Page 137 of Knot Unwanted: Part One

“But you had to?—”

“Ichoseto.” He looks at his hand again, something shifting in his expression. “I punched an alpha.”

He continues staring at his hand, as if he’s back there, in that store, reliving it all.

“Was it…” I swallow hard. “Was it the first time you’ve hit someone?”

A strange smile flickers across his face. “No. I got into fights a lot…back in high school…college… Hard not to when you look like me but you end up being an omega.”

We sit with that for a moment, the weight of it filling the space between us. All those unspoken stories.

“They’re fighting about me,” I finally say, because someone has to say it.

“They’re fighting about a lot of things.” Finn’s head tips back against the door. “You’re just the easiest target right now.”

“Jax thinks?—”

“Jax is scared.” His eyes close. “We all are. But not of you. For you.”

I think about the alpha’s hands on my wrist. About Finn’s knuckles splitting against teeth. About Stone’s voice, deadly calm in the face of violence.

“I don’t want anyone else getting hurt because of me.”

Finn’s laugh is hollow. “Funny thing is, there’s nothing you can do to hurt us, babe. We’re too far gone for that…and I was always the one doing the hurting.” His uninjured hand traces patterns on the floor. “Too aggressive for an omega. Too protective. Too…everything.”

The bitterness in his voice makes me shift closer to the edge of the nest.

“I’ve never been quite right.” His words come slower now, like they’re being pulled from somewhere deep and painful. He laughs again and it’s so bitter it swells with sadness. “Did you know that I have three brothers? Blood brothers.”

“Omegas?” I whisper.

He grunts another mirthless laugh. “Alphas. All of them. Our mom and dads were proud. But I…I was never what they expected.” He flexes his bandaged hand again, grimacing. “I could pass for an alpha if I bulk up, maybe. I’m as tall if not taller than most betas. But then I’d still have the problem of the relentless heats…craving an alpha’s knot like all the pretty little omegas do.” He grunts again. “Fucked up, isn’t it? I don’t fit in anywhere. And now I’m right back to proving my family right.”

“Finn…”

“You know what one of my dads said when I revealed?” His eyes stay fixed on the floor. “He said ‘well, that explains a lot.’ Like everything that made me wrong finally made sense.” A tremor runs through him. “Like being omega was the flaw that explained all my other flaws.”

Something in my chest aches. Somebody told Finn this? When he’s the most beautiful creature I have ever seen? A sudden anger rises within me. “You’re not flawed.”

“No?” Now he does look up, and the raw pain in his eyes steals my breath. “I punched analphatoday, Hailey. Omegas don’t punch alphas.”

I swallow hard. Maybe he’s right. But I’m not exactly well-versed on being an omega either.

“Soft.” The word drops like stone. “Delicate. Submissive. That’s what a real omega is. Everything I’m not. Everything I can’t be.” His voice cracks. “Everything they deserve in an omega.”

The nest suddenly feels too far away. Before I can think better of it, I’m across the room and sliding down in front of him, drawing him into my arms. He stiffens for a moment, then melts against me like he’s too tired to hold himself up anymore. Finn’s massive frame is heavy as he rests his head on my shoulder, but the sensation of his weight only makes me want him closer.

“You really think that’s what they want?” I ask softly, feelinghim tremble. “Those three gorgeous alphas who look at you like you hung the moon?”

“They deserve better.” His words are muffled against my shoulder. “Someone who doesn’t fight. Someone who doesn’t make everything harder. Someone…like you.”

I almost choke on air. As usual, Finn is just being nice.

“Finn, I’ve seen how Stone looks at you. How Jax touches you. Even Ren…” I pause, remembering quiet moments, subtle gestures. “They orbit around you like you’re their center.”

He shakes his head. “That might have been true…once. They’re kind. They take care of broken things.”

“Is that what you think you are? Broken?”

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