My eyes found his, and I truly looked at him. I saw a different man. Not just an alpha. Not just the head of his family. I saw Kaelen. A man with a burden that made him look older at that moment.
“Originally, he’d told me omegas softened alphas. I may have misunderstood his intentions with those words.”
“And now?” I asked, terrified of his answer.
“Now, I’m not so sure.” Fingers slid into my hair at my nape, and I leaned into his touch. “Now, I think I’ve just needed the right omega.”
Eight
WILLOW
After our interaction at the gym three days ago, I’d barely seen Kaelen.
I wondered if he regretted his admission, his words playing over and over again in my mind.
The right omega.
His phone had rung then, slicing through the intensity and popping whatever bubble hung around us. He disappeared into his office, and I hid in my room, confused.
Confused about my feelings, my omega, and him. I wanted to trust him. To believe that he wasn’t like my dad.
My gut twisted as I tossed and turned that night. Dreams of a handsome alpha with tattoos and long auburn hair played on repeat, making my sleep fitful.
The next morning, his scent lingered in my room, a new iPhone on the end table. Did Kaelen sneak in while I slept? It unnerved and excited me. I texted Sam, happy to see all my contacts were thereand the home screen looked exactly like my old one.
My thumb landed on the Safari icon, and I Googled Kaelen Finnegan. No social media accounts popped up, but article after article loaded on the bright screen. Everything from stories about his philanthropic efforts with the Children’s Hospital to his businesses.
On the surface, he was a respectable businessman who had immigrated from Ireland when he was fifteen. He owned over a dozen Irish pubs and a handful of nightclubs throughout Boston.
The deeper I dove, the clearer the darker side of Kaelen’s business emerged.
One article from two years ago detailed his trial after being arrested for murder. The crime had been brutal. A disemboweled man was found strung up outside an abandoned building. Kaelen had been found not guilty but had earned the moniker of “The Butcher of Boston.”
There had been minimal evidence, and it looked to be more a vindictive cop than a solid case, at least according to Kaelen’s lawyer.
The jury agreed.
I was more curious than terrified, wondering whether he had done it or not.
I kept waiting for my heart to race, for panic to set it, but it never came. Despite who he was, what he was capable of, I saw glimpses of someone different. Someone I craved and my omega adored.
Maybe not just my omega.
After the sun set, I heard his heavy footsteps pad outside my door before vanishing into his own room. More than once, he stopped in front of my door, his shadow blocking out the muted light from the hall. My omega woke, urging me to invite him in.
Eventually, his figure left, and a hollow ache grew behind my breasts.
The next morning, light flooded my bedroom, making it impossible to sleep any later. I reached for my phone, double-checking that Sam and I were still on for our date.
A sleepy glaze slid across my face when she confirmed. Havinglunch with my best friend would be a normal thing. Something I needed when my life had been out of control for the last few weeks.
Like he promised, Kaelen had filled my closet with new clothes, ranging from jeans to sundresses and heels to ballgowns. It was too much. I would never wear more than half of it. Smooth silk and chiffon brushed against my fingertips as I ran them over a fitted sapphire dress with a thigh-high slit.
Crystals glittered on the bodice, and it was probably worth more than anything I have ever owned before. Maybe someday I would have an excuse to wear it.
I glanced out the windows, eyeing the cloudless sky, which gave the illusion that it was warmer than it was. Brightly colored leaves decorated the trees. I tugged on a pair of black tights before slipping into a burgundy dress. The material whispered over my skin as I smoothed my hand over the invisible creases.
Grabbing my phone, I headed down to one of the four living spaces, trying to find Torin. Despite Kaelen telling me I was free to come and go as I wished as long as I took Torin with me, today was the first time I was going to test that theory. I still got lost even though I had spent the last few days exploring the house.
