It can’t be….
Slowly but steadily, days passed in the pack house, turning into weeks and then into months-three months, to be exact. During this time, I came to know much about George and his involvement in what I often called my third chance at life.
George was the Alpha of the Sun Blood Pack, one of the less popular packs in the lycanthrope. One thing I was especially thankful for was that it would be nearly impossible for anyone from the mansion to discover my whereabouts. If George’s pack had been closely connected with the royal house, things could have gone very badly for me over these three months. Although he didn’t ask for anything in return for saving me, it was a great relief to find out that he had absolutely no intentions toward me.
Questions were constantly being asked about who I was and what relationship their Alpha George had with me, as rumors began spreading just a few days after I arrived. Thankfully, George managed to handle the situation before things got out of hand. However, whenever I asked what he did, he would always change the subject, avoiding the question. About a week later, I discovered that he had told everyone I was his fiancee and that we were getting to know each other better.
“What? Why would you tell them that when there’s clearly nothing going on between us?” I asked.
“Oh, would you rather I let them continue to speak however they like? These people were literally calling you a prostitute and questioning my authority as the Alpha of the pack. Besides, if I didn’t tell them that, you would eventually be forced to marry one of the wolves in the pack or at least someone here in the mansion,” he responded, leaving me speechless as his actions finally made sense to me the day I confronted him about it.
“I see. Well, at least you could have found a better excuse, you know,” I replied. He chuckled in response, shaking his head as he leaned closer to my face.
“Why don’t you give me one, then? You seem not to be okay with my idea, so let’s go with your brilliant one. I’m listening.” I bit my lip in embarrassment as he laughed out loud at my silence. “I thought as much, Ashley.”
From that day forward, we were officially mates going through the courting process in the eyes of the people, but between ourselves, it was obviously not that.
On a fateful day, I had been inside the library, burying myself in the numerous books I had been reading to kill boredom, as I often did. Compared to how things were back at the royal house, I was very loved here in the Sun Blood Pack House, especially by many of the maids and domestic workers. This time, there was no Veronica to poison everyone’s mind against me, and so my real self was very much welcomed and accepted in the house. Unlike back there, I was also allowed to go out whenever I wanted to, and let’s just say I had freedom to a good extent. However, I had actually gotten so used to being in the house all the time that despite the amount of freedom I had to go wherever I wanted, whenever I wanted, I still chose to stay in the house most of the time.
Over time, I started developing my writing skills the more I read. As someone who never really liked reading, I discovered a newfound passion in writing. The expression of one’s feelings and thoughts through the use of a pen was just so thrilling. As someone who also didn’t have the opportunity to actually express my inner thoughts out loud for fear of being punished or executed, I found writing-poetry, to be precise-very comforting.
Whilst reading in the library as usual, I suddenly felt the urge to throw up, and the intensity of the nausea was so strong that I didn’t have enough time to run out to the bathroom. Right there in the room, I threw up badly, a splitting headache following immediately afterward. I stood quietly, staring blankly at the mess I had made, my mind going blank as I tried to comprehend what had happened. How could I fall sick so quickly? I was fine the day before. Could it possibly be something I ate?
“I guess I had something that’s gone bad,” I said to myself, groaning in pain as I slowly made my way out to get something to clean the floor. I didn’t plan on letting any of the maids know about it, as I wanted to clean it up myself out of embarrassment, but this never happened, as someone walked in, only to find the mess on the floor.
When I returned, my mood dropped the moment I saw a maid alongside another already cleaning the place up.
“No, please, I can do that myself. You don’t need to clean this up for me.”
“But Luna, you know this is our job. We honestly don’t mind cleaning the floor. Besides, why would we let you clean when you are obviously not feeling well? You look really stressed and pale.”
“Who isn’t feeling well?” a worried George asked from behind, and we all turned to see him standing by the door.
“No, not at all. I think what Myra is trying to say is just that I probably ate something that wasn’t good for my stomach, that’s all.”
“Well, I think you should get checked by the physician.”
“What? No, there’s no need. I’m absolutely fine. I probably just ate something that upset my stomach. Once I drink some water, I’ll be fine, trust me.”
“Well, all right then, but we’ll still have the physician come over and check you, just in case. It’s better to be safe than sorry,” he concluded, taking me out while the maids continued cleaning.
I still didn’t think it was necessary for him to have the physician check me, but since he insisted, I decided to comply. I settled on the bed to rest, and a glass of water was brought in for me to drink. I took it gratefully, sipping a few times before setting it down. The physician arrived shortly afterward, and George quietly sat on the couch, going through his laptop while the physician ran a few exams on me. At one point, she started feeling my lower belly and checking my eyes, doing a few things I found strange-but what did I know about these things?
