Page 16 of Fated to the Warrior Wolf

The four of us girls all blinked at him as we tried to process this new information.

Olivia even turned away from the castle to mouth awowat me.

I couldn’t say I was surprised, really. Werewolves were long-lived. It made sense that over time, they’d accumulate wealth. But our pack hadn’t been terribly wealthy and wasn’t that old either. We were regular people with regular jobs, for the most part. We just turned furry on occasion.

My savings account had a whopping eight hundred fifty dollars in it, and all three of us had lived in pack housing. A wave of guilt for my utter lack of preparedness to bring a child into this world hit me anew. I hadn’t worked in over a month,and if it weren’t for Pack Blackwater’s charity, I’d be scrounging for part-time work to keep the lights on.

I didn’t want to be anybody’s charity case. That was humiliating and definitely not a life plan.

It was not a comfortable feeling under normal circumstances, but this was next-level comparison-itis, and my brain was struggling to comprehend the level of wealth I was staring at. But mostly I was just envisioning a cartoon duck swimming through a pool full of gold coins.

I bet this place has a pool.

The idea of Kane’s late father swimming in it, full of gold coins, made me giggle and then full-on belly laugh at the ridiculous mental image.

Shay lifted an eyebrow at me in question, but the driver was holding open the door, waiting for us to climb out, so I kept my ridiculousness to myself.

The silver-haired butler greeted us all with a stately bow, but as soon as he straightened, Kane wrapped him in a hug. He looked surprised, but returned the embrace warmly, with a fatherly pat to Kane’s shoulder.

“Cristian, thank you for holding down the fort while we were away.”

“My pleasure, sir. Would you like to take a tour of the grounds before I see you to your rooms? A few things have changed since you left Pack Caelestis to strike out on your own.”

Kane cast a glance back at all of us and shook his head. “Rooms first. We’re planning to stay awhile, so there’s plenty of time for a tour. And for the ten thousandth time, call me Kane.”

“You know I can’t do that, sir.” His eyes creased at the corners as he waved us all inside.

The interior of the castle was every bit as jaw-dropping as the exterior. The paintings I’d caught sight of were only thebeginning. Rich blue striped wallpaper and deeply burnished wood floors made me feel like I’d stepped into a time machine. It was old-world at its finest, and the ceilings had to have been thirty feet high, chandeliers dotting the ceiling every so often and casting a soft, gilded glow over the whole space.

“We’ve prepared the family wing, but if you’d like to split the group, the east wing is also ready to receive guests.”

“The family wing is perfect, Cristian.” Kane patted the older man on the shoulder as he surveyed the space.

“Is this where you grew up?” Brielle asked, staring in awe at one of the gold-framed paintings, which hung larger than life and imposing over a heavily carved table.

“Yes, it is.” His smile didn’t quite meet his eyes, and I guessed that these halls were full of ghostly memories for him. Especially given his mother had died here, I remembered sadly.

Brielle looped an arm around his waist, and I looked away, not wanting to stare too long at what I couldn’t have.

Although… I cast a glance around, realizing with dismay that Gael was nowhere to be seen.

I craned my head around and spotted him back by the SUVs, barking orders at someone on his cell phone. His face was etched in a scowl, but almost as if he could feel someone staring at him, he looked up, and our gazes connected.

It was like lightning, turning the distance between us to nothing in a heartbeat. But he looked away, pointedly turning his back on where I stood. The worst part was that I’d brought it on myself, and I deserved it.

“Ready to see your room?” Brielle asked me, a giddy excitement in her voice that I couldn’t match as she looped her arm through mine, then Shay’s. “Can you believe it? I’ve always wanted to see a castle in real life.” I looped Olivia’s arm through my other side, snagging her from where she was staring up at a gilt-framed mirror that looked older than theMayflower.

“And now you own one,” I teased, forcing myself to turn away from Gael, just like he’d turned away from me.

So why did I feel achingly hollow inside as I walked away?

TEN

Gael

Idropped my duffel bag onto the cushioned stool at the end of the gaudy, four-poster bed in the room I’d been assigned. The simple black nylon looked tacky against the fancy brocade, but I didn’t give a shit about the trappings of wealth. I’d spent the whole day busying myself with security and enforcer business, but eventually, there was nothing else to hide behind.

My family had a place just like this a few hours’ flight away, and I was never happier than the day I’d left it all behind to start fresh in Alaska.

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