14

Nathan’s attention. I wouldn’t. We’d done so well the last month, getting along like adults. I couldn’t ruin it with childish vapors.

Still, as the priest droned on, my eyes kept drifting back to the father of the child I carried. We’d never planned a wedding for ourselves. We were wolves. We didn’t need one. But oh, how different things would be right now if I’d taken him back when he first returned. If I’d been able to trust him with my heart, Liam might not be our first child. We could be here as a couple with our own little brood. Nathan could be waiting for me when the festivities were over, his strong arm there to escort me through the

exhausting reception that awaited and see me safely home tonight when I was dead on my feet. We could have the house we’d dreamed of.

I had the inexplicable urge to burst into tears. That had become a regular occurrence, compliments of the rampant pregnancy hormones perpetually ravaging my attention and emotions, but this was a wedding. I would not have a breakdown in the middle of Katie’s special day. Scraping together every last bit of my control, I swallowed the urge to cry and kept my composure.

I also stuffed down all of my absurd thoughts about being here with Nathan as mates. I had shut down his every attempt at rebuilding what we had, closing those dreams off just as surely as he had when he left. The thought hit harder than I’d expected, leaving me unexpectedly exhausted

and numb.

The rest of the ceremony passed in a blur.

I was distantly aware of Katie and Leo kissing, the guests cheering, and the fanfare of processional music. Mechanically, I allowed the best man to take my arm and lead me back down the aisle with the rest of the

wedding party. I went through the motions of posing for endless wedding pictures on autopilot.

The limo ride to the country club where the reception was being held was miserable but blessedly short. After that, I was relieved to find there was little for me to do. I helped Katie out of her complicated wedding gown and into a strapless, glittering party dress. Then she all but glued herself to Leo, leaving me with no more supervisory duties.

With the best man following Sarah around like a besotted puppy, I had no one to entertain. I was grateful because nausea set in as I was

zipping Katie’s dress into its protective garment bag. Slipping out of the changing room, I headed to the bar and got a glass of ginger ale, hoping it

would help. The ballroom hosting the reception opened onto the lawn and guests had spilled out in all directions. There were two dance floors, multiple bars, and round dining tables everywhere. The air inside was oppressively stuffy, and I slowly made my way outside, clutching my drink and hoping the fresh air would help.

It was a gorgeous summer day, but the sun beat down directly on the gathering, and I felt suffocatingly hot. Past the dance floor, I could see the

small lake the country club boasted and the tiny white gazebo positioned

beside it. I tried to head for it, skirting the dance floor. Surely, it would be cooler at the water’s edge. I relinquished my drink to a side tray when I got too lightheaded to keep it reliably upright in my hand.

I guessed I was halfway to the gazebo when my vision started to blur. My steps faltered, and a spike of real alarm shot through me.

“Celeste.”

Nathan appeared out of nowhere, and I was so relieved to feel his steadying hand on my shoulder that I leaned into the touch without thinking. He caught me as I sagged, one arm sliding around my waist, the

other cradling the back of my head, holding me securely against his chest. I breathed in his familiar, masculine scent and felt myself relax into the safety of his hold.

“Are you all right?” He tipped my head back a little, searching my face with worried eyes. “Is something wrong with the baby?”

“Fine,” I croaked, guilt stabbing at me for having worried him. “Just … so tired.” It was mortifying to say, and more words poured out

even as I desperately tried to shut up. “The rehearsal dinner ran late, and then Liam was up before three. We had to have pickles and fluff, and I

couldn’t go back to sleep. I miss coffee, and it’s hot, and my head hurts, and I—I’m sorry.”

He didn’t say anything for a second, and my humiliation deepened.

He must think I was terrible. That I wasn’t taking care of our baby at all. “Right,” he said, cutting into my thoughts. “We’re leaving.”

“Leaving,” I repeated, my exhausted, overheated brain not following. “I can’t.”

“You can, and we are,” he corrected. He gently turned me around, his arm staying snug around me. “I won’t carry you out if you can walk, but we’re done. The wedding was a success, and Katie’s on her third glass of

champagne. She won’t even know you’ve gone.”

