Mated to you

Chapter 4 - Trapped until confirmed

“How long will you keep me down here?” Diandra demanded, arms crossed tightly over her chest, irritation sharpening her every word.

Viv barely looked up as she finished arranging a few instruments onto the stone table that the doctor would need. “You know the answer to that,” she said calmly. “When the doc arrives, he’ll take a sample, and from there, I’ll be able to tell whether or not it belongs to our Alpha.”

Diandra’s hazel eyes widened, wild and bright. The green tinge in them hitting the light just enough to make her almost look innocent. “You can’t do that!” she snapped. “Those procedures cause miscarriages. You know that.”

Vivian finally turned.

Diandra feared her, not because of rank alone, but because her beauty held no power over Vivian the way it did over everyone else, including Reign. Vivian stood taller, steadier, her presence heavier in the room without effort. Against her, Diandra knew her beauty meant little. In all the centuries Vivian had lived, no wolf had ever come close, not queens, not warriors, although her daughter Lillian would come close.

Vivian had never relied on her beauty. She found it distracting, preferring skill and control to do the talking, a choice she’d never realised only made her all the more alluring. She hid her beauty as much as she could, hair always slicked back in a long, dark ponytail. Unfortunately, hiding her hair did nothing to conceal her high cheekbones, perfectly symmetrical features, and copper‑brown eyes, guarded by lashes that held attention longer than she liked.

With Vivian now in the room, Diandra’s pale skin beside Viv’s warm tan seemed to dull against the stone walls.

Diandra hissed, irritated.

She had hated standing too close to Lillian for the same reason.

They dulled her beauty.

“Your claim,” Vivian finally said evenly, “requires verification. Be grateful our Alpha has not chosen a harsher solution. Yet.” She added.

Tears welled in Diandra’s eyes, but none fell. Instead, a smile crept in.

“He loves me,” Diandra said confidently. “He can’t hurt me. I was his first in everything.” Her hand slid possessively over her stomach, still flat, still hard, her posture exaggerated as if carrying weight she didn’t yet bear. “He can pretend he doesn’t remember, but it doesn’t change the truth. I’m carrying his heir. No matter how it happened… the blood is his.”

Vivian crossed the room in two strides.

She caught Diandra by the hair and pulled her forward, low enough that her voice barely stirred the air.

“If I find you’ve deceived him in any way,” Vivian whispered, “I will end you completely.” She stepped back, leaving Diandra stunned.

Completely.

Diandra understood what that meant. Not just death, but erasure. Her bloodline severed. Her name stripped from memory. A promise like that, delivered by a Beta, and a Velmirian at that, was no threat but a vow.

Vivian release Diandra and watched her stumble back. Diandra took a seat on the bed in the corner, as far away from Vivian as possible.

“When the doctor confirms it,” she spat, “remember to curtsy so low you kiss the floor.”

Vivian ignored her, she thought of Diandra as a parasite to Velmira, something that needed to be cleared.

She took a seat opposite the bed and waited.

The door opened not long after.

The doctor stepped inside briskly; coat still dusted with frost. He nodded once. Doctors were the only exception to border crossing. Viv needed a doctor who had no connections to Velmira, someone who wouldn’t scent the Alpha’s blood, if it happened to be. So, requesting to use a Forlore doctor was their best option, they were far enough from all and cared less about their pack members travels and intermixing, they were the most relaxed pack, they did the bare minimum of a pack. Most of their members created rogue packs around the world but none were aggressive, more hippies than anything.

“So, what’s the emergency?” The doctor asked.

Viv only took one look at Diandra, and Diandra sealed her mouth shut.

“We require a sample,” Vivian said evenly. “Proof of pregnancy for her mate. He’s very traditional, wants everything done the old way.”

The lie was deliberate. The truth needed to remain buried, for good reason.

“Very well,” the doctor replied. “We cannot judge those who choose not to move forward.” He continued preparing for the procedure.

“I’ll need you to lie flat on your back, my dear,” he said softly to Diandra.

