by Kat Keppeler
He’d decided a few things while out, the first was that he wouldn’t abandon his pack or Skye despite what he had said earlier. Instead he’d turn one of the exam rooms in the office adjacent to the house into his private place. The rest he would deal with as it came. When he’d pulled up he honked the horn three times to prompt a few of the pack member to step out and help him with the groceries.
Finn looked at the house with apprehension painted on his features before he walked in. The smell of rutting was clear in the air, he could smell Skye and that made a pang of jealousy course through him. Betty and Liam started putting groceries away, stuffing the pantry to overflowing. Finn sighed, stopping to grab up his bedding before stepping out of the house again to walk across the lot to the office where he could start fleshing out his ideas for a room of his own. He walked in on Lee who was sitting there with his hands placed in his lap carefully waiting for Finn.
Finn almost growled at Lee the moment he saw him.
“The hell do you want?” He asked in a gruff voice, anger swelling in his chest again. The omega immediately flinched. Lee didn’t do that with Rory too often anymore but Finn was another story. He was bigger, and frankly scarier that Rory had ever been to Lee. Lee had always known that Rory would protect him, deep down but with Finn that was less certain.
Lee held up his hands in supplication to Finn, trying to placate his temper.
“Finn, I am so sorry…” Lee started before a hand was waved in Lee’s direction to shut up the omega quickly.
“That was my business to tell her. Not yours, as innocent as the intention was it wasn’t your right.” Finn stomped past Lee to the first exam room which was small, and sighed. Sleeping on an exam bed wasn’t something he was going to enjoy.
Lee poked his head around the corner to stare at Finn and frowned. “Uh… You staying in here? You aren’t sleeping on that are you? Oh, honey, no, we can’t have that.”
Finn gave Lee a look that stopped him. The omega felt like he might be treading on thin ice, but after a moment, Lee took an unsteady breath and stepped forward. He walked into the room with Finn, his white jeans and turquoise shirt were bright against the pale skin, and looked around. “We can get an area rug, and there’s a sofa in the basement that we can bring in here. It pulls out but we’d have to replace the mattress or add a memory foam topper to it. I can get the omegas to help me, we’ll make it right as rain. Let me, as a gesture to show my remorse.”
Finn stared at Lee for the moment and then finally nodded slowly.
“It’s settled then,” Lee said with satisfaction. He took in the room briefly before heading to look through the rest of the small office, offering over his shoulder, “I’m going to go get Rory’s keys and head to the city to grab a new mattress and tell the others we got some moving to do. Why don’t you just chill, I’ll have it made up nice by bedtime.”
That meant keeping busy inside the big house and Finn wasn’t ready. He bit back a grimace, not wanting to frighten Lee with his temper though the omega seemed to have recovered quickly. Indeed, when Finn took too long to step to the side, Lee flapped one hand in clear direction to move.
After being shooed away by Lee, Finn couldn’t help but marvel how this particular omega seemed so different from the others. Lee hadn’t really groveled or even submitted, just neatly handled him until Finn found himself on the back patio pacing with his limping gate and trying to find reasons not to step inside.
Finn caught her scent before he saw her; the very last person that he wanted to see right at this moment. Skye was dressed, thank the gods, but there was no missing what she’d been up to with her chosen mates despite the shower she’d clearly taken. Skye’s hair was damp and loose down her back and she gave Finn a tentative smile as she poked her head out.
The pink flush on her cheeks and the sweet, sharp scent of her sudden arousal were the only signs that she gave that she, too, remembered he’d had his thick fingers buried in her just hours ago. Skye cleared her throat, “There you are.”
She shut the patio door behind her as she stepped out to join him. He had the faint hope it would be a brief conversation as she hadn’t grabbed a jacket to throw over the sweater she was wearing. “So, I talked to Rory and we’ll move into the basement. I think Chance is pleased to have an office that he gets to dictate the layout of. I don’t think the boys are ready to move all the way into town yet, and Rory still has concerns about how some of the Belcrest residents are still nervous around our kind. He doesn’t want to make Caleb or Micah’s agitation worse, and I agree, but if you want to move into town, no one will stop you, certainly.”
