“You want me to kill him.”
Finn’s eyes had a glisten of water over them. “Please. I don’t want to die.”
“Don’t make me regret my decision.”
“Please. I’ll never hurt you ever again.”
The doors opened. His watery eyes widened as he stared at me.
“You have one more chance. Now crawl to me, then look me in the eyes and say sorry.”
His head lowered as he faced the floor. Then one hand reached forward. Then the other until he was so close that Ivan said, “Do anything stupid and I’ll shoot your balls.”
Finn made a less than alpha-like squeak, then he raised his face to look at me. “I’m sorry. I was a terrible alpha—”
“I don’t care about you being terrible. I want you to be sorry for claiming what was never yours.”
“I was wrong. I tried to control you. I thought I’d feel something for you.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry, please let me live.”
"Get out of my home.”
He looked at me. “Can I rise?”
“You may.”
I waited for him to get on his feet. Gregor took his arm and pulled him away from me.
“Finn.” He turned back to me. “If you ever come here again, or if you ever try to contact me, my pack has my full permission to do what they've been wanting to do since you walked in."
He nodded.
Ivan holstered his gun. Slowly. Reluctantly.
"Now fuck off back to Ireland and don't darken my life again."
Finn scrambled past Ivan and out the doors, and the sound of his footsteps faded down the corridor.
The SUV tore out of the driveway thirty seconds later.
I stood in the quiet with my chamomile tea and my three alphas and my ridiculous dog, and I took a breath.
The air didn't smell like fear. It smelled like caramel and storm-clouds and champagne and rain. It smelled like a celebration.
I set the mug down.
"Well," I said. "Who wants to go check on Mac?"
Artem holstered his weapon. "I’ll stop the groundsman from digging the hole."
“You never–”
“It’s always best to be prepared.”
Gregor laughed. “A good Bratva wife would have knifed him.”
"I thought humiliating him was enough. But you have permission to dig that hole if he ever comes again."
Ivan nodded. "One chance. Maybe we could all learn something."
