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

58. Leigh

FIFTY-EIGHT

Leigh

T he walk back to the castle felt a million miles long, even though Gael carried me for most of it. We skirted a few groups of angry shifters, but Gael had no trouble keeping us out of sight. He took us to a hidden entrance that led directly into the tunnel system, and I felt a small wave of relief as the solid stone door sealed behind us. At least I wasn’t going to get attacked by anyone else, even if we weren’t completely out of the woods yet. The walk to the bunker and the attached garage was short, and the rest of the pack had already cleared out by the time we made it.

Gael said it was safe enough for me to quickly shower and get a better-fitting pair of sweats and a pair of spare tennis shoes from the dorms so I wasn’t still covered in sticks and dirt.

And while I didn’t exactly linger in the shower, it did give me a brief window of time in which to process. I had a mate, with marks. They decorated every square inch of his broad back, hugging the muscles and making him look even fiercer than he already did. It was overwhelming to think about being bonded tomorrow. But also right. I didn’t want to wait another second, now that I knew I’d been wrong before about the Goddess keeping us apart.

I was terrified of how we’d protect Petal without her losing both of us to the deadly curse, but I had to be strong. Gael was right; if there was no hope, why would the Goddess do any of this? We were already under the gun, even trying to play by the rules.

My earlier determination that maybe it was time to strip off all the curses and face the ODL toe-to-toe came roaring back to the forefront of my mind as I turned off the shower. If they were going to hunt us anyway, we needed to be at full strength to fight back.

The prospect was terrifying, but the idea had taken root. I dressed quickly, happy to be warm and clean again, but it was eerily quiet with only the two of us in the bunker. I was ready to get out of here as soon as I was dressed.

When we climbed into the car, though, I gasped with realization. “Gael, we can’t go yet. Your letters! I left your letters inside a tree trunk. We have to go back and get them, please! I can’t leave them.”

His hand on my arm stopped me from bailing out of the door I’d just flung back open. “I’ll write you new ones, Leigh. Those are just paper. The important thing is you and me, here.” His eyes shone with sincerity, which made the knots of regret in my muscles loosen just slightly.

“But they were precious to me. All the things you shared, the funny stories and the sad ones. The one about you cashing in your v-card, by the way, made me laugh so hard. It takes a very secure man to admit how badly that went.”

He rolled his eyes at my barely repressed laughter. “I’m glad you enjoyed them. I made myself a promise that I wasn’t going to keep anything back. Even stories that should never be told about the embarrassing sexcapades of youth. But I promise I’ll write you more. ”

“Okay,” I reluctantly agreed, reaching over and shutting the door again.

The bunker’s garage was attached to another long tunnel, which let us out several miles away from the castle. I was anxious when the door lifted, but we were on a deserted back road, surrounded by thick, overgrown forest, with not a sign of another soul in sight. Gael waited until we were on the nearest highway to call the rest of the pack.

I was glad for the reprieve. My emotions were everywhere. I had mate marks. Gael had mate marks. I knew in my gut that our agreeing to bond was the right decision. But even so, there were still so many things up in the air. How would Petal be safe? Was Gael meant to die with me and leave her orphaned? Were we going to be hunted down so soon by the insane mob outside that it didn’t matter?

That grim thought would keep me up tonight, I had no doubt.

I was a roll-with-the-punches kind of girl, but this was my child’s life at stake. There weren’t many possible outcomes I found acceptable. The conversation at least provided a distraction from my mixed-up knot of emotions.

Reed was the one who answered. “You make it out okay?” he asked without preamble.

“Yep, we’re on the pavement. Did you guys have any trouble?”

“Not unless you count Cristian refusing to evacuate. He’s still in the castle, but all the household staff made it safely home and have checked in, and the perimeter crew is almost finished with the sweep-up. Andrei called in so many of the Pack Caelestis males, the remaining invaders didn’t take much persuading to leave. But the news is still ramping up, and we need to lie low. Lucien left with the household staff. He’s going to try to work on the IGC from the inside and meet back up with us when it’s safe. ”

Anxiety grew in my belly, adding to the brew already stewing in there as I listened to the exchange. We’d been doing our best to keep Brielle’s curse quiet. We hadn’t had a choice over Varga, the castle attacks, or the ODL attacks—anything.

