Page 4 of Monster’s Redemption (Monsters in the Mountains #9)

Fin’hir

D igging my claws into my palms, I struggled to compose myself.

The omega, the human , didn’t know what she asked.

I had to swallow a snarl, rushing to stand and put space between us. The lingering pheromones from her heat were messing with my head, although they faded more with each brush of the breeze. A claiming bite didn’t usually end a heat, we’d been designed to mate multiple times to ensure the seed would take, but coupled with the trauma she’d faced and the broken bond, it seemed her body had decided to allow her to heal instead of putting her through more.

Unable to hold still, I paced between the body of her attacker and a nearby tree. I was tempted to lash out at the useless lump of flesh, to relieve some of the tension coiled inside of me, but I feared scaring the female more.

But why did I care?

“You’re better off with your own kind.”

I had to force the words out, the taste of them bitter on my tongue, but so was the desire I desperately wanted to quench. I’d left my home, my clan, because I didn’t agree with us taking humans as mates.

And yet I’d been thinking of doing it myself.

No. I’d only been protecting her.

I scoffed, unable to lie to myself. If she’d still been in heat and my concern hadn’t outweighed the lust, my cock and teeth would both be locked in her.

“I won’t be. I-I can’t trust them. I won’t be protected.”

My chest rumbled with the growl I was holding back as my steps quickened. I’d never understand humans or how they treated each other. Each one of my kind was my brother, even if they were from other clans, and omegas were always to be protected.

I didn’t want to believe her, but I heard her conviction. If she was certain enough to think she was better off with me, how could I argue?

I stopped pacing and looked down at her. She’d straightened her clothing, but her cheeks were still stained with tears, and the scent of what had happened here lingered. The need to provide and protect pulled at me, and I knew I couldn’t deny her.

No matter how hard it was going to be to live with an omega I couldn’t touch.

Chest deflating, I squatted again so I wouldn’t be looming over her.

“I can offer you a place to stay while you heal, but I still think it best you return to your own kind. I can take you to a different village when you’re ready. For now, let’s get cleaned up.”

Her shoulders rose, some of the lines on her face smoothing away. She still looked like she wanted to argue, but she kept her mouth shut as she nodded.

Standing, I stepped closer and held out my hand to help her up. She stared at it for a moment, her gaze tracing the claws that extended from the tips of each finger, before carefully placing her delicate hand in mine. It was as small as a youngling’s, her claws too short to be useful, and when I stroked my thumb along the back of it, her skin was soft and smooth where mine was calloused and rough with fur.

I was reluctant to release her once she’d risen to her feet, but I doubted she welcomed my touch. The feel of her stirred things in me I didn’t want to examine, so I dropped her hand and gestured north.

“There’s a stream this way.”

We remained silent as we made our way through the trees, the sky darkening rapidly. With the sun already behind the mountains, it didn’t take long for darkness to fall, and I now had another mouth to feed.

When we reached the stream I waded in, washing the other alpha’s blood from me. The water was still cold from the spring melt, but I was used to the temperature. As well as having softer, furless skin, apparently humans were more sensitive too, because the female let out a hiss when she tried to follow me.

Turning, I watched as she looked for a place to kneel where her coverings wouldn’t get muddy, but she was close enough to reach the water. If the water was cold to her she likely needed the coverings to stay warm, and night in the mountains in spring could get frigid enough for even me to feel it. If they got wet she’d be miserable and might even grow ill.

“Just remove them. You can wash faster without all that in the way.”

White ringed her dark irises as her gaze jerked up to mine. Her throat worked, her mouth moving, although no sound emerged.

Sighing, I climbed from the stream.

“I will go hunt while you bathe. I won’t go far, but you should stay here until I return.”

I flicked my ears, drawing in a deep breath to check the area.

“There’s nothing nearby that can hurt you.”

Her expression was torn but the relief in it outweighed everything else.

“Thank you.”

I barely resisted shaking my head. The other human omegas who’d come to the clan with Mel’ar and Mel’cam had been the same, insisting they weren’t seen by others without coverings, even in the heat of summer. I’d heard the clan chief had ordered everyone to wear loin cloths around them as well, but it was all utterly ridiculous.

