking, he doesn’t glance away. Instead, his lips curve into a smile that makes something warm unfurl in my chest. He’s so handsome. Gods. All of them are.
The evening softens into something quieter as episodes blend together. Finn’s commentary becomes less animated, more thoughtful, punctuated by comfortable silences. When he shifts to grab another slice of pizza, I find myself leaning slightly into the warmth of his shoulder.
“Cold?” Stone asks, noticing the movement.
I shake my head, but he’s already moving. The muscles in his chest rise and shift against my arm as he reaches for one of the softer blankets. He looks completely focused as he drapes it over both Finn and me, making sure it covers our feet.
“Better?”
The gentle concern in his voice makes my chest tight. I nod, not trusting myself to speak.
“Good.” He settles back, closer than before, his pine scent flooding into my nose and seeming to go in a straight line through me, culminating low in my pelvis. I shift, swallowing hard, trying to ignore it.
Finn yawns, stretching like a cat before curling back into his spot. “We should do this more often.” His cheeks suddenly flame red. “I mean?—”
“You’re right.” Stone’s agreement is soft. Thoughtful. “We should do this more often.”
Something passes between them—a look loaded with history I don’t quite understand. One that makes my heart feel heavy. Does Stone even know? Does he know what Finn is planning? What Finn told me? That he’s going to leave?
My focus shifts back to Finn. To the way his cheeks are still flaming. To the way he’s looking at the screen now in a way that tells me he’s really trying not to stare at Stone instead.
He can’t leave.
I can’t let him.
The TV is playing now, but none of us are really watching anymore. Slowly, Finn’s breathing evens out beside me, his hand reaching for and loosely holding mine. Soon, I find myself fighting to keep my eyes open, not wanting this moment to end.
Stone notices my struggle first. His hand moves from the edge of the blanket, hesitating before gently pulling the fabric higher around my shoulders.
“You don’t have to fight it,” he whispers, voice pitched low to avoid disturbing Finn. “Sleep if you need to.”
I want to protest, but my body feels heavy, weighted down by warmth and the lingering exhaustion of the day.
“I…” How do I explain that I’m afraid this peace will shatter the moment I close my eyes? How do I explain I don’t want to lose this?
“I’ll keep watch,” Stone murmurs, but his voice sounds far away.
I don’t remember closing my eyes.
But I remember opening them to cold fluorescent lights and sterile metal walls. The nest’s warmth vanishes, replaced by the bite of rope against my wrists. The Academy’s halls stretch endless before me, the air thick with antiseptic and fear.
Footsteps echo. Getting closer.
No. No, I got out. I’m not there anymore. I’m …
A door slams somewhere, the sound like a piercing gunshot that doesn’t stop echoing against the metal walls. My heart slams against my ribs as voices approach—detached voices discussing omega hormones and heat cycles like they’re talking about livestock instead of people.
“That one is promising. We already have a buyer lined up…”
The words chase me down the corridor as I run. But my legs won’t work right, moving like I’m underwater. The footsteps get closer. Closer.
A hand grabs my throat?—
“Hailey.”
The voice cuts through the nightmare, warm and familiar. Sage. Finn.
“Hailey, you’re okay. You’re safe. You’re in the nest. With us.”
Reality bleeds back slowly. The Academy’s harsh lights fade, replaced by the soft glow of the TV. Instead of cold tile under my hands, there’s the plush comfort of blankets. And the hand on my throat…no, not on my throat. On my shoulder, gentle and steady.
“That’s it,” Finn murmurs. “Come back to us.”
I become aware of my breathing first—too fast, too shallow. Then the tremors wracking my body. I’m half-sitting up, though I don’t remember moving. Finn’s arms are around me, and Stone…
Stone is kneeling in front of me. His pine scent is strong but not overwhelming, grounding me in the present.
“Can you tell me five things you can see?” he asks.
The question is unexpected enough to cut through the lingering panic. “I…the TV. The pink blanket. Your shirt. Finn’s hands. The window.”
