Fated to the Warrior Wolf (The Hunted Omegas #3)

7. Leigh

SEVEN

Leigh

O kay, so, passing out over bad news was freaking embarrassing. But everyone dispersed pretty quickly, the omega topic was dropped, and Olivia switched seats with Gael to sit next to Shay so he could keep holding my hand and get off the floor. Brielle and Kane moved seats too, leaving the two of us alone in our little section, and I had to swallow down a lump in my throat at the feelings trying to overwhelm me at how sweet he was being.

His eyes were closed, and he stroked my hand gently, the soft caress of a lover. He was also rumbling, low in his chest. And my traitorous bitch of a wolf loved every single second of it.

She didn’t understand that we didn’t love Gael, didn’t want anything to do with him. She liked that he was claiming us and our baby. He was strong, virile, and dominant. She wanted more of that.

He’s not our mate, though. And one of these days, he’ll find that fated mate and leave us high and dry, I scolded her.

She huffed at me, but didn’t deign to respond.

I closed my eyes and let it be what it was. Comfort between two pack mates and nothing more. I couldn’t let it be more than that. My heart just couldn’t take it.

To my eternal surprise, though, he didn’t push for more. Didn’t push for deep conversation, answers, or anything that brought me stress. He held my hand, asked me if I wanted anything else to drink, and just… was . He existed at my side, a staunch presence when I desperately needed one.

The rumble was pretty damn nice, I had to admit.

Within an hour, I was fast asleep.

The jolt of aircraft wheels on tarmac made me cringe awake.

“It’s okay. We’re just stopping for fuel before we head across the Atlantic.”

Gael’s voice was a soothing murmur, and when I let my eyes crack open, I was shocked to see he was exactly where I’d left him several hours back. I carefully extricated my fingers from his under the guise of needing to rub the sleep out of my eyes.

I wasn’t sure what to do with sweet Gael. Even the one night we’d spent together had been more of a wild clash of bodies, desperate and needy, than anything sweet or loving.

A rush of heat to my core reminded me that I couldn’t afford to think too long on those memories, not right now. Thinking about that night would lead to more bad decisions, and I had a daughter to think about now.

Holy shit.

If Brielle was right—and as far-fetched as it was, I had no evidence to the contrary to make me not believe her—I was right, and Petal was a daughter.

Tears welled up in my eyes at the realization, and I hastily swiped them away.

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling sick again? Does something hurt? ”

Gael’s panic was palpable, an alpha male on high alert for hidden danger.

“No, nothing’s wrong. I’m just processing, that’s all.” I sniffed hard, determined to get my wayward emotions under control.

That was harder to do with the pregnancy hormones, and I didn’t like not feeling like me . I was a levelheaded person, even if I tended to use sarcasm and humor as coping mechanisms at inappropriate times.

“Processing?”

The look of confusion as he blinked rapidly as if I’d just said something in another language would have made me laugh hysterically in just about any other situation. The idea of a woman crying to process emotions was apparently completely foreign to him.

“Yes, processing. That thing where you think about the shitload of new information that was just dropped in your lap and experience feelings.”

He was quiet for a moment, and all desire to laugh flew out the window as his expression grew serious.

“You’re upset about the baby? Is that why you sent me away?”

Shit. Not the takeaway I’d expected him to get from that. But he was dead serious, from the tense line of his shoulders to the downtick of his mouth, I could see the distraught reaction in his body.

“No, I’m not upset, I just— It’s a lot, okay? We’re not mates. This shouldn’t have been able to happen. I mean, I wasn’t in heat, we’re not bonded, and I’m way too young to expect any of this.” I blew out a shaky breath as I gestured to my still-flat stomach, finding myself feeling steadier now that I was processing out loud.

He nodded, but didn’t say a word to interrupt, letting me word vomit it all out .

“I expected to find a mate first, have a few decades together before a heat hit, and we had a shot at pregnancy. You know how it goes.” I waited for confirmation and got a tight nod in response. “So I’m not upset, just shocked, I guess? I love her already, so don’t go thinking anything otherwise.”

He rocked back, his shoulders plastering against the seat with a soft smack.

“What is it?”

“It’s a girl.” He ran his hands through his hair, looking truly shell-shocked for the first time.

“Yes, that’s what Brielle said. It’s early to know for sure, but…” I held up my glowing palm, the light having faded a little now to more of a soft glow than a blinding spotlight. “It’s not like any of this is in a pregnancy book.”

He nodded again, the muscles in his jaw flexing. Huh, apparently, this was how he processed.

Interesting.

It was strange to be going through this with someone who I didn’t really know . Yet another thing out of order. The father of my child was a mystery to me, one I wasn’t sure I was ready to unravel.

“It feels real now,” I whispered, looking down at my lap. I couldn’t keep cataloging his every reaction. Because my brain was catching up to the scary part now. The omega part, where our daughter was marked for death before she’d drawn her first breath.

Another tear leaked out, followed by another, and another—too fast to hide or wipe away.

I startled when a warm, calloused thumb swept across my cheek, catching them.

“It’s going to be okay.”

His voice was a low promise that sent a highly inappropriate thrill through my system. I was buzzing with heat, electricity.

Want .

No fucking way, Leigh. Get it together, because we are not tapping that again. It’s already way too complicated, and that will not help.

“You don’t know that,” I argued, focusing back on the conversation instead of my traitorous body’s reaction to the man. “She’s an omega. She’s going to be hunted from day one, unless—” I froze, the other option hitting me in a rush.

Brielle’s aunt. She cursed Brielle’s mother to save Brielle. I could go to her, ask for the same curse. We knew there would be side effects, obviously, but?—

“No.” He barked the alpha command at me, and I flinched back at the sudden venom in his tone, the command rubbing my wolf the wrong way.

“Excuse me?”

“You are not doing it. I can see it on your face, and I’m not letting you sacrifice yourself. It’s not on the table.”

I jerked back from his touch, standing up to put myself fully out of reach. “I’m sorry, why the fuck do you think you have any say over what I do? Last I checked, we’re not together. This baby? She doesn’t give you license to tell me what to do, and I’m going to protect her any way I see fit. I’m her mother, and if you don’t like it, you can go fuck yourself.”

I was shaking with anger and had to focus hard to still my hands at my sides. I’d never been one for physical violence, but the urge to punch him square in his asshole, dictator jaw was strong.

Damn, I was hormonal.

No, screw that. He was a domineering jerk, and I was justified to be pissed off.

“You are her mother. And I’m her father. Protecting her is my job, and I’m insulted that you think I’d let you harm yourself, as if I’m incapable of doing that job. Because if anyone’s life is on the line to protect her, it’s mine, not yours.”

If words could kill, I’d be dead on the floor from the acid in his voice. Something in me wanted to hurt him, push him back just as hard as he was pushing me. And I knew it was wrong, I knew it, but the words flew out of my mouth anyway.

“You don’t know that you’re the father.”

He whipped back like I’d physically struck him.

And then I felt it: the utter fury rolling off him, a crushing weight of wrath. When he rose, I couldn’t help it; I flinched away from him. We’d flirted with anger before, both of us. But this was a level I’d never seen, and it was downright terrifying.

I shouldn’t have said that. It was wrong and petty and, frankly, not even a little bit true. I hadn’t been with anyone before him for eighteen months, and after, well, there was nobody.

But he didn’t know that, and even if I took it back now… shit.

I’m a terrible person .

But he didn’t say a word, didn’t lift a hand toward me. He just walked away for the second time today. Except this time, I knew with rock-solid certainty that I’d gone too far, and he wasn’t coming back this time.