Finnick’s POV
As I entered RedWoods Territory, I pushed all the anguish I was feeling aside, determined to mentally prepare for what lay ahead. By the time my jeep rolled to a stop in the Woods’ driveway, I felt as ready as I was going to be. I took a few deep breaths, reveling in the clean air before I had to enter her home and try not to drown in her intoxicating vanilla and spice scent. I steeled myself for that onslaught and headed for the front door.
The closer I got to the entrance, the more restless my wolf became. I’d expected it though. Even knowing she wasn’t here, just being in her home and surrounded by her lingering scent was bound to set him off. I did my best to ignore him. Seth told me he would be on border patrol duty and wouldn’t be home until later so I should just let myself in. I tried the knob and as I’d anticipated, it was open. The Woods family never locked their door.
As soon as I crossed the threshold I knew something wasn’t right. Sarah’s scent crashed into me like an oncoming train, nearly knocking me off my feet. It shouldn’t have been that strong if she wasn’t home. What took me a heartbeat longer to register were the additional scents mixing with hers. One belonged to another wolf I didn’t recognize, a male wolf. But the other was a scent that as her mate, I would never mistake. Her arousal. She was here. She was with someone. And she was turned on.
Callum immediately took control, catching me off guard and taking over before I could stop him. Someone besides us had their hands on our mate and he was pissed! Following her scent, he moved us at wolf speed in her direction. His rapid but silent footsteps carried us to the living room and nothing could have prepared me for what I found there or the extreme response it provoked from me and my wolf.
A red haze colored my vision as I looked down at the sight of my mate, lying underneath a man who had his tongue in her mouth and his hand down her pants. She was moaning for him and the sound of him giving her pleasure was all it took for me to lose every shred of control I might have had.
“Mine!” My wolf and I roared together. It was a furious claim that nearly brought the house down around us. They broke apart and Sarah turned to look at me, confusion written all over her beautiful face as she stared at me with those gorgeous green eyes.
“What the fuck?” The asshole on top of her managed to speak but made no move to get off of her. In less than a second I was across the room, yanking him up by his shirt.
“Get your fucking filthy paws off my mate, fucker!” I growled in his face, still dangling him in my grasp.
“Finnick?” Sarah said my name like she wasn’t sure it was me, causing a stabbing pain to shoot through my chest. “Please put Kyle down. Don’t hurt him.”
So the fucker’s name was Kyle. And she was protecting him which made him way too happy, a gloating grin spreading across his face. But her defense of another wolf only fueled Callum’s rage, so instead of letting him go I gripped him tighter and growled in his face.
“Fuck putting him down. Tell my why I shouldn’t break his fucking neck for touching what belongs to me.” I snarled.
“She’s not your property!” The asshole barked at me.
“Maybe not, but she’s nothing to you! She’s my mate! Mine!” I was about two seconds from snapping his spine.
“Seems to me like you’re too late.” He taunted. “She already chose me. So why don’t you put me down like the lady asked, turn around, and leave.”
My shoulders heaved as I prepared to launch him across the room but before I could follow through, I felt Sarah’s soft hand on my arm, sending soothing tingles through me, instantly calming me.
“Please, Finn. Put him down so we can talk.” She urged.
I turned to look into her eyes for a moment, feeling the tether of the mate bond stretching between us. The pleading look in her eyes was all it took for me to release my hold on him. I couldn’t be blamed if I’d forgotten I was holding him a few feet off the ground and he fell to the floor in a heap when I let him go. She didn’t specify that I had to set him down gently.
She hurried over to help him up and it took all my restraint not to pull her away from him. I couldn’t stand to see them touching but I knew I needed to back off before someone got hurt.
“I’m fine!” The fucker barked, brushing her offered hand away and making me growl at his rude treatment of her. Even if I was glad he wasn’t touching her I wasn’t going to stand for him being mean to her.
“I’m sorry, Kyle but I think you should go. Finnick and I need to talk.” She was sending him away, choosing me, and that made my heart soar.
“Sarah, please!” He begged. “We’re good together. You know we are. Just because he’s your fated mate doesn’t mean he’s right for you. I mean, the guy walks in here like he owns the place and you obviously recognized him so where’s he been for the last five years? All this time you’ve been waiting and he decides to show up now, when you’ve finally decided to move on. Doesn’t something about that feel wrong to you?’
