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

17. Leigh

SEVENTEEN

Leigh

I woke up to the sounds of something scuffling, and it took my brain several seconds to figure out where I was. But as I stared up at the unfamiliar ceiling in the dim light, Gael’s piney, comforting scent triggered the memory.

He’d denned me up in his room, something I hadn’t even known I’d wanted before he’d carried me in here like a fairy-tale damsel.

We were in a castle, so it was kind of fitting.

But what was that noise? I sat up slowly, careful not to make any sudden movements that might trigger my intense nausea, but despite the fact that it had probably been hours since Bri’s magic omega touch, I felt better waking up in Gael’s bed than I had… pretty much since the nausea started.

My wolf hummed her contentment in my chest, even as I cast around the seemingly empty room for Gael.

“Gael? Are you still here?” My voice was timid, and suddenly, the awkwardness of waking up alone in a man’s bed—even if absolutely nothing sexy had happened—hit me like a wave .

I’d broken down; he’d brought me here on instinct and most likely hadn’t known what the fuck to do after I passed out. I couldn’t exactly blame him for dipping out, but it stung in a way it really shouldn’t. I swung my legs over the side of the bed, still hearing the soft scuffles, and realized they were coming from the hallway. I tiptoed to the door, oddly certain that Gael would know whatever I did in here, even though that was a ludicrous thought.

But when I pulled the door open, there was no one in the hall either. I was swinging the door shut when a tiny squeak made me freeze and look down.

There at my feet was a tiny tabby kitten.

“Oh, look at you, baby!” I cooed as I scooped it up and held it to my chest. “How did you get into a house full of big bad wolves? Aren’t you scared?” I stroked the tiny creature’s forehead with my index finger, since it was too small for a whole-hand pet.

It was instant love, and I bundled it—him, a quick check showed me—against my chest as I swung the door shut and flipped the lights on.

“You are a precious little nugget, aren’t you?” He purred contentedly in my hands, and I was hooked. I didn’t know or care where he came from, but unless he had a very adamant owner, I was keeping him.

I sat back on the edge of the bed, pondering my new and unexpected charge, when a fluorescent bit of paper on the nightstand caught my eye.

I shifted little Nugget into my left hand so I could grab it.

Leigh,

Kane called a pack meeting in his office on the second floor. If you feel up to it, join us when you’re ready. If not, I’ll be back with food as soon as it’s done.

Gael

There was a gap above his name, as if he’d hesitated about how to sign the note. Something about that pause, the indecision, had my stomach fluttering with butterflies.

Okay, so it was more like an elephant stampede, if I was honest.

I was having a baby with this man, and it was complicated. Trying to make something more happen between us was only going to add to the emotional tsunami I now lived in called pregnancy hormones.

He was tempting, oh, so tempting. I could get lost in his strength—push all the worry and stress and what-ifs off onto those big, broad shoulders. But was that fair? He hadn’t signed up for this. Granted, he was being wonderful now that we’d gotten over the first hurdle, but…

I shook my head, setting the note back down where I’d found it, and petted Nugget’s back with both hands.

There wasn’t anything I could do about that right this second. But I could find the kitchen and get some things for Nugget. If the chef could whip up fresh-pressed juices, surely he could also find me a can of tuna or something my little nuggie could stomach.

I eyed the note, wavering. I had no desire to go get embroiled in pack politics right this second. And if he went down for food, he’d find me.

But the note was also a gesture—one he definitely hadn’t owed me—and I wanted to return it. So I quickly riffled through both nightstands until I found the pad he’d used, and scrawled a note of my own on it.

Gone to the kitchen. Be back in a few.

XO,

Leigh

I instantly regretted the XO. I mean, we’d done a lot more than hug and kiss, obviously. But… I didn’t want him to th ink I was giving him girlfriend vibes. Vibes that he likely had no interest in, given we weren’t mates, and that was a long walk right off the end of heartbreak pier.

Blowing out a breath, I shook my head and left the note as it was. I couldn’t overthink every single aspect of this, or I’d lose my mind before Petal even got here. With Nugget still tucked against my chest, I slipped out into the hall and toward the dining room. I’d seen it very briefly on a tour this morning, but we’d opted to spend the morning on the patio soaking up the sun.

It was cooler here than back home, but not quite Alaska levels, and the fresh air helped with the morning sickness. Being cooped up with food smells wasn’t currently my idea of a good time, but the little purring tabby in my hands was worth the risk.

I walked through the ornate dining room and through the swinging doors into the kitchen. It was all industrial, with stainless steel appliances and long, oversized prep tables.

“Excuse me,” I said, catching the first person in a chef jacket who walked by. “I found a kitten, and I was wondering if I could get a bowl for some water, and if you had anything for him to eat? Maybe some canned tuna?” I held Nugget aloft, and the chef blanched as the little mite hissed at him.

