My Wild Pet (Whispers from the Imperial Cage #2)

Chapter 72

CHAPTER 72

Briar

“You have no right to demand that information,” the doctor says firmly to Gabriel, like she’s accustomed to settling such disputes. “It’s Briar’s choice to know and as to whether or not she wants to share that information with anyone. You have no right to know.”

I blink, taken aback. I’m used to Imperials treating me like an animal. But the doctor, unmistakable Imperial with grey skin, black hair, and with an air of gentle authority, reminds me again that not all Imperials are the same. Her words are bracing, but not cruel. Still, I’m stunned by how easily she dismisses Gabriel’s question. I glance at him, expecting him to bristle in anger.

He just exhales slowly, shoulders sagging in resignation. “ C’est un matriarcat . The matriarchy. The galaxy’s built on it and here’s my first taste.”

He’s told me about the matriarchal structure countless times, how women hold the higher social standing in the galaxy and how the entire Empire is organized around women. But seeing it in action, directed at Gabriel, unsettles me.

I fold my arms over my stomach. “Doctor,” I begin quietly. “I… I don’t actually know who the father is.” My voice trembles on the last part. It feels so surreal, the taste of those words in my mouth. I think of Aefre, of all the nights I’ve shared with him in trainer to pet relations. And Gabriel…the passion and comfort, the warmth of hope we found in each other’s arms. “Could you… I mean, can you tell?”

The doctor’s eyes filled with an unexpected compassion. “We don’t have that kind of technology on this small ship. But in Haven, they’ll be able to tell you if you want to know before the birth.”

“And would they allow me to keep it if it’s half-Imperial?” I don’t look at Gabriel as I ask this question.

“All are welcome in Haven, so long as they swear an oath never to reveal the colony’s location to anyone who might do us harm.”

When I finally muster the courage to glance at Gabriel, I see the turmoil swirling behind his eyes. As if the pregnancy news wasn’t enough of a shock, now there’s the question of paternity, him or Aefre. Neither of us expected freedom to bring this kind of twist. The possibility of a lasting gift from our Imperial owner.

I rest a trembling hand against my abdomen. Part of me still can’t believe there’s life forming in there, not after all the horrors we’ve endured. “Gabriel, I hope it’s yours. I truly do.”

His gaze moves between my face to my stomach, unsure where to land. I think of all the times the Imperials manipulated him, how they turned intimacy into a spectacle, even gave him advice, holding his leash while he had sex. A bitter taste fills my mouth.

“But if it’s not yours,” I continue, “I… I can’t kill it or give it up. This child is still half me, no matter who the father is. I’d understand if you didn’t want to… to raise it with me if it turns out to be Aefre’s.” Tears escape my eyes and I have to pause to get a breath. I hate how weak I sound, but I need him to know he has a choice. If it’s Aefre’s, how can I ask him to accept that burden? What if it looks exactly like Aefre?

Gabriel doesn’t answer.

I’m half convinced he’ll leave. My vision blurs with tears. I press a hand over my mouth, trying to stifle a sob. “And I know you think I knew, but I only found out seconds before the final challenge. Remember I went to the bathroom? I didn’t know I was pregnant, the other women…the other human women told me and they told me that if Aefre knew he’d pull us from the competition and then we’d have no chance to be saved by Gael. And all I could think about was the child from the mirror maze. Our child with a collar around its neck and so I said nothing.”

I let out a small, shaky sob. My shoulders tremble. This is freedom? Pregnant, uncertain, my only comfort a man who might not even want to be involved if the child is fathered by our former owner.

Suddenly, Gabriel pulls me into his arms.

I lose it then, burying my face against his chest, tears dampening his tattered uniform.

His arms wrap around me with a fierceness I’ve never felt from him before.

For a long minute, we just breathe together. Breath in pain and exhale relief.

Then he speaks, voice cracking with emotion. “Briar...”

I bite my lip, bracing myself for the worst.

He rests his chin on the top of my head. “I think it would be… fitting ,” he says, the words spilling out slowly, “if—if this child turns out to be Aefre’s… that we raise it. Together. That we teach it to be free. Maybe it can grow up to do something good in this galaxy. Maybe…” He chokes on a laugh that sounds like a half-sob. “Maybe even rescue humans from being turned into competition pets, like Gael does. You know he’s half-human despite his appearance. It might be the ultimate revenge to have a man who looks like the best human pet trainer in the galaxy to be a liberator of human pets.”

A swirl of relief, awe, and heartbreak rushes through me, so intense I almost can’t breathe. “Gabriel…” I say but then stop, I don’t have the words. I just cling to him tighter. I feel his chest rise and fall, and then his shoulders begin to shake. He’s crying now, too. There’s no crowd to witness it, no collar around his neck compelling him to hide his emotions. There’s just us.

“I didn’t imagine freedom to feel like this.”

“It’s… new, ma chérie ,” he says in a whisper of French. “No one likes change at first. But I suppose we’ll learn to love it…” After a few minutes, he adds, “I couldn’t control what happened to me in the beginning or middle of my life, but now I can decide how I will live the rest of it. And I choose you. You were the light in my darkness. “ Tu es à moi, Briar… Vous êtes tous les deux à moi. “You’re mine, Briar. You both are mine.”