Page 187 of Knot Unwanted: Part One

I open my mouth to argue but he continues.

“It’s not just the heat, Hailey. It’s them. Their presence, their scent…it’s pulling at you. I know it is. I know it is, because I’ve felt it before.”

I press my lips together. “It’s just the heat,” I whisper. “It’s making me?—”

“It’s not just the heat,” Finn says firmly, cutting me off again. “It’s instinct. It’s your body recognizing them as your alphas, even if your mind hasn’t caught up yet.”

I shake my head, my throat tightening as panic rises in my chest. The mere thought of facing the alphas without Finn’s protection makes my hands tremble. “But I don’t want them,” I insist, my voice breaking. “I don’tneedthem, Finn. I needyou.”

Finn exhales sharply, his hand brushing over his face. “I’m not saying you don’t need me,” he says, his voice softening again. “I know you do. And I’m here, Hailey. I’ll always be there for you. But…they’re part of this pack. They’re part ofyounow, whether you like it or not.”

Tears spill over, and I reach for him, gripping his hands. “But what about me?” I whisper. “What if I can’t do this without you?”

Finn’s hands tighten around mine, his gaze locking on mine. “You can,” he says firmly. “You’re stronger than you think you are, sunshine. You don’t need me to stay to prove that.”

I blink at him, my heart twisting. “Stone and Jax…” I trail off, my voice trembling.

“They’re good alphas,” Finn says firmly, his gray eyes steady. “I know you don’t trust them yet, but they’ve been doing everything they can to make this easier for you. Giving you space, holding back…even when they’re hurting for you.”

“And Ren…” I whisper, memory of his hand at my throat coming back enough that I ghost my fingers over the spot.

Finn groans. “We’ll have to…we’ll have to deal with that later.”

I swallow hard, my mind racing.

“They’ve been trying, Hailey,” Finn continues, his voice soft. “And I know this is a big demand, but for your sake, for the pain that will come with your heat, I think…I think you owe it to yourself to try, too.”

I shake my head, tears spilling over. “But what if trying means losing you?” I whisper.

Finn’s hands tighten on mine, his grip warm and steady. “You won’t lose me,” he says firmly. “I’m not going anywhere, sunshine. But you have to let them in. You have to give them a chance.”

I want to protest, to tell him he’s wrong, but I can’t. His certainty collides with my fear, creating a confusing storm of emotions. And beneath my panic, beneath my desperate clinging, there’s a quiet voice I’ve been trying to ignore—one that whispers what Finn is saying might be true. That despite everything, some primal part of me recognizes those alphas as mine. The realization terrifies me almost as much as the thought of losing Finn. And if I don’t try—if I don’t push past the fear and meet the alphas head-on—I’ll lose more than just myself.

I’ll lose Finn, too.

The thought sends a fresh wave of determination through me, cutting through the fear like a blade. I pull back slightly, looking up at him with tear-filled eyes. “If I do this,” I say quietly, “if I try…will you stay?”

Finn blinks, caught off guard by the question.

I continue, swallowing hard. “What if I can make you stay?”

For a moment, he doesn’t speak, his expression raw andconflicted. Then, slowly, he leans in, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to my forehead.

“You already make me want to stay,” he whispers against my skin. “Every single day.”

The words break something inside me, and I press my face into his chest, holding on to him tightly.

That little flicker of fire within me, the same one that helped me and Vi escape that truck, the same one that pushed me to run, the same one that led me back here after I abandoned Finn—it rises again.

Because maybe I can do this.

Maybe, by saving myself, I can save Finn, too.

Chapter 44

Hailey

It’s quiet, but not the kind of quiet that feels peaceful. It’s the kind that settles into your chest, heavy and unmoving, like the weight of everything that was said last night hasn’t quite lifted. The morning light filters through the curtains, casting soft shadows across the rumpled blankets, but even the warmth of sunlight can't dispel the chill that’s settled deep in my bones since Finn’s confession.

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