I didn't dare look at Finnick again.
The heat in his eyes had unsettled something deep inside me, something that felt older than logic. Before I could think about it properly, I slipped out of his lap and rushed straight into the bathroom.
The door shut with a loud click. I leaned back against it, pressing my palms flat against the cool wood while my heart pounded wildly in my chest.
That was too close.
Just a few seconds longer and…
I squeezed my eyes shut. We were bound before the council. The pack had witnessed our vows. By law and by instinct, I was his mate. If something had happened between us, it wouldn't have been wrong.
So why had I run?
The memory of his gaze flashed across my mind again. It hadn't just been desire. It had been possession. Hunger. A claiming instinct that made my knees weak.
A shiver slid down my spine.
This was only the third time we had truly been in the same space. I barely knew the man beyond his reputation Alpha of the Finnor Pack, cold strategist, untouchable. How was I supposed to accept that my body now answered to him so easily?
And yet…
His reaction earlier had been unmistakable. My male colleagues had mocked him, saying an injured Alpha couldn't satisfy a mate, that dominance faded with weakness.
But that moment in his arms had told me something very different.
Heat rushed to my face.
Vivian William, what are you thinking?
I had agreed to this marriage for stability, for status in Sunshine City, for security within a powerful pack. That was all. I wasn't supposed to care whether he desired me. I wasn't supposed to analyze the strength in his hands or the firmness beneath my palms.
My breath caught.
When I had fallen earlier, my hands had pressed against his legs. I had expected them to feel thin, fragile, unused.
They weren't.
They had been solid. Strong. Tense under my touch, like restrained power.
Nothing about him had felt weak.
Knock. Knock.
I nearly jumped out of my skin.
"What?" I called, trying to keep my voice steady.
"Open the door." Finnick's voice was calm on the other side, deep and controlled.
My heart leaped into my throat.
Open the door? For what?
My mind instantly betrayed me, replaying the way he had looked at me moments ago. My fingers tightened around the sink.
When I didn't answer, he spoke again. "You dropped something."
My thoughts screeched to a halt.
After a few seconds, I moved toward the door and opened it just a crack. A long, elegant hand extended through the gap, holding a soft white towel.
I blinked.
"You were looking for this," he said. There was the faintest trace of amusement in his tone. "That's why you came out."
My face burned. "Thank you."
I grabbed the towel and shut the door quickly, pressing my back against it again. Why did it feel like he could read every instinct running through me?
After drying off and dressing, I stepped out cautiously.
Finnick was already in navy silk sleepwear, sitting on the bed with his laptop resting across his legs. His fingers moved quickly over the keyboard. His posture was relaxed, but there was a quiet authority even in the way he sat.
Watching him like that stirred my curiosity again.
For someone who was supposed to have limited mobility, he seemed completely self-sufficient. There were no personal attendants hovering around him. Only Liam and Molly lived here, and they didn't fuss over him.
How had he gotten onto the bed by himself? Didn't he need assistance?
Before I could stop myself, I asked softly, "Do you… need to shower?"
"I already did," he replied without looking up.
I blinked.
Already? Where?
A ridiculous thought crept into my head. Had he bathed somewhere else? With someone else?
I almost laughed at myself. Even if he did have another woman, why should I care? This was a political bond as much as it was a marriage. Packs did not always mix emotion with duty.
Still, something tightened in my chest.
I turned away and began organizing my things for work the next day. That was when I noticed the ring on the desk the one I had removed earlier.
The simple band I had bought that afternoon.
At the time, I hadn't known the full extent of his power. I had chosen the most modest design I could afford. Now, under the soft bedroom lights, it looked embarrassingly plain. An Alpha of his standing deserved something far grander.
I glanced at him.
He was still focused on his screen.
Quickly, I slipped my own ring into my bag. The one meant for him, I quietly placed inside a drawer of the dressing table. I would figure something else out later.
Then I climbed into bed.
To my relief, it was large, divided naturally into two spaces. Even sitting on my side, there was distance between us.
"You're done?" he asked, still staring at his laptop.
"Yeah."
I glanced at his screen. Lines and graphs in red and green filled it. Finnor Group dealt heavily in financial bonds between packs. None of it made sense to me.
"Shall we sleep?" he asked, finally tilting his head slightly to look at me from the corner of his eye.
My throat felt dry. "Sure."
Within moments, he shut down his laptop and turned off the lights.
Darkness settled over the room.
My body went rigid.
I didn't know why he had chosen me. I didn't know whether he expected to complete the bond tonight. In pack culture, many Alphas did not wait long after marriage to claim what was theirs.
The silence stretched.
I lay there stiffly, listening to every shift of fabric, every breath. Gradually, his breathing evened out. Slow. Steady.
He had fallen asleep.
Relief washed over me so suddenly that my muscles melted into the mattress. The tension drained from my limbs, and exhaustion claimed me almost instantly.
The next morning, my alarm rang sharply.
I opened my eyes to an empty space beside me. The sheets were cool. He was already gone.
I dressed quickly and applied light makeup before heading downstairs. Halfway down the stairs, the scent of breakfast filled the air rich, warm, comforting.
Molly beamed when she saw me. "Mrs. Norton, you're awake. Come, have breakfast."
"Thank you."
Finnick was already seated at the dining table. One hand held a newspaper, the other lifted a mug to his lips.
My gaze drifted downward.
His fingers were long and elegant, veins faintly visible beneath smooth skin. Strong. Controlled. The kind of hands that could command a pack without raising a voice.
My heart skipped unexpectedly.
And for the first time since entering this house, I felt it clearly the subtle thread between us, invisible but present. A bond waiting, patient and undeniable.
Whether I was ready or not.