Moving through the trees, I tried to release the tension I still carried. With the scent of seed and slick on her my instincts were on edge, still pushing me to mount and claim the omega, despite what my mind said. I knew she was traumatized and her cycle already over, plus she was human, but my body didn’t understand why I couldn’t dominate the little female. It said omega was omega, and I needed to erase the other male’s scent and claim with my own.

Growling under my breath, I turned my focus to finding food. With my earlier hunt interrupted and a female to protect, I couldn’t go after big game, so I was heading for a rabbit warren I’d found when I first came to the area. It was too small to sustain us without depleting the population, but taking two bucks wouldn’t hurt, and it would allow me to return to her faster. She’d likely need to burn her food the way humans did to eat it, so we had to get back to the cave I’d been using for shelter so I could build a fire before true night fell.

The female was bent over beside the stream when I returned, digging in the bank with a stick. She didn’t seem to realize I was there until I stopped beside her, the way she jerked setting her off balance. Her arms spun but she’d have ended up in the stream if I hadn’t reached out with my free hand to catch her.

“Easy, omega. I cannot care for you if you become ill due to the cold.”

Wincing, she dipped her head. Once I was sure she wasn’t going to fall into the water I released her, the faint scent of blood wafting to my nose, but I didn’t realize I’d cut her until she turned her arm to look at the red spots blooming on the inside.

Regret hit me so hard I gasped, surprise following on its heels. I hadn’t meant to hurt her, but the intensity of the feeling seemed excessive. Still, my stomach churned with it.

“I’m sorry.”

“Oh, no, it’s okay. Thank you for catching me. I should have been paying more attention.”

While I agreed with her, the emotions roiling inside wouldn’t let me say so.

“My name is Blythe.”

It took me a moment to realize I had never asked her what she was called, nor had I offered my name.

“I’m Fin’hir.”

Her lips moved as if she was repeating my name, but it was quiet enough I couldn’t hear if she did.

“Are you finished bathing? I know human’s eyesight is weak in the dark, so we should return to my cave.”

“Cave?”

Her forehead creased as if she was upset by the realization that I wasn’t taking her to some false, wooden-cave like she had lived in at her village, but she swallowed whatever else she was going to say about it.

“Oh, okay. I was just trying to dig up some taro. I already collected a bit of water lettuce though, so we can go.”

She pointed to a pile of greens I hadn’t noticed. I must not have hidden my disdain since she was giving me an odd look when I turned back to her.

“Do you eat vegetation? I wasn’t sure if I collected enough for you as well.”

Letting out a huff, I stepped back.

“Meat is mostly enough. I eat plants when I must. I have a rabbit to complete your meal, so gather your plants and follow me.”

Her lips flattened but she gave me another nod before stooping to collect her food. We were silent once again as we walked, her shorter legs having difficulty keeping up with mine. It was hard to hide my sigh when I had to slow for the second time so she didn’t fall too far behind, and then I had to hold her elbow to get her over the shale outside the cave.

The place I’d claimed was nothing like my home. As part of the clan and one of the mature alphas, I’d had a nice warren of connected caves, with a stream in the corner of one, and a natural chimney in the deepest. While the stone kept out the heat of summer, it was easy to warm since it was enclosed and protected from the wind.

Here, the best cave I had found was a single pocket within a crevasse, the wind whipping through the cracked stone when it blew from the right angle. It had done well enough for me, but I had to wonder if Blythe would be comfortable.

Kneeling by the fire, I stirred the coals and added another log. Blythe stood where I’d released her until the flames rose enough to illuminate the cave.

“This is where I sleep. You may take two of the furs to make your nest. I will collect more wood for you to burn your rabbit.”

“Burn?”

Her brow arched and she let out a little laugh.

“I take it you don’t cook your meat before eating it?”

My lip curled and a tremor shook the omega. I didn’t know if it was the thought of eating raw meat or the sight of my teeth.

“No. I’ll be back.”

I left the rabbit near the fire where she could see it before slipping past her into the night. Washing in the stream had helped lessen some of her scent, but I could still catch notes of slick when I was near her, and my groin tightened. Even if it hadn’t been for me, it called to my base nature.

Living with the omega was going to be torture.