21 - Finn


    "No, I can''t. Please." Her voice is barely audible as she tries to wriggle free from my grasp, desperation clear in her trembling words.


    "Stop." I gently but firmly pull her face back toward mine. “Look at me.”


    Reluctantly, her eyelids flutter open, and her gaze immediately begins darting


    around, searching. We''re still inside the elevator, but something down here is clearly triggering fear she doesn''t want to confront.


    "Stop scanning for an escape. Just look at me." I slide my hands up beside her face, like blinders narrowing her focus.


    “I can''t, Finn. Please...” Her voice trails off, but finally she meets my eyes. "Please.” She barely ever says my name, and never pleads like this.


    "Talk to me. You stayed with me for two days straight. You made sure I got out of that fight alive. Let me help you through this. Talk. To. Me." I feel her chest rising and falling rapidly against mine.


    “I can''t be down here. Not again. I don''t do underground.” Her wordse out shaky, filled with dread.


    "Why?" I ask softly, trying to coax her out of the elevator, but she tightens her grip on my wrists and nts her heels firmly.


    "No!" Her body trembles with fear, but her eyes ze with determination. Something happened here—something her instincts are screaming at her to avoid. I can''t imagine Ryker harming her or letting anyone else do so, but I haven''t been here long enough to know everything.


    I have to push through this. Something inside me refuses to let it go. She hasn''t tried to kill me yet, and she stayed by my side when she could have left me for dead things my first mate never even considered. She won''t tell anyone she''s my mate, and she won''t talk about it openly, but she hasn''t rejected me outright either. I''m clinging to that hope. Maybe I can convince her that having a rogue as a mate isn''t the worst thing in the world.


    Leaning in, I press her gently against the wall, brushing my lips close to her ear. "Hold on." She gasps as I lift her up effortlessly. Her slender legs curl around my waist, and my hands find the curve of her hips. Before she can react, I''m moving.


    ncing over her shoulder for the healer, I carry her into the nearest room. The healer quickly shuts the door behind us, wary of Greta trying to run again.


    "Finn! What the hell? I said no—I don''t want to be down here!" She struggles fiercely now, forcing me to set her down, though I remain between her and the door.


    “And I said if I''m stuck down here for a few days, then so are you. Let''s just get this over with. Havingpany might make it bearable."


    "Fuck you. You selfish bastard. I''m not staying down here with you."


    "Yeah, that''s me the selfish rogue you want nothing to do with. If you didn''t want me, you should''ve left me to die in the forest."


    "I''m giving you two a minute." A voice calls from behind me just as the door clicks shut.


    “Sure, make this all about you—like every other guy on this. I won''t be guilted into anything. You don''t know what I''ve been through or what I want."


    "Then talk to me. Help me understand. Why are you so afraid of the basement?” I step closer, softening my tone.


    She starts pacing like a trapped animal. "No, I just need to get out... Now!"


    She tries to slip past me, but I catch her around the waist and shove her back. She stumbles into a wall lined with medical supplies, knocking several tubes loose. Her growl shifts from fear to fury. I''m in for a fight.


    She lunges again, this time aiming for my face. I''m slow to block, and her fist connects with my nose, sending blood spraying everywhere. Arms il as I do my best to shield myself from her furious blows. She pulls back to strike again; I duck under her swing and drive my shoulder into her hips, forcing her back onto a nearby bed.


    She pounds on my back, but my size gives me the advantage. Her wolf holds her back from truly hurting me, so I press my hips to pin her lower body. I twist one arm behind her head, then secure the other above it. Panic floods her eyes, her breathing quickens-but it''s different from before, less aggressive.


    "No! No... please, no. I''ll stop. Just let me go.” Her voice cracks with desperation.


    I release her hands, but they fly up to my chest, pushing weakly. I hold firm, staring into her terrified face, and a cold shiver runs through me. I know this look all too well —and I hate it.


    "Greta, stop. Just stop. I won''t hurt you. You''re safe here." I repeat the words slowly until the haze in her eyes begins to fade. “You''re safe, I promise. I won''t touch you— not like that—without your permission. I will never hurt you."


    "Then get the fuck off me and let me leave."


    "I can''t. We need to know. My wolf and I need to find out what they did to you, who ''they'' are, so we can tear them apart.” She exhales a bitterugh.


    "You can''t do anything. Please, just let me up.”


    "No. Tell me now. My wolf is talking to yours. I will find out, no matter how stubborn you are."


    "Finn," she whimpers, tears spilling down her cheeks. “Please let me go. I''m broken. I have too many demons to be a good mate. Just let me walk away. Find someone else."


    "You want to talk broken and demons? You did meet my first mate, right?" A faint smile slips onto her lips before she masks it again. "I know I''m just a rogue. I bring nothing to this rtionship, but I''m here. I chose you crazy as you are. Now talk to me. When? Who? How bad did it get? I''m not moving until you give me some answers."