30. Kaia
Chapter Thirty
Kaia
I’m exhausted. The good kind. The kind that settles into my bones and makes everything feel warm and heavy and slow.
But I don’t want the night to end. Not even a little.
I linger near the back door as everyone starts to trickle back inside.
My shoulder brushes lightly against the frame, like if I move too fast, it will all disappear.
It’s ridiculous. I know it is.
It's just your Omega hormones, I tell myself firmly. Definitely not anything else.
Heat floods my cheeks. My thoughts move to my bottle of suppressants. I took one this morning. I’ve taken one every morning since I left.
They’re supposed to keep everything level. Keep my scent muted. Keep my body from doing anything unpredictable.
But lately, they haven’t felt as effective. Not around the pack.
Finn appears in the doorway behind me, still dripping slightly from the hot tub, and I feel the exact moment he notices me—the way his energy shifts from chaotic to focused, zeroing in on whatever he's picked up in my stillness.
He doesn't hesitate. Finn doesn't give me time to spiral.
He reaches for me immediately, pulling me into him like it is the most natural thing in the world.
"Want to sleep with me tonight?" he asks.
I look up at him and nod slowly, like I’m not entirely sure I’m allowed to say yes.
Finn's grin softens. "Want any of the others?" he asks gently. "Or just Omega time?"
I blink, and my brain stalls for a second.
Finn tilts his head slightly. "Honey," he says, softer now. "I wouldn't offer the guys if one, I didn't want you to sleep with them, or two, if they didn't want to sleep with you."
Heat floods my cheeks. My ears burn. My throat tightens as the words settle into me—they want me—and I have to look away for a second, overwhelmed by the simple, devastating truth of it.
"It's just sleep," he adds. "And if you get sick of their snoring, you tap me on the chest and we'll go to my room." A pause, then, "Actually, my room is a bit of a disaster, so we'll go to yours."
I laugh. I can’t help it.
Finn watches me for a second, really watches me, and something in his expression shifts. "I really want to kiss you right now," he says.
My heart stutters but I don’t overthink it or give myself time to panic. "Then do it, Finn."
He smiles, soft, different than usual. Then he leans in.
The kiss is gentle, warm—like sunlight breaking through clouds, soft and inevitable.
His lips taste like citrus and something sun-warmed, honey-sweet, and it's so perfectly him that I can almost smell the coconut and salt that clings to his skin.
My fingers curl lightly into his shirt without thinking, my body leaning into the moment instead of away from it, and I realize I'm tasting the essence of who he is—bright, warm, alive.
He holds me like I'm something precious and fragile, like this moment matters more than anything else in the world.
It’s soft and safe.
It’s everything.
And over too soon.
Finn pulls back slowly, watching me, and my cheeks burn.
"That was my first kiss," I admit quietly.
Finn blinks, then smiles again, wider this time. "Do not tell the Alphas," he says. "They'll get all Alpha-y about it."
I laugh softly.
"But," he adds, brushing his thumb lightly along my arm, "that was the best first kiss I've ever had."
My face flushes even deeper.
"Come on," he says, bright again. "Shower time, then cuddles."
I blink, and he pauses.
"Separate showers," he corrects quickly. "Well, I might go find an Alpha, and you're totally welcome to find an Alpha or Beta, but I'm assuming you want to shower alone."
I nod quickly.
He grins and says, "Come to the pack room when you're done."
The shower feels like a reset. Warm water, steam, and quiet.
I lean my head back against the tile for a second, letting the water run over me, letting everything catch up to me.
The ocean, the laughter. The way Lachlan held me in the water like I was something precious.
Jonas’s thumb brushing my arm. The kiss with Finn.
And Adrian—the way he took control and let me just be, for once.
Let me stop managing every detail, every breath, every moment.
My chest bloomed, warm and terrifying and impossible to ignore. "I didn't plan to stay," I whisper. I never planned to get attached. But somewhere along the way—between the salt water, being held like I mattered, and finally being seen for the first time—I did. Gods, I did.
I change into one of Lachlan's shirts, the fabric soft against my skin.
His scent wraps around me immediately—cedar and salt and something distinctly him—and my shoulders drop without my permission.
It's grounding in a way I didn't expect.
Stabilizing—like he's here even though he's not, like his presence is woven into the very threads of the fabric.
I sit on the edge of the bed for a second longer than I mean to, breathing him in, letting the scent settle something anxious in my chest. It's not suffocating or controlling.
It's just...safe. A physical reminder that I'm not alone anymore.
But before I can spiral, there's a knock. My head lifts. "Yeah?"
The door opens just a crack. Lachlan leans against the frame with that calm expression of his. "I've been sent to retrieve you," he says. "But if you need time, I can make up an excuse."
I shake my head quickly. "No, I want to." I pause. "Are you...and Jonas, and Adrian okay with this?"
Lachlan doesn’t hesitate. "More than okay, sweet girl."
My chest softens and my breathing evens.
"Come on," he says, holding out his hand. "Stop letting your brain decide everything."
I smile, then take his hand.
The pack room feels different tonight—warmer.
I step inside and stop, taking in the scene before me.
Finn is sprawled across Adrian, half his body completely on top of the Alpha, completely unbothered, eyes closed, like this is his natural state of existence.
Adrian looks up immediately, catching me staring.
He smiles softly. "Hey, how was the shower?"
"So amazing."
"Good." There’s a beat, then he says, "Come join."
Lachlan moves past me, pulling the covers back slightly for me. "Come on in," he says gently.
I slide into the bed carefully, trying not to disrupt anything. Lachlan climbs in after me, settling into my left, warm and steady, his presence grounding me without overwhelming.
I turn slightly, curling into him without thinking, my back now pressed against Adrian, who slips a hand around my waist. "Where's Jonas?" I ask softly.
"Shower," Adrian says. "His mom called and kept him for a while."
I nod.
Everything about this feels normal, which is still the strangest part. I relax slightly into Lachlan's side, my eyes starting to drift closed.
Then, just as I’m on the brink of sleep, I hear the creak door open and smell Jonas. Even though he’s a Beta, I can’t help but enjoy his scent: rain and ocean morning. He pads over to the bed and whispers, "May I join?"
I nod sleepily. I hear his soft chuckle as he climbs into bed.
Lachlan mumbles, "Go to sleep, sweet girl. You're safe."
And I am. For the first time in, well, forever, I truly believe it.