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

25. Leigh

TWENTY-FIVE

Leigh

“ D on’t you ever say those words again,” he snapped, and I cringed away from the fury in his voice.

This was it. I knew he’d be mad, and he was. The fury was thick in the air with his alpha dominance, buffeting me like a hurricane, even though the air was still and green and far too cheerful for this train wreck of a moment.

Goddess, I was never going to not be a screwup, was I? It was destiny. They were going to put it on my fucking tombstone.

Here lies Leigh Barnes, eternally screwed up. She lived to put her foot in her mouth.

He grabbed me by the shoulders and held me back away from him. He wore a grave expression, and I braced myself for the spitting rage.

I knew it well, with Marcus.

“You are my mate—the mother of my child—and I’m not going to hear anybody say slurs about you, not even you. Do you hear me?”

“I’m sorry.” I flinched back, and his face paled as if I’d slapped him. The lack of color made his scar stand out in sharp relief, and the wicked curve at the end of it on his neck made me want to kiss away the pain that had left it behind. And the pain I kept carelessly inflicting on him.

“You’re sorry? Why… What could you possibly be sorry for?”

“For being a…” I quickly glanced up, then away. I wasn’t going to say it again. “I’m half-human, and you didn’t know. You should have, and I’m sorry.”

His jaw dropped. Like actually, physically gaped open in shock.

“Leigh,” he said, but I stubbornly studied my lap. “Leigh, for Goddess’s sake, look at me. ”

I finally did, and I knew he could see the fear, plain as day, in the depths of my eyes. And just as clearly, I could see the pain in his. His touch remained gentle, which was a good thing.

Fated mate or no, if he was physically abusive, I’d leave. I wasn’t going to put my daughter in an unsafe situation.

“I knew you were half-human. I’ve known since Kane told us that he thought Brielle was his fated mate. I looked up every member of the Johnson City pack, and it was in your file.”

There was a strange buzzing noise between a whine and a high-pitched squeal.

“Leigh? Princess?” He touched my cheek lightly, as if I was going to faint on him.

“You knew?” I blurted, my brain struggling to come back online after it had been completely derailed by his revelation.

He nodded.

He knew .

“Then why were you so angry? Why go through with the whole challenge if you knew it was true! ”

The fury consumed me between one heartbeat and the next. “What was it, to save face? Were you ashamed and didn’t want anyone else to know? Some trumped-up plan to cover yourself when it eventually came out?”

“Are you fucking kidding me? If you think that little of me, you must really hate me. ”

His hands fell away as if I’d burned him.

“I challenged them because they were archaic assholes who don’t know that we don’t denigrate people because of their bloodline or talk about women like pieces of meat. And I protected you because I care about you, not because of my reputation. If I gave a shit what people thought about me, I wouldn’t even be in Pack Blackwater. But if that’s what you think, I’ll walk you back to your room.”

He stood as if to walk off, and everything inside me screamed.

“Stop! Please, wait,” I leapt to my feet and grabbed his arm, the full sum of my stupidity hitting me like a ton of bricks.

He froze, but didn’t turn back toward me. I didn’t know what to do, how to make it better, so I did the only thing I could think of.

I threw my arms around him, pressing my chest to his back. I willed him to feel the force of what I did, the sheer magnitude of my relief. Well, shock too. But the longer it had to sink in, the more I felt bone-deep relief. He wasn’t angry that I was a half wolf.

He was angry I’d called myself a mutt.

And that broke something inside me. Or maybe it fixed it. Who the hell knew?

“Please sit back down, Gael,” I asked, hands plastered to his chest in a death grip.

He turned around, cupping the back of my neck in that way that made me instantly get wet for him. “Don’t fucking call me that.”

“What?” I asked with a laugh. “Your name?”

“Yes, my name. You never call me Gael unless you’re angry.”

I paused. Was that true?

It kind of was.

“Well, you didn’t like BD, so…” I trailed off, not sure what to call him .

“It’s fine.” He stroked his thumb over my neck, but I could tell he was holding back. I’d hurt him after he stood up for me, so I couldn’t blame him.

“My last boyfriend was ashamed of my bloodline,” I blurted, and then winced.

His thumb froze. “What?” He seemed incredulous.

I nodded, forcing myself to power through. “He knew what I was, but he was all about his image and standing in the community. He thought… He thought if people knew, they’d think less of him for dating a mutt. His words!” I added hastily when Gael’s deep-brown eyes darkened with anger.