He was practically groveling and I was seconds away from throwing him out the front door myself if he didn’t leave soon. I was still reeling from walking in on the two of them making out and hearing him say they were good together was more than my dwindling sanity could tolerate.
As much as I hated to think about it, I couldn’t help but wonder if he’d already had her, had what was mine. The possibility had me clenching my fists in anger, ready to destroy the asshole all over again.
“Kyle, I know this is hard, but he’s my mate. Surely you don’t expect me to turn my back on that without even having a conversation with him. Please don’t make me ask you again.” Sarah held her ground, making me proud of her.
“Fine. I’ll give you a chance to talk. But please don’t make any decisions tonight.” He pleaded some more. “Let’s talk tomorrow, okay? Just give me a chance to fight for you too.”
A barely perceptible nod was her only response but it must have been enough for him because he sighed deeply, then turned and walked away. With him gone, I could finally take a moment to really look at her and what I saw made my breath catch in my throat. The last five years had changed her and all for the better.
I’d always found Sarah beautiful, but now she was ethereal. Her fiery red hair was long and glossy, falling in soft waves to just below her shoulder blades. Her green eyes sparkled like the jewels they resembled, even brighter than I remembered them. She didn’t have an ounce of make-up on and she didn’t need it. A natural flush colored her cheeks and her porcelain skin practically glowed.
She was wearing a worn-out pair of sweatpants and an old sweatshirt I was fairly certain had once belonged to her brother. But even the baggy attire couldn’t hide her body from me. Seth had told me she’d started training with the pack warriors and the effects were evident. She’d always been thin, the years of training had made her lean but shapely. I could tell by the way the loose material clung to her that her thighs were toned and her ass was rounded and firm. I couldn’t wait to see her with much fewer clothes on.
Neither of us said a word, just stood there staring at each other lost to the mate pull. I wanted to be angry at her for letting another man touch her intimately. She smelled like him and it was making my wolf angry. He wanted me to take her right there on the living room floor but I shoved him back, reminding him we had no right to be mad considering our own circumstances.
All of these thoughts flitted through my brain until the sound of the front door clicking shut broke the spell.
“Hello, little mate.” I said, flashing her my brightest smile.
Sarah’s POV “Hello, little mate.” He said to me as soon as we were alone. His voice was gravelly and his eyes kept flashing between azure blue and pitch black, telling me Callum was trying to say hello. My wolf, Sadie, was jumping around in my head, squealing “Mate!” over and over. I had met Finnick’s wolf when I was younger. After he turned sixteen and Callum awoke, he would shift every chance he got to run around as his beautiful russet-colored wolf. He’d even let me ride on his back a few times. But Sadie hadn’t been with me long before Finn left so our wolves had never formally met. My mind was still trying to catch up to the insanity that comprised the last few minutes of my life, but his wide smile was infectious and I found myself smiling back at him just as brightly. I couldn’t believe that the man I’d loved for the last five years was actually my mate! And he wanted me! At least, I think he did. The possessive way he stormed in here and claimed me, yanked Kyle off me an
Sarah’s POV “What in Goddess’ name is going on here?” my brother’s shouting interrupted me as I was about to accept Finn as my mate. We had been so immersed in each other, neither of us had heard him or scented him when he came in. I knew he must have been taken aback walking in on us accepting each other when we hadn’t even told him we were mates. But Finnick was his best friend, so I knew he would be happy for us once the news sunk in. “Seth!” I called excitedly. “Finnick and I are mates. We just realized when he arrived today. Isn’t that amazing?” Seth looked back and forth between the two of us with a confused expression, like his brain was trying to catch up with the new information. I turned back to Finnick to find him watching his best friend warily. Looking back to Seth, I was surprised to see a frown on his face. What the hell was that about? Something was clearly going on between them, though I knew they couldn’t mind-link anymore... Feeling my eyes boring into him, he
Sarah’s POV I looked into Finn’s eyes, searching for what, I didn’t know. But what I saw there broke me in ways I never knew possible. Because the truth was written in those beautiful blue eyes and it was unmistakable. “It was me, wasn’t it? You knew I was your mate and instead of being with me, you stayed away and cheated on me.” I couldn’t breathe. My voice was barely above a whisper as I struggled to say the truth out loud. “I didn’t feel the pain because my wolf hadn’t recognized the bond, but yours had. When, Finnick?” “Sarah-” He reached for me but I put my hands up in warning. If he touched me, I’d crumble. And right now, I couldn’t afford to crumble. Anger was the only thing holding me together at the moment “Don’t fucking touch me, Finnick. Just answer the question!” My tears were flowing freely and the wave of nausea that had left so quickly earlier had returned full force. Seth stood silently behind us but I could feel his barely restrained rage. He’d known about hi