“Nugget, no, sir!” I scolded and tucked him back away. “I don’t know why he did that. He’s been super sweet since I found him at my door.”

“I’ll see what we have, but can you take him out of here? No animals in the kitchen.” The chef—Armand, according to his name embroidered on the breast of the coat—smiled tightly and pointed toward the door.

“Sure, sorry.” I mumbled my apology and backed out the door. When I banged into a solid chest, I froze.

“Oh, there you are! ”

An unfamiliar masculine voice laughed over my shoulder, freezing me in place.

“Where did you find him?”

I spun around a little too quickly, and a wave of dizziness washed over me with alarming speed.

“Oh, shit, you’re pale.” The stranger grabbed me by both shoulders and steered me toward a chair.

But we didn’t make it.

A vicious snarl ripped through the dining room, then the stranger was yanked backward, and a pissed-off Gael appeared in his place.

“Keep your fucking hands off her.”

“Gael, it’s okay. I ran into him and got a little dizzy?—”

His face went from pissed to worried in two seconds flat, and then he was scooping me off the ground. “You should be in bed, not down here talking to this son of a bitch.” He snarled at the stranger, who held both hands up innocently.

“Just didn’t want her to hit the deck, man. I was not trying to start shit again. I didn’t know who she was.”

“Again?” I asked, looking back and forth between them in confusion.

“Again,” Gael snarled. “Lucien here thinks he’s got jokes, but what he’s gonna get is his arms ripped off for touching what’s mine.”

“Whoa, whoa, hold on there, BD.” I patted him on the shoulder. “We’re not, I’m not…” I faltered, the look in his eyes stopping me in my tracks. His eyes glowed with fury, but every single line of his body was rigid, and I couldn’t bring myself to tell him I wasn’t his. Not in that moment, when he was radiating possession .

Not because I was afraid. He held me gently, as if I were made of glass. As if I was precious to him. No matter what happened between us in time, I was never going to forget the feeling of being precious to someone .

Well, more than that. Precious to him . Gael.

The man I couldn’t afford to be falling for. I took that moment of silence and shored up my defenses, tugging the Kevlar vest a little tighter around my heart. Because this man? He could ruin me. I was in too deep, and he was too much of everything I wanted but couldn’t have. So, I pulled those straps so tight, they hurt, and let out a steadying breath.

I turned to the stranger and gave him a friendly smile. “I’m Leigh. Thanks for making sure I didn’t faint.”

“You’re welcome. I’m Lucien. Nice to meet you.”

Gael growled.

“Nice to meet you from over here, with all my limbs intact,” he amended, and I couldn’t help but snort at his brand of humor. It was similar to mine, and I knew instantly that I could befriend him. “Also, what’s BD?”

It took me a moment to remember, but then I cackled again, resting my hand on Gael’s chest, right over his heart. “Baby daddy,” I said with a snicker.

Gael huffed, some of the tension leaving him as Lucien threw his head back and laughed. “I’m taking you back to bed,” Gael said to me, then leveled Lucien with a glare that could melt ice. “You touch her again, I remove the part of you that did it.”

“Yes, sir,” he muttered with a mocking salute as we passed.

He winked at me over Gael’s shoulder just before I was carried out of sight.

“Gael, that was over the top. The dizziness passed. You can put me down now.”

“What the fuck is that?” he asked, ignoring my protests as he carried me down the hall.

“What? Oh! Nugget!” I’d forgotten I was holding him in all the commotion, but he was curled up between Gael and me, purring like a motor. “Huh. ”

“What? Where did you even find a cat? They’re universally afraid of wolf shifters.”

I shrugged. “He found me, so I don’t know. He really didn’t react to Lucien at all, yet he’s cozied up to you happily enough.”

“Good cat,” Gael muttered as he kicked the door to his bedroom open.

Nugget’s purring went up another notch at the praise, and I swear it felt like he was going to vibrate himself into little nugget pieces.

“But I was downstairs trying to get him some food and water. He’s not very big, and there’s no sign of a mama cat anywhere. Also, I don’t know if he already has an owner, but I want to keep him.”

Gael tried to set me on the bed, but I stopped him. “I want to sit in a chair. I’ve already slept half the day away and I feel better.”

He changed course to the chair by the window, where he set me down and then pulled back the curtains.

“I’ll go get you lunch and the stuff for the cat.”

“Nugget. His name is Nugget. But I’m perfectly capable of going down there, you know. My legs still work while pregnant. Exercise is good for pregnancy, actually.” I shot him a pointed look.

“When you’re not dizzy, we’ll talk about it.”

“You’re not my boss, BD.”

He rolled his eyes at the nickname, but his hand was already on the doorknob. “Never said I was.”