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Finn stares at me having a brain reboot on my bed. Who can blame me? This is… this is wild.
His face softens, and he sits at the edge of my bed, patting the spot beside him. I crawl over, letting him tuck me under his arm. “Scent matches aren’t limited to alphas and omegas. Lots of packs have beta mates. Usually, a beta mate will only pair with an alpha and omega. It’s rare for them to have more than two mates. But it happens sometimes. One of my sister’s beta mates has the same mates as their omega. The whole pack is bonded to her.”
“No way.” I shiver. “She has an actual bite?”
I knew it was hypothetically possible, but I’ve never seen it happen. It’s like an urban legend betas tell each other. It’s always a story about someone’s cousin’s brother’s friend’s sister. Might as well be Bigfoot.
“She does. Many actually,” he confirms, his purr starting up again. It’s the sweetest sound, so soft but powerful.
My muscles relax, and I take a deep breath. “How come I don’t see them?”
“See what?”
“Bonded betas.”
“You do. Bites aren’t always obvious. Do you see mine?”
Come to think of it, I haven’t seen his mark.
He tugs up his T-shirt and pulls my hand to a silver crescent just under his nipple. I trace my finger back and forth over the scar. “Not all marks are on a throat. You probably see bonded people all the time without knowing.”
“It’s hard to know where to look,” I tease. “You’re that stunning.”
“It’s a downside of being so sexy,” Finn says flippantly, his voice light. “On the plus side, you can map my body any time.” His eyes are full of heat, inviting me to take him up on his offer.
“There is that omega ego people talk about,” I joke, pulling my hand back from the temptation of his skin. The mark is by his pierced nipple, and I want to give it a tug. I refrain and get off the bed, putting some much-needed distance between us.
“Not with everyone. But I like that you find me irresistible.” He shrugs and follows me, calling for Waffles to follow.
“Slow down, killer. I didn’t say irresistible.”
His lips puff out in a pout.
“But yeah, kinda,” I admit.
“I can work with kinda.” Satisfied, he kisses my cheek, then leashes Waffles.
It’s quiet in the hallway and dark without windows. My first alarm goes off at four thirty in the morning, but the kids sleep for another forty-five minutes before I drag them out of bed.
We creep down the dark hall and through the living room.
My throat feels tight. It’s stupid, but I don’t want to see Finn go. My body aches with wanting him to stay close. After the way Trent left, you’d think that all the hopeless-romantic in me would have died out, but even though I’ve been trying to shut out that instinct, it’s here and persistent.
As predicted, I’m already a stage-ten clinger.
Finn kisses my forehead. I don’t know why that gesture wrecks me, but it does. His voice is as pained as I feel as he pulls me against him for another moment. “Sometime soon, it won’t be this hard. Have a good day at work today.”
After one last kiss on my forehead, he and Waffles slip out the door. The loss is profound in the quietness of the house.
My brain starts to catch up with my heart.I give myself five minutes to freak the fuck out. It’s a combo of sheer happiness, terrifying anxiety, and half-hearted belief. Could Finn really mean it? I’m their actual mate, like bonds and bites? It’s a delusion, a beautiful dream.
Shaking it off, I return to my room and open the windows. He’s right. After leaving and coming back in, I realize my room is a haze of his perfume. It’s like taking a deep breath of mountain air from the porch of a log cabin. He smells like my grandpa’s house up in Ridgetop, where we spent holidays in summer and winter as a kid. I’ve never been on vacation except to visit family, and I haven’t thought about that place in years. My grandpa died when I was still a kid, but the memory of it fills my chest and makes me ache for a home I’ve never known.
I blow out a long breath, working through the urge to cry. I’m annoyed with myself for being so emotional today. I’m already behind in my regular schedule, and I’ve got to clean a rental before my double at the diner. I shake off my longing for more, forcing myself to get my ass in gear.
Twenty-five minutes later, I’m half presentable and feeding a sleepy Emmaline microwaved waffles at our breakfast table. The mornings are the only time she’s awake and not going a thousand miles an hour. I call for Ben again, but he’s moving slower than I am this morning.
When he finally shows his face, it’s ten minutes and three hollers later. He stomps into the kitchen, his face a distorted mask of anger. He throws himself into his seat, silently fuming. I hand over a bowl of cereal and eye him warily. I don’t know that I have the energy for one of his moods this morning. Even after I finally got a good night’s sleep with Finn here, I feel rough this morning. My body aches, and I’m still so damn tired.
