10. Finley
Finley
There weren’t words to describe the feeling I had while sitting in the car with three alpha males, but the only description that came remotely close was a soul-deep sense of safety.
I’d never once experienced this, but it was more than a feeling—it was as if I’d always been missing a piece of my life that I never knew was gone—until now.
The instant I locked eyes on them, I knew I was in so much trouble.
One, because I wasn’t going to want to leave them, and two, they would want to coddle me and put me in a protective bubble.
I could kill a man with only the prick of a needle, but now I'd be nothing more than a wilting flower in their eyes.
“I’m sorry things went down like that on our first meeting, Finley,” Colt murmured as he rubbed a hand up and down my back.
It was so soothing; along with his evergreen scent wrapping around me, I was put into a daze that wasn’t entirely comfortable. My omega side was pleased beyond measure at this attention, but the independent assassin that I’d been for the past twenty-five years was irritated.
I might crave their protection, but I didn’t need it.
Before that diner owner had even thought about pulling his shotgun on these men, I’d known it was there.
That was why I’d chosen to sit in the corner, so I could keep an eye on whoever walked in and out.
I was a trained soldier, and I remembered my lessons even while scrambling to keep myself together inside.
Would these alphas still want to hold me, comfort me, once they figured out what I was?
Having an assassin in their pack could change a lot of things for them and provide a level of protection they’d never had before—at least if they let me be me.
Should I keep silent and just let them assume what they would about me, or did I take a risk and tell them the truth?
Lane turned in his seat, looking back at me with a soft smile on his face.
He had warm brown eyes that held flecks of gold, adding an interesting depth to them.
His hair was covered with a baseball cap, but I could see light brown strands peeking out around it.
With the slight accent he had and the style of clothing he wore, I guessed he was originally from somewhere in the South.
Not quite a true Texas cowboy, but he had that Southern charm about him.
“Were you able to eat before we arrived?” Lane asked.
The need to please him was far stronger in person, but I fought against the instinct and chose to answer with a simple nod.
Some of the urge dissipated, the nonverbal response taking the edge off.
I was too afraid to open my mouth, not trusting what would come out.
How much I was willing to tell them? Knowing that I was going to be part of their pack for the rest of my life didn’t mean they needed to learn everything about me right away.
I had a gut feeling that right now might not be the time to drop certain bombshells.
My assassin’s instincts were still stronger than my werewolf, and they had kept me alive this long, so I didn’t see the point in ignoring them.
“If you’re still hungry, let me know. We can easily stop somewhere to pick something up along the way,” Lane assured.
Zander, the largest of the three, let out a low growl. “We are not feeding her fast-food shit; she deserves good home-cooked meals. Nothing but the best will pass her lips if I have anything to say about it.”
I knew who Zander was—he was far too famous a super for the Organization not to know about him—and it wasn’t just because he was a very talented singer.
He’d managed to do well in hiding his family connection, choosing to do things on his own without their influence, but the Organization’s reach went far. It was hard to keep secrets from them.
Everything about him was imposing, and to have him sharing the small space with me was overwhelming my omega nature.
When he tossed that table out of his way and squatted in front of me, I’d been unable to move, trapped by his silver eyes and the heady scent of whiskey and leather.
He was bulky, with muscles threatening to burst from his shirt each time he moved.
I could tell he liked the finer things, from the fabric of his clothes to the watch he wore on his wrist. He kept his hair buzzed short, and since it was so blond, it almost looked like he kept it shaved to the scalp.
I could feel him watching me in the rearview mirror, but I refused to meet his gaze to prove that I wasn’t going to be a pushover.
Then a purring hum filled the car, and I instantly locked on to his eyes, instinctively knowing that he was the one producing the tantalizing sound.
His silver eyes glittered with triumph, pleased he’d gotten me to look at him.
“Little dove, tell me—how did you end up out here at one of Delilah’s parties?” Zander asked, even though I knew he wasn’t really giving me the choice not to answer.
Licking my lips, I took a moment to decide what my next move was going to be, but it seemed they didn’t want to give me an option.
“I don’t know who this Dalilah person is but if an alpha asks you a question, Finley, you answer it” Colt pointed out as his hold on me tightened, turning me to face him. “We understand this is new to you, but let this be your first lesson—alphas are always to be answered.”
Emotions warred inside of me. I wanted to refuse them to show them I couldn’t be manipulated, but my omega side was begging for me to give in.
“I was there to kill her,” I blurted, unable to fight against the command in Colt’s voice.
The car went silent at my answer, and I quickly darted my eyes between them, taking in their expressions.
Lane was shocked to the point his mouth was hanging open, and Zander seemed intrigued, but Colt was the hardest to read.
I saw a flash of surprise followed by a wave of anger.
I innately knew he wasn’t angry with me, but it was still hard to handle while being so close to him, causing me to shake a little.
“Did the Senate send you?” he asked through clenched teeth.
Tilting my head, I thought about that question. “Yes and no. I’m an assassin for someone else—was an assassin—but the Senate hired my company to do the job they couldn’t.”
“Did you finish the job?” Zander inquired.
“No,” I answered, letting my eyes fall to my hands. “I wasn’t given proper information, and the situation I found myself in devolved too quickly.”
This seemed to upset all three of them, and I started to panic at the thought that they would be upset with me for my failure. Closing my eyes, I took a few deep breaths and tried to calm my new rioting emotions.
“Allow me to make this clear,” I stated, needing to prove my worth.
“In my twenty-five years in this profession, I’ve never failed to finish a job.
I do not plan on letting this one be any different.
She is the key. Through her, I’ll be able to find out the identities of the others in her radical-minded group and present that to the Senate.
