surrogate Sins

chapter 003

RHEA’S POV

By noon, I was standing in front of one of the most expensive private clinics I had ever seen in my life.

Everything about the building screamed wealth. Glass walls. Silent elevators. Security guards dressed better than most politicians.

Even the air smelled expensive.

I stood outside for a moment gripping my bag tighter while anxiety twisted heavily inside my stomach. Then I forced myself to walk in.

The receptionist immediately looked up. “Miss Rhea?”

I blinked in surprise. “Yes.”

“Mr. Maddox informed us you’d be arriving.” Of course he did.

I swallowed slowly before following another assistant through a long white hallway. The entire place felt too clean. Too polished.

Like people only came here to buy perfect things. And apparently, that included babies too. The thought made my chest tighten painfully.

The assistant finally stopped outside a private examination room. “The doctors will be with you shortly.”

I nodded quietly and sat down on the edge of the chair, trying not to think too hard about what I was doing.

A few minutes later, two doctors entered. They were calm, professional, and completely unsurprised by my presence.

That somehow made everything feel even more real.

“Miss Rhea,” the older woman greeted gently. “We’ll begin with bloodwork and fertility evaluation today.”

I nodded again. No emotion. No hesitation. I was getting very good at pretending I wasn’t falling apart. The tests started almost immediately.

Blood samples. Medical history. Hormone checks. Questions about my dormant wolf. Questions I hated answering.

“How long has your wolf been dormant?” one doctor asked while writing notes down.

“Since birth.” A small silence followed. I knew what they were thinking even if they didn’t say it aloud.

My phone suddenly buzzed loudly against the counter nearby. Mom Calling. I stared at the screen for a long second before answering anyway.

“Hello?”

“Rhea!” my mother snapped immediately. “Where the hell have you been?”

I closed my eyes briefly. Of course there wasn't any concern in her voice. Only irritation. “I needed space.”

“You embarrassed this entire family yesterday!” she hissed angrily. “Do you even understand the scandal you caused by disappearing?”

A bitter laugh almost escaped me. Not Damien sleeping with my sister on our wedding day. Not Dinah betraying me. No. Apparently I was the person who was the embarrassment.

“I think Damien embarrassed us enough already,” I said quietly.

My mother sighed sharply like I was being difficult. “You need to stop acting immature and come home.”

Immature. The word twisted painfully inside my chest. “Damien already explained everything,” she continued. “Dinah is his fated mate. These things happen.”

These things happen. God. I felt sick suddenly. “So I’m just supposed to accept it?” I whispered.

“What else do you expect us to do?” she snapped. “You don’t even have an active wolf, Rhea. You should be grateful Damien stayed this long in the first place.”

The words hit harder than I expected. Even after years of hearing similar things, they still hurt every single time.

My throat tightened painfully while the doctors awkwardly pretended not to listen. Then my mother delivered the final blow casually.

“Dinah didn’t steal anything from you,” she said coldly. “She simply gave Damien what you never could.”

Something inside me cracked quietly. Not loudly. Not dramatically. Just… finally. I stared at the white clinic wall while numbness spread slowly through my body.

Then I asked the question I should have asked years ago. “Mom,” I whispered softly, “am I really your daughter?”

Silence. A long, uncomfortable silence. Then finally, “Stop being dramatic,” she muttered. The line went dead.

I lowered the phone slowly into my lap. For several seconds, I just sat there breathing through the ache building in my chest.

Then something strange happened. The pain hardened. Not softer. Not weaker. Harder. Because suddenly, I understood something clearly.

Nobody was ever going to choose me. Not my family. Not Damien. Not this world. If I wanted a different life, I had to take it myself.

“Miss Rhea?” the doctor asked carefully. I looked up calmly.

“We can continue.” And this time, I meant it. The rest of the examination passed in a blur. More blood tests. Questions about fertility cycles and hormone levels.

Eventually, the older doctor removed her gloves before offering me a small professional smile. “Your fertile window aligns almost perfectly with the next blood moon,” she explained.

My stomach tightened slightly. Two weeks away.

That soon. “The insemination procedure will most likely happen that night.”

Blood moon. Even hearing the words made something uneasy stir deep inside me. I nodded quietly anyway.

When everything finally ended, exhaustion weighed heavily on my entire body. I stepped out of the clinic slowly and immediately froze.

Kael Maddox was already waiting outside. My pulse stumbled instantly.

He leaned casually against a black luxury car parked near the entrance, one hand tucked into the pocket of his dark trousers. Sharp suit.

Cold gray eyes. Controlled power.

He looked completely untouched by the world around him. But the moment his gaze landed on me, something shifted slightly in his expression.

“You’re finished,” he said calmly. I nodded once. For some reason, standing near him again made me hyperaware of everything.

His scent. His height. The dangerous stillness surrounding him. “Yes.” He opened the passenger door for me without another word.

I hesitated briefly before getting inside. The drive remained quiet for several minutes. Los Angeles blurred outside the tinted windows while tension settled heavily between us.

Finally, Kael spoke. “You’ll stay with me from now on.”

I looked toward him sharply. “What?”

“It’s easier that way,” he said calmly. “The clinic will continue monitoring you until the procedure.”

I swallowed slowly. “You mean live with you?”

“Yes.” The answer came so easily it unsettled me.

Kael kept his attention on the road while continuing smoothly. “You’ll have security, medical supervision, and anything you need provided for you.”

Provided. The word made me feel strangely small.

“And after the insemination?” I asked quietly.

“You’ll continue staying at the estate throughout the pregnancy.”

His tone remained cold. Professional. Like we were discussing business mergers instead of a child.

“Once the baby is born,” he continued, “you’ll hand the child over to me, receive full compensation, and leave.”

My chest tightened unexpectedly. Leave. Just like that. I stared down at my hands quietly while imagining it for the first time.

Carrying a child for months. Feeling them grow inside me. Hearing their heartbeat. Then walking away forever. Pain twisted sharply beneath my ribs before I forced it down quickly.

This was the deal. No attachment. No emotions. No future. It should have been easy. So why did it already hurt? “You understand the arrangement?” Kael asked suddenly.

I looked toward him slowly. His expression remained unreadable. And somehow, that made answering easier.

“Yes,” I whispered. Because this life was still better than the one I left behind.

Even if deep down, I already suspected Kael Maddox might be dangerous in ways I wasn’t prepared for.