Lilith
Fever!
It had to be a fever!
Or the aftermath reaction from shifting.
I wasn’t ready for pregnancy.
I didn’t know how Alpha Casper would react to it.
Not after the death of Taylor and Tyler.
“Tell him,” Liz pushed, rolling her eyes. “He was excited about being your mate. He would be excited about becoming a father once again.”
“No, Liz. Get out of my head. I’m not pregnant.” I tried to convince myself, observing my body in the full-length mirror.
There weren’t any signs of pregnancy.
I was still slender, and no part of me changed.
“Come on, Lilith,” Liz growled. “You’ve experienced delayed periods, sleepiness, weakness of the body, vomiting, and constant irritation. I can give you a list of other symptoms. Stop deceiving yourself.”
“You are pregnant, girl! What do you think will happen when you keep having sex without protection?” she fired, anger laced in her voice.
“I did. I used…” I paused, reflecting on the moment Alpha Casper and I made love without taking pills.
At the fashion store, in the dressing room.
On his bed.
In my room.
Today, in his private garden.
I gulped in fear, breathing heavily as goosebumps scattered all over my body.
Fuck!
How could I make such expensive mistakes?
How could I forget to take my pills after going raw with him?
I cringed at the memories of his cum shooting deep into my womb.
I felt like hitting myself.
Fuck!
I didn’t need a child now.
There was my mother and sister whose medical bills needed to be cleared.
And my promise to my mother to get pregnant before getting married.
She didn’t want me to make the same mistake she made.
I felt terrible after breaking the promise.
“Why are you feeling bad? Alpha Casper loves you and I am certain he will take care of your responsibilities, including your sister, mother and your unborn child.” Liz said softly; I could feel her paws caressing me.
Maybe I was overthinking things.
“Well, it’s not pregnancy if it has not been confirmed yet,” I argued, observing my extremely flat stomach in the mirror, searching for the bump.
“Then get tested. That’s the only way to clear your doubt,” she suggested, keeping mute.
I recoiled back to the bed, soaking my pillow with tears before falling asleep.
When I woke up, I took a quick shower, changing into a free palazzo and a top long enough to hide my belly before shutting the door.
“Hy, sweety,” Alpha Casper greeted cheerfully. “Don’t tell me you are still mad because of what I did.”
“No,” I replied curtly, fidgeting as my heart thundered in fear.
“Where are you off to? And why are you scared.”
“I want to check out something to clear my doubt. I won’t stay long,” I said, kissing him passionately before leaving the house quickly before his dick stood erect.
Getting off the bus, I adjusted my purse on my shoulders, walking as fast as I could to a store.
After purchasing the pregnancy test kit, I found my way to the restroom, balancing on the toilet seat before shoving the kit into the pee.
While awaiting the result, I fed my eyes with the instructions, noting the symbols I was expecting if I was pregnant or not. + meant positive while meant negative.
“Please be negative,” I chanted, biting my lips as my heart almost tore off my chest out of fear.
Withdrawing the kit, I pulled it away from my face to give a clearer view.
I promised if it was negative, I would never have sex without taking pills or using protection anymore.
Blinking hard, I squinted my eyes, reading the symbol that appeared on the kit.
“Posit…” Those dreaded words fell from my lips as I clasped my hand over my mouth, screaming in horror.
My spirit almost left my body. For some minutes, my body became impossibly still like a statue and my heart pounded greatly against my ribs like it was about to jump out.
Please be a dream.
I prayed, closing my eyes as tears flowed freely, staining my cheeks.
My eyes turned bloodshot red as my breathing became laboured.
My skin lost all colour, becoming chalk-white and a mask of terror etched on my face.
What have I done?!
Molten anger rolled over me as I smashed the pregnancy kit against the wall, placing my bag on my shoulder and flushing the toilet.
Wiping my vagina clean, I dabbed a tissue paper on my face to absorb the tears before leaving the store.
I had almost gotten to the bus station when my phone kept ringing non-stop.
My heart skipped a bit when the doctor’s name flashed across my screen.
Deep down, I knew the call was of no good.
It only messed up my mood and filled me with irritation.
“I don’t have money and now is a bad time!” I fired before he could have a chance to speak, growling loudly to show my displeasure.
“Miss Lilith! Come to the hospital now! It’s not about money,” he warned. Urgency laced in his deep voice.
“What’s happening?” I asked, pushing down the anger that welled up in my chest.
“Your mother is dying. She demands your presence before she passes. Please make it in time to the hospital!”
It was like I died a thousand times when the doctor dropped the call.
My mother was dying?
How?
What about the money for surgery? Wasn’t the surgery performed?
She told me she would beat cancer.
She promised me she would be fine.
Why would she do this to me?!
She was all I had since Dad left, and I never looked back.
How would I cope without her?
Like a mad woman, I ran to the hospital. Luckily, it wasn’t far from the store.
Without catching my breath, I hurriedly did the flight of stairs, rushing into my mother’s words.
I was greeted by the faces of unknown nurses and a doctor, staring at me with pity written on their faces.
“Lily.” A weak voice called me.
I recognized it everywhere.
“Mum,” I answered, fresh tears breaking free from my eyes as I rushed to her embrace.
She was as weak as Lily.
Cancer ate deep into her, changing her appearance. Her skin was chalk white, and her chapped lips were turning dark.
Like a bag of bones, she lay on the hospital bed. It was obvious that her time was almost up and her life was dangling by a thin thread.
Taking the cue, the nurses backed down, giving us space as I wept, aging her warm body.
“Mum, I’m pregnant,” I started.
I wasn’t going to hold on to any more details.
She deserved to know everything going on in my life before her eyes closed in death.
“I’m sorry I ruined everything you talked about. The guy that got me pregnant was my boss. I found out he was my mate after I shifted. He is an Alpha, making me his Luna.”
I lifted my eyes, fixing them on my mum’s proud ones.
“You are not mad?” I asked, blinking in confusion.
“No. I’m happy for you. It’s just sad that I will be long gone before you get married and have this kid,” she lamented in a whisper, breaking into silent tears while her bony hands reached out to my body, caressing them for the last time.
“Mum!” Rose called, rushing to meet us as her short hands wrapped our necks in a firm embrace.
“Please tell me it’s not true,” she cried, cupping my mum’s flat cheeks with her hands.
“You promised you would beat cancer. You promised you would stay with us forever. I need you for prom. I can’t…”
“Be a good girl to your sister and take care of her. She has some news to break to you soon once you are stable.”
“I love you all, and I’m sorry I was a burden to you, Lily. You spent heaps of money on me, but I didn’t get better. I feel disappointed in myself.”
“It’s okay. My boss gave me most of the money while I worked for the rest.”
“I want you to know that I am always with you. I love you.” She whispered weakly, hugging us and showering us with kisses.
“I love you too, Mum,” we chanted, embracing firmly.
It wasn’t until her hand fell from my neck I sensed something bad had happened.
Pushing Rose away from her embrace, I stepped aside, tapping her gently.
“Mum?” I called gently at first, but she was motionless.
Her eyes shut, and her body was slightly warm.
The usual sound of the beeping of the machine switched to a flat continuous one.
I felt a whoosh of wind, swept through me, making me shiver.
No! I was not going to accept it!
“Mum, please, wake up.” I half-yelled while Rose screamed as reality dawned on her.
“Doctor!” She yelled frantically, dashing out of the ward.
Hot tears spilt from my eyes as a thick cloud of sorrow loomed over me when I touched her ice-cold body.
My mum is dead!