Diandra flashed him a smile and in an instant attempted to shift.

The doctor moved fast. A syringe flashed in his hand, embedded with practiced precision. Diandra’s breath stuttered, her limbs locking as she slumped back against the mattress, consciousness fading.

Vivian was slightly impressed with his speed. For an older wolf, his shifted self still held agility.

“She’ll be okay, no need to worry,” the doctor said with a faint smile. “It’s common for maternal instincts to surface this way, sometimes violently. I won’t be too long.” He was already turning back toward Diandra’s still body.

Vivian reached for the instruments she had brought in earlier and stepped closer, the cool weight of metal grounding her. She cleared her throat, steadying herself before speaking.

“There’s something you should know,” she said evenly. “I wasn’t completely honest with you.”

The doctor glanced at her briefly, hands still busy as he prepared. “Oh?” he replied mildly. “And what would you like to be honest about, my dear?”

Vivian lowered the instruments and placed them carefully beside his. “I do need the sample,” she said. “But when I confirm the unborn isn’t her mate’s, I need you to remove it.”

The doctor paused.

Not in judgement.

In consideration.

Then he inclined his head once. “Understood. We wait for your confirmation.”

Vivian nodded, that was easier than she thought, no force required.

She watched as the doctor worked, humming old melodies under his breath. He was older than she was, older even than most wolves she’d known—but she recognised every tune he murmured. Songs carried across centuries had a way of lingering.

At last, he stepped back and gestured her closer.

“Would you like me to take a large sample for confirmation, or just a small one?” he asked quietly. “I ask because sometimes a second extraction is required, and that is when complications arise.”

“Take enough that I can confirm,” Vivian replied without hesitation.

The doctor nodded. “Large sample,” he muttered to himself as he adjusted his instruments.

A few moments later, the extraction was complete.

Vivian’s eyes widened slightly before he even turned to speak.

The scent had already reached her.

It was in fact her Alpha’s heir.

Reign had sworn he remembered nothing of that night, yet the proof was undeniable. Diandra and him had created this child—no matter how it had been done. Vivian had watched Diandra as a child, always manipulating Reign, always obsessed. She knew that Diandra had schemed her way here. Manipulated law, instinct, and power until she stood exactly where she wanted to be.

It would end now

The doctor finally turned with the sample and Vivian inclined her head once, with confirmation. He returned the nod knowingly and resumed his work without another word.

As he inserted a larger instrument into Diandra’s body, Vivian’s wolf slammed against her chest.

Her breath caught.

Vivian cleared her throat, forcing composure as she fought the violent surge rising beneath her skin. Her wolf clawed insistently for release, fury and panic tangling into something primal.

Stop, her wolf pleaded.

Vivian tightened her jaw. She loosened her ponytail slightly, the pressure of restraint suddenly unbearable, and forced her wolf back into the corner of her mind.

The doctor continued to hum, oblivious to the war inside her.

“How long will this take?” Vivian asked, impatience sharp beneath the control.

“Oh, not long, my dear,” the doctor replied calmly.

Vivian crossed her arms tightly and began tapping her foot, silent but relentless, grounding herself against the rising pull. Then blood began to pool from Diandra.

Her wolf shattering free.

The force exploded outward, raw and uncontrollable. The doctor was thrown across the room, crashing hard into the far wall.

“Run!” Vivian managed to shout as the shift tore through her.

She lunged for the door, slamming it shut as the doctor slipped out in time before she sealed it with shaking hands. Only she knew the code, her wolf would need her to shift to let them out. Finally, her wolf took over, the change tore through her with a howl that echoed off the stone walls, grief and fury mingling as her wolf moved closer to Diandra. Vivian’s wolf scanned Diandra’s body for life. Diandra was fine but the heir, no sound stirred. Her wolf howled, there was no sign of the heir, she would wait for Diandra to wake and confirm, until then, she sat guarding, anyone who dared to near them would be torn apart, and as for Vivian, she would have a hard time, finding her way back to the surface.