Page 6 of Fated to the Warrior Wolf

Yeah, that ship had sailed. Everyone crowded around, staring at either my or Olivia’s palms, a low murmur of discussion undercut by heavy tension.

We hadn’t even made it off the ground to fix our last problem before a new problem popped up.

I refused to count Petal as a problem and studiously avoided her father’s gaze as Brielle examined my hand, flipping it over and placing her hand carefully over the glowing mark as she let her eyes fall closed.

I felt that sensation again, except this time instead of a cool flood of relief, there was a gentle probing directed at the mark.

It only shone brighter, the light flaring up around Brielle’s fingers.

I shot a wary glance at my pack mates, standing around us watching. “Careful of your eyes. When it first showed up, it was blinding.”

Gael said nothing, but Shay gripped my shoulder a little more tightly, offering her usual brand of silent support.

Brielle’s power was strong, until it wasn’t. It evaporated between one heartbeat and the next, and her palm went limp before slipping from mine.

“Brielle, are you okay?—”

“Bri!” Shay lunged for her, grabbing her under the arms before she could hit the ground.

She blinked groggily in Shay’s grip, and all the air left my lungs in a horrifiedwhoosh.

My bestie’s eyes had gone completely white, exactly like the mark.

FOUR

Gael

Iwatched with concern as Shay lowered Brielle to the grass, her eyes oddly milky, like that white, opaque glass my mother’s old vases were made out of. It was creepy as fuck, but she had a huddle of people tending to her as soon as she was stretched out on the grass.

Leigh, however, was mine to worry about, and she looked pale enough to fall over right next to her friend.

“Steady,” I murmured. I wanted to reach out to her, comfort her, and get a closer look at that hand. But at this point, it was well established that since our night together, she wanted nothing to do with my touch. So, I kept my distance, offering the only support I could. “She’s going to be okay.”

Her eyes snapped up to mine, and I tried to ignore the red-rimmed lids, as if she’d been crying. Was it because she felt bad, she was scared, or was she having regrets about the baby?

My heart froze in my chest. Reed had assured me once he’d caught up to me that she didn’t intend to terminate, which was something I hadn’t even considered, but a relief nonetheless. So, what was causing that look of desolation?

“Are you okay?”

“Am I okay, really?” she snapped at me, and then moved to run her hand through her blonde locks, but stopped short at the unnerving glow. She switched hands, running the other one angrily through her hair. It left a single piece sticking up, and I wanted to reach over and smooth it out, kiss her on the head.

How fast would I get shoved away, though?

I resisted the urge, focusing on her eyes instead. Her livid, teary eyes.

“Yes, really,” I said with a calm I didn’t feel. Every sense was heightened, as if danger lurked behind the pebbles scattered on the sides of this runway. This new development had to mean something, and given that the first person to touch the marks had collapsed, it couldn’t be anything good.

“Don’t act like you care about me now because you found out I’m pregnant. This changes nothing.”

“Nothing?Really?” I echoed her words, my own ire rising at her combative attitude. She asked me to leave before, so I did. I was checking on her because I did care, damn it. Why was she so determined to push me away?

“Okay, some things, yes, but not us. It does not change us.” She crossed her arms over her chest and gave me her back, the message clear.

She hated my guts.

Fuck me sideways.

“We have to talk about this, Leigh. Are you going to keep pretending nothing’s happening here?”

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