Skye sighed a little, leaning against the wall next to the patio, “I really wish you wouldn’t, though.”
Finn had taken to leaning on the patio railing, the brunt of his weight on his right leg letting the left one rest. Prosthetics tended to pinch after a while, especially older ones like his, and he didn’t feel like sitting down. It had taken him a very long time to get used to having a false limb but despite the modern advances in medicine it still didn’t mean that it wasn’t uncomfortable after a long day.
“I’m not moving to town.” Finn replied, turning a little so she didn’t have his back completely. “I think I am going to rebrand that office over there, doctor’s office or medical clinic. And I do want my own space. Lee and some of the Omega’s are moving furniture over now to make it nice. I’ll just be over there.” He stood then, straightening up to his full impressive height. “Caleb and Micah should be fine and I will still come over a few times a day to make sure Micah is doing alright but I think he’s going to mend fine and it's time for us to stop coddling him.”
Finn side eyed Skye, the scent of her was becoming more and more intoxicating and he didn’t know why, yet. She hadn’t been the only one thoroughly aroused when he had grabbed her and sank his fingers into her. It had taken almost all of his willpower to stop and not fuck her right against the wall, but the memory of what he had done would make his self proclaimed chastity very difficult. “Happy?”
“I’m pleased you’re not moving away, yes,” Skye said as she tipped her head back to look up at him. Skye was under five and a half feet tall, about five foot four, and it made the difference between their heights substantial when he straightened but she still lifted her chin to meet his eyes. “I wish things weren’t tense between us. I’m sorry I ran away from the house earlier. I needed to think.”
Skye didn’t elaborate, nor did she broach the sensitive subjects they’d been fighting over. After the silence stretched between them a little too long, Skye continued, “I think that’s an excellent idea, though, about the doctor’s office and actually, I’ve been thinking about what you said earlier. About your childhood.”
She pushed away from the wall to join Finn at the railing, closer than comfort for him but certainly not invading his personal space. God, she smelled good. It was hard for Finn not to grab her close and nuzzle his nose into her soft blonde hair. She was still talking, though, and his hands flexed on the banner as he tried to bring his attention back to the matter at hand.
“About the small town. I think we should do that, here, in Belcrest. If Rory does end up challenging his father, they’ve been moving so much that there’s no place to really be attached to and we’re on the fringes of the territory. When spring comes, I think we should start up here on this property and build up a few small houses and businesses. We’re already on the fringe of town, we’ll just expand this way. We can build a bigger gathering spot in the woods and make a proper path to Trappers Peak for the full moon. Even if Rory doesn’t challenge his father, I think we should see if there are others like all of you who had no pack through no fault of their own. Tell them we have a place for them here. The idea that too many omegas are a burden is a pile of horse shit.”
Skye’s voice grew tighter, warming with her passion on the subject, “Who cares what rank they have. Micah is such a funny, sweet, shy kid and his litter mate, Caleb i
s a riot. They’re always happy to jump in and help with whatever needs to be done and all they ever really want is a bit of company to watch some truly terrible B-movies. That’s hardly onerous. The first time I nuzzled Lee, he just about fell off the couch because of the difference in our ranks. Unless there’s an active threat that I need to be fighting, it’s just mostly a quirk of personality what someone’s rank is and the rest of it is all socialization. Bad socialization.”
Skye realized she was ranting and she flushed, “Sorry, I got off topic. Anyway, what do you think?”
Finn thought a lot of damned things including how badly he wanted to kiss her. Half of what she’d said he’d missed entirely from having to wrestle with his more base urges. His gaze had dropped to the pink bow of her lips as she warmed to her subject and he’d been unable to look away. Sex meant a lot to Finn, a lot more than it meant to a good deal of wolves, but the desire to pin her against the railing and taste that sweet mouth of hers was almost stronger than he could bear.
