CHAPTER 3
SHANE
After her incredible night with Liam, where she completely surrendered to him, Shane had practically moved into the attic with him. She went to the apartment she shared with Marc and looked for some clothes-two suitcases, to be exact. Marc and Gigit were happy for them, and deep down, Shane assumed they must also be glad to have the apartment to themselves. Marc hadn’t brought up Steven again, but she knew he missed him.
Finally, she had also met Liam’s younger sister, Liliana, who turned out to be the girl from the mansion she had run into that night at the annual wolf gathering. Immediately, Liliana and Shane got along well.
Shane had returned to work three days ago and was doing wonderfully. Everyone had bombarded her with questions about the “supposed” renovation at Mr. Thomas’s cabin. She hadn’t wanted to tell any of her coworkers that she was dating Liam Thomas, much less that she was pregnant. While there had been a renovation at that cabin, what had really changed was the way she saw the world now. She couldn’t tell anyone that werewolves existed and coexisted among humans, that they could be your neighbors and you would never know. However, with a smile, she gave them details about the cabin. Even the shy Viky showed interest in knowing more. She also didn’t miss the chance to invite them over the weekend to celebrate her return to the office and the absurd amount Liam had paid Rocco for a job she hadn’t actually done.
On Monday, she had also called the clinic to schedule an obstetrics appointment for Wednesday, and today the day had finally arrived. Shane felt excited and nervous at the same time. Every few minutes during her morning meetings with her new clients, she checked her watch. The appointment was scheduled for 1:00 p. m., so she decided to have lunch at a nearby place. The vomiting hadn’t changed at all; every morning, she religiously ran to the bathroom to vomit. At least she didn’t throw up every time she ate something, but her stomach still churned. The cravings had been the most fun and strange. She couldn’t help but smile at the memory of the night before as she took a seat at a table in the restaurant where she went to eat something light. Her first craving was strawberries with peanut butter. She didn’t eat peanut butter! Not in her right mind would she have eaten that. The funniest part was seeing Liam running in the middle of the night to a 24-hour supermarket to get it for her.
Shaking her head, Shane returned to the present when a waiter approached to take her order.
-I would like a steak, but not overcooked, and a Caesar salad. To drink, water -she said, as he wrote everything down in a notebook before leaving. Taking advantage of the moment, she decided to call Liam. Taking out her cellphone, she called him.
-Lobita? Is something wrong? Are you feeling okay? -he asked, concerned.
Shane couldn’t help but roll her eyes and smile.
-God, babe, relax…
-Never. My little wolf has our puppy inside her.
-Don’t call it that -she whispered, fearing someone might hear her-. It sounds really weird. It’s like I slept with an animal.
-You just insulted me. And you’ve earned a spanking on that sweet butt of yours that drives me crazy -he replied, causing her to smile.
-I’m already waiting for that punishment. But you’ll get one if you don’t arrive at the clinic in an hour.
-Clinic? Why the clinic?
-Liam, today is the appointment with the doctor. Did you forget?
-Shit, little wolf, I’m sorry.
-Yes, you forgot.
-But I’m on my way. I’ve been swamped with the pack stuff. Everyone’s very agitated…
-What’s going on with the pack? -she interrupted him.
-Nothing, you don’t have to worry. Just wolf stuff.
-I thought I was part of the Red Moon pack.
-you are, little wolf. But I don’t want to overwhelm you with insignificant pack matters.
Shane didn’t buy that sad explanation at all and felt excluded.
-Okay. The appointment is at 1:00 p. m. I’ll be waiting for you.
-Lobita?
-Yes?
-I love you, you know that?
-I know. I love you too.
-Are we okay? -she wanted to tell him no, that she felt bad because he was leaving her out and that made her feel like she wasn’t part of anything, but instead she replied:
-Yes. See you in a bit.
She ended the call before he could say anything else. To distract her mind, she decided to call her mother to see how they were doing and how her father was with his foot. After making sure both were fine, she ended the call and got ready for lunch.
After eating and paying, Shane set off for the clinic. As she walked, she checked the time on her cellphone: 15 minutes until 1:00. She felt nervous, anxious, with a knot in her stomach, and told herself it was because she would see her baby for the first time.
When she arrived at the clinic, her heart was racing. She checked in and sat down to wait for her turn. Anxiously, she began checking her cellphone while she waited when a message popped up on the screen.
Shane smiled.
Liliana:
[Where are you?]
Shane:
[At the clinic.]
Liliana:
[Are you okay?]
Shane thought it was sweet that she cared about her in such a short time; they had barely just met.
Shane:
[Yes, it’s just a routine check-up.] She didn’t want to say anything about the baby.
[Do you want me to come with you? I just finished at work.] It turned out that Liliana worked for Liam.
[Thanks, babe. But your brother is on his way.]
-Shanelle Murphy! -Shane looked up from her cellphone to see the receptionist.
-Yes? -she asked timidly.
-Your turn. -she said, pointing to the door of the consultation room.