24. Finley
Finley
"Come, let's find a spot by the bonfire. It's only going to get cooler as the night goes on," Milly said, waving for me to follow after them.
I could tell by their scent that Milly was a beta, while Katie and Peggy were both gammas or typical middle-of-the-pack wolves.
Peggy might not be my biggest fan at the moment, but when her arm brushed up against me, I discovered it was more out of concern for the pack.
It made me wonder what had happened in the past or what my mates might not know about going on under their noses.
We found a table near the fire that was available, and when I tried to sit on the end, Milly coaxed me toward the middle.
"We aren't scary. I promise we don't bite," Milly assured me.
My brain whirled with the tug-of-war and how much to tell people about my life before getting bitten, knowing it would shock them even more.
The need to have an exit was a requirement I had from my training.
Plus, my wolf wasn’t feeling safe with our new pack yet since our mates weren’t with us.
I took a deep breath and tried to ease both our fears, knowing that if it came down to it, I would be able to manage most things that came my way. I was not helpless.
"So I know this is probably rude to ask, but what happened with Craig earlier today? None of the alphas or the lead betas will say anything other than it was deserved," Katie asked, looking at me hopefully.
I groaned in my head, frustrated at not knowing the rules about what I could say and what I shouldn't.
Being their mate meant I would know things that weren't going to be common knowledge or ever shared with the pack.
Diplomacy was not in my training. I took orders and fulfilled my mission—that was it.
"Katie!" Peggy snapped. "If the alphas haven't told us anything, then we aren't supposed to know. Shame on you for trying to use her like that. You know omegas have a hard time not giving in to orders."
"Oh, like I have enough dominance to force her into telling me anything!" Katie huffed. "Tell her, Finley, do you feel the need to answer my request?"
Pausing to consider that a moment, I could feel my wolf’s agitation, but it had nothing to do with Katie's request. More so with the fallout if I did do something to anger my mates.
"No, I don’t feel compelled to answer her question.
" I mused. It was nice to know that I still had that ability away from dominant wolves.
There, that wasn't so hard. Keep it simple and to the point. That way, things can’t get fucked up.
The sisters looked at me wide-eyed, a little shocked by my answer, and that sent my wolf into a tailspin.
Did we do it wrong? I closed my eyes, trying to get a hold of my wolf and calm her down, giving me a chance to find out what had caused their reaction, but she was far too stressed for me to control.
I got up from the table. “Excuse me, I’m not feeling well at the moment.”
Rushing away, I searched the crowd, trying to find any of my mates, but as I moved, everyone kept reaching out to touch me. The overwhelming sense of their emotions, some good, some bad, pounded into my head as I tried to escape it all.
Then the scent of a citrus-tinged ocean breeze filled my nose as a rough hand cradled my face. Elias had come to save me. Without opening my eyes, I reached out and wrapped my arms around his neck as he pulled me against him.
"What is wrong, my heart?" he whispered into my ear.
I nuzzled into his neck, deeply breathing in his calming scent. "It’s too much, so many emotions, people keep touching me, and I don't know the rules, Elias."
Elias hummed his understanding and picked me up, pulling my legs to wrap around his waist as he carried me away from the stunned people around me. I had forgotten that Noah told me Elias didn't like to be touched, but when it came to me, it was almost as if he craved it.
"What's wrong?" Mason asked me as he appeared, brushing his hand along my cheek.
"Grab the others and tell them to meet me on the pack house porch. We need to clarify a few things," Elias instructed, his voice rough with held-back anger.
He carried me up the steps and settled us on the porch swing, curling me up on his lap, wrapping his arm tightly around me as he started rocking. My wolf, now free from the social environment and wrapped up in our mate and protector, finally settled, allowing me to breathe easier.
"I'm sorry," I murmured, feeling a wave of guilt at causing a scene.
Elias shifted me so I could see the scowl on his face. "None of this is your fault. We should have prepared you better for this situation. This is on us, not on you, my heart."
Letting out a heavy sigh, I melted into his warm body and waited for the others to join us. Of course, it didn't take long for them to arrive, a worried expression on everyone's face as their gazes landed on me.
"What's wrong? What happened?" Lane asked, sliding in beside Elias and pulling my legs onto his lap.
"We didn't do our jobs is what happened," Elias snarled. "How could you just leave her out there to fend for herself with the pack? She's an omega, for fucks sake, and we didn't give her any rules or guidelines to follow. I found her practically in a panic attack because she was so overwhelmed!"
The others looked a mix between shocked and pissed the fuck off with how Elias was talking to them, but I knew he was upset because he felt like he failed me.
"Fuck," Colt snapped, turning and gripping the porch railing until the sound of cracking wood was heard. "You're right, Elias. I should have thought that through better. I know better than to do that, Goddamn it!"
“No,” I spoke up. “I told Colt I was okay to be on my own. I didn’t realize how much I didn’t understand until it was already too late.”
Noah knelt in front of me and grasped my hands, pulling them up so he could kiss the backs of them. "Okay, love, what can we do to help make you feel more comfortable going back out there?"
"There are a lot of things that I know from my job as an assassin, plus being your mate.
I know far too many secrets in general… What am I allowed to say?
" I inquired, trying to explain what it was that I was feeling even though I didn't fully understand it.
“Katie asked me about Craig, but then she also mentioned you haven’t given any details.
My wolf panicked, and with everyone's emotions flying at me, I couldn’t stop it.
Noah looked up at the others with a frown.
"Elias is right; we should have taken her past into account and the omega nature.
We put her out in the pack, expecting her to just figure it out like a normal pack member, but she can't. That’s our fuck up.
" Turning back to me, Noah asked another question.
