Page 57 of Scent of Home

“This town is as corrupt and bitchy as everywhere else. These people you think are saintly are just people. Stop trying to impress them.”

Finn shakes his head. “I pity you.”

“Yeah, you keep wasting your time doing that. But the truth is, Finn, you’re the one living someone else’s life and dictating like you’re the only person who can lead us to our best lives. New flash: your life is as fucked up as mine. You’re a puppet, and I’m alone. We’re the same.”

“Bray-” I cut in, but his eyes snap to me and burn there.

“It’s a few days, right? We can stomach being around each other for just a few days. For the omega. Then we go right back to being what we are, acquaintances who simply inhabit the same town. Hell, I’ll do you one better, the day that omega leaves, I’ll get on my bike and fuck off, too. How’s that? That will make you happy, right?”

I hesitate. While his proposal is everything I should want, it leaves a nasty taste on my tongue. I don’t want him to leave.

“Deal,” Finn says crisply. He turns on his heel and leaves us there.

Bray waits for me. There’s something in his face, something I almost understand. If my head was clearer, I’m sure I’d recognise the emotion.

“Deal,” I say slowly.

The something disappears, and as soon as it’s gone, I want it back, but it’s too late, and I don’t know how to recall it.

I stand outside in the dark alone for a long time before the word comes to me.

It’s hope.

Nothing happens that night.I wonder if it’s because of the undercurrents of the argument we had, but Locke and Erin seem to instinctively sense the tension and separate us. I end up with Erin and Finn while Brayson and Locke disappear outside, leaving us alone in the cabin.

They talk about everything. I sit quietly and watch them. Normally, I feel like a voyeur looking in on these situations, but this time, it’s more like I’m sitting with them, like I’m part of this conversation. It’s strange.

After an hour, Bray and Locke return, and my gaze keeps drifting towards them. Even Erin’s sexy teasing can’t keep my attention for long. I need to understand what I’ve done wrong. Why has Bray turned cold?

But then I find my gaze drawn back to Finn and Erin. Finn is the odd man out in this relationship, and I can’t understand why. I feel attracted to him, but there’s a hesitance, a caution that stops me from acting on it.

Finn is the golden line of this town. Oh, I’ve wanted him in the past. I want him now. Why did I always hold back?

He’s everyone’s perfect son, and I’m not part of this town. Finn is…well, he’s untouchable.

I want to break him. All the dirty things I want to do to this beta terrify me some days. He would never, ever allow it.

Now, that’s an interesting thought. I settle back in the chairs that have since been delivered and consider the implications of that. Finn on his knees begging, unhinged, messy, full of all the emotion he bottles up so well.

Bray fucking him hard while Erin holds his face to her cunt and commands him to eat her. I shift, trying to cut these thoughts off, but they play until I can almost taste them.

I look at Finn with his perfect hair and his stunning smile. He always knows the right things to say, always knows how to act in every situation. The only time I ever see him ruffled is when he has to deal with Bray.

Which has me glancing towards Bray and remembering what happened outside. We, Finn and I, upset Bray, and I’m not sure what we did. He’s not even looking at me.

I let out a low growl.

Erin laughs at me and sits down on my lap. “I’m guessing romancing the alpha isn’t coming along so well?”

“I don’t understand what I did to upset him,” I finally admit.

“So, tell me, I’ll translate.”

I walk her through everything that happened outside. She gets quiet, and I tighten the arm I have around her waist.

“Is that what’s going to happen? We’ll leave you three here, and you’ll just go back to pretending you all don’t exist?” Erin sounds so sad.

Hell, I’m sad just thinking about it.

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