Though I supposed Kane could have chosen to execute Varga quietly. But either way, Petró would have made a stink.

“Where are we going?” I asked as Gael hung up with Reed.

“To see my sister,” Gael said, reaching over and taking my hand. “She lives in basically a fortress. I’m not sure how else to describe it.”

“You called it a Maiden’s Enclave on the phone with Kane earlier. Is it far?”

“We’re going to be driving overnight, but we’ll get there in the wee hours. You can close your eyes if you’re tired.”

It was like the suggestion pulled a yawn out of me against my will. He cracked a smile as he glanced away from the road at me for a split second.

“It’s going to be a long night. We’re safe now, and I promise you that nothing and no one is going to make it past me to you or Petal. I’ll wake you up when we get there.”

“Okay,” I murmured.

I still had questions. Why did his sister live in this enclave and not with their family? How were we supposed to lie any lower if trouble kept finding us ? Was my palm ever going to stop glowing? What the hell was a maiden’s enclave anyway? But my eyelids were heavy, and exhaustion was a thick blanket weighing me down. I squeezed Gael’s hand and let my eyes close. The questions could wait for tomorrow.

“Leigh?” Gael’s voice was a soft invitation, and the smell of coffee tingled delectably in my nostrils. “Are you hungry? I stopped at a drive-through because we’re almost there. I thought you might like sustenance before we arrive and get mobbed by the maidens. They don’t get a lot of visitors, so it tends to be exciting.”

I blinked away the sleep in my eyes, shifting up straighter in my seat and accepting the cup of coffee he offered as I tried to process what he was saying. There was a bare hint of light staining the dark satin sky, and I had no idea what time it was, only that no reasonable person would be awake at this hour.

“I’m not really hungry. When you say mobbed by the maidens… what exactly does that mean? Are they like… nuns? Are we going to disappear into a sea of habits, or…”

“They’re nun adjacent,” was all he said, and then we were rolling down a road that seemed far too narrow for this behemoth of an SUV.

I wasn’t awake enough to decipher what that meant. So I just sipped my coffee and watched the rocky landscape slip by.

Within an hour, the sky had lightened significantly, and I could see a massive stone fortress looming ahead. He was right; there was no other way to describe it, although medieval wouldn’t have been a bad descriptor.

The road turned to switchbacks at the end, and I was more than a little green around the gills by the time the gravel stopped crunching under the tires and Gael put us in Park.

“You ready?” he asked, stroking his thumb over the back of my knuckles.

“Is she going to like me?” I blurted, suddenly realizing that a meeting with his sister was imminent. I was in sweats, hadn’t brushed my hair since yesterday, and had morning-slash-coffee-breath, which was not a pleasant combination.

“She’ll love you,” he assured me with a wicked grin. “And if she doesn’t, well, we won’t invite her to Christmas dinner.”

I smacked him lightly on the arm as he laughed and jumped out of the car to come around and open my door. But when I slid to the ground, he didn’t step politely away the way he usually would. He stayed in my personal space, wrapping his heavily muscled arms around me, and looked down at me with an intensity that made my panties go damp in an instant.

“Tonight’s the full moon.”

I squinted up at the sky, finding the low-hanging moon that hadn’t gone down yet from the night before. “Looks like it,” I agreed. “Are you changing your mind about bonding so soon? I mean, I understand. We could wait. I would be fine to wait, really. It’s a lot to pull together, and we’re already showing up on your sister’s doorstep, so she might not appreciate being asked to put together a whole bonding ceremony in a day. This seems like the sort of old-as-dirt place that has traditions before a run, so that’s also a factor, and— why are you looking at me like that?”

He just grinned harder at the question, and I knew then that I’d give him anything he asked for. The Goddess was giving with both hands when she put this man together, and it was not fair. I was already knocked up, so how was he still leading me around by the ovaries so easily?

Because you’re head over heels in love with him, dum-dum.

“You’re cute when you’re nervous. But no, I just wanted to remind you that tonight’s the night you bond with me.”

I froze, heat filling me from head to curled toes at that devilish tone and the I’m going to devour you whole look in his eyes. I took a step back, subconsciously running from the promises I saw there.