"What is it that you’re most worried about? "
"I don't want to get in trouble for saying something I shouldn't or have other people mad at me when I won't tell them things…"
Zander grunted from where he was leaning against the railing, watching me intently. "Elves can't lie. It hurts them or their power, but without someone to ask, we can’t know for sure. Adding that to her fear of disappointing or angering one of us is a real double whammy, I'm sure."
Now that he said it, I realized that I wasn't a person that lied very often.
Sure, I did it for work, but that was somehow different because I was under contract.
It wasn't me doing the lying; it was the character I was playing.
The fact that I would rather choose to kill someone over telling a lie made far more sense to me now.
That realization led me to noticing that I naturally understood how to answer a direct question in a way that wouldn't really give the full answer or too much information.
"Thank you, love, for explaining this to us so we can help you better," Noah reassured me. "Do one of the alphas need to tell you the rules, or can any of us do it?"
Pausing, I thought about that, checking in with my wolf and whatever elven magic was stirring. "Any of my mates can set rules and boundaries. Alphas are the only ones who can force me to answer or do something against my will."
The alphas snarled at that, looking offended that I would even think they would do such a thing.
"Little dove, the day I force you to do something against your will is the day that Colt or Lane should fucking kill me. There is no reason on this planet that I would ever need to do that," Zander declared, looking at the other two for their agreement.
Lane squeezed my ankle, drawing my attention to him.
"I know we can be demanding and stubborn about certain things, but I don't want you to ever fear that we’re going to do that to you.
Sweetheart you are everything to us, and some of us are learning all this too along with you.
Just know that what hurts you hurts us."
My heart warmed with their concern, but I hadn't said that to make them think I was worried they would do it. "When I said alphas, I believe that applies to any alpha at any point can bark a command at me, and I'll have to obey."
They all looked angry at this revelation.
"Sweetheart, are you telling us that if you go to another pack or an alpha visits here, they can order you to tell them or do anything they want?" Lane demanded.
"From what little I know of myself, yes, there is a possibility that can happen," I explained. "I can fight it and try to work around the request, but if they know how to ask correctly, combined with my elf nature of not lying, I'm screwed."
"That settles it. You are never leaving these pack lands," Zander grunted, crossing his arms over his chest.
Noah sighed as he rolled his eyes at me.
"One issue at a time, let's get this settled before we put her on lockdown for a danger we don't yet know about. Finley, I leave it up to you to tell people about what your life was like before joining the pack. As long a you do not disclose you’re an assassin along with any of your missions or the secrets that you might know about supernaturals or people of importance without addressing it with us first. Matters of the pack you might hear or be involved in as the alphas’ mate stay between the six of us unless we give you permission to share with others.
Now, for the matter of you being an elf, that is not to be shared with anyone outside of your mates—ever.
Elves, even when they were around, were highly sought after.
For you to be one of the only ones left, it would make you a target of immense value. "
I nodded, agreeing to his choices.
"Is there anything else he didn't cover that you need clarification on?" Lane asked.
"Am I allowed to tell people that I won't talk about it even if they press me about it?" I added.
Lane gave me a confused look before answering. "Yes, I give you permission to blame us for why you can't answer something if they press you about it. Why would that need to be addressed?"
"My wolf can't stand the thought of you all being mad at me for upsetting another pack member. The concept of disappointing you sends her into a panic," I answered.
Hearing this, Lane gave me a soft smile and leaned forward to kiss me on the forehead. "I know this must be so hard to wrap your brain around after being so independent up until this point. We’ll do better, I promise, so you don't end up in a situation like this again. Forgive us?"
Lifting my face, Lane gave in to my silent request, kissing me to give me that last bit of reassurance I needed.
Then my stomach made it known that the scent of food in the air was teasing us.
Lane stood and pulled me to my feet, grinning.
"Sounds like we need to feed you. Good thing I'm a grill master. My burgers are the best in the state."
Someone behind me scoffed as if they were trying to cover up laughter.
"Only took him a few years of burnt hockey pucks to get there," Mason shared, dodging the kick that Lane aimed at him. "What, you gonna tell me I'm wrong? You make a bomb ass burger now, but it wasn't always that way."
"Twin, that's just wrong to make a man look bad in front of his mate," Noah scolded.
We all laughed as we made our way back to the party where Lane made me a plate and found me a seat at one of the picnic tables.
The betas and Zander joined me with their meals as the Colt and Lane went off to do whatever alphas do.
The burger was amazing, as well as the other homemade sides.
I could get used to this kind of life where I got to eat whatever I wanted without worrying about gaining weight.
"Um, Finley," Katie's soft voice sounded from beside me.
I'd been so intent on my meal that I didn't hear her walk up; the downside to being with my mates was I felt safe enough not to be on alert all the time.
Turning, I looked up to see her wringing her hands and nervously staring at her feet.
I reached out and took her hand, feeling her anxiety and needing to help ease her worries in any way that I could.
The whiplash I was getting from tonight was wearing on me, but now that I knew where I stood with my mates and pack leaders, I was far more at ease.
"What's wrong?" I questioned when she just gaped at me.
Her cheeks blushed with embarrassment. "Oh, right, well, that's what I was coming to ask you.
I'm sorry if I did something to upset you.
That wasn't my intention. My sisters are always telling me that I'm nosy and impulsive.
I shouldn't have pressed you about what happened with Craig; if our alphas didn't think we needed to know, then I should trust that. "
I could feel the men around me watching her and coming to an understanding as to what had set me off.
"The learning curve of being an omega has been a little rough, and I learned tonight that I have to have some ground rules about interacting with the pack.
I'm also not very good at talking with people.
In my life before this, I didn't have friends or much control over my life, and it all just got a little overwhelming. "
"Ah, I see…" Katie offered with a nod. "Well, enjoy the rest of your night."
Watching her walk away, I let out a groan. "I suck at people-ing."