“Yes.” His tone was hard.
“And Anders and Dante and Hollis?”
“Just Finn and I,” he said. “We’ll help you find your footing.”
“What do I wear?” she asked, tugging her nightgown.
“Nothing.” His mouth tightened. “You’ll be a wolf.”
“Right.” She grabbed the hand he offered, hating the fear that settled in the pit of her stomach. She was strong. Mal called her tough. And tonight, for him, she’d prove it.
Chapter Fourteen
Mal kept touching her. She was controlling her breathing, concentrating on remaining calm—and he was falling fucking apart.
“Where’s Ellen?” He glared at Finn.
“With Anders and Dante.”
“She’s free?” he asked, tempted to tell Finn what he knew about Cyrus and Ellen.
“Yes. They keep a close eye on her.”
“How will this start?” Olivia asked, shrugging out of his hold to pace.
Ellen didn’t matter. Not right now. Only Olivia. She was jumpy—he knew how that was. Having instinct take over was a damn disorienting thing.
“Your senses will sharpen. Like that night at the truck stop.” He followed, just steps behind her. “Louder, clearer, distracting. Reactive.”
She glanced at him, frowning. “More so?”
The dig at their earlier conversation left him reeling. He liked her reactive. He liked the sounds she made when she was under him. He bit off a growl.
His wolf couldn’t wait to meet her wolf. How could he keep tabs on the animal when the animal was in charge? Could his wolf claim her when he was doing his best not to? There was no one to ask—Finn’s mate was human. He could have asked Hollis, but his answer would be theoretical.
“You okay?” Finn asked, stretching.
Mal nodded.
Finn glanced at Olivia, then back at him. “I don’t think I could watch Jessa go through it.”
“You won’t make her a wolf?” Olivia asked.
Finn frowned. “We’ve never talked about it. Things have been so fast between us, we tend to focus on each day instead of the future.”
“After the baby’s here she’ll want to be a wolf.” Olivia peered into the dark. “She’ll want to be with you when the moon is full—when her babies need protecting. I would.”
Finn nodded. “If that’s what she wants, I will.”
Olivia smiled at Finn. “You always give her what she wants?”
Finn’s eyebrow quirked up. “Yes. If I can.”
“Huh.” Olivia glared at Mal and went back to pacing.
He’d never been truly mad at Olivia before. But now he swallowed down hot, angry words. “Jessa is his mate,” he muttered.
“How does that work?” Olivia asked, rubbing her arms. “Not mating, I get that. How did she become your mate?”