Page 197 of Fated or Knot

I emerged with a hedgehog baby cupped carefully in both hands, its body still pink and hairless, though its little eyes were open and squinting. He’d been snuggled up to his mother with his other spiky siblings. The mother had suffered some kind of wound to her side that’d been neatly bandaged.

A few tears leaked from me out of joy. “Look at him,” I whispered, overcome by the miracle of life.

I want one.The hedgehog, I told myself, though my instincts were in full mood swing. I truly wanted one thing from my body: peace. I’d just been cursing my omega neediness with the sunrise.Stupid heat, I don’t even want this. Let’s just skip the whole thing.

Tormund’s brows rose as he took in my expression. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“It’s just so beautiful.” This teeny tiny life, new and fragile.

He eyed me with concern. “You should probably go put him back,” he suggested in his usual loud whisper. “I thought you’d like the critter room, li’l bird.”

“Ilovethe critter room,” I sobbed.

Somehow, I don’t think I convinced him, even when I put the little thing back with his mother and came out to hug and nuzzle against Tormund. His scent was still changing, deepening, and itwas intoxicating to my omega instincts. He’d lost the sweetness of mallows, smelling of smoke and a woodsy cologne, like he’d set fire to a pile of exotic kindling. I wanted to be covered in his scent.Soon. So soon.

We saddled up and left for Neslune shortly after that. I’d whispered in Stella’s ears a plea for us to bounce less and she made the trip without being quite as jaunty as our last outings. I certainly appreciated it, with my churning stomach.

It’d been nice to get away from the crush of strangers in the palace and disappear into nature, but I was ready to curl up in my nest with the comforting scents of my mates all around me. I wanted to take sweet Tormund and steadfast Kauz straight to bed with me. But I needed Fal and Marius too, and I missed them dearly.

Kauz didn’t shadow us this time, riding his horse with us on the return trip and adding his voice in occasionally to Tormund’s ever-present storytelling. The gentle giant had a talent for making sure there were never awkward pauses, because there simply wasn’t much quiet between thoughts. His voice helped keep me from dwelling on my yearnings too much on the way home.

I would say he wasn’t one for introspection, yet I’d seen how moved he’d been as he read from one of his little books of poetry to me yesterday. He thought plenty and felt deeply, but he didn’t let just anyone see past his jolly exterior to know that about him. That he’d shown me was a blessing. I was grateful we’d gotten to eke out some time together. We’d made the most of what we’d been given and grown closer than ever.

I still wilted with relief when the woods thinned and we made our way to the palace stables.First things first, a nap.Hopefully no one intercepted me on the way to laying down.

“We should check in before you head inside, sweetheart,” Kauz said, cutting into my daydreams of rest.

“Do you think…maybe they’re dead?” I couldn’t sayPack Ellisarright now. Bile would probably rise in my throat instead.

“There’s always that possibility. Let me go ask first.”

I couldn’t help but whine. Tormund added in, “The li’l bird should come inside. She hadn’t been home in ages.”

“It’s not a good idea,” Kauz said gently, earning a growl full of redcap menace that barely made him flinch. “Give me half an hour.”

“Sure. That’s not too long,” I said, before Tormund could get any angrier on my behalf.

We had Kauz fly out ahead of us while we took care of his horse, and ours. I took Stella to her stall and saw to her needs. Thirty minutes probably came and went in the blink of an eye, though it felt like much longer by the time I was brushing her mane until it was perfect.

My ears perked when Kauz returned and spoke to Tormund a few stalls away, their voices too low for me to hear. Except for the fiery, “What!” the redcap crackled after a few minutes of conversation. “Tell him…”

I huffed in exasperation. I could’ve cried from how frustrated I felt, and that was the pre-heat at work again, making everything that much worse.He’s never this quiet any other time, except when I want to know what’s going on.

“You tell him. Go now,” Kauz said, more loudly. “I’m going to escort Lark.”

I poked my head out of the stall. Stella did the same thing with her equine face above mine. “Escort me where?” I asked.

Kauz turned a smile my way that didn’t quite meet his eyes. Something was definitely wrong. Tormund was wafting heat around his body as he stomped out of the stable, hands forming clawed fists at his sides. “Your nest, sweetheart. The royal pack wants you to rest up for tonight.”

“What’s happening tonight?”

He didn’t answer. I patted Stella in farewell and rushed over to him, my wings pinned to my back with nerves. “Kauz, what’s going on?” I pressed.

He slowed his stride, putting an arm around me with a sigh. “Nothing’s wrong. Everything is nearly as we left it,” he assured me in his calmest tones. “Your date with Fal is what’s happening tonight, and you should rest.”

“What aren’t you telling me?” I asked in a small voice.

He gritted his teeth hard. “I’ve given my word that I would let another tell you what to expect tonight.”

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