A step back that plastered me against the car and got me no space whatsoever. He just followed me, putting his palms on either side of me, and leaning in as close as the belly would allow. Petal chose that moment to kick, and he grinned even wider as he felt it.

Damn his handsomely adorable self.

“It’s time, Leigh. I don’t want to go another minute holding myself back from the woman I love. We’re forever. I’m more than ready make it official.” He stroked my cheek so lovingly, I couldn’t bear to keep looking at him.

He loves me. He wants to stay with me forever .

“Oh shit. That wasn’t supposed to make you cry. We can wait if that’s what you want. I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be impatient, I just?—”

I reached up and grabbed him around the shoulders, yanking him down to squish him in a hug. To show him how I couldn’t say what I felt yet.

“Is that still a yes, or…?” he whispered against my ear.

Was it?

“Yes,” I whispered back, and he captured my lips with his.

I strong-armed him back a few inches. “Prince, I haven’t brushed my teeth.”

He rolled his eyes. “Don’t care. You agreeing to bond with me trumps coffee breath.” He kissed me again, but this one was a tender kiss to the forehead.

We were really doing this. I was going to be bonded tonight. Giddy elation bubbled up inside me, swiftly followed by all those earlier objections again.

“Oh, shit. I don’t have a dress. We haven’t prepared or planned anything. And we’re guests here. How are we supposed to just walk in and ask them to help us throw together a bonding ceremony in less than a day?”

He shook his head slightly. “You let me worry about that. The only thing I need you to do today is meet my sister and keep cooking this little nugget,” he said, palming my belly with a loving smile.

“Nugget!” I practically shouted, covering my face with my hands. “Gael! I’m going to be a terrible mother. I just left him behind in the castle, my poor baby! We have to call Cristian, my poor kitten?—”

“Is absolutely fine. I handed him to Brielle personally before they evacuated. ”

“Thank the Goddess.” I breathed a sigh of relief. “And you,” I added hastily.

He chuckled, pressing another kiss to my forehead. “You’re welcome.”

“Wow. Haven’t been on the grounds five minutes and already breaking the chastity rules. Typical Gael,” a tall, statuesque woman with a stern brow and a thick, russet braid over one shoulder said. She was visibly fit, thick muscles cording her legs and forearms, which I could see under the rolled sleeves of her navy tunic and tightly fitted pants. There was a massive, curving blade sticking up over one shoulder. The sharp edge gleamed menacingly in the early morning sunlight.

I would probably pee myself if I ran into her alone in a dark alley.

“It doesn’t count if we’re still outside the gates,” Gael said without concern, but he did turn to look at her. “Long time no see, Galyna.”

“Long time no see, baby brother.” Shit, his sister? I haven’t even had a chance to straighten up my hair. “Who’s this you’ve dragged to my doorstep without notice? You know visitors have to be approved by the head priestess.”

“It’s still Marciana, right?” he asked, and I watched them volley back and forth like a ping-pong match.

“Yes, it is,” she practically growled.

“Well, I happen to know she’s willing to overlook occasional improprieties if the stories are to be believed—that chastity rule is more of a guideline. An often-ignored one in this century, even by the priestess herself.”

“I’d stop that line of conversation there if I were someone planning to ask me for favors,” a second woman said, walking up to stand at Galyna’s side. “And as you’ve already dropped six visitors on my doorstep unannounced, I think you’d better ask nicely. Although I admit, I’m disappointed you didn’t bring Lucien.” Her wicked grin seemed to imply there were no hard feelings for Gael’s jokes about her lack of chastity.

“Priestess Marciana, you haven’t aged a day,” Gael said smoothly.

“Prince Starling, you haven’t wised up in the least,” she returned with a twinkle of laughter in her eyes. But there was no venom there. She opened both arms wide, and he stepped forward to return the hug. “But then, I’d be disappointed if you had. Who’s this lovely creature?”

“Marciana, Galyna, I’d like to introduce you to Leigh Barnes. My fated mate.” He waved me forward, and I hesitantly stepped forward to shake their hands.

