Page 98 of Fated to the Warrior Wolf

Aweek after our meeting, the Council did indeed come back and say there was no wrongdoing found on the part of the ODL during their investigation. Lucien immediately submitted the new petition we’d put together.

Another three weeks had passed since Lucien took the petition to the IGC, and it had been oddly quiet ever since. We’d all fallen into a strange sort of rhythm. I was—carefully, with Bri’s and Oli’s approval—leading daily runs and yoga classes for pack females who wanted to join me. Shay was working daily on her fae powers and getting better at being a human battery for Bri, and using it defensively with Dirge and any cocky Caelestis Pack males who were willing to play crash-test dummy. Oli was thriving with our pack and always bringing up some new medical tidbit she’d learned at dinner.

She wasalsomaking eyes at Lucien every time he came to dinner, but we were politely pretending we didn’t see it. Anytime someone brought up his name, she blushed, the curse of the redheads. It was adorable.

But all the while, we were in limbo. The men had dailymeetings, Lucien gave us slow-as-snail updates, and in between, we waited.

The topic of flying back to Alaska had come up once or twice, but despite all of us being restless, we agreed that staying close to the council was for the best. Eventually, they’d want to see us again, and we needed to be available at a moment’s notice so they couldn’t throw out our petition again.

It was infuriating, much like buttoning my shorts these days. Gael’s credit card lay on my nightstand, where it would have gotten dusty if housekeeping didn’t come in daily to clean this room. But soon, I would need new clothes.

My workout stuff was stretchy, but anything cutting into my stomach made me crazy these days. I was officially in the second trimester, and the nausea had finally,finallygone away for the most part. In its place was ravenous hunger. If food wasn’t nailed down, I was going to eat it. Which wasn’t helping my clothes fit.

Which was part of the reason I was currently standing in my room post-evening-workout, staring down at my nonfitting jean shorts, desperately trying to get the button to close the distance. It didn’t stand a chance. I was over an inch and a half shy, because Petal wasofficiallymaking her presence known to everyone. I had a real-life baby bump, and that was the fifth pair of shorts in a row that wouldn’t button.

I sighed in defeat and pulled a sundress out of my closet. It was high waisted and loose, covered in sunflowers, with sleeves that hung low and showed off my shoulders. Just looking at it made me happy. My boobs were straining at the ties up top, but that was more socially acceptable than having my stomach hang out of my unbuttoned shorts, so it would have to do.

When I stepped out into the hall, I immediately scented Gael. His typical pine scent was stronger than usual, the ylang-ylang and masculine musk heavy in the air, as if he’d been sweaty when he’d walked through the hall.

It had been happening every day, and I suspected that he was running himself ragged in the gym, just like I was with my outdoor runs, to keep his distance. And like every other day this week, my mate’s scent had my core soaked in two seconds flat. Which was especially irritating because my panties were also starting to get too small, and I hadn’t worn any just to run down to the kitchen for a late-night snack.

It was frustrating and arousing, and if he’d been in the hall, I wasn’t sure if I’d have leapt on him or snarled at him for daring to smell so freaking delicious.

As if I’d conjured him with the thought, he stepped out of his bedroom a few doors down the hall. He had a towel in hand, rubbing his hair halfheartedly as he scanned the nearly empty space. He was shirtless in sweatpants, and the sight of all those rippling muscles nearly did me in.Leaping on him is definitely the winner. I’m so damn horny, I could cry.

When he spotted me standing there like a bump on a log, he froze.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey,” I said back, trying to keep my tone cool and unbothered. I wassupremelybothered, but it wasn’t his damn business. I forced my legs into motion, as if I hadn’t been rooted to the spot just from his scent lingering.

It was a mistake. Because to get to the kitchen, I had to walk past him. And do you know what the only thing better than his scent tantalizing me in the hallway was? A fresh hit of it when he was freshly showered and standing less than two feet away.

My mouth watered and my knees locked up before I could walk past.

“Everything… okay?” he asked, both eyebrows lifted as he stared at me.

What was I supposed to tell him?Sorry, couldn’t keep walking, I’m trying not to hump your leg right now?

Absolutely not.

“Fine, just a cramp,” I lied through my teeth, doing my best to keep my breathing shallow. What I didn’t expect was for him to leap into action.

“Where is it? Calf? Shoulder?” He stepped forward, concern etching his face as he scanned me, like he would be able to identify the misbehaving muscle with sheer will alone.

“Umm, calf?” I whispered, completely making it up. I had no choice but to double down on my fib, even as he stepped closer and I had to look away.

“Put your hand on the wall.”

I obeyed without thought, as if he’d woven me into some spell, watching as he dropped to his knees in a fluid motion.

“Which leg?”

I lifted one, holding my breath as he gripped my foot in one hand, letting the other come up to cup the back of my calf.

“Shit,” I whispered, letting my head fall back as his gentle touch wrecked what little was left of my self-control.

“Does that hurt?” he asked as he kneaded the not-at-all-cramping muscle and flexed my foot to work out the knot.

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