Page 54 of Fated to the Warrior Wolf

I’d tell them tomorrow, when we were all together.

“Takein a deep breath and reset. I know this is a challenging pose, but hold on to your intention for the practice this morning.” I said the words calmly, in my best yoga-teacher voice, even as it felt like all the blood was rushing to my head.

Other than the occasional grunt or a squeaky yoga mat, itwas quiet in the atrium. Somehow in the morning, I couldsmellthe greenery surrounding us. It was like even the air in here was green. When enough time had passed for a few good breaths, I shifted poses.

“Okay, slowly work your way up to standing, stretching your arms high overhead. Feel the stretch all the way through your rib cage, letting yourself expand with energy and light, and exhaling any negativity.” My fingertips were tingling. “And, don’t forget to stretch your fingers too,” I added, trying to wiggle the strange feeling out. But it wouldn’t go away.

“Let’s step forward into warrior…” I froze when I landed in the lunge, a wave of dizziness hitting me out of nowhere.

“Warrior what?” Shay asked, her voice strained as she tried to balance, her arms flapping wildly at her sides. When she finally looked up, she jumped back out of the pose. “Leigh, what’s wrong?”

“I’m fine, I think?”

Bri was at my side in an instant, fingertips on my wrist, checking my pulse. “I need you to sit down, please. Right on your mat. But hang on to us and take it slow.”

“Is her pulse steady? We can have her elevate her legs,” Olivia offered as she stepped behind me and steadied my shoulders as I lowered carefully to the ground.

“It’s a little fast, but not crazy for her activity level,” Brielle said, doctor voice clicking into place.

“Guys, I amfine. I got a little dizzy, NBD.”

“What is NBD?” Olivia asked.

“No big deal,” Shay translated. “But dizzy and yoga don’t exactly go together, Leigh, now, do they?” She pinned me with a look as I got comfortable on my mat.

“I really…” My vision went blurry, and panic sent my heart racing faster. “Guys, something is wrong, I can’t—you’re all blurry?” The black pinpricks at the edges of my vision were more worrisome, but I suddenly found that I didn’t have the words.

“Someth…”

“Lay her down!” Brielle snapped, both palms going flat on my cheeks, her cooling energy flooding my system, but I didn’t hear the rest of her words.

The edges of the world went fuzzy and dark, and still, my damn fingers wouldn’t stop tingling.

TWENTY-SEVEN

Gael

Iwas standing by the window in Kane’s office, unease riding me despite the utter lack of anything happening outside. Or inside, for that matter. The women were all having a fitness class, which Leigh assured me was perfectly safe for this stage of her pregnancy.

We were reviewing Lucien’s overview of who he’d reached out to in and around Varga’s pack, who might be willing to talk to the high alpha. So far, he had three very promising people in high enough positions to have intel, and two had agreed to speak to us this afternoon. One was hesitant—which to me said they probably knew something big enough to be dangerous.

“Offer the third man transportation for his entire family. If we need to, we can put them up here or in the village, if he’s afraid of retribution,” I suggested, glancing over at Kane, who nodded his approval, then went stiff.

Lucien didn’t seem to notice, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something waswrong.

“That’s fine, I can call?—”

“Gael!” Shay skidded through the office door at top speed. “We need you in the atrium! Kane, you too. Bri’s trying, but she’s already depleted.”

“Is it Leigh? What’s happening?” I shouted the questions as I darted past Shay, leaving her to follow.

“I don’t know! Leigh said she was dizzy, so we made her sit down, but then she said she couldn’t see us, we were blurry, and then she passed out. Thank the Goddess, Olivia was behind her, because she collapsed and Oli caught her before she could hit her head.”

Collapsed. Dizzy. Passed out.

My wolf was clawing for control—he was faster than I would ever be on two legs; there was no denying that. But the man needed to hold her, and the wolf couldn’t do that. I sprinted down the stairs, nearly crashing into a suit of armor as I made the turn into the knights’ hall.

I followed the path on instinct, the pull to my mate like a fisherman’s hook in my chest, reeling me toward her with painful urgency.

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