Page 6 of Monster’s Redemption (Monsters in the Mountains #9)

Fin’hir

I t was impossible to sleep.

The lack of bedding didn’t matter, I’d be just as comfortable out beneath the trees with nothing.

It was the little omega across the cave from me.

The human .

Despite the pheromones from her cycle dissipating, I was still drawn to her. Still had to fight myself so I didn’t react and show my interest. The poor thing had been hurt in the worst way imaginable for a female, and yet my body still wanted hers.

It was wrong. She wasn’t my kind. She couldn’t give me strong younglings.

Could she?

I barely caught the growl that vibrated up my throat, stopping it before the noise could grow and disturb her. It had taken her a while to finish her meal and climb into the furs to sleep, but eventually her breathing had evened out, slumber stealing her away.

My claws dug into my palms as I clenched my fists and rolled to my side again. I couldn’t force my eyes to close as long as I faced her, so perhaps lying the other way would finally convince my mind to rest.

It only made me stretch my other senses. My ears angled back despite my order to relax, picking up every quiet exhale from the tiny female. My nose twitched, trying to pick her scent up beneath the smell of the fire and the ashes she’d rubbed into her coverings, my instincts enjoying the way she smelled more like me wrapped in my bedding.

Guilt and something else had stirred in my belly when I’d realized she’d ruined her coverings with ash so she didn’t have to smell what had been done to her. I’d been tempted to toss her dress in the flames and make something from the furs for her to wear, but I didn’t have anything to sew with. A bone needle was easy enough to fashion, but I’d need guts or sinew to use as thread since I didn’t have the knowledge or patience to turn hair into something useable.

Forcing myself to breathe slow and deep, I waited for sleep to take me, trying to keep my mind blank, but my thoughts kept circling around the omega. Her dynamic was so rare amongst my kind it was unheard of to find more than a couple of breeding age within any clan. It was one of the reasons there were less of my kind than there were humans, which was why we kept ourselves hidden. Initially I hadn’t understood why my clan leader would have taken one as a mate after his brother returned with one and proved it was possible, but opportunity sometimes dictated our actions more than desires.

Rolling onto my back once more, I stared up at the ceiling of the cave. It had been formed by water running through the shale, the edges all rounded and smooth, and it made me want to claw something since it reminded me of the female’s soft skin.

I refused to turn my head and look at her, even when I heard her breathing hitch. Pressing my horns into the stone beneath me, I kept my gaze locked on the firelight playing over the rock above me.

She whimpered, stirring in her sleep. My lips drew back in a silent snarl I couldn’t resist, but my neck remained locked.

Not my problem.

I already had enough of my own.

I remained stiff until I’d taken three breaths without another sound from her. I thought she’d fallen into a deeper sleep until she jerked upright, letting out a cry that had me jumping to my feet.

“What is it?”

The cave echoed with my snarl, the sound reverberating until it sounded like the whole clan stood at my back. Wide dark eyes blinked at me, her chest heaving beneath the thin white covering she’d worn since we made it to the cave. Licking her lips, she glanced around before her cheeks darkened and she dropped her gaze to the ground.

“Sorry, it was just a dream.”

The fur standing up along my shoulders and spine flattened, my growl fading away. It took a few more moments for my breathing and heartrate to slow as I watched her bite her bottom lip before scooting back down beneath the furs.

“I won’t wake you again,” she whispered.

Huffing out a breath, I shook my head and moved to the stack of firewood. I knew she couldn’t help it, and I didn’t blame her for having a bad dream. It was ridiculous of her to apologize and make promises over something she couldn’t control.

“Just get some rest.”

I fed the fire, watching the flames take and grow instead of watching the female. If it had just been me, I’d have let it burn down to coals, but I’d seen her shiver, and I didn’t think she’d be able to handle the chill until morning.

It took a while before her breathing evened out again, and when I stole a glance at her, her face was relaxed in sleep. It didn’t last long though, my ears picking up little whimpers and whines as she twitched beneath the furs.

I didn’t even realize I was purring until the crease that had formed between her brows smoothed out, her chest rising slower as tension left her. I almost stopped, but when the sound faded the crease returned.

I shuffled around the fire, moving closer to her under the guise of tending the fire. I couldn’t help that it was instinctive to care for her, even if she wasn’t my kind.

She was still an omega. Something to be protected.

Grabbing a handful of cooled ashes, I settled in to polish my horns, purring in a steady flow. It worked for a while, Blythe sleeping quietly, until the night deepened and the chill in the air seeped through even my natural defenses. I built the fire higher, trying to chase away the cold, but she still grew restless once again.

I couldn’t help looking at her as she rolled onto her side, the firelight exposing the wound on her neck. I’d noticed human teeth were blunt, not meant for cutting or tearing with efficiency, so I was surprised the other alpha’s had left such a ragged mark. It still oozed blood, the flesh around it darkened to almost purple before fading out to red and pink as it spread away from the wound before turning into her dusky tone.

It wasn’t my mark. It hadn’t been my teeth that sank into her flesh.

But still, I was drawn to tend it.

Releasing a breath, I debated what the best action would be. The wound could become infected if it wasn’t cared for, but I wasn’t sure Blythe would willingly let me tend it the way an alpha normally would.

My mouth watered at the thought, her scent growing sharper in my nostrils. It had been hard to determine her natural smell with the mix that had been on her, but the tart sweetness reminded me of the little red stone fruit that grew on trees in the summer.

I’d crawled closer to her before I realized what I was doing, but I couldn’t resist the pull. The crease had returned between her brows, a frown curving the edges of her lips downward despite my purr, and the way she held her shoulder near her ear showed the bite was causing her pain.

Forcing more air through my throat, I increased my purr, hoping to keep her asleep. If she woke to me looming over her she’d be frightened, and I had no desire to scare the poor thing.

I dropped my snout closer to her neck, drawing in more of her scent. It was mixed with mine from the furs she clutched around her, and I couldn’t help the way my ridges bunched along my shaft, wanting to make her smell like me both inside and out.

Letting my jaw part the tiniest amount, I extended my tongue, but paused when she shivered as my breath ghosted over her throat. The crease in her brow had softened, but she still frowned, and her neck was still tense.

I stuck my tongue out farther, finally meeting her flesh. Her skin was chilled outside the red ring, but hot and swollen around the punctures. The flavor of her was similar to her scent, sweet but slightly salty, with a metallic tang from the blood that smeared the wound.

I made three swipes over the bite before she let out a sigh, her shoulder relaxing and her frown clearing away. Changing the angle of my head, I flattened my tongue and pressed it to the hollow at the base of her throat, licking over her collar bone before covering the bite again.

My mouth watered. My shaft thickened, the ridges writhing along my length.

A soft moan had me freezing, my cock twitching where it hung beneath me. My heart raced, and suddenly, I realized what I was doing.

Jerking away, my claws scuffed on the stone, the soft sound seeming loud in my ears. My eyes were locked on Blythe’s face, but she hadn’t awoken, her lashes remaining in a fan on her cheeks.

What are you doing?

Shaking my head, I backed farther, until I sat atop the fur of my bed.

She’s a human! And she’s NOT yours!

I shook my head again, willing her taste from my mouth, but it stubbornly lingered. My instincts were urging me to return to her, to taste more of her, and my shaft throbbed its encouragement, but I had to resist.

How could I be so drawn to a human after leaving my clan because they’d brought them in? Were instincts truly that strong?

Or was there something about this human, this omega, that had my alpha side convinced she was mine?