Chapter 4
Chapter Four
FINNEGAN
“ W ell, why don’t we get you on your feet, lass?” I stand, pulling her up as I do.
She’s at least half a foot shorter than me, curvy as omegas are—though it’s harder to tell since she’s covered in the jacket.
Stop checking out the omega. She’s taken.
What the hell is wrong with me?
Mere moments ago, I was practically in tears because I lost my ma, and now I’m drooling over an omega I can’t have.
Talk about whiplash.
“Now, tell me what happened, omega?” I silently berate myself for using her designation instead of her name. “Sorry, I mean Alora. How did you get separated from your pack?”
She leans into me, and my eyes widen, but who am I to deny an omega seeking comfort from an alpha? Even though she just met him and he could be a serial killer for all she knows.
Not that I’m a serial killer. I could never.
I’m just glad she ran across me and not another alpha. As much as I’d like to think the best of my fellow alphas, I know there are some real assholes out there. There are alphas—and betas and omegas—who would take advantage of the situation Alora has found herself in.
“I had to use the bathroom. We’d just passed one of the bathrooms—I mean toilets—so I told them to keep going while I ran back really quickly.”
Rage rushes through me. “And your alphas just left you?”
Her shoulders straighten as she frowns up at me. “Alpha and beta, actually, and of course they did. I don’t know how things work in your world, but in mine, I have the capacity to make my own decisions. I can take care of myself.”
Instead of responding, I just lift my eyebrows, and she makes a face.
“Okay. I can usually take care of myself. I just got turned around. Obviously, I went the wrong way. I thought I knew where I was going, but the next thing I knew, I was lost.” She pulls her cell phone out of her pocket.
“My phone is dead—not that there’s much service out here.
That’s why my phone is dead because it spent so long looking for service.
Just sitting in the middle of the path crying wasn’t going to help me find them, so I kept walking. ”
“While crying? That sounds like a recipe for disaster. Could you even see where you were going?”
Her bottom lip pokes out slightly as she wrinkles her nose. “Kind of. Not that I needed to see where I was going. I was just trying to find someone who could help me, and look, I found you.”
“And what if I were a serial killer, lass? What if I had killed you the moment you found me? Or took advantage of your vulnerability?”
“Are you planning to?”
I frown. “Well, no. ”
“Then what does it matter?” She pulls away from me, hands going to her hips. “Are you going to help me or not?”
“Of course, I’m going to help you, lass. I just need you to understand that this wasn’t a good plan. Anything could’ve happened to you.”
Alora waves me off. “But it didn’t. Now, if you could stop going all alpha on me and help me, that would be amazing.”
I bite back a smile. Going all alpha on her?
Yeah, I guess that’s what I was doing, wasn’t it?
“Aye, let’s do that. Do you remember which path you and your pack took?”
She glares. “If I had known that, I would’ve found them already.”
I’m not sure she would’ve, but I’m not stupid enough to say that out loud. “Right. Okay, do you know where your pack was heading?”
“We were going back to the car. It’s getting late, and we didn’t want to get caught out here when the sun sets.”
“At least your pack isn’t complete eejits.” I hold my hands up in surrender when she turns back to me with a glare, eyes finding the falling sun behind her head. “Sorry. Let’s head back to the parking lot. We should have enough time to get there before the sun goes down.”
Alora bites her lip. “But what if they’re not in the parking lot? What if they’re still searching the forest for me?”
“Then they’re eejits,” I tell her with a shake of my head. “I assume they’re American as well?”
“Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?”
“It means that none of you know this park. The smart thing to do would be to head to the parking lot and call the park rangers.” I offer her my hand. “Which is exactly what we’ll do if they’re not waiting for us. My phone is in my car.”
She considers me for a moment before laying her hand in mine. “Thank you. For helping me, and for not being a complete asshole.”
I smirk. “That’s always my goal in life—not to be a complete asshole.”
She mumbles under her breath, and I don’t catch it all, but it sure the hell sounds like she says something about hot, brutish Scotsmen.
My smirk grows into a genuine smile, but I keep my head facing forward as I start back down the path, pulling her with me.
She stumbles over her feet for a moment before settling in at my side. “So, you and your pack are here for vacation?”
“Umm…yeah. Although we probably could’ve picked a warmer month.” Alora giggles, and my smile only grows.
I love her giggle.
Damn it, man. Get your shit together. She has a pack.
“At least you didnae choose December or January. It’s even colder then.” I glance down at her, only to find her staring at me. “Are you celebrating anything, or is it just a regular vacation?”
She flushes, ducking her head. “It’s a pre-heat vacation. We’re…uh…planning to try to get pregnant.”
I bite the inside of my cheek as the image of the beauty beside me, swollen with a child—my child.
Fuck. That’s hot.
“But you’re so young," I respond after a long moment of silence.
She giggles again. “Not as young as you’d think. I’m twenty-five.”
“Aye, lass. Young. I’m forty-two. I’m practically ancient compared to you.”
Way too fucking young for me to be imagining myself with her .
Especially since she already has a pack.
“No, you’re not.” She shakes her head. “Age is just a number. Once we hit twenty-one, it means nothing. It’s just arbitrary. A reminder that with each year we’re that much closer to death.”
I wince, pain lancing through my chest.