I will find her, and I will end her—just as I have been asked to do. ”
“Not gonna happen, sweetheart. There’s no way we’ll ever allow you to hunt down someone who’s known for abusing and killing supers.
Not to mention that she had Cory, and it’s Colt’s place to seek revenge for his death,” Lane informed me, putting an end to that discussion.
“Now, I want you to rest. The full moon is only three days away, and too much stress before your first shift could cause problems. We can’t have you changing early in the plane or someplace we can’t manage your reactions. ”
I fought against the urge to release a frustrated huff, knowing they wouldn’t like it. Seemed I was going to have to do this job on my own after all. I refused to give up so easily.
As if sensing my mood, Colt tucked me in tighter against him and wrapped a blanket around me that carried the same scent as Lane—fresh warm laundry.
Then he started to comb his fingers through my hair, and his chest rumbled with a deep, bone-rattling purr that made me melt.
Within moments, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to fight against the urge to slip into slumber, so I stopped trying.
I felt myself being lifted and shifted into another set of arms, waking me up.
Cracking open my eyes, I found Lane’s gaze meeting mine with a look of such rapture and devotion it shocked me.
These men knew nothing about me. How could they look at me that way?
Was this a wolf thing? Could an omega’s scent really have that much of a pull that it made alphas such as these fall to their knees?
Would work on betas and other wolves of the pack as well?
My mind wandered to how that could be useful that way if I continued on as an assassin. It would be so easy to render someone into compliance with nothing more than my presence. I would be in hardly any danger… as long as they were werewolves, anyway.
Lane’s eyes narrowed as he watched me. “Why do I get the feeling that I won’t like what you’re thinking?”
Quickly, I wiped my face of all expression, surprised that I had been giving so much away. “Seems we have a lot to learn about each other,” I whispered, tucking my head under his chin so he couldn’t look at me.
Lane gave a noncommittal grunt as he walked aboard the private plane.
Squirming, I tried to get out of the blanket in hopes I would be set down on my own two feet, and Lane begrudgingly let me go, tossing the blanket on top of a pile of pillows, more blankets, and some clothing.
Zander was up by the cockpit, talking to the pilot, and Colt was coming up the steps with what looked like bags of food.
Slowly, I walked down the length of the jet, peeking behind doors to find a bathroom on one side and a very well-packed liquor cabinet on the other.
“Do you drink?” Zander asked from where he’d tried to sneak up behind me.
I turned and looked up at him with a shrug. “With my job, it’s frowned upon to eat, drink, or smoke anything that would impair my ability to perform well. Occasionally, I’ve needed to drink to play a part, but it’s not something that I indulge in.”
Zander cocked his head as he studied me with so many questions floating around behind his gaze. “Tell me, how does the nature of an omega mix with being an assassin?”
“Not well so far,” I answered, my shoulders drooping with my sigh. “I can’t tell if the fight between my dual natures will be easier or worse once I have my first shift. The omega instinct is so strong already... I can’t imagine what it’ll be like after the transformation is complete.”
Zander reached out and gripped the back of my neck, using his thumb to brush against my cheek comfortingly.
“You won’t have to do this on your own; we’ll be there every step of the way.
It’ll help settle your wolf nature once we’re back on pack lands, knowing you’re safe and home. The rest will come with time.”
“We’re ready for takeoff,” the pilot called back.
Using the hand he had on my neck, he pulled me to him and scooped me up before he plopped me in a seat, securing my seatbelt before taking the chair next to me.
“I am able to do these things on my own, you know,” I ventured, a smile tugging at my lips.
“Did she just make a joke?” Colt asked, looking up from his phone. He smiled at me, his eyes dancing with humor, making me feel all warm inside. I was pleased that I’d done that, given him a smile amount of happiness.
“I would count that as a joke,” Lane agreed, giving me a bright smile.
With a halfhearted growl, Zander turned away from me. “Makes me feel better to know I did it.” It would appear that this was a new development for Zander, seeing how uncomfortable he was about it.
Reaching over, I gently placed my hand on his arm, causing him to snap his attention to the contact, then to me. “Thank you.”
With another grunt, he took my hand in his and laced our fingers together before looking back out the window.
Once we were up in the air and able to move around, the guys unbuckled and moved to various spots around the plane with laptops or a book.
It appeared that they might be trying to give me a little space, but they didn’t look all that happy about it.
I was grateful for it though, not at all used to being overwhelmed with so many different emotions.
Getting up from my seat, I wandered over to the pile of things that was set in the corner near the most open part of the plane.
I grabbed the first pillow, giving it a slight squeeze, and was hit with the scent of evergreen and fresh mountain air that instantly told me it was Colt’s, and I also found a blanket that smelled like him.
Kneeling next to the pile, I sorted everything out by scent, interested to see what else I might find, especially when I caught whiffs of unknown males in the mix.
Before I knew what was happening, I had my face in a pillow that had a sharp tang of sea salt followed by undertones of citrus.
I could feel the pull from my omega senses, telling me this wolf needed me.
He was in so much emotional pain. Instinctually, I knew that I would be able to soothe him and ease this pain of his if I could spend some time with him.
Keeping the pillow in my lap, I grabbed a sweatshirt and pulled it on over my t-shirt, loving the fact that I was surrounded by the warm scent of chocolate and hazelnuts.
I took a deeper sniff and caught the hint of coffee somewhere in the mix, leading me to pounce on the remaining items and burrow through them to find out if there was more of that somewhere in here.
Sure enough, I found a shirt to curl up with, letting the coffee and cinnamon envelop me as I lay in a pile of comforting scents.
I didn’t know how I knew this, but there was no question—these were my pack, my wolves.