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

50. Leigh

FIFTY

Leigh

I lay on my back, gasping for air and trying to get my head to stop spinning from orgasm number… three? Four? When Gael walked back into the room and helped me clean up, he was gentle and caring, and something about the fact that he cared enough to do it made me feel like my heart was going to explode.

I was so extremely screwed. I couldn’t afford to let myself fall for him. Not now. Friendship? Absolutely. It would be much easier to co-parent if we got along and were friendly. But there was just too much between us to cross that physical barrier, and yet I’d still let myself cross too many lines. All the lines. It wasn’t simple sex between us, and I shouldn’t have invited him to stay.

But when he placed a gentle kiss on the inside of my thigh after he finished carefully cleaning me up, I almost cried. Why did he have to be so damn perfect? I mean, he wasn’t perfect . He was a man. He made mistakes just like I did. But he was perfect for me, and that was ten thousand times worse.

“Thank you,” I whispered, trying to keep a hold on my raging emotions .

“You’re welcome. Are you okay? Not sore or anything?” His eyebrows drew down with worry as he scanned my body.

“No, no. I’m fine. Just hormonal,” I said with a laugh, doing my best to sweep it all under the rug in one messy pile.

“Not just hormonal,” he murmured, trailing his fingertips over my belly, the look of awe and excitement he gave me nearly breaking my resolve not to start sobbing. “This is new since the last time we were together.”

“She’s growing like crazy,” I agreed, trying to focus on the joy of our daughter. He was distracting me with the warm, firm feeling of his palm rubbing the bump when I felt something brand-new. A little nudge from the inside.

“Gael, stop!” I whispered, as if I was scared that speaking would break the spell, slapping both my hands over his to hold it stock-still.

There it was again. I quickly guided his hand down and a little to the right. There .

The bump bump from inside my belly came again, and this time, Gael’s face transformed with wonder as he felt it too.

“Was that… her? Petal?” He whispered too, and I broke into a ridiculous grin. I couldn’t help it; the wonder of the moment was too big to contain. Our baby .

“I think so. That’s the first time. I haven’t felt her before, but it was supposed to be any day. It kind of feels like she was waiting for both of us to announce herself.”

“Maybe so. She’s a daddy’s girl already, isn’t that right, Petal?” he crooned, rubbing my belly with both hands before planting a kiss right over the spot where she’d kicked.

The joy and the pain intertwined so brightly, it took my breath away. Luckily, he didn’t expect me to speak, and I was saved by a knock on the door.

“Leigh?” Brielle called through the door. “Are you alone? I need to talk to you.” Her tone was serious, all doctor voice, and I bit my lip as I cast a look at Gael. There was only one thing she could be coming to tell me, and I absolutely did not want Gael here for it.

“One second!” I called out, sitting up quickly. “We’d better get dressed.” I bustled off the bed, past the pile of still-discarded shorts to pull open my dresser. There was basically nothing left except a pair of stretchy leggings, so I quickly dragged them on.

“Are those dirty? I can throw them in the laundry for you on my way out,” Gael offered, pointing to the pile.

I blushed. “Not… exactly?”

He blinked, staring at me. “How are clothes not exactly dirty?”

“They’re clean. They just don’t fit.” I gestured to the bump, which was stretching these leggings to capacity. They were barely hanging on.

“Ahh, well, that’s okay. Time to order yourself some new things. You found the card, right?” He pulled last night’s T-shirt over his head as if that was that.

“I did, but Gael… I’m not comfortable spending your money. I’m willing and able to work, especially now that I’m feeling better.” I turned my back under the guise of getting myself a shirt, but in actuality, I was being a chickenshit who didn’t want to face the angry alpha snarling I knew would be coming any second because I wasn’t willing to use the card.

But the alpha posturing never came. He was silent for a beat, then two as I slid on a crop top that sat above the belly. I turned back around slowly to see his thoughtful expression.

“Whatever you’re comfortable with,” he said with a wink, then kissed me on the lips before heading for the door.

Was this the same man? Had he been body snatched and I hadn’t noticed it, and that was why we were suddenly getting along?

It was the only logical explanation, and it was also why I was standing like a dumbass, staring after him long after he’d opened the door, told Brielle good morning, and left.