“Well, we will have to get to spring before we can make those decisions. We also have to decide what we do about Aiden, and we are not strong enough for that yet. There’ll be some strategizing.” He turned so he wasn’t looking at her now, but he could still catch her scent. She was so close… Finn swallowed heavily and tried to focus again.
“You’re talking about changing centuries of tradition and behavior. It’s going to be a big change.”
“I think people are more ready for it than not, though,” Skye said as she turned towards him, her face lighting up with a bright smile and she gestured animatedly, “Look at our pack. It’s been just a month but they’re smiling more, laughing more. They’re more at peace than they’ve been in years for some of them. Like Betty, do you know that she’s trying to work up the courage to ask Liam to go for a walk? It’s so sweet. She’s ready to be in charge of her own choices, she just needs a little emotional backup and everyone needs that now and again. I know we can do it, Finn. I do.”
She was so passionate, so certain. Just as she’d been when she stood as proud as a queen in that filthy basement and told them that she’d see them freed from their prison, and she had. Her alpha nature, it wasn’t quite like anything Finn had seen before; it wasn’t like anything anyone had seen before as far as he knew. Rather than turning inward into utter self confidence, her strength turned outward and she shared it, encouraging each of their pack mates to be more than they’d ever thought possible.
Hell, if her clan had been anything like her, no wonder the council had killed them all.
“So, do you need a receptionist?” Skye asked, deflating with a little laughter after her impromptu speech, her tone turning easy and teasing, “Because I could use a job that’s within walking distance and I work cheap.”
He let out a little laugh at that, nodding a slightly. “I actually do but I can’t pay anyone until I start taking on patients. With as many shifters as there are in this town, Skye, it won’t be long.”
Finn stared out into the snow then.
“Before Halliday got me I was mostly taking on big animals. I worked for ZooMontana over in Billings. It is not much of a difference seeing shifters than it is large animals.” He smiled then, before sighing. “After we were exiled and I got back on my feet I got my license. I was practicing in a human practice when Dru died. That was… sixty eight? I stopped seeing human patients then…” he looked down at her and smiled. “No time like the present to start using both areas of expertise.”
“I’m gonna go help Micah and Lee set up my new spot. Why don’t you come by later and you and I can start going through Seamus’ old patient files.” Finn smiled and then turned, filled with regret but relieved to walk away. It was easier to control himself when she wasn’t so damn close.
Skye reached out and touched the small of his back as he went to step away. The gesture was meant to be sympathetic but it didn’t come across that way when her palm connected with the fabric of his shirt. He was so warm. She shivered, the flush in her cheeks darkening, and her voice was low and husky as she agreed, pulling her hand back, “Of course. And that’s fine, on the payment. I don’t really have any expenses beyond the packs needs right now anyway. After dinner then, I’ll stop by.”
Chapter Eight
The office was nice. Finn had felt a little suffocated with the constant press of pack mates so the space alone was worth moving. It had its own working bathroom but no shower. That would be something he’d have to think about eventually. If he was really desperate he could always go downstairs to the place they used for the occasional body, and hose off. The thought of taking a whore’s bath in the corpse sink made Finn snort.
Dinner had been pleasant, Micah had come home all smiles and triumphant on a good day’s work, Caleb just behind him looking worn out from trying to keep him reigned in. They’d all sat on various chairs or the floor and eaten spaghetti, laughing and carrying on like a family would. Finn had to admit, it was nice and so very different than what he was used to. He’d been alive a long damn time and he’d known more than one pack but this one was unique. There was no fear, no endless posturing. Micah had glowed with the praise that Rory had freely offered upon his successful return from what was really a normal day for most people. It had been huge for the shy wolf and their alpha recognized the victory for what it was - not what most people would have seen it as.
When it was time to clean up Lee and Anna had volunteered for dishes, Liam had stepped close to Betty and done exactly as Skye had encouraged. Both she and Liam had stepped outside to walk in the wintery air after dinner though not without a little cat calling from the rest as they settled into a night of bad TV, reading or the like. It was good natured, though, and no one missed the pretty blush on Betty’s cheeks as Liam held the door for her. Finn stepped out to the office, happy to be away but grateful for the atmosphere and the camaraderie of his new pack.
