Page 7 of Monster’s Redemption (Monsters in the Mountains #9)

Blythe

I woke shivering and aching. Even with the furs piled atop me, the chill inside the cave made me feel as if I sat outside in a snowstorm. My muscles were stiff, my hips throbbing in time with the pain in my chest, and the burning between my legs reminded me it hadn’t all been a bad dream.

Ricarie had been killed. I’d been taken and claimed by his cousin.

And then a monster had killed him, leaving me with the frayed edges of a broken bond eating away at my insides.

At least my neck felt better as I pushed myself upright, and a gentle exploration with my fingertips didn’t uncover any fresh blood. Only thin scabs marked the area, the tissue around it still warm but not as hot and tight as it had been the night before.

A quick glance around the cave revealed I was alone. A small fire still burned, and I spotted Fin’hir’s bedding against the opposite wall, so I didn’t think he’d abandoned me, but doubt lurked at the edges of my thoughts. He had no reason to help me, and I questioned whether I’d made the right decision about not going home.

Wrapping myself in two of the furs, I dragged the other closer to the fire before sitting atop it and tucking it around my legs. The trees around the village were already green with spring growth, but it seemed the seasons changed later higher up the mountain.

I heaved a sigh as I poked at the logs with a small branch. I didn’t want to think about the village and the people who would be left wondering what had happened when we didn’t return, but there wasn’t much to distract me that wasn’t just as depressing. I was woefully unprepared to live in the wilderness the way Fin’hir clearly did, and I wasn’t sure how I was going to keep from being a burden to him. Already he’d had to find extra food and gather more wood, on top of giving up most of his bedding.

And I didn’t want to admit what having the scent of him wrapped around me did to my instincts. It seemed ludicrous for my body to have that kind of response after what had happened less than a full day ago, and yet my nature made it so. Violence and lust were woven together in the way we were made, and I couldn’t help my reaction to a dominant alpha. Especially one who’d showed the care he had, although he tried to hide it.

Once I thawed a little I decided to check on my dress. The ash had done its job, absorbing the scents from the fabric, but while the stains weren’t as obvious on the darker color as it was on my shift, I would normally have retired it to the rag bin. I didn’t have that option any longer, so I tugged it over my head and barely had the laces tightened before a gentle scratch on the stone alerted me to Fin’hir’s presence.

I’d watched the big monster move through the forest without a sound, so I knew he only made the noise for my sake. More proof he was more considerate than he showed.

“Good morning. I hope I didn’t disturb you anymore last night.”

My cheeks warmed as I remembered his reaction when I’d jerked awake after a nightmare. I didn’t want to think about what had been happening in my mind, but I certainly felt safer with Fin’hir.

His intense stare lasted a little longer than was comfortable, the heat in my cheeks spreading down my neck before he responded.

“It’s not your fault. Do you need to eat again?”

I’d been stuffed when I’d laid down for the night after forcing myself to eat the whole rabbit so it wouldn’t go to waste, but my stomach grumbled at the mention of food. One of Fin’hir’s ears flicked towards me in a way that said he’d definitely heard it.

“I can try to catch a fish in the stream if you can eat it. Unless you want more plants instead?”

I had to bite my lips to keep from smiling at the way he said plants as if they disgusted him. His teeth showed he was primarily carnivorous even if he hadn’t stated as much, so I imagined vegetables and greenery weren’t very tasty to him.

“Another rabbit would be fine if you don’t want to get wet.”

I couldn’t imagine stepping into the stream as cold as I felt, and guilt swirled in my stomach over him having to do that because of me.

“The rabbit warren is too small to take too many from them, and the cold doesn’t bother me.”

His chastising tone had me ducking my head and clutching my hands in front of me. I’d dropped the furs to get my dress on and hadn’t picked them up since he had walked in. Goosebumps lined my flesh, and a shiver rolled through me, but I was too unsure of myself to grab it with the way he stared.

“Obviously,” I muttered.

It should have been too quiet for him to hear, but he let out a huff before walking over to the fire and depositing the wood he carried beside it.

“I’ll hunt for larger game once you’re taken care of. I might have to go farther to find something, but I should be back before nightfall. Nothing in the area will disturb you before then, but it would be best to stay on this side of the stream.”

Chewing my bottom lip, I nodded before finally giving in and moving to the fire. Wrapping the furs around my shoulders once again, I huddled in front of it, trying not to feel miserable for myself. I had no plans to wander the forest alone.

“Is there anything I can do for you? I don’t want to be a burden.”

Looking up, I was caught in his golden gaze. The heat in them stole my breath, leaving me panting with my lips parted, but utterly confused when he lurched to his feet and turned away from me.

“You’re an omega. Taking care of you is not a burden, it’s a duty. I’ll be back shortly.”

Mind whirling, I gaped after him as he left once again, leaving me sitting alone in front of the flames. The way Fin’hir looked at me and the way he acted were so at odds I didn’t know whether being called a duty was good or bad, but I couldn’t mistake the way his body reacted as mine did to the opposite dynamic.

It should terrify me.

With what Dicean had done, having another alpha physically interested in me should send me running the other way.

For that alpha to be a monster almost twice my size with a strange-looking member between his legs, I should be screaming as I did everything to avoid him.

And yet, I still felt safe in his presence.

I was drawn to him, despite being a different species and not knowing him. If he’d been willing to take the way Dicean had, he’d already had the opportunity. He’d killed Dicean fast enough that if he’d mounted me himself and sank his teeth into me, there likely would have been enough hormones still in my system for him to claim me as his.

But he hadn’t.

My heartrate calmed and I pulled in a deep breath, forcing myself to relax further. It might seem ridiculous, but I trusted the monstrous alpha.

And despite his sometimes rough tone, I believed that he didn’t see me as a burden.

It didn’t mean I was going to sit around and let him do everything, but it gave me breathing room to figure out how I could contribute, and to decide what I wanted to do when he tried to send me to another village. He didn’t trigger the fear that ate at my heart whenever I thought of my people, but I knew I couldn’t remain as I was forever. Eventually I would go into heat again, or the broken bond in my chest would grow worse, and I’d have no choice but to find a mate.

But those were thoughts for another time.

Staring into the flames, I let my mind and body rest as I waited for my caregiver to return. One way or another, I’d figure out how to keep going.