“That’s why you thought I’d be upset?”

“Yes. I thought you didn’t know and you’d be humiliated and furious when I told you what they said was true.”

He sighed, dropping his forehead down to rest against mine. “Princess, I’m not him. I kind of want to fly back to Texas and eviscerate the fucker?—”

“You can’t. His mate is pregnant,” I interjected. “Well, she might have had the baby by now.”

He chuckled. “I love that that’s your only objection.” He shook his head lightly and led me back to the bench, but this time, he turned us sideways and sat me between his legs so he could wrap both arms around me and hold me against his chest.

“Well, I’m not exactly his biggest fan after how he left me for her without a backward glance, but… I also don’t want to leave his baby orphaned.”

“Because you’re the better person.” He growled, the sound vibrating against my back sort of ticklish. “That’s the thing, princess. You can’t change where you come from, but that doesn’t define who you are. I don’t give a shit who your parents were. I want you . I want this baby.”

He let his hand slide down to rest over my totally nonexistent bump, and the warmth, the sudden, overwhelming feeling of protection made tears spring back to my eyes all over again. And I vowed to myself, right then and there, to never compare him to Marcus again.

Gael was so, so much better.

“Thank you.”

He laughed, the sound dry and not at all humorous. “You don’t have to thank me for being a decent person. That’s the bare fucking minimum, and I’m going to show you that you’re worth so much more than that piece of shit ever thought. He was a chickenshit who didn’t deserve you. But his loss is my gain.” He growled again, his hand still cupped possessively over my stomach.

And I believed him. To the core of my being, I believed him. I rested my hand on top of his, both of us holding our little miracle, and thanked my lucky stars that I’d found him.

But something was bothering me, and I would be mad at myself later if I didn’t say it. I could feel a knot of tension between my shoulder blades.

“Do you think… Could we maybe be friends, for a while? So much is changing so quickly, and we don’t even really know each other yet. I know that’s probably a little ridiculous, given how this relationship started and the fact that I’m already pregnant, but…”

He let me trail off, even as I wanted to ramble for the next ten minutes to cover up my awkwardness at the request. And he promised a few minutes ago that he wouldn’t get mad, but taking a physical relationship off the table the same day I was half-naked under him and begging him to fill me up… Well, he might feel like I was a tease. Or someone who couldn’t make up her mind.

“Of course we can be friends,” he said with no tension at all, and I felt my shoulders relax, just like that.

“Thank you,” I whispered, suddenly without another thing to say.

By the time we left the atrium, I was emotionally wrung out, but happy all the same. I felt lighter, freer than I had in a long time. Since before Marcus, before the gathering. Gael led me with our hands linked, back through the twists and turns to the main area of the castle. I counted each one because I couldn’t wait to go back to that atrium and spend an afternoon just walking around, checking out all the different plants, and basking in the sun from the glass ceiling.

It would be a great place to hold a morning yoga class. So peaceful.

“There you two are. We’ve been looking for you. You didn’t take your phone after the challenge.” Shay elbowed Dirge, who held out the phone for Gael.

“What’s up?” he asked as he slid it back into his pocket.

“Results came back on Kane’s mother’s blood tests. It was confirmed,” Dirge said with a grim expression. “She was magically sedated and presumably killed by a magic user.”

“Holy shit,” I murmured, sharing a worried glance with Shay.

“Yeah, not great. We’re all gathering in Kane’s office to discuss next steps and go over the specifics.”

Gael looked down at me. “You up for that? If it’s too much, or you need to rest?—”

“I am not a fainting flower just because I’m pregnant, BD.” I used the nickname with relish, and for the first time, his lips quirked up into a smile when I said it. “But if I get tired or need a break, I’ll say so.” I gave him a smile so he’d know we were good.

“I can live with that,” he said, kissing me on top of the head. “But I’m not promising not to hover.”

Dirge snorted at that. “You wouldn’t be an expectant father if you did. ”

A loud crash startled us all.

Dirge and Gael took off at a run, Shay and I hot on their heels. Another crash made me flinch as we reached the door to the office. Gael turned to protectively wrap himself around me, like a human shield. I could feel his heart pounding under my cheek.

Dirge and Shay barreled straight in, unafraid. When the crashes stopped abruptly, he lifted his head. “Stay here.”

I leaned against the wall as he darted into the office, but he was only gone for a moment.

“Come on, we’re clear.”

