Page 17 of Monster’s Redemption (Monsters in the Mountains #9)

Blythe

I t was another day before we left our haven beneath the willow. Fin’hir snuck off to hunt once while I slept, and ferried me to the river and back for water, but other than that, we did nothing but enjoy each other. I almost wished we had stayed at our first cave, but I doubted we’d have moved forward if we hadn’t decided to leave. He would have kept avoiding me, and I’d have kept waiting with my fears.

Fin’hir finally admitted his worries in the middle of the night, that his clan might not accept him back. I knew he had changed, that he accepted me as I was despite not being his kind, and I hoped his clan would see that. He tried to act like it wouldn’t bother him to be rejected, but I knew it mattered to him.

The first view I had of his home was breathtaking. He’d forced me to eat before allowing us to leave, worried he’d starved me, so the sun was high in the sky when the lake came into view. He said the cabin next to it was new, as well as the garden not far from it. I was excited to get a closer look, but also nervous over meeting more of his kind and their mates.

We took our time closing the distance to the cabin, and someone must have seen our approach, because four large monsters stood outside the building waiting for us. One of them was the color of coal, except around his muzzle and eyes where he was going grey. Another had mottled shades of brown, while two of them had similar dirt-colored fur. Their horns were all different, although three of them had curled horns like Fin’hir’s, and the differences between all of them stirred my curiosity.

Fin’hir asked me to wait while he approached who I assumed was the leader of his clan. I felt exposed standing beside the lake where the trees had been cleared away to allow sunlight to flood the area, but I did as he asked, faking confidence for him. The group spoke in low voices, and I couldn’t catch more than a word or two at the time, and while the fur rose on one of the pair who looked alike, the other eventually clapped Fin’hir on the shoulder.

I held my breath as my alpha made his way back to me, my eyes searching his face for clues. He’d returned to his stoic expression as we’d drawn close to his home, and while the greeting hadn’t been joyous, it hadn’t seemed like he’d been told to leave either.

I finally couldn’t wait any longer and closed the last few steps between us.

“Is everything okay?”

There was motion behind him, but while he flicked one ear backwards, he didn’t seem worried, so I kept my focus on him.

“They have accepted my apologies, although it might have been harder without you. I am permitted to rejoin the clan and return to my old caves.”

My heart was racing and tears pricked the corners of my eyes as I wrapped my arms around him. He went stiff for a moment before relaxing into the hold and putting his arms around me. It was going to take him a while to accept casual touches since he’d held himself back for so long, but it was another thing I couldn’t wait to develop between us. We had a long way to go, but I knew I’d made the right choice in Fin’hir.

He made me happy.

It might not be the blinding joy of youth and dreams, but it was the realistic, comfortable happiness of knowing I was accepted and wanted and cared for. It was something that would grow and deepen with time, and something I wanted to live for.

“Come, meet my clansmen, and then we can meet their mates and young.”

I sucked in a breath, my brows jumping, and I couldn’t help sneaking a look around him. More monsters had arrived, most looking similar to the first four, but there were also human women scattered amidst them, some holding little bundles that were heartbreakingly adorable, even from a distance.

Fin’hir took my hand in his, turning to lead me to my new home, but before I took more than two steps a blur raced towards us and crashed into my legs.

Brown eyes blinked up at me from a face similar to Fin’hir’s, but with a less pronounced muzzle. Little ears flicked atop his head as it tipped to the side, tiny horns peeking through the fur beneath. He was wearing a loin cloth like all the monsters present, so it was easy to see his fur was shorter and not as thick, but he still had black claws at the tip of each finger.

“Ma’cane, come here until you’re introduced.”

The woman who called him stood beside the monster who’d clapped Fin’hir on the shoulder, her smile one I’d seen on many mothers calling to their unruly children, and it brought out an answering one on my face. Her belly was rounded with a new baby growing inside, and my heart clenched with desire for what she had. Hearing it was possible had been enough, but seeing the truth of it made me impatient to join the ranks of happy omegas staring back at me, and I couldn’t wait until my heat came again so Fin’hir could claim me, and if the gods were willing, give me a babe like the cutie blinking up at me.

“Welcome, Blythe. Come join us.”

The woman waved me closer, and I looked up at Fin’hir, happiness flooding my heart. This wasn’t the life I’d envisioned for myself, but I finally believed perhaps Fate knew best, and this was where I was meant to be.