“So you should come home and rest.”
He kept his tone even. I expected him to be frustrated, to yank me away. He continued to prove all my fears wrong.
Maybe I could do this. Maybe I could be happy.
“She needs me,” I whispered, nuzzling into her fur as he came to stand in front of us.
And maybe I needed her.
“I see that. Come on then.”
One massive hand extended towards me. My gaze darted between that and his oddly serene eyes. They looked gentler than I had ever seen them. I wanted to call them beautiful. Call him beautiful.
Instead, I retreated further in, not quite ready to give up the high ground.
Even though he was towering over me like a giant.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Bringing my soon-to-be wife and our puppy home.”
“Ours?”
“Yes, mo chroí. I’m sure the shelter won’t mind. It seems like she has found her person.”
My heart skipped a beat. If I weren’t holding onto my precious bundle, I would have jumped into his arms and kissed him.
I struggled to stand, still holding the shaking puppy to my chest. She didn’t recoil when Kaelen reached out and went willingly into his arms as he held her. At fourteen weeks, she wasn’t tiny, but looked like it, cradled in his thick forearms. Nestling the puppy in one arm, he offered his free hand to me.
Rough fingertips brushed against my smooth ones as he tucked me into his side. As we walked out, he dropped a wad of cash on the counter.
“What’s that for?”
“Adoption fee,” he said, threading his fingers with mine in his free hand.
His thumb rubbed over the sapphire ring on my finger. My stomach lurched, my omega pleased with our alpha’s claim on us. Even if she wanted more. She craved his mark. His bite. The only thing that would make us his—completely.
“It’s like a hundred dollars. That was way too much.”
“I’m bad with math,” he said with a shrug. “It’s close enough.”
“Did you just make a joke?” I asked, swatting him with our still-laced hands.
“Why do you sound so surprised? I’m funny.”
A pair of stifled snickers broke out behind us. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one amused by Kaelen. While there were times I glimpsed a more relaxed side of him, that was when we were alone. When he was working or around his men, he remained stone-faced.
I thought back to the terrifying image of him on the first day I met him. When my dad slapped me. I didn’t imagine many people found Kaelen Finnegan funny.
“Do men usually laugh when you threaten them?”
I’d meant for the question to come out more like a joke instead of an accusation. I expected the mirth on his face to vanish. The opposite happened, and his mouth spread in a wide, twisted smile that would frighten anyone else.
“No,” he whispered. “But I do. If I’m the one carving them to pieces, it’s because they did something unforgivable, and I enjoy watching them beg for mercy.”
A dark part of me loved the idea of it. I knew Kaelen was dangerous, but he wasn’t wasteful. For so long, too many people were allowed to be cruel without repercussions.
Maybe I was twisted too, because I liked knowing that Kaelen was waiting in the shadows to punish anyone who dared to hurt anyone he cared about.
