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“Am I interrupting?” I ask, voice lighter than I feel.

“No,” Finn says immediately. He shifts, making space between him and Leith, and pats the cushion. “Come here.”

I glance at Leith. I’m going to sit regardless, but I’m hoping, stupidly, that he wants me there between them as much as I want to be. Leith doesn’t say anything, but he doesn’t pull away either. I take that as a yes.

I cross the room and settle carefully between them, tucking my feet up under me so I don’t jostle my still-tender side. Finn immediately takes my hand, weaving our fingers together like it’s the most natural thing in the world. His thumb strokes gently over my knuckles.

Leith’s gaze drops to our joined hands. I can’t read his expression. Does he like it? Hate it? This man is so fucking hard to read. My other hand tingles with the sudden, sharp desire for Leith to take it too. For a second I flash back to that night. The three of us tangled together, Leith’s quiet intensity at my back, Finn’s shy hunger in front of me, the heat and closeness and rightness of it all.

“What are you two up to?” I ask, trying to sound casual.

Finn shrugs, still holding my hand. “Just talking about some lab stuff.”

Leith stays quiet, but I feel the warmth of his body beside me. Solid. Close. Not touching… but not pulling away either.

“What kind of lab stuff?” I ask.

Finn squeezes my fingers gently. “The latest tests with our research group went well. I think Graham and I might be close to sending this thing to market.”

“That’s incredible,” I say, smiling. “This means everyone can find their matches. It’ll change so much.”

Finn goes quiet for a beat. “Maybe not everyone,” he says carefully.

The words land heavily between us. Because yeah… not everyone can. Not if they have me.

Leith stands abruptly. “I have work to do.” He doesn’t wait for a response, just leaves the room, shoulders tight, footsteps heavy down the hall. The silence he leaves behind feels heavier than it should.

I stay where I am, tucked between the cushions where Leith had been. Finn is still holding my hand, thumb brushing slowly over my knuckles.

I turn to look at him. “Be honest, would it be better if I left? Is there even room for me here?”

Finn looks almost startled by the question. Then his expression softens into something achingly honest. “Is there room for me?” he asks quietly.

The vulnerability in his voice cracks something open in my chest.

“Yes,” I say without hesitation. “You make me feel… safe. Seen. It’s more than attraction. It’s like you’re a part of me. We fit.”

He swallows, cheeks flushing that pretty shade of pink I’m growing addicted to. “I feel the same about you. I have since the night we met. But I’m scared. This whole scent match thing…” He gestures vaguely between us and the direction where the others are. “I keep wondering if I’m going to be the one who gets left out. You have something with Beck and Piers that I can never give you.”

His words are too close to my own thoughts for comfort.

“I’ve thought the same thing about you,” I admit softly. “That you might feel like you’re missing out on a real scent match. That one day you’ll regret settling for me when your perfect match could be out there somewhere. And now, with your research—”

Finn shakes his head, eyes never leaving mine. “I’m not settling. I’m crazy about you, Cammie. I wanted you as something more since that first morning. Why do you think I asked for your number? I knew then you’d be perfect for this pack. I should’ve pushed harder. Been more aggressive. But I was terrified I’d ruin it.”

I lean in and kiss him gently on the lips. It’s soft, slow, and full of everything I don’t know how to say yet. When I pull back, I nuzzle into his neck and scent mark him, letting my vanilla-lavender wrap around him.

“You wouldn’t be the alpha I’m growing to care so deeply about if you were aggressive,” I whisper against his skin.

Finn lets out a shaky breath, and when I pull back, the biggest, most relieved smile I’ve ever seen spreads across his face. It lights up his whole expression, shy and bright all at once.

“I feel the same,” he says, emotion roughening the words. “I’m all in, Cammie. I have been for a while.”

The relief that washes over me is almost dizzying. I smile back at him, heart full. “Then can we cuddle? I want your scent all over me.”

Finn doesn’t even hesitate. He pulls me gently into his lap, careful of my side, and wraps his arms around me. I tuck my face into his neck, breathing in his rain and green leaves scent. I let myself melt against him. We stay like that for a long while. Cuddling without pressure or words. Just the steady beat of his heart under my cheek and the warmth of his arms around me.

After a few quiet minutes, Finn’s hand drifts down to my thigh, fingers tracing one of the little purple lightning bolts on my leggings. “I like these,” he murmurs.