Page 64 of Threads of Fate

“Nix, the others are here with the food. If you don’t want to see anyone else right now, that’s okay. But I know they’d love to meet you, too.”

“I’m not wearing pants, Jamie.” The sweater covered his butt nicely, hitting him mid-thigh. His hands are hidden by sweater-paws, and the neckline has slid even farther to one side, showing off more of his shoulder and collarbone. Jay spares a moment to wonder if Nix noticed the unmarred state of his skin when he showered.

“Can I sit? Maybe with a blanket, please? Then I think I’d like to meet the rest of your family—partners.” He smiles so hard that his eyes all but disappear. Gideon groans again, and it’s followed by Luca giggling at his mate’s predicament.

Finn leads him over to the couch where Luca covers him with a blanket covered in tiny yellow chicks that Rowan swore he never used, but smelled like him alone. The omega brings it to his nose and sighs, a contented smile on his face, as he tucks a strand of hair behind his ear.

Finn takes a seat next to him, his arm across the back of the couch, while Luca sits on the other side, grabbing his omega’s tiny hand. He looks like he wants to pull Nix on his lap but is showing remarkable restraint.

Gideon goes to open the door, and finally, all of Jay’s family is alive, well, and in one place.

Chapter Twenty-Five: Finn

Rewind-Finn

They leave Antonio’s law offices in the wake of the tornado of Jay and Gideon’s departure. Finn and Rowan head out in Gideon’s Escalade while Leo and Gray follow in the Lexus. The scent in the car is pure Gideon—reeking of thunder, and a little reminiscent of the smells from Quest’s kitchen. It all smells like home, and it relaxes him a bit despite his excitement.

They’re going to see Nix, and he isawake.

His palms are sweating, and he thinks he might actually cry. That Nix is finally awake means Finn hasn’t been instrumental in the death of his mate. It’s not logical, he knows, but feelings never are, or so they say. But it also goes a long way to washing away some guilt he might have been harboring since he let Nix escape the safety of the hospital that first night.

Frankly, Finn often tries to logic his feelings away the second they become difficult.

“It’s okay if you want to cry.” Rowan is navigating traffic like a Formula One driver and has left Leo and Gray behind several lights ago. “He’s awake. It’s good.”

“I’m not going to cry, Rowan. Why would I? No, don’t answer that. Fuck. I can’t cry.” He turns toward the window and tries not to let his nose run.

“Well, if youdidcry, it would be okay, and I wouldn’t tell anyone. I would understand the relief you might feel. If youdid.”Rowan takes one hand off the wheel on a longer stretch between lights, to squeeze his hand.

They slam to a stop at a red light, and Rowan finally lets go. They spend the rest of the ride to the hospital in silence or with Rowan humming Tom Petty’sRunnin’ Down A Dreamunder his breath, with the occasional burst of falsetto; fingers tapping the rhythm on the steering wheel and his left foot tapping out the high-hat. Finn has to giggle because it’s the perfect soundtrack, and knowing Rowan is trying to lighten his mood makes the love he feels for his mate almost cause his eyes to overflow again.

They peel into the parking lot, and Rowan puts his arm over the back of Finn’s seat and backs into a spot like it’s nothing. It’s such a flex that Finn is distracted again for a second from his anxious-excited-relief emotional overload, mouth hanging open a bit.

“You okay there, Finnster?” Rowan is wearing a smirk, like he knows what Finn is thinking. The youngest alpha in their pack is truly coming into his own. He wears his confidence in such an attractive way. It’s cocky, and Finn has learned up close and personal that it’s not like he can’t back it up.

Finn rolls his eyes and stops himself from taking a deep breath inside the confines of the SUV because he knows Rowan is pumping out spiced rum like it’s the Happy Hour special of the night; Finn could easily get drunk on it. “Quit that. We’ve got a mate to see.”

Rowan’s sexual prowl transforms into a happy grin. “Fuck yes, we do!” He crows, and he grabs Finn’s hand as they speed-walk to the hospital’s main entrance.

In the elevator, Finn gets a text:

11:02 PM-from Gideon

Nix is having a tough transition, don’t hurry.

J is in there now.

Finn’s stomach drops. He runs through everything he learned in medical school and in practice about the transition. Once receiving the bite, Humans are kept unconscious so that the pain of the transition is almost nil, and the change is closely monitored. Given it’s a consensual decision, there is usually a lot of education around becoming Were; and before the new beta is brought out of a coma, their loved one or sponsor is present to ease the influx of physical sensations.

Simple.

Finn has read the bookmarked pages from Dr. Spencer as well, and while there are lots of things Finn feels are helpful, none spoke about an omega’s transition because, before today, there hadn’t been one. Right? Finn’s a scientist with a healthy dose of skepticism, and he thinks there’s got to be more to this than what they know right now. Once they can get Nix settled at home, Finn thinks he’s going to take leave from the hospital and see if he can sort this out. He can’t trust it to anyone else outside the pack.

When the nurse had called Jay at Antonio’s office, they’d heard the wordferal. It’s hard for Finn to imagine the sweet, charming Austin from last Saturday night as anything but that: sweet and charming. Feral implies an utter lack of control. Bloodlust. Possible sexual lust. Confusion and fear. Finn’s stomach drops, and he puts a hand on Rowan’s arm. “Ro, Gideon says Nix is still struggling. We can’t go in right away. Alright?”

Rowan’s face falls in disappointment, “Is Jay helping him? What’s feral mean, exactly, when it comes to…” He doesn’t sayomegasbut instead widens his eyes meaningfully.

“I have no idea. Dr. Spencer’s books didn’t cover it. Hopefully, we can see what Gideon has to say.” They come up the hallway and every door in the ward is closed. The nurses’ station is abandoned and when they round the corner Gideonis standing, head bent, one arm supporting himself on the door frame. “Gid?”

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