It’d given me time to think, and my path forward had become clear.
I needed to apologize to Olive and come clean to my brothers.
I rehearsed what I would say as I pulled up to Lars’s family home. I would tell my packmates that if they wanted to court Olive, I wouldn’t stand in their way. I just wouldn’t join them. We would finish the project, and I would move out.
I swallowed hard as I parked the car and pulled the key out of the ignition. The Andersson-Spring home was beautiful—an old ocean-blue Victorian with copper trim. We’d spent so many days here when we were young, pretending we were explorers, going through the attic and turrets. Would I ever get to come back here for family dinner after this? After they made their own family without me?
I got out of the car and saw Lars and Easton walking down the street towards the house. I steeled myself. I could do this.
“Hey! How did everything go today?” Lars asked.
“Good, I got most everything ordered—” I stopped talking when the overwhelming scent of pumpkin spice washed over me. My alphasnarled. My packmates were grinning, oblivious to the storm of emotions inside me. “I see you’ve had a productive workday,” I choked out. I tried to keep my resentment and jealousy out of my voice, but based on the way Easton’s face fell, I wasn’t successful.
“Are you upset?” he asked.
I couldn’t respond. Had no idea what would come out of my mouth.
He sighed. “Okay, you’re upset. Look, I’m really sorry. This wasn’t planned, but we shouldn’t have done anything without talking about it as a pack. I wasn’t thinking very clearly, and I wasn’t sure where you’re at with her right now.”
“Since no one will tell us what happened between you two,” Lars grumbled.
“But you do want to be with her, right? You can take her on a date, get to know her.” Easton looked so fucking hopeful, and I didn’t want to ruin it. Outsiders would never guess at Easton’s dark past with how happy he seemed all the time, but I knew. Right now, my brother was radiating real happiness.
“Yeah,” I choked out. Fuck.FUCK.
“Great, that’s great. Just make it clear to her that you’re courting her. She’s going to love you, Finn.”
I nodded my head, but the movement felt strange and robotic.
Why couldn’t I just fucking get it together andtell them?I was a coward. Pathetic and afraid of their rejection and disappointment.
But there was also a part of me, a version of myself I thought had disappeared, who smiled. This part of me, the Finn frombefore, was already consumed with thoughts of Olive and what our life together could be. Taking her to jobs with me. Getting her opinion on how to approach a restoration. Spoiling her in the small everyday things—a new jacket, fancy coffee drinks, her favorite breakfast pastry. That part of me sighed with fucking hearts in his eyes, wondering if we should leave her love notes around the lighthouse.
Absurd.
Ridiculous.
Foolish.
That Finn was a fucking idiot.
Easton squeezed my shoulder and bounded up the walkway to the house. I turned to follow him, but Lars caught me by the shoulder.
“Are you okay?” He eyed me carefully, seeing more than I wanted him to. “You’re not, are you?” When I said nothing, he sighed. “Is it Olive? Do you not want her? Or is it just too soon?”
I shrugged, miserable. I was used to being the in-charge, confident project manager, but I couldn’t seem to get my life under control. “What if this doesn’t work?” I finally managed to get out.
Lars’s eyes softened. “I really think it will, and if it doesn’t, we still have each other. We’re family.” He pulled me into a hug, which only caused Olive’s scent to wash over me stronger, and then he urged me inside the house.
I was sullen through dinner.Isla, Lars’s omega mom, and Lucy tried to engage me in conversation, but eventually left me alone with my bitter thoughts.
Scenting Olive on my brothers filled me with furious jealousy… but there was also a part of me that recognized it feltright. I wanted them to be marked by her. Maybe the thing that felt wrong was thatIdidn’t carry her scent. No one knew she was mine because I was resisting this. Resisting her.
Everything had seemed so clear an hour ago in the car. I had everything planned out—my safe, boring, risk-free future alone—but now I was all jumbled up inside. Could I really leave my brothers? Could I leave Olive? How had she already wormed her way inside my heart?
I barely noticed as dinner ended and everyone moved out to the backyard. I sat on the back porch in the dark, stirring only when Frida, one of Lars’s moms, sat down beside me. The alpha patted my hand.
“You’re doing a great job with this whole tortured-soul thing.”
