“You’re on thin ice.”
He smiled, resting his head on my shoulder instead. Finch’s hand shot out, and I snickered as he knocked Kaos right off. Finch tugged me tight to his chest, and I inhaled a deep breath of his rich scent.
So much had just gone wrong, and we had a huge headache to sort out. But for right now, I could hide away from it all in the arms of my alphas.
EIGHTY-SIX
FINCH
I woke to the smell of roses and vanilla, and a bundle of warmth in my arms. I breathed in deeply, needing more of the scent. It was rich and dark right now, hints of sugar and spice in a garden grown wild. Vivid and vibrant, the smell of beauty and life.
Tugging it closer, I felt soft skin and the brush of hair against my cheek. I must have been dreaming because nothing had ever been this peaceful. I’d never felt this weightless.
The shape in my arms shifted, and I opened my eyes a crack. We were somewhere dark, with a faint glow coming from some twinkling lights above us, and I was curled up together with my omega.
I swallowed as I looked down at her face, flushed with a faint pink hue, her lips slightly parted as she slept. A single curl was stuck to her lips, and I reached down and tucked it behind her ear.
She stirred, blinking up at me. For a moment, a smilestirred on her face, transforming her into a creature of ethereal beauty. But the next second, she had focused on me, and her eyes narrowed.
She sat up, her scent sharpening. “What the fuck were you thinking?”
I could barely focus on what she was saying, because she’d moved away and she was no longer in my arms. I tugged her closer again, frowning.
“Finch! Can you hear me?”
She was mad.
At me.
Suddenly, everything came crashing back.
The securement wing.
Ocean.
The Lucas pack and my…rut.
Oh no.
The memories didn’t get better. Laurel clinging to me through the tunnels, then coaxing me through filthy back passages.
Laurel’s anger morphed into alarm as I shoved away, backing up and away from her.
“Ocean—” I started.
“He’s all right. For now,” Laurel told me, her face softening.
Kaos popped up beside her, looking at me with concern. Shame rose in me like a wave, threatening to overwhelm me. I bowed my head, my shoulders sagging. My breathing was coming in sharp pants. I was supposed to be their shield, and yet I’d cracked and broken, exposing our weakness to the world.
“I failed.” I peered down at my trembling hands.
“Hey,” Laurel said, scooting closer. “It’s okay.”
“You don’t understand,” I said, not even able to look at her.
“All right. Then help me,” she said patiently, sitting back a bit.
I let out a breath, looking between them. Kaos, at least, would understand. “It’s my duty to get us through this. As pack lead. And I failed all of us.” My voice cracked as my trembling hand came up to rest over my heart. “I was supposed to be our rock, and instead, I humiliated us in front of our enemies and our friends. I ruined our plans to free Ocean.”
