Page 31 of Fated to the Warrior Wolf

His eyes shone with sincerity, and he let his gaze sweep around the room, including everyone in the apology.

My fangs finally receded, the fight going out of me at his complete submission.

Kane cleared his throat. “Gael’s situation is a large part of the reason you’re here, Lucien.”

“I thought it was your mate who had… proclivities.”

Reed snorted. “Not everything is about sex, Luc. She’s got powers, not kinks.”

“The two aren’t mutually exclusive,” he said with a wicked grin. I growled, the sound low in my throat.

Kane raised a hand, shooting Lucien a warning look. “That’s enough from both of you. What’s the status with the IGC?”

Lucien leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest as he gave his report. “I can get you in today, two p.m. I had a conversation with Karina, and it turned out that there was a very convenient gap in this afternoon’s council schedule.”

Kane nodded gravely. “And are they aware that the high alpha will be filling that spot?”

He bobbled his hand back and forth in the universal gesture fornot really.

“That doesn’t leave us much time to strategize. Let’s get down to it.”

Kane reached into his desk and pulled out a legal pad and the plain white envelope sitting on top of it. He paused, looking at the envelope, and then looked up at me.

“Brielle asked me to pass this along. Cristian just brought it up.”

The envelope was stamped, the return address some lab nearby. A lump formed in my throat as I stared down at it as if it were a snake about to bite. The other men were all talking, the sounds like flies buzzing in the background as they worked out ideas for handling the IGC. But I was stuck, staring down at an envelope that I knew had the results of my paternity test inside. Leigh must have done her part of the test.

I flipped it over and saw that it was still sealed. Brielle hadn’t looked inside. The question was, did I want to?

Leigh had told me I was the father.

If you weren’t, would it matter? You want her and the baby.

I leaned over and dropped the envelope into the trash. Kane arched an eyebrow at me but didn’t comment.

They were mine, and I didn’t need a piece of paper to tell me that.

SEVENTEEN

Leigh

Iwoke up to the sounds of something scuffling, and it took my brain several seconds to figure out where I was. But as I stared up at the unfamiliar ceiling in the dim light, Gael’s piney, comforting scent triggered the memory.

He’d denned me up in his room, something I hadn’t even known I’d wanted before he’d carried me in here like a fairy-tale damsel.

We were in a castle, so it was kind of fitting.

But what was that noise? I sat up slowly, careful not to make any sudden movements that might trigger my intense nausea, but despite the fact that it had probably been hours since Bri’s magic omega touch, I felt better waking up in Gael’s bed than I had… pretty much since the nausea started.

My wolf hummed her contentment in my chest, even as I cast around the seemingly empty room for Gael.

“Gael? Are you still here?” My voice was timid, and suddenly, the awkwardness of waking up alone in a man’s bed—even if absolutely nothing sexy had happened—hit me like a wave.

I’d broken down; he’d brought me here on instinct and most likely hadn’t known what the fuck to do after I passed out. I couldn’t exactly blame him for dipping out, but it stung in a way it really shouldn’t. I swung my legs over the side of the bed, still hearing the soft scuffles, and realized they were coming from the hallway. I tiptoed to the door, oddly certain that Gael would know whatever I did in here, even though that was a ludicrous thought.

But when I pulled the door open, there was no one in the hall either. I was swinging the door shut when a tiny squeak made me freeze and look down.

There at my feet was a tiny tabby kitten.

---