3. Finn

I knew she’d be hard work. The amount of guilt pulsing out of her before she folded to her sisters and agreed to stay had me feeling nauseous. 

So maybe she really does hate me. 

Or perhaps she is just a stubborn fool who won’t admit there is a reason we are mates? 

I barely slept last. Paced my way around the back of the packhouse long after the party ended. There isn’t much time to make this count. I need to spend time with her, somehow.

/We need to understand her, why has she hidden for so long/ Adamo suggests softly.

My wolf is always worth listening to. A huge ashy blonde beast, people assume like me, my wolf is purely built to kill. He’s actually a soft, caring, ponderous old soul. 

I’m a good guy too. If she hadn’t cut me off mid-sentence last night she would have known that. 

Halfway towards saying “I don’t want your guilt, shame and all that shit to steal anymore of your happiness away,” before she took me out. Swiping at me like I didn’t weigh three times more than her.

Mingled with Naomi’s guilt and fear was something else. Something warmer, firing flares across our divide. 

Whenever our eyes met, however briefly, there was something. So I’m going to keep going. 

One little dagger against my throat won’t convince me this bond isn’t worth fighting for. Not when I’ve waited this long. Worked through the darkness that once threatened to swallow me whole in her absence.

So bright and early in the morning I delegate my usual morning meetings down to Beta Sawyer and head straight to the Cragstone Packhouse.

/Alpha is she with you? Naomi, is she there?/

No response from Cillian. I’m taking that as a yes. My heavy boots thunder up the wooden steps. The door to his wood-panelled office, lined with bookcases, files and dark green curtains awaits. Alongside Luna Matilda, Naomi and Leona. Of course, the twins are wearing matching outfits. Leather trousers and hunter green vest tops. I purposely ignore Naomi.

A trio of displeased women and one annoyed Alpha. “Finn? Do you need something?” Cillian huffs..

“I’m concerned about the return of Naomi, Alpha. Out of the blue, unexplained-”

“What the hell do you mean by that!” Naomi squeaked but I didn’t even look her way. She can be pissed for now. 

“She’s come back unannounced. How do we know there isn’t something sinister about it?”

Luna Matilda glared at me. A first, considering she was the kindest woman on earth. “Because she’s my sister and I trust her with my life.”

“She could be blackmailed. Have we all forgotten how the war went down? Lies and secrets everywhere.”

Alpha Cillian stood up from his desk, his blue gaze severe. “Just what are you getting at here Finn?”

“Just suggesting that while Naomi is back, it would be sensible to make sure she…and everyone else is safe.”

“Well I’m heading straight to Rising Star with Leona actually, so don’t worry,” Naomi snaps as the prickle of her annoyance slides right under my ribcage, pressing just like that dagger she held to me last night. 

/Easy now/ Adamo urges.

I’ll take annoyance. Her fiery desire to overturn my plan. Far better than the dark guilt and moping grief she’s carrying around like a noose.

Clearing my throat I keep my face forward to my Alpha. “Then I travel with you.”

“What? Why!” Leona and Naomi announced in angry unison. I stand tall, my shoulders stretching a touch. Just knowing Naomi has eyes on me, even if it's in anger, is counting as a win for me. 

/She’s still in the room, not running off!/ as my wolf celebrates our scheme working. My mate suddenly snapped. “Tell me why the hell you need to start interfering!”

“Because I am sick of secrets. You are meant to be one of our head warriors Naomi, have you resigned? If you’re researching a traitor, as Head Beta I want to know. It’s not a personal mission, it’s a pack one.”

Leona interrupts, rolling her eyes. “Alpha, come on, surely we can just go to Rising Star. This is ridiculous.” Luna Matilda walks around the desk to Cillian, placing her small hand in his, her copper hair in a long delicate plait. Something is occurring.

Alpha Cilian, his mane of fox-like red hair and startling blue eyes looks back and forth at us all, as he mindlinks the eldest Kharkov sister. “Actually Finn raises good points-”

“I cannot believe this! It’s fucking insane!” Naomi starts but clearly she has been away too long. 

There was a time Alpha Cillian would tolerate being spoken to like that. Before the choices he had to make guaranteed the deaths of dozens of shifters in warfare. 

Before they almost lost their tiny Maya to the challenges of childbirth. The weeks of recovery it took Matilda saw the whole pack shaken. Guiding us out of crop failures, avoiding mass starvation at the same time. 

Alpha Cillian demands respect these days. 

“I’ll tell you why Finn is going with you. Because I’ve had a report from Nikolai this morning that Gustav’s body parts were scattered across the White Forest courtyard. Scattered. No note, no evidence. So not only have we failed to find him, someone bigger has decided to make a point.”

He inhales before concluding. “ The game has changed. We’re not in peacetime any longer.”

“He’s dead?” Leona and Naomi gasped. 

“That information doesn’t leave this room for now,” Cillian muttered, as Matilda held his hand tighter. 

“Finn, accompany them to Rising Star. Naomi, Leona follow his lead,” and when he lifts his chin, radiating authority, small silver scars across his neck reveal themselves. 

With a polite nod I take my win. “Thank you Alpha. Ladies, motorcycle or truck?”

I can feel her seething. /Very careful now/ Adamo warns. 

I certainly didn’t love her before our bond, that’s just how it goes sometimes. But I was always intrigued. 

