Page 37 of The Warrior's Captive

“I could have. Yes. I should have. I’m sorry. It was the only thing I could think of. You have to know he can’t stay here unless he’s your mate. Even so, it would be a hard ask, to have our people accept someone like him.”

There she was, adamant that she wasn’t about to do something as sacred and life altering as become Castor’s mate, and the next minute she was willing to tear her brother apart at even the hint of that slight. “Someone like him?” Her lips pulled back from her teeth.

Kieran leapt off the couch and put a hand on her arm. “Briar May. This has been hard for you and for all of us. All our emotions are strained to the point of breaking, but yours especially. The man is an outsider, from a brutal, war-like pack. He’s as different from us as anything anyone has ever known. Trusting a man who is a known killer, who kidnapped you and was held here as a prisoner, it’s a big ask. We don’t accept outsiders here unless they are mates or adopted into a family. I’ve made changes but they can only go so far.”

Tears pricked her eyes and trickled down her cheeks. She was so ashamed. It felt like her world had changed so much over the past few weeks that her mind and body were having difficulty catching up. Her body clearly thought that Castor was her mate, she’d spoken with her mother about the bonding scent and the incident after her kidnapping that had set everything in motion. Usually, it was something that happened during sex to bring the couple together. She’d burned with embarrassment as her mother had explained this and had noted to herself, that nothing had happened when they’d actually slept together.

Her mother had told her that sometimes it could happen during moments of great emotion or fear too, as a way to draw the mate closer for protection. Briar May supposed that’s what had happened in the Jeep, her body panicked, and Castor had responded. He’d saved her. But did this mean that everything was her fault? Did she actually have feelings for him, or was it all forced? She bowed her head because she couldn’t even look her brother in the eye. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“Like I said, it’s been hard. Zora said the whole time she was pregnant, her wolf struggled with being trapped inside her. It felt like she was at war with herself in addition to carrying twins. She was exhausted.”

“I want to know who says we can’t shift while we’re pregnant. Someone has to have done it. Why not just stay as a wolf the whole time and—”

“Kieran!” Zora burst through the door, heaving and panicked.

Briar May’s heart nearly tore straight out of her chest at the scare. Something was wrong. The twins? No, please no. There she was, being pathetically selfish instead of the least bit grateful that her brother had tried to help her, all the while a horrible tragedy was unfolding.

Kieran grasped her arms and bent down to her. “What is it, Zora? What’s happened?”

It was clear in a second that whatever tragedy had unfolded wasn’t anything related to the twins. It was about her. Zora shot her a sincere look of apology before she responded. “Tavin and the other guards just brought… they brought Castor in.”

“What do you mean brought him in?” Kieran was calm, but Briar May stumbled back. She fell into the chair. The room tilted and something was making a terrible sound. The wind, whipping through her cabin. No. Not the wind. Not the scream of the weather. Not torn open shutters and broken glass windows and doors thrown open. It was her. She was making that terrible keening sound.

When her eyes focused again, she found Zora right in front of her. Her sister-in-law wrapped her arms around her neck, pulling her close. “Sweetheart. I didn’t mean like that. He’s alive. He was dropped off at our border, from what we’ve gathered. He hasn’t said much. He’s…”

Briar May waited. And waited. She cast her eyes to the side and saw Kieran doing the same, pensive and pale. His face hardened too. It was his alpha face, the inscrutable look of a leader who had to think first and let emotions come second, at least while everyone was watching. He could take the time later to process and talk and try to make a wise decision. She’d seen her father do the same and look the same so many times throughout her life.

“He’s what? Tell me!” Briar May pressed, though the words rose up in her throat along with her stomach. She swallowed over and over until the bitterness passed, until she was no longer shaking. She was still sweating. Her whole body was cold even though the cabin was warm, and the height of summer bloomed in its rich palette of blue skies, green grass, myriads of flowers, and golden sunshine. “Zora. Please.”

“He’s not himself. He’s fevered. I don’t know how he even knew which direction to walk. It’s like he’s not seeing anything at all. My mother would probably call it delirious, though most people can’t even get out of bed when they’re like that.”

“What?” Briar May tried to shoot out of the chair again, but Zora pressed her back.

“Easy. He’s been taken to the big cabin. We’ve already sent Tavin for your mom. I came to get you because I need to prepare you.”

“He’s sick. I need to go to him.”

Zora glanced at Kieran sidelong without meaning to, begging him like she needed the strength to say whatever it was that she’d seen. Was it so awful she felt that she had to protect and shield her from it? Yes. Whatever it was, Zora had come with the clear mindset that it was so upsetting, she needed to go slow or risk something terrible happening given that Briar May was pregnant.

She was no delicate flower. She’d been healthy her whole life. Brooke said that morning sickness was a good sign, even if it was difficult to endure. The ginger and peppermint teas Brooke prepared and left with her and the huge bag of peppermints she’d been given to suck on at pretty much all times helped tremendously.

She needed one now. They were in the kitchen. She could already feel the saliva gathering in her mouth.

She burst out of the chair and Zora, having been pregnant herself and also having attended countless women under her mother’s training, anticipated exactly why Briar May moved so fast. She got out of the way, but she followed her to the bathroom. The cabin was small, so thankfully she made it in time. Zora leaned over with her, holding her hair out of the way and stroking her back.

It was always so painful, so forceful, like her entire insides were struggling to come up along with whatever small amounts of food she actually could get down.

Briar May leaned back, panting.

Zora flushed for her, then got her a cloth and a glass of water. The peppermints were kept in every room, in little glass jars. Zora got her one of those too. It was the chalky kind, circular shaped and thick. Briar May accepted it on her tongue with gratitude. She slowly sipped the water and she let Zora wipe her face clean.

“I’m sorry.” She was so embarrassed. So small. So lost.

“Honey, my mom is a midwife and a healer. I trained with her since I was a little girl. Plus, I’m a mother myself. I am definitely no stranger to any sort of mess.”

“You won’t tell me what happened. You think it’s going to hurt me.” She swallowed convulsively. “It won’t. I’m strong. Please. None of you can keep me from seeing him. If you don’t want me to shift and tear apart every single person standing between me and him, then you have to tell me. I can’t control the wolf unless you tell me. If she thinks he’s dying, I don’t know what she’ll do.”

She’d just said Castor wasn’t her mate, and there she was, contemplating the same bloodthirsty berserker behavior Rome had displayed when his beloved was taken from him.

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