New Mutiny

Chapter 16

"Love what you've done with the place." The acoustics in the nearly empty flat made Finn's voice ripple, and Becky had a flash of sympathy for all the times when her accent had clearly confused Seth.

The rent was paid until the end of the month, but she and Seth had cleared almost everything out; the only remaining pieces of furniture were ones that had been sold—or more often given—to young NXT UK wrestlers who simply hadn't had a chance to pick them up yet; Seth had sold his temporary car to one of his students before he had to return to America permanently, so there wasn't much left for Becky to do aside from tidying up some last loose ends. "I told you we could have stayed here rather than at The Liminal. Where else are you going to get this chic Abandoned Flat ambience?" she quipped, patting the arm of the couch.

Finn laughed as he watched her do a quick circuit of the empty flat, making sure nothing was missing or damaged. "I have no desire to relive my twenties, Becks." Stopping to gaze out at the skyline, he added, "Nice view, though. I can see why you liked this place. Both of you."

The wistfulness in the last part made her heart twitch, and Becky came up beside him, leaning her head on his shoulder. "It's a nice place," she agreed softly. "It was only ever going to be temporary, but I'm still going to miss it." Even in the short time she and Seth had shared there, they had made plenty of good memories, from sleepy breakfasts to movie marathons to incredible sex. In some ways, it had almost been like a holiday from her regular life. In a matter of days, she would be off to Canada to finalize the land purchase for her small new pack, and no matter what happened—whether her pack succeeded or fizzled out before it had a chance to begin—her life would never be the same.

Slinging an arm around her shoulder, Finn steered Becky back to the couch. In virtual isolation, it almost looked like a random modern art piece in an exhibit and it seemed strangely loud when they sat down. "Thank you, Becks. For inviting me down for this." Finn's smile was small but genuine. "I want to give you space so you can grow into your role, but—"

"I appreciate advice, Finn. In moderation, anyway." Becky gave him a quick side hug before pulling some folded papers from her bag. Her main reason for going back to England was to help Finn's pack relocate to Ireland, but she knew she also wanted to have him look at the proposed contract Hunter had drawn up for her. As she handed the papers over, though, her fingers twitched in hesitation. When she was back in Canada and forming a pack for real, she wouldn't be able to rely on Finn for answers. "But maybe I should—"

"Rebecca." With a sigh, Finn took the papers with one hand and cradled the back of her head with the other, bringing Becky into a hug. "Friends help each other. You would think nothing of helping Nikki find a book for her research, right? Or going with shopping with Sheamus so he could pick out a good gift for his girlfriend?"

Becky had to laugh at that. "That's probably more for his girlfriend's benefit than for his," she quipped. "Otherwise the poor girl might end up with a football jersey and a pack of beer."

"You look out for your friends," Finn insisted, kissing her forehead before sitting back. "So let us look out for you. No new pack leader does it all alone at the start. It won't be easy. We've been over some of the issues you can expect. There will others neither of us would even think of. It's the nature of a pack. You'll learn together. Your pack will see you struggle, yes, but they'll also see you persevere—and that's ultimately what will earn their loyalty. Strength is easy. Patience isn't."

Strength isn't easy either, Becky thought, remembering back to the early days of Finn's pack. It had been hard convincing werewolves to take a chance on joining him; even the werewolves who were disenchanted with WWE were understandably wary. But she also saw Finn's point: his pack had seen his failures and his triumphs alike, and both helped them grow. "Here's hoping," she said, resting her head on his shoulder while he read through her contract offer. She had already had Roman and Seth look at it before she left America and had consulted a legal expert as well, and they all agreed that it was as favourable as she was likely to get from the McMahons. Having Finn's blessing meant something more, though. "So what do you think?" she asked, impatience growing as he flipped back and forth for what felt like the tenth time.