Galyna’s soft gasp was quickly stifled behind her palm, but Marciana wasn’t so easily ruffled. “Congratulations are in order, then. We’ll hold a feast tonight in her honor.” She grasped my hand with the strength of a vise, and I had to work not to wince away from her powerful grip.

“With your permission, we’d like to hold a fair bit more than a feast.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Marciana rolled her eyes in a very un-priestess-y manner, despite the somber robes she wore, and waved us toward the gates.

I was barely through the front gates when I spotted a literal mob of women wearing the same getup as Galyna, Gael’s sister.

Who is still eyeing me, another quick glance confirmed. I wasn’t sure if she was curious or unhappy with what she saw, but either way, she hadn’t looked away since Gael had pronounced me his mate. A stunningly pale brunette with bright red lipstick bounded over, breaking away from the mass of women as soon as she spotted Galyna.

“Lyna! Is this your brother? Hi, I’m Elodie!” she introduced herself with all the enthusiasm of a golden retriever, and her crystal-blue eyes sparkled with jovial mischief as she scanned the two of us.

“Yes, this is Gael. And his… mate,” Galyna said the word as if it left a bad taste in her mouth.

Elodie’s mouth fell into a round o of surprise. “Wow. So… he’s got a mate , mate? Intrigue. I can’t wait to hear all about it. Lyna’s told me all about you and the whole family-obligation thing. For what it’s worth, sounds like you dodged a serious bullet.”

I liked her instantly.

“So, the rest of your friends are over there. One of them had an itty-bitty kitten with her! It’s not even afraid of us, can you believe it?” Elodie’s smile was wide and her enthusiasm infectious. She was basically the opposite of Gael’s quiet, brooding sister in every fathomable way.

Maybe brooding was a family trait. Are you going to come out broody too, Petal?

Elodie grabbed Galyna by the arm and led the four of us right into the middle of the fray, shouting with glee. “Lyna’s brother is here, everybody! And he’s got a mate!”

A cheer went up from the crowd, and I knew Shay had to be hating every single second of this if she was in the middle of this melee somewhere.

But when I spotted the rest of our pack amid the chaos, Shay was safely tucked under Dirge’s arm, and none of the maidens were getting close enough to him to encroach on her personal space. Brielle and Nugget, though? They’d been surrounded by a fawning group of women, every single one of them with a matching giant blade on their backs as they cooed at the kitten or spoke to Brielle. Her still-water omega scent was thick in the air, and I had to wonder how much of their attention was due to her otherness , though they couldn’t know what she was .

I was struck then by the fact that these women didn’t look nun adjacent at all. They looked like hardened warriors who could take somebody’s head off with one swing of that giant double blade. Though I suddenly understood why Gael thought this was a good place to hide from an angry mob.

There was a literal female army hiding inside these walls, and from the easy, confident way they all carried themselves, I had a feeling they knew how to use those weapons well.

Priestess Marciana tapped Gael on the shoulder. “Perhaps now would be a good time for me to speak to you and your high alpha about why you’ve chosen to come for an unscheduled, unapproved visit?”

“Ah, yes,” Gael said with an apologetic grimace. “I’ll get Kane. Leigh, do you mind hanging out with the maidens? I’m sure they’ll be happy to show you to a room, and I’ll take care of all the arrangements.”

“What arrangements?” Olivia asked. I hadn’t even heard her walk up with all the people milling around us.

“Gael and I have decided to bond. Tonight,” I added, shooting him an incredulous smile. I couldn’t help it. Was it absolutely insane? Yes. Was I ridiculously happy anyway? A thousand and one percent, yes.

She gasped, then threw her arms around me in a hug. “Congratulations! I’m so pleased for you both, truly,” she said, wiping at her misty eyes. “Do the girls know yet?”

I shook my head, pausing to give Gael a quick kiss on the cheek before he walked off with Kane and Marciana. “Let’s go tell them.”

Brielle and Shay were overjoyed, as expected, and nearly squeezed me to death with their hugs. But once the word spread through the crowd of maidens? I was lifted off my feet and carried through the enclave, while they sang a very ribald song about bonding nights and hot bites.

They carried me all the way to the maiden’s suite, which was a lovely stone room overlooking a lush rose garden, where I was deposited inside and told not to leave until nightfall.