I laughed wetly at that. Katie was a horrible light-weight, and

Nathan knew because he was her Alpha, and he made it his business to take care of everyone. The laugh turned to crying, which had devolved into outright sobbing by the time he eased me into his car. Nathan produced

tissues from somewhere and cranked the air conditioning in an effort to make me more comfortable.

“I hate crying,” I spluttered when I could finally speak again. I mopped at my face with the tissues, grateful I didn’t have to see what all the crying had done to the lovely makeup Sarah had applied for me earlier. “I do it all the time now. Over nothing.”

“We’ll blame Liam,” Nathan said reasonably, sliding out of the car.

It was only then that I realized we’d stopped. I blinked through tired, watery eyes as he opened my door. “This isn’t my house.”

“No,” he agreed, leaning in and all but lifting me out. “It’s mine.

You’re exhausted and probably dehydrated. I’m not going to leave you by yourself until I’m sure you’re all right. You don’t want me in your house, so you can stay in mine until you’re feeling better. I’ve got guest rooms to

spare.”

Remorse welled up. “I’m sorry,” I said, around the lump in my throat. “About kicking you out of my house.”

“Don’t be,” he said firmly, never taking his arm from around me as he guided me inside and upstairs. “It’s your house, and you don’t ever have to have anyone in it that you don’t want.”

Affection rushed through me at that. Nathan was everything a good Alpha should be. We reached the top of the stairs, and I realized I’d never been to this part of the house. It was beautiful and blissfully cool. Nathan led me into a room at the end of the hall. It was elegantly outfitted with a high sleigh bed in dark wood and white linens, a matching vanity, and cool- colored walls and drapes.

“Stay here,” he commanded, easing me onto the bed.

It was unbelievably soft, and I wanted nothing more than to just fall sideways and pass out in its cloud-like comfort. I was still contemplating that possibility when Nathan returned. He set a bottle of electrolyte drink on the stand beside the bed and dropped some clothes beside it.

“Up,” he instructed, pulling me to my feet.

I wobbled a little, and he steadied me before squinting at my dress

and then reaching for the hidden zipper along the side. I felt a cold shock of disorientation as he started to slide it down, his hands confident and warm on my skin as the fabric came away. “What—Nathan, what are you doing?”

“Putting you to bed,” he said firmly, easing the dress past my hips.

His fingers touched the scalloped edge of my strapless bra. “Is this comfortable?”

“I’m pregnant,” I grumped. “Nothing is comfortable.”

He smiled slightly, and then I gasped as he whisked the bra off of me, as well. “Nathan!”

“I’m not getting fresh,” he promised, tugging an oversized t-shirt over my head. I gaped as he dropped into a crouch and tapped my ankle. “Foot.”

Too unbalanced to think, I obeyed, lifting first one foot and then the other. Nathan slid the dress away and pulled a pair of worn, baggy shorts up my legs.

“There.” He pulled back the covers on the bed and nudged me toward it. “In you go.”

Still dazed and unable to refuse, I crawled in, the heavenly comfort enveloping me. Nathan pulled the covers up and then sat on the edge of the bed beside me. He reached out and gently brushed his fingertips over my

cheek.

“Celeste,” he said softly. He looked conflicted but kept going. “I meant what I said, about not having me in your house, if you don’t want to. I should have … I should have shown more restraint. You set boundaries,

and I meant to respect them. Hearing Kurt’s pack threaten you—I didn’t handle it well, obviously. And once I touched you …” He gave a rueful

smile. “You felt so good, Celeste. Tasted so good, I couldn’t make myself stop. I’m sorry if I hurt you.” He sighed, his gaze going far away. “I know

you don’t want to be involved with me again, and I respect that.” He pulled his hand away and tucked the covers in around me a little more. “I want you to know that I didn’t bring you here to change your mind or to try anything. I just want you to be safe.”

My head was reeling, and I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t even imagine what I would say in response to that sweet sincerity.

“Sleep,” Nathan said, rising and retreating toward the door. “If you need anything, I won’t be far.”