Page 9 of Bonds of Fate

Finnie reaches the top of the stairs first. “Jay is in with Gideon. He said something about letting Gideon go a few rounds with someone who hits back. Are you okay?”

They must look foolish sitting crowded together against the wall like children caught gawking at a grown-up party.

“Not to throw anyone under the bus or anything, but Luca and Rowan want you to tell me about being…what did you say it was? Omega?Also, what is analpha rut?”

Luca feels the “bus” drive over him and then back up and do it again when Finn says, “Shit.”

“That’s what they said. By your reactions, this is going to be one of those ‘Were-style’ surprises, right? I gotta say, though, the omitting of need-to-know information is getting fucking tiresome.” Luca smells Nix’s vanilla-sex scent go a bit burnt too, but it’s not as bad as it could be…orwillbe. He reaches for Nix’s hand to comfort himandhimself.

“Baby, it’s nothing bad. At least, I don’t think so, and I don’t think any of our mates do either.”

“I have had a lot of news today, and I think we should get whatever this discussion is out of the way so I can get on with processing it. Luca, you said it’s a biologyanda history lesson. Finnie, that’s your wheelhouse, no?”

Finn sighs. Luca does not envy him at all.

“It is. Do we have to do this here? I’d rather not be anywhere you might be able to push me down the stairs or hoist me over the railing.” Finn’s scent is not joking, despite his intentionally light tone. “Let’s go downstairs again. Nix, do you want Jay? I can–”

“I think the four of us can handle it. Come on, you big scaredy-cats, how bad can it be?”

Chapter Three: Finn

Finn

“How bad can it be?”

Finn is worried thatthismight indeed be harder for his omega to handle than hearing he is part of a secret supernatural species. Why, he doesn’t know exactly, because that your species had changed should probably be more difficult to accept than the idea that you were now capable of bearing children. When he tries to put himself in those shoes, he finds he can’t.

It is hardly comparable to the moment he learned he would be an alpha at eleven. Both his mother and father were beta, as were his grandparents before them. But the more he lived with the idea, the more he allowed it to settle. He began to see that some of his traits were distinctly alpha—not the aggressive, relentless drive to dominate that some alphas, especially enigmas, displayed. Instead, it was the quieter desire to lead, to protect, and to possess—qualities betas often lacked.

Explaining all of this to Nix is mind-boggling. It is something born Weres know their whole lives. He’d contacted the Transition Committee about any information they might be able to contribute, and they’d pointed him to variations of the texts he’d already pulled from his extensive library and a few articles in Were journals about beta transitions. But as far as getting started with Nix from scratch?

He genuinely doesn’t know where to begin.

“Thank you for trusting us with this, Nix.”

Nix rolls his eyes at Rowan’s cautious sincerity, and Finn has to smile. Rowan rarely wears a subdued expression, even during serious times, and can always be relied on to be sarcastic, ironic, and–more often than not–hilarious. That Nix has already caught on seems to be a sign he is settling into their pack life.

“What? I’m serious. This is serious shit, and I am not going to fuck it up. You guys suck. I don’t get any respect.”

Nix gives him a quick peck on the cheek, and that seems to shut him up.

They find spots on the couch while Finn retrieves those two books from the table in case he needs them. He also grabs the file from Dr. Spencer containing Nix’s scans and medical data from his library. He’d emailed her yesterday, actually, and they’d spoken in a weird “code” to keep Nix’s identity and their topic of conversation safe. Finn hopes he won’t need to prove what he’s about to share, but he wants to be prepared.

Adjusting the collar of his shirt and pushing his glasses up, he sits on the coffee table/ottoman so he can better see his mates’ faces and gauge Nix’s reaction, ready to adjust accordingly. “I think a bit of history is going to be a good start. Ready, students?”

Luca giggles behind his hand, and Nix’s mouth drops open slightly, his scent blooming. Finn, unashamed of his own aroused response, smirks. “Really? For science, what’s doing it for you? Is it the professor thing or…?”

“The professor thing,” both Rowan and Nix reply simultaneously.

“Noted.”

“It’s the glasses for me, Finnie.” Luca’s little hand pops up and makes a kitty-cat claw while he mouthsrawr.

“Okay, enough of that, you three. Behave.” Three heads nod in perfect sync, and Finn finds himself wishing he had a camera.

Finn begins with a brief history of the Weres, including their creation by the Goddess. It’s a story typically shared with middle-schoolers, so it leans a bit on the dramatic side, but he’s still fond of the tale told just like this. Opening the page in question, he reads:

“At the dawn of time, after the world was formed and the land and sea were settled and the age of the large beasts was finished, the sun god created humans. They were proud of the creatures They had made: resilient, intelligent, and loving to their communities and families. But the humans were also selfish, prone to shortsightedness and violence in their greed, as well as in their pursuit of pleasure and power.

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