14. Finley
Finley
Elias was shuffling around the kitchen gathering things to make coffee when Rath and I entered. A presence came up behind me, but the scent of warm, fresh, clean laundry told me it was Lane who settled his hands on my hips.
Leaning down, he kissed me on the cheek before murmuring into my ear, “What sounds good for breakfast?”
“I’m really not a picky eater, so if there is something that sounds good to you, I’ll happily eat it,” I assured him.
He gave me a look like he didn’t really believe me but nodded all the same, heading for the refrigerator and pulling supplies out of it.
Soon the scent of coffee filled the air and there was something about it that made me feel at peace.
Here I was in my home with my mates, living life together as if the world wasn’t out to get me, settling something in my soul.
It was as if they refused to let anything ruin our life together.
Something I never thought I’d have was now sitting right in front of me—a family.
The rest of the guys showed up moments later, all dressed in jeans and T-shirts for the day. Mason went right over and started to help Lane with breakfast while the others gathered around the island. A coffee cup was set before me, and it had a swirl of whipped cream on it, making me smile.
“What’s this?” I asked Elias.
“It’s nothing fancy, just my version of a poor man’s mocha,” Elias said, heading back to pour himself a cup.
Realization dawned on me that he served me first, but my wolf was more enamored with the fact he remembered we liked sweet things.
Tentatively I took a sip, and the taste of chocolate swirled around my tongue, making me hum with happiness.
The contrast of the cool whipped cream and the hot coffee, paired with the creamy chocolate and milk, made for the perfect combination.
“Thank you, Elias, this is amazing,” I told him with a wide smile.
Elias’s lips twitched in his version of a smile. It seemed his shocking personality changed from yesterday now that he was more settled now that we were mated.
The biggest difference was that I could now catch a glimpse of his true emotions hidden under all his gruff, and he was extremely pleased that I was enjoying his offering. Even his wolf was puffed up that he had provided something tasty for his mate.
Lane and Mason ended up making a massive batch of cheesy eggs, bacon, and toast, keeping it simple. Everything was brought to the table and Zander made sure to pile a plate full of food before setting it in front of me.
“While I admire the fact you seem to be so willing to serve our mate, I have the feeling there is something I’m missing,” Rath interjected.
“It’s an omega thing. They either have to be gifted food or go last. We’ve found it’s easier to just provide for Finley first. Then we don’t have to worry about making sure there is some left for her,” Colt explained.
“It also seems to go better when one of us alpha’s gift the meal to her as well instead of one of the others.
If we’re not here, then they can, but to be honest, it makes our wolves feel like better mates knowing we cared for our mate, so we are happy to do it. ”
“That makes sense,” Rath mused, then turned to look at me. “Have you noticed things changing now that you’ve come into your elf nature?”
I nodded with a mouth full of food that I quickly swallowed.
“The biggest thing is that my wolf isn’t in charge of things as much.
My magic seems to settle her if she gets upset about something and allows me to push past her hang-ups.
Alpha’s being around is the biggest trigger to my wolf being stronger.
When I was just on my own with you, Rath, I didn’t have as much trouble.
The moment I’m back around wolves or even just an alpha, it seems to strengthen that part of me too. ”
“Interesting,” Noah mused. “Do you think it’s because you still have to obey every order an alpha gives you?”
Pausing a moment to look at all of them, I considered whether this was something I should keep to myself. Then I shook my head, realizing that was my assassin brain talking. These men were not to be feared or second-guessed. Letting them know I could break an order would be wise.
“Actually, it seems that isn’t the case anymore,” I shared, looking down at my plate.
When nobody spoke, I looked up at them, and it was as if they were waiting for me to continue. They didn’t seem bothered by the fact they didn’t have power over me or that the order Cole had given me yesterday might not stick.
“I still feel the pressure to give in to your demands, but I also know that if I really wanted to, I could break them,” I continued. “While it feels better to submit to you all as mates and alphas, I now have the option to fight back and stand my ground.”