“Good. Four things you can touch?”
My fingers curl into the material beneath them. “The nest. The pillow. Finn’s sweater. The…” I falter as tears threaten.
“You’re doing so well,” Stone whispers. “So well, sweetheart.”
The endearment, spoken so tenderly, breaks something loose in my chest, but it’s not enough to push away the panic. A sob escapes before I can stop it.
The panic builds rather than subsides. Finn’s sage, usually so soothing, isn’t enough to cut through the remembered fear. My breath comes in sharp gasps, hands clutching desperately at nothing.
The tremors worsen, my chest constricting until each breath feels like it’s ripping through the muscles in my throat. Suddenly, Finn’s arms don’t feel like comfort anymore. They feel like bands being used to restrain me. My lungs feel like they’re at once too large and too small. I can’t breathe.
“ She needs more than this, Stone ,” Finn’s whisper is harsh. Strained.
My chest feels like it’s caving in, the panic a living, writhing thing inside me. My instincts scream for something I can’t name, something Finn’s touch can’t give me. He’s an omega, steady and safe, but right now, safe isn’t what I need. I need…I need…
“ Stone .” Finn’s voice sharpens. “Can’t you smell her distress? She’s an omega , terrified and alone. She needs an alpha. She needs you .”
Stone eases back, conflict etched in every line of his face. “After what happened with Ren? I’m the last thing she needs right now.”
His gaze flickers to mine, and for a moment, I see the struggle in them—the war between his instincts and his fear of hurting me. His scent shifts, the pine deepening, becoming richer, more potent. It wraps around me, and for the first time since I woke, I feel the faintest flicker of calm. But it’s not enough. Not yet.
“The only thing good I have to offer an omega is my fucking knot, Finn.” Stone’s jaw clenches. “She needs comfort, not…that.”
“For fuck’s sake.” Finn’s arms tighten as another violent shiver wracks my body. “Whatever happened two years ago broke all of us, I know. But how are you even resisting her right now? She’s suffering .”
My sobs intensify, my body shaking uncontrollably. The nightmare’s grip doesn’t want to loosen, threatening to pull me back into the horror of the Academy.
“The same way I’ve been resisting you .” Stone’s words are so low, I would have thought I imagined them if Finn didn’t suddenly stiffen. A breath shudders through him, becoming lost in the tremors wracking my frame.
“Then stop, Stone. Maybe it’s time you stop resisting.”
My vision blurs, tears streaming down my face as I gasp for air. I hear the snap of Widow’s whip cracking the air, feel the brush of the leather as?—
“Fuck it.” Stone’s voice is rough, his resignation laced with a sudden intensity. “I’ve got you, sweetheart. I’ve got you.”
His pine scent envelops me as he presses my face into his neck. One arm bands around my waist while the other cradles the back of my head, holding me close.
“Breathe with me,” he murmurs, chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. “Feel that? Match it.”
I try to focus on his heartbeat under my palm. On his warmth seeping into my bones as he rocks us slightly. He’s not like them. He’s not like them at the Academy. Not like that alpha at the mall.
Stone is good.
Stone is safe.
“That’s it,” he soothes, fingers threading through my hair. “Let go. I won’t let anything hurt you.”
The pure alpha protection in his voice breaks something loose. Another sob tears from my throat. The room feels like it’s spinning, the edges of my vision blurring as the panic claws at my chest. Finn’s arms come up around me from behind, caging me in between them. Distantly, I hear him saying I need deep pressure. That I need the warmth and safety. But his voice sounds so very far away.
My body trembles violently, my breaths coming in sharp, shallow gasps that don’t seem to reach my lungs. I can’t shake it. I can’t push it away?—
“Stone, it’s not working !” I hear Finn’s panicked voice, feel him desperately pressing his body against mine as if trying to soak up all my pain. “Maybe we should call Dr. Greene. Get her sedated?— ”
“No.” Stone’s voice cuts through the haze, but there’s an edge to it now—a rawness that wasn’t there before. “I know what to do. Fuck, I know exactly what to do. I just…” His pine scent wraps around me, stronger, and I feel myself instinctively leaning into him, something building under my skin that isn’t fear or panic at all but so new and distinct that it ramps up the tremors wracking my frame.
