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
Finnick’s POV Sarah was home. Now my wolf’s behavior was beginning to make sense. His mate was close. Sadie, Sarah’s wolf, was drowning in her own despair and Callum could feel her anxiety through their bond. I could only hope this wouldn’t be the fight he was preparing for. “Shit!” Seth’s single word pretty much summed up how I was feeling but it brought me out of my shocked stupor and back to the situation at hand. I blew out an anxious breath and shoved open the jeep door. “Well, I guess this is the moment of truth. I might as well get it over with and go face the music.” I told myself as much as I was telling him. “Um, I’ll hang back and give you two some time to talk. Good luck man.” I felt the sincerity in his tone and knew that he meant it. “Yeah, thanks. I’m going to need it.” I said the last part under my breath but I knew he heard me. My feet dragged with every step I took towards the front door. I couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t going to go my way a