Last night, when Lars returned from helping his moms with the house repairs, he’d found me sitting on the front porch, waiting for Finn to return. He’d taken one look at me and announced we were going to the cottage. I was glad he suggested it so I didn’t have to. Give him a chance to be the stalker for once.
Finn’s shoulders were tense and bunched as I followed him up the path to our house. I had so many questions for him—like how the fuck he went from acting terrified of our omega to being in her bed—but I held my tongue until we were inside. Olive was a private person, and I didn’t want our nosy neighbors to overhear us. Even now, Mrs. Cassini was casting us curious looks as she pretended to weed her already pristine flower bed.
The front door closed behind me. Finn turned toface us, eyes a little wild and his hair sticking up in the back. “She has no furniture,” he blurted out.
Huh. Not what I expected him to lead off with, but okay.
“Yeah, I know,” I said. “I just spent half the night on the floor because of a slowly leaking air mattress.”
Finn growled as he looked between me and a quiet Lars. “How are you not more upset about this? She hasno furniture.” He swallowed hard, looking anguished. “And it’s my fault.”
Lars crossed his arms. “So you care about Olive now?”
That pulled Finn up short. “I… yeah. I want to court her.”
“You said that before, but it feels like you didn’t mean it,” Lars said. “What changed?”
“I wasn’t sure before.” Finn looked down at the ground. “Actually, that’s a lie. I was sure. I was sure I wasn’t going to court her. I was going to leave the pack.”
My chest squeezed, and the room spun around me. Finn wanted to leave us? The room darkened, and it felt like I was breathing through a straw.
“Easton, hey. Just breathe.” Arms guided me down to the couch as blackness encroached on my vision. Then those arms surrounded me in a hug. “I’m not leaving. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I love you.”
I clung to him, unable to speak. Everyone in my early life had left me—my father, who didn’t even stick around to see me turn one, and my mother, who chose abusive men over her son. Fredrick and Carina had been surrogate parents, and now they were gone. The only constants in my life were Lars and Finn. I couldn’t do this without them. I didn’t want to. We were meant to be a pack, afamily.
“Are you unhappy with us?” My voice was hoarse, words barely intelligible.
The couch shifted as Lars sat on my other side, his arm slung around me.
“No.No. You’re my brothers, the very best part of my life. I would never choose to leave you.”
My breathing steadied a bit. “But?”
“But seeing how my grandma’s passing affected mygrandpa really shook me. He just gave up at the end because he couldn’t live without her, and it scared the shit out of me. And, if I’m honest with myself, it made me angry. Why wouldn’t he stay around for me? Why give your bonded that kind of power over you? So I decided I wasn’t going to bond with an omega. I just didn’t expect you to find someone so fast… and I knew you would choose her over me.”
“What the fuck?” Lars asked, anger in his voice. “You thought we would rejectyou?”
“You’re telling me you would choose me over Olive? She’s youromega.”
“She’s your omega, too,” I choked out.
Finn gave me another squeeze. “I know that now. I don’t want to let my grief and my fear dictate my life decisions, but I think I understand more now. My grandparents’ love for each other is what gave them peace at the end.”
We sat in silence, and I sifted through his words. I realized how thoughtless I’d been. I hadn’t recognized how much Finn was hurting. “I didn’t realize getting the grant would be so hard for you. I just got fixated on this image of our future and wasn’t thinking. I’m sorry.”
He huffed a laugh. “Fuck, I was angry with you. But I was partially angry with you because you were right to apply for the grant. Don’t let it go to your head, though.” Finn winked, and the tightness in my chest loosened.
“You talked to Olive about all of this?” Lars asked. “She knows you’re courting her?”
“Yeah. We talked last night.”
“And what was going on with you two that first day? She wouldn’t tell us anything.”
Finn cleared his throat and he was fuckingblushingas he told us about meeting Olive at the Hollywood Theater.
I was ready to hit him. He had treated my Olive like that? But Lars choked out a laugh. “You deserved way worse than a pickle sandwich.”
“Yeah, I know.”
