Hunter stepped into the conversation finally: “We need every detail from when you were taken to the moment we appeared.” The fury he’d barely contained since they’d arrived finally boiled over. I tried not to feel bothered that unlike the last time I was attacked, he hadn’t touched me once since they’d tracked me down.
Subconsciously, a part of me had been waiting for a dose of the entitled alpha’s claiming touch. A part of me needed it to right my omega and beast.
“I'll tell you everything I know, but I was unconscious for a lot of it.”
As uneasy as it was to remain here, lingering on the edge of our enemy’s house, this information was important. I didn’t want to have to run from my mom’s pack for the rest of my life, and now that they knew of my existence and city affiliation, they’d come after me again. No doubt they wanted to use my power the same way they’d used mom’s. Which I could never let happen.
I needed the alphas’ help.
Kellan stroked my back in a soothing rhythm as I started to explain: “It was my mom’s old pack: the Rogers pack. Blaine is the entitled alpha, and then there’s Josiah, Donnie, and Hewie, all alphas as well. I don’t know anything else about them these days—I haven’t seen them since I was fourteen when they destroyed my mom and I took off. That was the last time I was around shifters until I was dragged to Golden Claw. Slade believes they found me through my registration with the cities, which makes sense.”
“What do they want with you?” Hunter asked, his expression unchanging, but I felt the surge in his energy.
“Most likely the same thing they wanted from my mom. To bond an omega and use me for their own gain.”
It was as much of the truth as I could reveal, without telling them everything they did to Mom—what they took from her, and the tragic ending that was the result.
Finley released a disparaging sound, and I found myself leaning to the side to see around Hunter and meet his glare. I’d spent most of our brief time together ignoring his moody, surly ass, but today I couldn’t hold back. “Do you have something to say, Finley Thornton? Let it all out, you big grouchy asshole.”
The handsome shifter’s face wasn’t drawn like Kellan’s or racked in worry like Hunter’s. He appeared to be the pinnacle of virility, and even dressed as he was, he gave off woodsman vibes with his light brown skin, shiny chestnut hair, and whiskey eyes.
I’d felt a connection to him from the first moment I stared into his fractured gaze, but his attitude was frankly starting to piss me off.
“Nothing of any importance to say,” he said calmy, showing no sign he was offended by being called an asshole. “It’s just hard to believe that you didn’t do anything to get yourself into this situation. You’ve been so determined to escape us, Ice Queen.” I started at the nickname, which was the first he’d ever given me. Typically, it was not a nice one.
He grinned, showing me all his perfect, white teeth. “Ah, that struck a nerve, did it? Well, Slade called you Snow, and it reminded me that you’re as cold and unforgiving as that element, and just as deadly.”
Even though I knew that wasn’t the reason for Slade’s nickname—his was actual perfection—I could see why Finley took it that way. As I’d said before, he was an asshole.
“Have I tried to escape though?” I shot back. “Think about it, meathead. In all the time I’ve been in Golden Claw, have I attempted evenonceto escape?”
The answer to that was no, and he couldn’t remotely argue it. I’d justified my lack of escape attempts in multiple ways: the alphas hadn’t been pushing me to bond; I needed to get a stash of cash together; it’d be easier once they trusted me and left me alone. But still, even with all of that, the number one reason was how good it felt to be with them. I’d been desperately consuming this pack and family life, all the while fearing the day it would come to an end.
“You might not have had an opportunity yet, but you’ve made it very clear that you want to leave. You haven’t even bonded with Kellan, who you hang off constantly, or created any sort of permanent place in our pack. You’re still just using us until you have your chance to escape. We’re not a fucking stopgap on your way to something better.”
Hunter moved forward, as if to stand as a barrier between us, but I placed my hand on his chest to hold him back. His chest rumbled, but he didn’t fight me. This was my battle with Finley, and I didn’t need help.Yet.“There’s nothing better than this pack,” I told Finley softly. “Nothing. And I have a very good reason for not wanting to bond, and that reason has little to do with how much I want Kellan, Hunter, or Slade.”
I deliberately didn’t say his name, but once again he showed no sign of reaction.
Fucker. I wished I could be this indifferent, but it was impossible.
“And what pray tell is this very serious reason you’ve never shared with us?”
Staying with them meant my death. If I revealed that though, I would have to elaborate on the why, and once they knew they could gain power from our bonding…
Every shifter wanted more power—it was the core component of our beasts. Especially alphas.
“I didn’t ask to be dragged to Golden Claw,” I bit out through gritted teeth in an attempt to keep my voice steady. “And I didn’t ask to live in your house. Hunter all but forced me into it. In the end, I think I’ve been more than gracious with the way you’ve all dominated and controlled my life. Maybe you need to look harder at your own actions and worry less about hating me. As far as I can tell, you’re the one with a problem, when I’ve done nothing to you.Nothing!”
With his expression darkening, Finley took a step toward me, and it was intimidating to be in the shadow of a massive alpha. It was also the first time we’d been this close, and the strong scent of vanilla cherry melded into my chocolate honey like we’d been made for each other. “You’re my only fucking problem, Ice Queen?—”
“You’re out of line, Fin,” Kellan growled, stepping between us before I could say another word. “You have to stop blaming Emme for both your own trauma and for other shifters’ actions. This…” He waved his hand around “…was not her fault. She didn’t ask to be taken.”
Finley shrugged, his expression smoothing as he got himself under control. “She didn’tnotask to be taken. If we were all bonded, we could have tracked her. Thankfully, once we found the city, with the help of the witch and our connection to Slade, we managed to track them down. But even the most uneducated shifter knows a completed quintet is the strongest. It’s almost as ifEmmelinedoesn’t really care if she’s stolen from us.”
“Enough!” Slade silenced the room, and I noticed witchy pouting even harder. She’d been enjoying the drama of the bear tearing into me. “Firstly, don’t presume to know why I call her snow. That’s between Emme and me. Secondly, you’re being an asshole and it’s not the time. I can confirm that Emme hadnothing to do with orchestrating our kidnapping, and she was quite hurt in the process. Her spine was broken, amongst other injuries.”
Finley’s head jerked back, and this time when he looked me over, I could not mistake the concern in his expression. It was briefly there, oh so briefly, but my body thrummed from that one intense visual scan.