“Do it.” It sounds like Finn is panicking now. “Before she has a seizure or something. Do it now, Stone!”
Stone stiffens. It sounds like he swallows so hard it’s audible.
My body moves instinctively, pressing closer, seeking more of his warmth, his scent. My hips shift against his thigh and the friction sends a jolt of awareness through me.
Stone’s breath hitches, his entire body going tense as I press against him. The panic is still there, a wild beast clawing at my insides, but there’s something else, too—something wild, something I can’t control that’s driving me to seek comfort in his warmth, his strength. My fingers clutch at his shirt, pulling him closer, and I feel the first stirrings of his purr, a low rumble that starts deep in his chest and vibrates right through me.
My eyes roll over. It’s like my muscles are forced to relax because of that soothing vibration.
“Shh, sweetheart,” Stone murmurs, one hand cupping the back of my neck, the other splayed across my lower back, holding me steady. “I’ve got you. I promise, I’ve got you.”
Finn’s arms are still around me, his breath hot on my ear. “It’s okay, Hailey. Take what you need. We’re here. We’re both here.”
My hips move again, almost involuntarily, seeking the friction that promises relief from the storm raging inside me. I expect Stone to pull away. To stop me from embarrassing myself. Instead, his purr intensifies, his scent enveloping me, and I feel the first tendrils of calm beginning to unravel the knot of panic. But it’s not enough. I need more. More of something . Only I don’t know what it is.
As if sensing my desperation, Stone shifts, his thigh pressing more firmly between my legs. His hand slides down to my hip, guiding my movements, setting a rhythm that has me gasping against his neck. The panic is still there, but it’s morphing into something else—a raw, aching need that only his touch can satisfy.
“That’s it,” Finn whispers, his own scent spiking with something that makes me feel hot. “Take what you need, Hailey. We’re here for you. Always.”
Stone’s purr deepens, his heartbeat steady and strong under my palm. His hand grips my hip tighter, his thigh pressing insistently against me, creating a delicious friction that sends waves of pleasure coursing through my body. I chase the sensation, grinding against him, my breath coming in short pants.
“Good girl,” Stone rumbles, his voice thick with something that shoots right through my center. “That’s it, sweetheart. Use me. Take what you need.”
My body is on fire, every nerve ending alight with sensation. The panic is receding, pushed back by the rush of pleasure that feels like heat in my veins. My hips move faster, chasing the sensation even though I want to shy away from it. I gasp against Stone’s neck, my fingers clutching at his shirt, pulling him closer.
It’s not enough. For some wild, inexplicable reason, I open my mouth and press into his skin right beneath my lips. The taste of him is electric.
“That’s my good girl,” Stone rumbles again, his voice so thick it ramps up that wild sensation shooting through me. One that only heightens the desperate need building between my thighs. “Use me, sweetheart. Take what you need.”
My body responds to his words, heat pooling in my core before I even realize what he’s said. Something sweet fills the air, thick enough that I smell it for the first time, and for a moment, my movements stutter. That scent seems to heighten everything, makes my hips move faster, makes me want to tear off my skin. When Stone inhales sharply, his fingers digging into my hip, I realize that thick addictive scent is me .
“ Fuck ,” Stone curses under his breath, his body tensing. His grip on me tightens almost painfully, almost as if he’s trying to steady himself. When another sensation finds me through the fog, a shiver goes through my belly. I can feel him growing hard against me, his length pressing into my thigh and my breaths pick up even more.
“It’s okay, sweetheart.” Stone’s hands drop to the bedding, gripping the blankets so hard his knuckles turn white. “Don’t be afraid. You’re in control, Hailey. Take all you need.”