Thankfully, Brielle, Shay, and Olivia all followed me inside. Less fortunately, Galyna did too. Her friend Elodie also stayed with us as the rest of the women bustled off to prepare the grounds. Elodie practically floated around the room in her excitement, while Galyna stood near the door, arms crossed over her chest with a sour expression and lips pressed tightly together. I suddenly saw the resemblance to Gael, his disapproval familiar from our early days.

I wasn’t sure how it was possible for her to dislike us so quickly, but it seemed that she had taken an immediate dislike to me, as well as my best friends. Elodie, however, had contagious enthusiasm.

“I can’t believe it! We haven’t hosted a bonding in ages . This is going to be so fun. Do you have a gown?”

I shook my head, and she did an actual, honest-to-Goddess backflip. From a dead standstill.

“Shouldn’t you take that giant sword thing off before you do flips?” I asked, mouth agape at her agility.

She just laughed and looked over at Galyna. “Do you want to tell them, or should I?”

Galyna waved her off, clearly not interested in getting to know us, so Elodie explained.

“We’re trained to do all sorts of acrobatics with our weapons in hand or in the sling. It’s secure, and the side facing us is blunted. To fight with it instead of hand to hand, we just do this.” She flicked a strap I couldn’t locate, then whipped the weapon around by its two handgrips so quickly, it blurred in midair.

“Holy shit, that’s impressive.” Shay finally spoke, stepping forward to admire the deadly weapon. “How long do you have to train with this thing?”

“Well, I’ve been here since I was fourteen, like Galyna. Most days, we train about seven hours, but it’s not all with the butterfly sword. We’re also proficient in hand to hand, as well as various small daggers and also bo staffs. We used to be loaned out by the Maiden’s Enclave to rich families as protection for their daughters and young children as a way of earning our keep here. That tradition has pretty much died out, so mostly, we’re just here, training all the time. But the butterfly wing is our signature weapon. Did you know it was invented by Chinese monks?”

“That is insanely cool. Can I try it?” Shay and Elodie moved to the far side of the room to do some practice swipes, while Brielle sidled up next to me.

“Are you okay? I heard you had a harrowing night. I’d be happy to lend you a hand, as soon as our visitors leave, if you need any healing.”

“I think I’m okay, honestly. Still pretty tired and in desperate need of a toothbrush, but otherwise good. I don’t want you to risk exposing yourself to more people than necessary,” I added quietly.

She nodded, then turned to scan the beautiful room. The stone appeared to be hand stacked, with gorgeous arched windows across one entire wall that showed the garden. Uniformed women were all over it, stringing up lights in the trees and pulling out benches from somewhere. They were made of stone and looked heavy, but the women appeared to be whistling as they arranged them between the paths.

A sudden knock on the door turned us all toward it, but Galyna was closest, so she cracked it open, then sighed as she stepped to the side.

“Where is my bond-mate-to-be?” A tall, striking woman with ebony skin and tightly braided hair stepped inside, wearing the same warrior’s robes and carrying a massive trunk like it weighed nothing.

“Uhm, here?” I waved, and she snorted .

“Are you sure? Or should I ask your friends?” she teased as she dropped the chest with a loud thunk . “I’m here to fit you for your bonding dress, but if you’d rather wear sweats…”

“No! She wouldn’t. Please, come in,” Olivia said, waving her toward me. “She’s just had a long night. She definitely doesn’t want to bond in sweats. Right, Leigh?”

“Right,” I agreed, stepping forward and offering my hand to shake.

“Excellent. Well, stand on that stool, and let’s get down to it, then. I’ve got a lot of work to do and not a lot of time. And Galyna?”

“Yes, Priestess Lisanne?”

“Wipe that dour look off your face. This is a celebration, after all. Now, Leigh, is it?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“ Ma’am . Did you hear that? You Americans are adorable. Strip, and let’s see those mate marks. I’m going to make sure he’s drooling by the time you get to the flower mound. How do you feel about the color red? I feel like it’s going to look drop-dead gorgeous on you.”

“Red is good. I like red.”

“Well, then, why are you still standing there? Strip already! You’re not the first pair of tits I’ve seen, and you won’t be the last. We’ve got no time to waste.”