“What happened?” I asked as I walked in. The office looked like a tornado hit. Kane was in the corner, back facing us with his hands over his head, while Brielle stood at his side, a hand on his shoulder as she murmured soothing words, probably infusing him with her omega mojo. Shay and Reed were standing up overturned club chairs, much like the one that had gone flying through the door a few moments before. Dirge stood like a sentry, arms crossed as he faced the high alpha.

“Kane is having trouble processing the news about his parents’ killer,” Reed said casually from the seating area as he continued righting furniture. The chair wouldn’t stand straight, though, as one of the legs had splintered and hung from a sliver of wood. He lifted it and carried it past, out into the hallway.

“Yes, and I apologize. I shouldn’t have taken it out on the furniture.” Kane looked haggard when he turned around, a man who hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in some time.

“But it’s just furniture, and we’ve all been there,” Shay said, quiet concern lacing her voice as she continued picking up shards of wood.

“I’m glad, but next time, I’ll go for a run. I can’t afford to lose control like that, and I’m sorry.” He hung his head, looking defeated.

“If I found out one of my father’s long-term allies had paid for the hit that killed my parents, I’d want to smash some furniture too.” Dirge finally spoke up.

“What?” I gasped, covering my mouth with my hands.

“That’s not confirmed yet,” Reed said.

“Reed uncovered a paper trail proving that Alpha Varga deposited a hundred million dollars in a Swiss bank account known to be owned by the Drakenia guild ten days before it happened. That’s damning evidence,” Kane said by way of explanation.

Holy shit, these people had unreal resources. But to turn on an ally…

“So, he gets the notice about the great pack gathering, and then he’s trying to put someone else on the throne. But who? He hasn’t made a move yet, right?” I asked.

Brielle shrugged helplessly. “I don’t care why he did it. He killed them, even if he paid someone else to do it.”

“But why is important. If it’s a power grab, we’re not safe. If it’s a personal grudge, he might be content to let it die with my parents,” Kane argued.

“Once they stick a blade in your back, it’s best to assume they’re going to do it again. It’s wishful thinking to hope he won’t,” Dirge said.

“Spoken like an enforcer,” Lucien said from the door, sauntering in wearing a pinstriped suit. “But this is politics.” He looked around and frowned. “What the fuck happened to your office?”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s under control.” Kane said, pressing his lips into a thin line. “What’s the word from the council?”

“I didn’t explicitly tell them what’s going on, but I put out some feelers. Spoke to Councilman Lug from the goblin court. It’s amazing that a man with no poker face holds such a high position. Council procedure won’t prosecute someone on a hit unless a signed contract is produced, and you know as well as I do that the Drakenia guild works on untraceable blood oaths. Probably for that exact reason,” he added under his breath.

“So we have no recourse with the council,” Gael said, shooting a worried look at Kane and angling himself in front of me in what was probably meant to be a subtle move, but was as obvious as the broad side of a barn. “But we could call a tribunal.”

Everyone around the room froze for a heartbeat, and then they were all talking at once.

“He’s too new as high alpha—his first move can’t be a disciplinary tribunal.” Reed’s argument was the most vehement. “He’ll spend his whole reign looking over his shoulder for retribution, and the Hungarian pack is well connected.”

“He can’t just let this go unchallenged. Taking the coward’s way and assassinating the high alpha isn’t only a strike against the royal family, it’s a strike against all wolfkind. Kosta was the strongest of all the packs, and one pack can’t unilaterally move to remove him from power,” Gael argued. “They didn’t challenge him to a fair fight. They slunk around in the night and used sedatives against his mate, and a paid assassin. You want to let that go?”

Kane held up both hands in a peace-making gesture. “I see both your points, but I have to side with Gael on this one. It’s no better to look weak and toothless than it is to look bloodthirsty and reckless.”

“We’re going to need witnesses to spread the word that it was a fair tribunal and not a witch hunt,” I offered. “That would help with the whole bloodthirsty thing. Surely people expect there to be retribution for the high alpha’s death. Maybe not reacting is what Varga’s after. Making Kane’s line look weak and leaving the throne vulnerable.”

Reed straightened his cuff links, clearly agitated. “A witness would help, if you’re determined to go through with a tribunal.”

Kane tapped his fingers on his desk, thinking .

Lucien spoke up again, “Let me do some digging for a witness. That much money doesn’t change hands without someone talking about it.”

“Three days. You’ve got three days. After that, I’m hauling him in here whether he wants to see me or not.”

“That’ll have to be enough, then,” Lucien said, then turned and walked right back out the door.