Filed to story: The Wolf Prince’s Fated Love
She had precious cargo on board, even though her flat stomach showed no trace. I was so ready to see it start to curve. Something about the idea of her rounded with my baby made me feel like a possessive caveman. I wanted it with every fiber of my being.
We were nearly to the dining room when Cristian’s harried voice reached us.
“Miss! Miss! I must insist you wait for me to announce you!”
“I know the way, Cristian.” The dismissive female voice and the sound of high heels clacking on marble froze me in my tracks. I knew that voice.
Shit.
I felt like all the blood was draining from my face, leaving me light-headed.
“BD? What’s wrong?”
I opened my mouth, but no words came out. Before I could work through the lump in my throat, the woman I’d hoped to never see again cleared the corner, a consternated Cristian hot on her heels and red-faced.
“Everything okay out here?” Reed poked his head out of the dining room and cursed when he spotted her before bobbing back inside. But I couldn’t worry about him or anybody else. The only person I could think of was Leigh.
This couldn’t be happening at a worse time.
Not now. Not when we’d finally connected, finally taken that next step in trusting each other. The fledgling bond in my chest ached as I looked down at her, sorrow clawing at me as I finally found my voice. “I’m so sorry, Leigh.”
“Sorry? For what?” she whispered, confusion and anticipatory dread warring on her features. Her fingers on my arm went tight, but I didn’t have time to explain. Knew she wouldn’t give me time to explain.
“There you are, Gael. It’s so like you to fly home and leave me to hear through the grapevine that my fiancé
is back on the same continent.”
Feminine gasps echoed behind me, and I knew the rest of the pack had come out of the dining room. But Leigh’s fingers dropping from me like I was burning her told me all I needed to know.
“Celeste, now is not a good time.” I ground out the words, not even sparing her a glance. Leigh’s face was ashen, and I was worried she was going to faint. “It’s not how it sounds, Leigh. Please, let me explain.”
She shook her head, backing away from me, first one faltering step, then another. My lungs seized as the three women surrounded her in an instant, Brielle and Olivia taking each of her hands, while Shay stepped between us, eyes aglow and teeth bared in a protective snarl.
“Leigh, please-” I took a step forward, but Shay wasn’t having it. Her hands were half-shifted, and she stepped toward me threateningly. Dirge appeared at her side like a furious shadow, and I knew with sinking certainty that they weren’t going to let me anywhere near her.
Fuck my life.
THIRTY-EIGHT
Leigh
Fiancé.
The word echoed in my head like a razor-spiked pinball, making me bleed every place it touched as it bounced around inside my skull.
He had a Goddess-cursed fiancé, and somehow I was not only pregnant with his child, but I’d just spent the morning having brain-shattering orgasms with him in my bed, and he hadn’t bothered to mention that?
I am such a fucking idiot.
The waves of pain crashed over me as my wolf howled and clawed at my control, and the worst tearing sensation I’d ever felt down the center of my chest made it feel like I couldn’t breathe.
I’d thought Marcus’s betrayal was bad, and yes, it had fucking hurt at the time. But that was his fate. It was never going to be me for him.
But Gael? Gael was mine. My fated, my destiny, my other half. And the fact that he had someone else-he’d made me his Goddess-damned sidepiece while I was pregnant with our child? I wasn’t sure I’d ever recover.
Because there were only a few possible reasons for that, and none of them were good. Was he ashamed of me after all? Was he just a fucking cheater? Did he get off on lying to me? Because seriously, the time to tell me he was spoken for was before we got in bed together that first time, not weeks later.
I was not the other woman. I was no cheater, and I couldn’t forgive him for making me one.
A sob broke free of my throat, and I shook my head, backing away from him like he was a stranger. Not the man I’d just spent the morning with, talking and kissing and sharing dreams. I could still feel the ghostly warmth of his palm on my belly, protecting our child.
All lies.
“Leigh, please, just let me explain.” He took a step toward me, and I practically fell backward as I stumbled to put distance between us.
I was sure he had a pretty explanation. The kind he’d expect me to trip over myself to accept, because he was annoyingly gorgeous and rich as fuck. But you know what?
I might have been dead broke, alone, and pregnant, but I had my pride.
And I wasn’t going to trample it for a man, not ever again.
Even if it felt like I was dying.
Even if he was my fated mate.
The rending sensation struck my chest again, and I felt Brielle’s blessedly cool hands on my shoulders as she stopped my stumbling flight.
“Leigh… Goddess! She’s ice cold.” My bestie checked me over quickly-Oli too, I realized as she pressed a hand to my forehead and frowned-but when that was done, she passed me to Shay’s waiting arms, and I clung to her shamelessly. But I couldn’t help myself, I watched as I clung to her, watched as Brielle stormed across the fancy marble hall like she owned the place-because she fucking did
-and stepped up toe to toe with Gael.
“Brielle, I know how this looks. I just need five minutes with Leigh?-“