“I’m sorry… Did I say something?”
I try to force a smile as I stare down at Alora, but I just can’t manage it. “I’m sorry. Death isn’t a great topic for me right now. My ma passed away a few hours ago.”
She gasps as she comes to a stop and throws her arms around me. “Oh! You poor thing. I’m so sorry for your loss. I lost my mom when I was young. I doubt it gets any easier as we get older.”
I shouldn’t return her hug, but I can’t seem to help myself. I like the feel of her in my arms, and I allow myself the comfort as she lets out a soft purr.
I don’t know how long we stay like that, but eventually, I pull away with a jerk. “We should probably continue before we lose the light. It’s darker under the canopy of trees.”
She looks like she wants to argue, but I start back down the path. Moments later, her hand slips into mine once more, and I have to bite back a smile.
“Do you want to tell me about her? Your ma, I mean?” She wrinkles her nose. “You can tell me to fuck off if you don’t want to talk about it, but sometimes it’s nice to talk about the ones we’ve lost.”
“I’m not sure how much I can,” I admit. “It’s still so fresh, but I can try.”
She beams up at me, and my heart feels like it flips in my chest.
Fuck .
What I wouldn’t give to have an omega I call my own to look at me like she is right now.
Tearing my eyes away from her, I face forward once more.
“She was strict, but she loved me so much. I know she hoped for more kids, but it just wasn’t in the cards for her.
It just meant she had more love for me, and she was always adopting my friends.
Half of my graduating class called her Ma.
I never minded sharing her with others. She had so much love to give, and not all of them knew that kind of love.
I never doubted how much she and my da loved me. ”
“My dad is the same way. He and my mom were always adopting my friends when I was a kid. Dad continued after my mom died.”
I hesitate. “How old were you when she died?”
“Umm…seven. Yeah, seven. She was in a car accident—she died on impact. It was hard, but it got easier as I got older. My dad helped a lot. He always made sure I knew how much she loved me and how much he loved me. He still calls me at least once a week to tell me he loves me.”
“That’s sweet.” I frown. “I wish I would’ve called my ma more often to tell her I loved her.”
“She knew. They always do. You’ll always wish for things to be different, but you can’t change the past. All you can do is move on into the future. That’s what she would want for you.”
I chuckle, finally bringing my gaze back to her. “I’m aware—she told me as much. Can I tell you a secret?”
“Oh, I love secrets. Please do.”
“Okay, but this has to stay a secret—at least for two weeks. You can tell your pack, but no one else.” I don’t know why I’m trusting a stranger with this information, but she doesn’t feel like a stranger. When she nods, I continue. “I was on a reality dating show called?— ”
“ Heated! That’s why you look so familiar.” Alora grins up at me. “I love that show.”
“Of course you do. I got the phone call that my ma was sick—apparently she’s been sick for a few months, but she didnae want to worry me.
She’d taken a turn for the worst and was in the hospital.
I tried to leave right then, but he told me no because that’s what my ma said to tell me.
A few days later, he called again to tell me I needed to come straight home. ”
She lifts her hand to her mouth. “Oh, no! So you had to leave Bree behind!”
I nod. “I did, but that’s okay. We weren’t meant to be. I think we both knew it, but weren’t ready to admit it. This happening forced us to admit it. But that’s the first thing my ma asked me about. I think she was hoping she’d get to see me mated before she passed.”
“But she didn’t.” Tears sparkle in Alora’s eyes, making her even more beautiful. “That’s so sad.”
“Yeah. I always hated to disappoint her, but this hit harder since I knew she wouldn’t be alive to meet my mate if I ever meet her myself.”
“You didn’t disappoint her,” she says vehemently.
“She wouldn’t have wanted to see you settle for someone who isn’t right for you.
She might not be able to meet them, but I like to imagine that our loved ones still get a front-row seat to our lives even after they’re gone.
That way, I know my mom gets to see everything I’ve accomplished.
I don’t like to brag, but it’s been a lot. ”
I laugh again. “I like that idea. That way, even if she doesn’t get to meet her, she’ll get to see her. And really, how much can you have accomplished at the ripe old age of twenty-five?”
“You doubt me?” She pokes me in the side with her free hand, still smiling.
“I graduated high school two years early. I started college at sixteen and got my bachelor’s when I was nineteen.
Then my PhD when I was twenty-three. And met my pack when I was eighteen—just a few months after I revealed as an omega. ”
I ignore the mention of her pack. I don’t want to think about that right now. Especially since that means she’s been with them for seven years.
“I’ll admit that’s impressive. I didnae get my MD until I was twenty-eight.”
“You’re a doctor?”
“I’m a psychiatrist, but aye, I’m a doctor. But you knew that, didnae you? I thought you said you watched Heated .”
She shakes her head. “I did know that. I just forgot. A sexy doctor with a Scottish brogue. I don’t understand how you’re still single.”
I shrug, ignoring the way her words make me flush. “I couldn’t tell you.”
“I guess they just didn’t know what they were missing. It’s okay. You’ll find the omega for you.” She pats my arm, and my stomach drops.
I have to get my shit together.
She has a pack—of course she’s not interested in me.
All she needs me for is to get her back to her pack, and I’m damn well going to make sure that happens.