Colt flashed me a smile which surprised me. He was the one that I was worried about being the most upset about this knowledge since he wouldn’t have the ability to keep me safe the way he wanted to.
“Little one, I can’t tell you how relieved I am to hear you’ve gained back some of your autonomy.
I’m sure as we work through things, there will be even more balance between your wolf and elf natures,” Colt assured me before his face shifted into a more somber tone.
“Would you be up to telling us more about what happened after you rescued the supers and left the house?”
I set my fork down, knowing I wasn’t going to be able to eat as I walked them through this. So much of it I didn’t understand myself, and that alone scared me. “Rath got shot during the altercation with Blakley.”
“Multiple shots to the chest,” Rath added.
“I knew I was bleeding out, and if something didn’t happen right away, I would have died, but I had a gut feeling that Finley could save me.
” The others looked confused after Rath shared this information.
“I knew she was my mate when we locked eyes, but she hadn’t claimed me yet at this point. ”
“Are you saying that Finley saved you?” Noah pressed.
“Yes.” Rath lifted his shirt to show there wasn’t even a mark left. “I’m healed to perfection and even some of my old wounds are as well.”
The guys gaped at me, eyes wide with amazement as they took in his meaning.
Clearing my throat, I told them the next part, “Not only can I heal wounds, I changed a vampire back into being a human.”
Zander shot to his feet, knocking the chair out from under him, hands planted on the table. “You did what? When the fuck were you attacked by vampires? Is it possibly the same one who came after you here? Why didn’t you tell us this sooner!”
“Zander,” Lane snapped. “Sit. Down.”
Zander flicked his gaze over to Lane and then back to me before taking a moment to right his chair and take a seat.
“I’m sure Finley will tell us what happened if you give her the chance,” Noah added, giving me a reassuring smile. “You know he acts like an idiot because he cares, right?”
“Clearly, he was dropped on his head as a child and doesn’t know how to deal with his emotions right,” Mason muttered, shoving a strip of bacon in his mouth.
“Anyway,” Lane interrupted, turning back to me. “As you were saying, sweetheart.”
“Once I healed Rath, we needed to get out of there and somewhere safe. Miami just so happened to be one of the places where I stashed things I needed. Florida was a state I worked in fairly often, so I knew places to hide out. When we got to the building where there used to be a safe house for the Organization, Rath and I discovered it was overrun by vampires. A coven had set up there, feeding off the homeless and druggies passed out in the streets. They knew I was a wolf, but they couldn’t tell what Rath was.
They decided they didn’t care and attacked.
Between us both, we managed to take out all four of them.
While I was dealing with the last vampire, I lost my knife and couldn’t get a good hold on him.
My magic ran wild, and so I used it to defend myself.
In doing so, I changed him back to a human.
I was in shock about the whole thing, but Rath kept his senses and finished him off,” I concluded.
Rath reached out and took my hand, pulling it to his lips.
“There was no other option. We needed to make sure your secret is kept hidden. The Dark Ring is after you now because of being an omega and we don’t really understand the Senate’s involvement either.
What I do know is, if the Senate found out you could reverse something like that with your healing powers, they would kill you.
Or steal and lock you away to use as they see fit for their own purposes. ”
“Have you noticed anything else about your powers?” Zander asked, his voice betraying how he wasn’t as calm as he was trying to appear.
“According to what Rath has been telling me, they seem to be far stronger than most elves he’s seen. That’s why I was able to put you in a healing sleep last night without me even knowing it,” I added.
The guys just seemed to sit with that information for a moment, with no one saying anything.
I could tell through their emotions that no one knew how to feel about this.
A few of them were scared for me, while one or two of them felt unsettled.
I didn’t know if that was because of me or if they felt uncomfortable with my powers.
Just like any other natural skill, my power was a part of who I am.
I had magic that was innate to me. I didn’t need a spell or materials to be able to perform whatever magical feats I wanted to, unlike witches.
Witches as a whole weren’t looked kindly on since they sold their potions and talismans to anyone willing to pay for them, no questions asked.
This led to witches having been given the most rules on how they could practice their magic since it could be so easily misused by others.