Chapter four
1219 Words
"So you’re saying I’m pregnant despite the second test?"
"Yes," he replied. Cold shivers ran down my spine.
"I took my suppressants three weeks ago. I didn't have s*x. I am not pregnant." I refused to believe the words coming out of his mouth.
Uncle Josh looked at me with an expression of half-pity and half-dread. He didn't pick up his clipboard or offer a supportive smile. Instead, he walked to the door and turned the lock.
"Kira, listen to me carefully," he said. "I have known you since you were a pup. I know you aren't a liar, but biology doesn't lie either. You are pregnant. The hormone levels are so aggressive they’re nearly vibrating in the sample."
I shook my head, my curls hitting my face as I clutched Malakai’s coat tighter. "It’s a mistake. It has to be. Cessian said..." I stopped abruptly. The name caught in my throat like a shard of glass.
"Who?" Uncle Josh stepped closer, his eyes narrowing. "Who is Cessian?"
I went stone-cold. The blood drained from my face until I was sure I looked like the very thing I had slept with. My wolf whined, a low, pathetic sound of submission.
"Nobody," I choked out. "Just… a guy from the city. An Alpha."
I couldn't admit it. Admitting I had slept with a vampire was a death sentence. He searched my eyes for a moment before grabbing my shoulders.
"Kira, look at me. I ran the markers. I didn't just check for pregnancy; I checked for compatibility."
"I am not pregnant," I insisted.
"The cellular growth is aggressive. It’s faster than anything I’ve seen in a pure-blood Lycan pregnancy." He lowered his voice until it was barely a breath. "But that isn't the part that will get us killed. I looked at the blood under the microscope. The fetal cells aren't rejecting your heat. They’re feeding on it. They carry a genetic marker I haven't seen in this clinic in forty years. Not since the last war."
My heart stopped. I couldn't breathe. "What marker?"
"It’s xeric, Kira. It’s crystalline," he said, his hands shaking. "It is vampire blood. You are carrying a hybrid."
"What?" I trembled.
A sharp knock at the door shattered the silence.
"Is everything okay in there? Open the door." Malakai’s voice was like a whip c***k.
Panic surged through me. My eyes flickered to the lock. Uncle Josh hesitated, his gaze darting between me and the door. He turned the key, and Malakai stepped in, his grey eyes scanning the room with immediate suspicion. He looked at the doctor, then at my pale face.
"Do you know what's wrong with her?" Malakai demanded.
"Well..." Uncle Josh started, his voice trailing off as he struggled to find a lie.
"It’s the flu," I intervened. My voice was sharp, cutting through the doctor's indecision. "He said I came down with the flu. Nothing serious. I told you I was okay, but you wouldn't listen."
Malakai’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Uncle Josh. "Is that true?"
The doctor’s gaze flickered to me, then back to Malakai. He gave a stiff, mechanical nod. "Yes. It’s just the flu. I will prescribe some medication, and she will be fine in due time."
Malakai didn't look convinced. He stepped closer, the heavy scent of his Alpha authority filling the small room. He looked at the discarded vials on the counter, then back at me. "The flu doesn't make a Lycan look like they've seen a ghost, Kira. And it doesn't make a doctor lock the door."
"I locked it because I wanted to look into her rut cycle," Uncle Josh lied, his voice regaining a professional edge. "I believe it's about to hit again soon."
Malakai’s eyes drifted to me, dark and calculating. "Really? Isn't she supposed to stop using suppressants now that she has a mate? The bonding requires her to be natural."
"That's exactly what I was discussing with her," Uncle Josh said, wiping his hands on his lab coat. "Hence the privacy."
"You didn't have to lock the door," Malakai countered. He stepped into the room, his presence making the small space feel even smaller. "After all, we will be joined soon. I am her future King, and she is my Queen. There should be no secrets between us."
"I apologize," the doctor said, though he didn't look at Malakai. "It was out of habit. I always value my patients' privacy."
Malakai didn't look convinced. He reached out and grabbed my arm, his grip firm, not quite painful, but a clear reminder of his strength. "Let’s go, Kira. Your father is waiting, and you still need to change for dinner. You smell like a hospital."
I let him lead me out, my legs feeling like they belonged to someone else. As we walked through the sterile hallway, I could feel Uncle Josh’s gaze burning into the back of my head. He was terrified, and I was a walking death sentence.
"You're very quiet," Malakai remarked as we reached his black SUV. He opened the door for me, but he didn't let go of my arm. "The flu usually makes wolves irritable, not silent."
"I just want to go home, Malakai," I muttered, sliding into the leather seat.
He leaned in, his face inches from mine. For a moment, I thought he was going to kiss me, and my stomach turned at the thought of his scent mixing with the secret I was carrying. Instead, he just inhaled deeply, his nostrils flaring.
"Your scent is... off," he whispered. "It’s cold. Like you’ve been standing in a basement."
"It's the fever," I snapped, pulling away and slamming the door. "The doctor said I will be okay if I started taking my drugs."
"I don't like that doctor," Malakai said, his hands tightening on the steering wheel as we pulled away from the clinic. "He sounds fishy, like there is something he isn't telling us. Are you sure it's just the flu? If there is a problem with your rut, you can tell me."
Panic rose in my chest. Malakai never let anything rest. "Nothing happened, Malakai. It's just a fever."
"I don't trust Alphas like him," he probed, his voice low and possessive. "He gets to see you exposed every time he examines you for your cycle. It feels inappropriate for him to be seeing you like that at your age."
"Do you want me to change doctors?" I snapped, my irritation flare-up acting as a shield. "I had you drive me there because Uncle Josh has been our family doctor since I was born."
"I would prefer it if you did," he replied coldly as the car came to a stop in front of the palace.
He stepped out and walked around to open my door. The moment I stood up, the world tilted. A sudden, violent rush of nausea hit me. The air was thick with the scent of heavy spices and roasting meat from the kitchen, and my heightened senses couldn't handle the overload.
Before I could turn away, I retched. I poured the contents of my stomach directly onto Malakai’s expensive leather boots and the hem of his trousers.
I froze, my eyes widening in horror as I stared at the mess.
"I... I’m sorry..."
- Writer