She walked in and studied me with concern. “You okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“He didn’t argue with me,” I blurted, pointing at the door where Gael had just left. “I told him I didn’t want to spend his money to buy new clothes, and he didn’t argue . He just said okay, kissed me, and left.”

Brielle shrugged. “Maybe he’s finally learning that going toe to toe with you is a losing proposition, just like the rest of us.”

“Maybe, or maybe he was lobotomized while none of us were looking.”

“You’re crazy, you know that?”

“I’m your favorite crazy person, though, right?” I said with a grin.

“Absolutely.” She grinned back, but it didn’t last long. “Cristian just sent up a note that my Aunt Kari has arrived and is settled into a rarely used pack cottage in the village. She says she can see us this morning, if you want to go now.”

I sucked in a deep breath, struggling now that the time had come. Gael might not have argued about me not buying maternity clothes, but he sure as shit was going to raise hell when he found out I’d gone ahead with the curse. I let my eyes sink closed against the pain and nodded.

“Where are the guys going to be?” I asked, hoping to avoid an immediate confrontation. This was just a consultation to make a plan. Unless she said I needed to get the curse early, I’d wait until the last possible minute, so Petal and I had as much time together as possible before the curse took me. Hell, maybe I’d make it twenty years. I was strong and fit.

I can do this .

“They’re loading up right now to go back to the IGC and get an update on the status of the new petition. I made excuses with Kane so you and I didn’t need to go, but Shay and Olivia are going with the guys, so it’s just you and me.” Her smile was tight, and I knew how much it was costing her to do this for me. Personally, and as a friend.

I hugged her hard, and her arms flew around me to squeeze me back. “It’s going to be okay, Bri. This is the right choice for Petal, okay? And I’m choosing this.”

“I’m not sure I can watch you do this, Leigh. I’m not strong enough to watch you die.” Her voice cracked as she sobbed quietly against my shoulder, and it took everything in me to be the strong friend she knew and expected.

“You’re not going to watch me die,” I insisted as I rubbed her back. “You’re going to watch me live and enjoy motherhood. And when it’s my time to go, I’ll do it with a smile, because I know that Petal has the best aunts and uncles and dad to take care of her.”

“I know. I know you will. And if you can be strong, so can I.” She pulled back, swiping away her tears and squaring her shoulders before checking her phone for the time. “Let’s go. Cristian has a car waiting for us out front.”

I blew out a steadying breath and followed her out the door with my chin held high.

We climbed out of the discreet black sedan in front of a tiny but well-maintained white cottage in the foothills just outside the village. I immediately sensed Kari inside, her power too large to be hidden fully. It was odd to feel the stinging edges of her power as we walked through the bright pink flowers planted along the walkway. But after a moment, the discomfort faded away, and Brielle was knocking on the front door.

Karissma was just how I pictured her from Texas, her aura popping and fizzing with light almost constantly. Her thick, natural curls seemed to have grown half an inch, but those plum-colored eyes were still unnervingly sharp, exactly as I remembered. She waved us inside without preamble, giving me a once-over before her gaze settled heavily on my bump.

“I see why you’ve asked to meet, Brielle. Please, have a seat. Can I get either of you a cup of tea? I have a kettle on.” She pointed us toward the small living room, where a pin-tucked white couch with clawed feet sat proudly in front of a stone hearth.

I wasn’t usually a tea drinker, but the idea of having something to hang on to during this conversation was appealing, nonetheless.

“I’d love a cup, if you don’t mind,” I said.

“Just a minute, then,” she said and disappeared into the kitchen. I sat on the edge of the stiff seat, hands gripping my knees. I was nervous as hell, which made no sense because I’d been planning this for a while. But something about sitting here, ready to have the conversation, made it all very, very real. The sharp whistle of the teapot nearly sent me into the stratosphere, and I gripped my knees harder.

It was less than ninety seconds later that Kari pressed a cup of something that smelled like yard clippings into my hands. She walked back out and then, a moment later, brought a tray with milk and sugar cubes. Once she’d deposited it onto the coffee table in front of Bri and me, she settled into a single chair off to the side.

“So, you’re having the next omega, and I take it you want me to curse you like I did Brielle’s mother.”

I gripped the cup like it was the only thing keeping me tethered to the earth.

“Yes, that’s exactly what I need.”