Page 7 of Claimed By Blood

Silas rubs at my shoulders in an effort to soothe me.

Damn, I didn’t even hear him come in.

“It’ll be okay,” he promises. “Vane will sort both of them out in a second.”

I know he will. The beta has been ending their arguments daily since his rescue. But, despite that, my omega instincts have been going haywire for the last week. I thought I was bad before, but now I’mthisclose to snapping.

Vane’s quiet voice rumbles through the space, cutting off Gideon’s next retort. He speaks too softly for me to hear, and normally, that would be the end of it. He’s older than all of us, and the alphas usually respect his opinions.

Not today.

“I’m not leaving her in that hellhole for one more fucking day!” Frost roars.

Gideon growls, and the sound reverberates through the floor. “You go in there and you’re putting the whole pack at—”

I shove out of my chair, shrugging off Silas’s hand in my haste to get through the door.

Our latest safe house is a cramped apartment in Boston, so it’s only a short walk from the bedroom I’ve taken over as my office to the living area where the other three are arguing.

Gideon is still raging, but he cuts off as I burst into the cosy room. The two of them must have been sitting opposite one another to start with, but now they’re nose to nose over the steaming mugs of blood and coffee on the table.

“I can’t take this anymore!” I snarl, pinning them to the spot with my glare. “Evie is fucking traumatised by what she’s going through. I feel it every single day. But instead of giving a damn, all you two do is stand here and argue. If you won’t save her, I swear to God I’ll go out there and do it myself.”

The stunned silence which fills the room on the heels of my statement is priceless. I don’t think anyone in my pack has ever heard me yell or raise my voice in anger before. It’s not something omegas typically do. Confrontation is anathema to us. We’re usually happy to let the alphas and betas battle it out and then soothe their hurt feelings later.

Wedefinitelydon’t stare down alphas and make threats.

My gut churns as what I’ve done starts to sink in. Instinct takes over and I drop to my knees, baring my neck in a sign of submission. Everything in my stupid lycan brain is on hyper-alert, waiting for our alphas to decide whether to kill me for challenging them.

Two sets of footsteps head in my direction, but I keep my gaze fixed on the floor even as they pull me up by my arms.

“Finn,” Frost says, keeping his tone deliberately calm and coaxing. “Finn, look at us. You’re safe. You’re with us.”

The whine which issues from the back of my throat is embarrassing, but I can’t hold it back. The pleading sound makes Gid sigh.

“Omega,” he murmurs, the gentle intimacy in his tone sending a shockwave of reassurance through me. “Relax.”

His permission is all my body needs. I slump between them, sucking in a lungful of air.

I didn’t even notice I was holding my breath.

“You two get your shit together and make a plan to extract Evie,” Vane growls. His hands are on his hips and his big brother attitude is in full swing. “If your bullshit sends Finn back to the state he was in when he joined the pack, I’ll gut you both.”

“No more,” I whisper, clinging to Gid’s arm like a lifeline in the storm. “Please. No more threats. No more arguments. I can’t… You haveno ideawhat it’s like.”

Gideon sighs again and tugs me to the sofa. I’m as limp as a noodle as he positions me between him and Frost, knowing that my instincts will need the reassurance of being surrounded by pack. Silas claims the spot on the floor between my legs and stares up into my eyes as Vane takes the spot behind me, guarding my back.

For the first time in a week, I feel settled.

Almost.

“We need to find a way to communicate with Eve,” Frost starts.

“There isn’t one.” Silas groans. “We’ve been over this. Her camera and mic were taken and destroyed. Her tablet probably hasn’t been replaced, but it’s connected to one of the most secure network—”

“I have a back door.”

They all turn to look at me.

---