Finnick’s POVSearing pain coursed through me at my mate’s implied rejection. The strength of it threatened to knock me off my feet as I stumbled my way to the door. I should have been prepared for it. It was no more than I’d expected, no more than I deserved. Still, I’d let my guard down and now I was paying the price. “She wasn’t supposed to be home!” I lamented aloud to myself.By the time I realized she was really there, it had been far too late to rein in my wolf. Then we’d found her with another man and instinct took over. No wolf could sit back and allow another man to touch his mate. Callum had taken over in less than a heartbeat, intent on claiming his mate and removing the threat. And though there was a small voice in my head telling me it was a very bad idea, it was miniscule compared to the joy and elation I’d felt at finally having her within my reach. For the briefest of moments, I’d held her in my arms and it was everything to me. She was everything that I’d ever wa
Finnick’s POV As the sun rose, I dragged myself to the bathroom, determined to face my mate and find a way to convince her I would never hurt her again, to make amends for the suffering I’d caused her in any way she’d let me. I faced the mirror as I brushed my teeth and I barely recognized the person staring back at me. My eyes were red-rimmed and swollen, highlighted by the dark circles of sunken skin underneath them. My cheeks were red and raw from rubbing away the tears that had fallen throughout the night. I washed my face in cool water, hoping to soothe the inflamed skin but it was useless. Giving up, I showered quickly and dressed in some faded jeans, a black t-shirt, and some black biker boots, then headed out the door. My heart raced and my palms were sweating, sliding along the steering wheel as I drove to Sarah’s house. I tried rehearsing what I would say but nothing I came up with was even close to good enough. Ultimately, I settled on throwing out the script altogethe
Sarah’s POV I’d been at Fair Winds for over a week. Seven whole days had passed since my world had been made whole and then turned to ash in the space of an hour. Yet somehow, it still felt like it just happened yesterday, the wounds still raw and oozing. Originally, I had planned to come for a fun visit with my cousin, Hallie. She was the same age as me and we always had the best time when we got together. But not this time. This time I’d stayed locked up in my room, alternating between body-wracking sobs and hours of frantic pacing as I tried to force my brain to think logically about my predicament. It was a battle I had no chance of winning. Because my heart was thoroughly shattered, and nothing is ever logical when it comes to matters of the heart. “Sarah?” Hallie called my name after knocking softly on my door. “It’s okay. Hal. You can come in.” I called back. I knew she was worried about me and I couldn’t keep pushing her off. “Hey.” She greeted timidly, testing the wa
*Warning: This chapter contains mature content of a sexual nature Sarah’s POV I hadn’t slept much the past week, hoping to avoid the nightmares I knew would plague me when I did. I fought to keep my eyes open but my lids were so heavy, drooping against my will. I must have drifted off because the next thing I knew, I was being startled awake by someone calling to me. “Hey kitten, I’ve been trying to wake you!” Finn called from the doorway. What was he doing here? He stalked into the room, heading right towards me with a sexy smirk on his face. My heart thundered in my chest in both excitement and fear at the thought of him touching me. He looked good enough to eat and I couldn’t help the way my body heated for him. But giving him a chance to hurt me again terrified me. I took the opportunity to drink him in as he moved closer and closer to me. He was shirtless, his eight-pack on full display. The top button of his jeans was undone and my eyes trailed his defined v-line down to w
Finnick’s POV Over a week had passed since that day, the day that had been both the best and worst day of my life. And the past week had been the worst of all by far. I’d barely slept and I looked like shit. My stomach was in knots and just the thought of food made me nauseated. It seemed all I could do was think about Sarah.If I thought I’d been miserable all those years without Sarah, it was nothing compared to the agony I felt now. Having held her in my arms, feeling what it could be like to finally have her as my mate, only to watch her pull away from me was pure torture. But even that paled in comparison to the onslaught of anguish I experienced every time I remembered the look on her face when she learned the truth of my betrayal. Broken. That’s the only word I could use to describe it. When I’d told her the truth about knowing she was my mate all this time, how I’d abandoned her and defiled our bond in the worst way, it had broken her. I couldn’t stop seeing the way the ligh