When he had walked into his bedroom he was shocked. Lee had gotten an area rug, a microwave and coffee pot and a convection plate in case he wanted to be alone. The sofa had a full mattress on it with a topper that was soft and would hold him even if his feet might hang over the edge. There was even a wall mounted television. The place felt homey and that made Finn smile, his few belongings in place on shelves that Lee had gotten from the department store. The only thing adorning the walls was a single painting of nothing but the moon. He was admiring the new place when Skye walked in.
“Lee is so talented,” Skye commented about her mate with a smile. She had her hands full with a tray from the big house and she scooted past him to set it on the small table. “I brought dessert. Betty’s taken to baking and it’s really good. She made some pies. I didn’t know what you like but I brought apple. Can’t go wrong with apple, really, and I brought some coffee over too.” She said as she slipped past him.
Her hair was piled up on the crown of her head in an easy messy bun but tendrils kept slipping down to curl around her face and shoulders. She’d shed the sweater and coat as it was warm in the office. She dressed for comfort but the leggings and tunic top clung to her skin in ways that were unintentional but sexy as hell.
Skye smiled up at him, “Where do you need me to start?”
Skye was trying so hard to make things more comfortable after all the tension but she couldn’t help the restless desire that kept filling her. She might have had her wolf firmly in hand but that didn’t make it comfortable. Despite her best intentions, she leaned forward towards him slightly, inhaling his scent. “So if you’re a doctor, do you know why some shifters smell so darn good?”
“Yes.” Said Finn, who was still just standing in the small room in the middle while Skye scooted around him. He had already pulled a stack of old patient files and set them by the sink that still existed there for hand-washing. He stepped forward to grab a stack and hand her a few before he dropped to sit on the edge of the new bed.
“It has everything to do with mating. You smell the best to
your potential mates… It, uh… gets stronger when the female enters the reproductive cycle.” While he spoke he began rolling back his pant leg to the knee so he could remove the prosthesis. He couldn’t get the pants all the way up to his thigh. A frown flickered across his handsome features.
“I’ll just have to leave it on…” Finn said regretfully, before he looked up at Skye. “Sorry, these jeans aren’t the most forgiving material. My leg is starting to throb, I was gonna take the prosthesis off but it appears I’m gonna have to drop my pants to do so and...”
That seemed like a terrible idea considering the simmering sexual tension that only seemed to grow as time went on. Or a fantastic idea, at least according to Finn’s libido.
“Oh,” Skye’s gaze dropped, following the line of his leg up towards his groin but she stood quickly.
“No, of course, you should take it off. Take your leg off, I mean,” Skye said and gave a shake of her head. Nudity was a casual thing for shifters but with the way Finn felt about the sexual tension between them, his adamant refusal to take part in it, she understood his reluctance.
“I can just go stand… in the bathroom?” She suggested turning towards the door with a question. “It’s not going to bother me if you take your pants off, you know. It’s not like… well, you’ve seen me naked before.”
Nudity was a normal part of shifter life, one that Skye was growing used to but this was different. He’d had his fingers knuckle deep in her just this morning, after all. Her cheeks flushed and the scent of her arousal filled the room sudden and sharp. Skye made a strangled noise in the back of her throat, turning away to head for the bathroom door. She shut it with a bang although it did nothing to cut the scent in the air.
There it was, the smell of her arousal again, and Finn felt himself go instantly hard. Even as a youth, Finn had never had his instincts run him so very ragged. Skye had retreated and he was profoundly grateful. What he had neglected to tell Skye was he could smell more than arousal. While he’d been around fertile females before, even willing fertile females, none of them had threatened to bring Finn to his knees like Skye did. There was the tang of pheromones in the air, he’d smelled it earlier when he’d been cupping her breast. It was rather uncouth to say out loud, ‘Hey, you might be fertile. I could smell it on my fingers.’