“Bikes. Three of them. Now,” Naomi declares before turning on her heel, copper hair whipping. Leona followed, only just making it through the door before it bounced back off its hinges and slammed shut.

“If you push her too hard she’ll reject you, you know,” Luna Matilda says calmly. Every inch the queen, her long, gold and green gown is elegance personified. 

“I’m just listening to my wolf.”

“You didn’t really hook up with Diane did you? I know you’ve been kind of stranded…” Cillian checked, his blue eyes steady with concern.

“I didn’t, I got leapt on just as almost every Kharkov woman came to murder me.” but the roar of motorbike engines revving flooded the room. Cillian tutted and stood up, walking around the desk to shake my hand. 

“These books are our only shot at finding what the fuck Gustav was doing. Who protected him. Or used him. We cannot face another war.”

“I know Alpha. I won’t fuck it up,” as the roar of their shitty little engines deafened us all.

“Try to come back with at least one ball”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I joke before racing down to find two matching demons. Black leather jackets zipped over their curves. Two black, shining motocross bikes, ready to fly over the rough terrain. Two pairs of chocolate eyes glaring with disdain. 

Except Naomi’s flickered yellow. /Not one hundred percent disdain then/ Adamo crowed.

My stomach received a flash of hot, fiery irritation, so I made sure to give an extra cheerful smile. Angry is better than wallowing. “One second!” before sprinting a few streets back to the engine shed where Beta Sawyer has already prepped my ride. 

His blonde hair and icy blue eyes are at odds with the oil and grime covering the shed. Bikes, trucks and everything in between all come under his maintenance.

My huge frame means I’m not made for the nimble trail bikes. I have an adapted quad bike now. My huge legs straddle the seat as I give it a powerful burst of power, probably giving everyone over age of sixty a minor heart attack. I rumble to the front of the wooden packhouse as Leona and Naomi stop talking, turn to face me and roll their eyes in unison. 

Game on. Naomi has met her match. 

I’ll try every option in the book to make her open her eyes to what we could be.

I want to feel sparks. Allow desire to overtake all sense. I want the powerhouse vixen who can run rings around any man. 

It’s waiting for us. A life and a shitload of happiness. For now, there is an invisible divide wedging our wolves apart. 

But I’ll never reject her. The Goddess knows I’m meant to brighten her world in some way. Just as she is meant to illuminate mine. 

When the blonde, bearded Beta Riley, his long hair braided intricately into whirls, steps in front of our group Leona floors it. He yells in confusion as I wave an apology, hitting full speed to catch the girls as they high-tail it out of Cragstone.

Unfortunately by the time we arrive at Rising Star my poor quad bike is barely holding together. I might have won a point at the packhouse, but they crucified me on the drive. 

Every opportunity to jump a tree trunk or set of roots they took it, flying with ease on their springy little machines. Firing filth back at me if I got too close.

My quad took the jumps, but fuck me, it rattled, my lovely machine made sounds I’ve never heard before. Thankfully the grim stone castle of Rising Star is being transformed. 

Last time I visited, claw marks, blood and gore stained the walls. Now it’s a building site. The long, grey stone entrance hall is covered in scaffolding and bustling craftsmen.

Alpha Zeke and Luna Freya refused to live here after the war. They have a stone, purple wisteria covered packhouse in a nearby village. This echoing tomb of a building is going to become a university. Open to any shifter from any pack.

After I gingerly dismount, I notice Naomi and Leona stood together grinning. “That was fun wasn’t it?” Naomi smirks, her brown eyes flashing with colour, her rounded cheeks threatening to look almost cute.

“It felt like an assassination attempt,” I groaned, stretching my arm and shoulder muscles out, fully aware of Naomi watching every move. Like I said, I’ll use every tactic I can to break that wall down.

“Maybe you should hang back and take the roads on your little granny wagon next time?” she smirked.

“If you wanted to race me-”

“No, I want you to not ruin this nice building. You’re covered in mud,” pointing a finger up and down my puddle-soaked frame.

“Nice of you to notice,” as her gaze flicks from my thighs to my eyes and a blush races up her neck. 

Leona has no time for my wit and starts knocking on the wooden doors. “Let’s get moving. Come on. Then we can head back.” Adamo growls with discontent at being interrupted, Naomi remains upbeat.

“They’ve finally broken Rising Stars code, for their most private records. So come on!” Naomi snaps before striding off down the corridor ahead of me.  

When I notice the way her black leather trousers hug her ass with pure venom it’s clear I’m not the only one playing mind games. 

Pushing my luck, I lick my lips and imagine my hands cupping the rounded cheeks. Squeezing and making her eyes flush sunflower yellow. I imagine how she might whisper my name in my ear. It’s scary how easily that image comes to mind. 

Two years of keeping a lid on any kind of desire will do that I guess. 

I begged Adamo and he agreed not to show me the life I was missing out on. My dreams became black voids instead of replaying the moment she decided to run from me.

It was already shit enough seeing Leona and Aria every day. 

Yet right now, how urgently my cock twitches for the tight, leather-clad ass of a woman I’ve not even kissed or exchanged a kind word with, is threatening to send me hurtling into the unknown.

When she suddenly trips up over nothing halfway down the corridor I offer a light “Careful there!” knowing it’s my thoughts that made her knees tremble.