“I’m not fuckin’ having twins!” I threw my hands in the air. “Or I’m warning you, I will quit this right now.”
“Are you kidding me, Mackenzie?” Bash scoffed. “You can’t just quit. That’s not how this works!”
“Oy!” William barked, startling both me and Bash into silence. “Hells bells,” he sighed, scrubbing a hand down his face. “Ye cannae have this discussion in the middle of town! Now hurry along!”
I looked around the cobblestoned street, but no one was really paying us any attention. It was still too early in the morning, so there was hardly anyone out anyway.
“Are ye two done?” Ranulf grunted from up the road.
I snatched Bash’s hand and hauled him forward, hurrying to catch up with Alexander and Ranulf. I was unbelievably stressed out and it wasn’t even eight a.m.! I just needed this day to be over.
When we arrived at the doctor’s office, it was dark and quiet, not even a receptionist at the front desk. They really cleared it out for the day.
Alexander pressed the bell on the desk and we waited a few seconds before Dr. Harris walked out from the back.
Dr. Daniel Harris was middle aged with sandy brown hair, wearing pressed khakis, a tucked-in polo shirt, and boat shoes. But what made him different from most lycan in Sheunta Village was that he was American.
With a bright smile on his face, Dr. Harris greeted us. “Welcome to my office! What brings you in?”
Ranulf cleared his throat. “Well, as I told ye on the phone, this is a matter of the upmost importance and confidentiality. What we tell ye and what we learn today must nae be spoken to anyone else. Do ye understand?”
Dr. Harris turned serious. “I understand.” His gaze traveled to me. “Your Majesty, are you well?”
I laughed awkwardly. “Debatable.”
Bash glared at me. “She’s fine. Perfect, actually. Just in a … situation.”
“Okay … which is?” Dr. Harris looked at everyone individually before his eyes landed on me with a questioning stare.
“She’s pregnant,” Alexander answered. “But no one can know for now.”
Dr. Harris’s eyes fell to my abdomen and then turned to Alexander. “May I ask why this must be kept a secret? Depending on how far along she is, she’ll start to show and it won’t be able to be kept under wraps. I don’t know what you expect of me.”
I sighed heavily. “We don’t expect anything other than your medical expertise and discretion,” I said. “Treat me to the best of your ability and keep it a secret. That’s all we need from you.”
Dr. Harris nodded. “That I can do.” He motioned me toward the door that led to the examination rooms. “Let’s see how the baby is doing.”
I followed the doctor down the hall. Alexander and Ranulf stayed behind while Bash went with me. We walked down a hallway with several doors on either side until we reached the end. Dr. Harris opened the door and handed me a cup.
“First, we need you to take a pregnancy test to confirm you’re pregnant. Pee in this cup for me. Here’s the bathroom. When you’re done, Sebastian and I will be in the first triage room down the hall to your left. Take your time.”
I took the plastic cup from the doctor and shuffled inside the bathroom. It was probably smart to take a test and not depend on visions from Ophelia. For all I knew, I could be perfectly fine, and I just made a big stink for nothing. For the first time in the last twenty-four hours, I felt a sliver of hope. Maybe I wasn’t actually pregnant.
After a moment of stage fright knowing the others were in the room waiting for me and knew what I was doing, I finally finished in the bathroom and washed my hands before exiting the small room. With a paper towel wrapped around the cup, I carried it to the triage room where they were waiting.
I entered the room and handed the cup to Dr. Harris who took it and left, leaving me and Bash alone.
“Are you okay?” Bash asked as I took a seat on the only chair available.
“I think for the first time in my life … I’m praying,” I mumbled.
Bash squatted in front of me, placing his hands on my knees. “Praying for what?” he whispered.
“Praying I’m not pregnant.”
He pursed his lips before nodding in understanding. “Everything happens for a reason, Mackenzie. If you’re not, then no harm done. But if you are, there’s a reason for it and you can’t deviate from the course you’re on.”
“I mean, I can,” I said sarcastically.
He rolled his eyes. “But you shouldn’t. There’s a purpose for everything, and this might be your purpose.”
I glowered at him. “You’re saying my one, true purpose in life is to have a child? Don’t get on my bad side, Sebastian Steel, I’m not in the mood.”
He sighed. “That’s not what I’m saying, and you know it. You know you’re more than that. You’ve proven that tenfold.”
Before I could issue a retort, Dr. Harris returned, leaving the door open since no one else was in the office besides our immediate circle.
“Well, I can confirm you are indeed pregnant.”
I sucked in a breath and bit my lip to keep from groaning. Bash squeezed my knees before standing beside me.
“What now?” he asked the doctor.
“I’ll check her blood pressure and temperature. The basics first, and then we’ll do an ultrasound to see how far along you are. When was your last menstrual cycle, and have you had any symptoms? I know you haven’t been feeling well.”
I nodded. “The first week of last month, and I’ve been weak with a lot of dizzy spells,” I said as he placed the blood pressure cuff on my arm. He placed a plastic, disposable thermometer in my mouth and we waited.
“Those are all normal signs,” Dr. Harris said. “Especially for lycans. When lunas are pregnant, it saps a lot of their strength.”