“Alpha,” she called out after a while, and George looked up from his laptop toward us.
“What’s the matter? Is there anything concerning we need to know about her health?”
“Well, not really, I…”
“You see? I told you there’s nothing to be worried about. I’m totally fine, and it’s probably just something I ate.”
“Actually, my lady, there’s more to it,” the physician continued. Hearing these words, George set aside his laptop, got up, and walked toward us.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I’m not certain yet, until we do a proper test, but it seems like my lady is expecting.”
“What?” I sat up, exclaiming in response to what she had just said. No, it couldn’t be. “No, that can’t be right. You must be mistaken,” I continued, unable to believe her words.
“What are you saying? How could Ashley possibly be pregnant? You probably didn’t check properly.”
“As I said, my lord, I still need to carry out a couple of tests before I can be certain, but this is what I’ve detected so far. Once I conduct a proper pregnancy test, we will be able to confirm whether she’s with child or not. I can’t carry this out without your permission, though, so…”
“Go ahead with it, you have my permission,” George quickly responded, looking at me as if trying to read my thoughts.
“I will return soon, my lord. I need to get the necessary tools and equipment for the test,” she said, quickly making her way out while I cringed at the revelation. Obviously, George and I had never done the deed, so if I ended up being pregnant, it could only be for Simon or Lucas.
“Oh no! This is really bad,” I thought aloud, hitting my head in disappointment.
“Ashley, are you okay?” George asked, walking closer before sitting on the bed beside me. He held my feet, which were covered under the sheets, and I sighed deeply.
“This cannot happen! I cannot be pregnant right now,” I exclaimed, and he rubbed my feet to help calm me down.
“Just calm down, Ashley, okay? I’m sure the physician probably made a mistake, and she already mentioned that she only suspects this due to your symptoms, that’s all.”
“But what if it does end up being true? You realize that a lot could potentially go wrong if it turns out I’m pregnant.”
“Well, I’m sure you’re not, but if you are, then we’ll find a way around it, okay? Nothing is going to go wrong. Everything will be fine, trust me,” he said calmly, his voice acting as a soothing balm to my bruised and battered mind.
We waited for a short while, and the physician returned, this time with a box in her hand. She carefully opened it, bringing out a couple of items, including a pregnancy test kit that I was meant to pee on.
“My lady, this is a pregnancy kit,” she said, handing me the stick, before continuing, “Tomorrow morning, I would like you to use this for your first urine of the day, as that’s what we’ll need.” I took it from her, nodding as I kept thinking about why this had to happen now.
“My lady, after you use it, wait a few seconds. If you see two vertical lines, then you are pregnant. I will stop by tomorrow to carry out a few more tests and prescribe what you’ll need if it comes out positive. Please have a good day,” She said, packing up her things and then making her way out. George and I both stared at each other in silence as the tension within me grew. I realized we would just have to wait until the next morning to find out the truth. Until then, I would remain consumed by the fear and uncertainty, with countless possibilities hanging in the air.
The night dragged on slowly, each minute feeling like an hour. I tried to sleep, but the anxiety gnawed at me, keeping me wide awake. It got so bad that George just had to stay with me in the room for the night. Sensing my restlessness, he stayed close by, offering quiet reassurances. Yet, even his calming presence couldn’t dispel the dread building inside me.
“What if I really am pregnant?” I finally whispered, unable to hold the question in any longer. “What will happen then?”
George looked at me with a mixture of concern and determination. “We’ll handle it together, Ashley. No matter what, you won’t be alone in this.”
I nodded, but his words couldn’t ease my mind. The implications were too enormous. If I was pregnant, it meant everything I had been trying to escape might come crashing down on me once more. The memories of Simon and Lucas, and what they had done, lingered at the edges of my mind, threatening to engulf me.
Eventually, exhaustion overtook my anxiety, and I drifted into a fitful sleep. My dreams were a tangled mess of fear and confusion, where faces from my past blurred with the uncertain future. When I awoke, it was still dark outside. The house was silent, except for the sound of my own breathing.
I looked over at George, who had fallen asleep in the chair beside my bed, his laptop closed and forgotten. He looked peaceful, almost vulnerable, and for a moment, I allowed myself to feel grateful for his presence. No matter how this situation unfolded, I knew I could rely on him, and that thought gave me a small measure of comfort.