HOT PREGNANCY NEWS

Pauline

The morning sun streamed through the high windows of the dining hall, but it brought no warmth to my soul. My face still throbbed with a dull, rhythmic ache from the night before. I had spent hours applying cold compresses to my cheek, trying to hide the mark of Ricardo’s hand, but the swelling was stubborn. It was a brand of my new reality.

I walked slowly toward the dining table, my silk skirts rustling against the cold marble floor. The entire family was already seated. The air was thick with the smell of expensive coffee and toasted bread, but to me, it felt like a room full of ghosts.

Alpha Ricardo’s father, the former Alpha, sat at the head of the table. To his right was Evelyn, Ricardo’s stepmother. She was a woman who always looked like she was holding a secret behind her teeth.

"Good morning, Pauline," the old Alpha said, his voice gravelly but not unkind. He looked at my face, and for a split second, his eyes softened with a look I could only describe as pity. He knew. They all knew.

"Good morning, Father," I replied softly, taking my seat at the far end of the table.

Breakfast was a quiet affair. The only sounds were the clinking of silver forks against porcelain and the occasional pour of juice. No one spoke of the locked balcony or the slap that had echoed through the halls. It was professional, orderly, and devastating.

Evelyn leaned forward, dabbing her mouth with a linen napkin. She caught my eye and then quickly looked down at her plate, but not before I saw it—a small, sharp smile tugging at the corners of her lips. She wasn't just hiding her face, she was hiding her satisfaction. To her, I was just another piece of drama in the pack's power struggle.

"Are you enjoying the omelet, dear?" Evelyn asked, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. "You look a bit... pale this morning."

"I’m fine, Evelyn. Thank you," I said, my voice as steady as I could make it.

"We must ensure you are well-nourished," she continued, her eyes glinting. "After all, the duties of an Alpha’s wife are quite demanding."

I didn't answer. I couldn't. I just stared at my plate until a maid entered the room, carrying a cordless phone.

"Pardon the interruption," the maid whispered, looking terrified. "It is a call from the Alpha’s sister, Lady Maria. She says it is urgent."

The old Alpha nodded. "Put it on speaker."

The room went silent. Then, Maria’s voice filled the air. She sounded breathless, triumphant, and weeping all at once.

"Father? Evelyn? Is Ricardo there?" she cried out.

"He is in his study, Maria," the old Alpha said. "What is happened? Has Leo hurt you again?"

"No," Maria gasped, and I could almost hear the smirk in her voice. "I just left the pack doctor. I’m pregnant. I’m carrying Leo’s child. Tell Ricardo! Tell him he is going to be an uncle.

The silence that followed was deafening. My fork slipped from my fingers and hit the plate with a loud clang. A child. My brother Leo, who hated Maria, was now tied to her forever by blood. My heart sank. This didn't mean peace, it meant the stakes had just been raised to a deadly level.

"A grandchild," Evelyn whispered, her eyes wide. "This changes everything."

I felt a shadow loom over me. I didn't need to turn around to know who it was. The air in the room grew heavy, charged with that familiar scent of sandalwood and cold rage. Ricardo had entered the room.

He didn't look at his father. He didn't look at Evelyn. His eyes were locked on the back of my head.

"You heard her," Ricardo said. His voice was a low growl that made the hair on my arms stand up.

I stood up slowly and turned to face him. He looked impeccable in a charcoal suit, his face a mask of granite. "I heard, Ricardo. Congratulations on becoming an uncle."

He stepped closer, ignoring the rest of the family as if they were furniture. He reached out, his thumb grazing the very spot he had slapped the night before. I flinched, but he didn't pull away.

"You don't understand, Pauline," he said, his voice loud enough for the entire table to hear. "If Maria is carrying a child while she suffers under your brother’s roof, then the balance has shifted. She is vulnerable now. She is carrying the future, and Leo still treats her like a prisoner."

"Leo will change when he hears about the baby," I pleaded. "He’s not a monster. He will protect his child."

"Will he?" Ricardo’s grip on my chin tightened slightly. "Or will he see that child as another chain Maria has wrapped around his neck? I won't take that risk."

He turned his head slightly toward his family. "Father, Evelyn, leave us."

The old Alpha sighed, standing up and leaning on his cane. Evelyn scurried away, though she cast one last lingering look at me—a look that said good luck, you'll need it.

Once the doors clicked shut, Ricardo leaned in so close I could feel the heat radiating from his body.

"My sister is fulfilling her duty," he whispered. "She is providing a legacy despite the hell your brother puts her through. And since we are mirrors, Pauline... since your family’s blood is now mixing with mine..."

"No," I breathed, realizing where this was going. "Ricardo, please. Not like this."

"Prepare yourself," he said, his eyes turning a dark, predatory amber. "From this moment on, we are no longer just playing at being married. If my sister has to endure a pregnancy while being hated by her husband, then you will endure the same. You will give me an heir. You will carry my child, and you will do it while knowing exactly how much I despise the blood that runs in your veins."

"You’re talking about a human life!" I shouted, tears finally spilling over. "A baby isn't a weapon! You can't use a child to get revenge on Leo!"

"I can do whatever I want," he snapped. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward the stairs. "You are my wife. You signed the papers. You took the ring. And now, you will fulfill the ultimate debt."

"Ricardo, stop! You’re hurting me!"

He stopped at the base of the grand staircase and looked at me. For a moment, his expression flickered—a flash of pure, raw pain. "Do you think I enjoy this? Do you think I want to link myself to your family forever? But every time I close my eyes, I see Maria crying. I see the bruises Leo leaves on her. If he is going to ruin her life by making her a mother in a house of hate, then I will do the same to his precious sister."

"I am not my brother!" I screamed, shaking my head. "I loved you! Before all of this, I actually respected you! I thought you were a good man!"

His laugh was short and bitter. "That man died the day your brother put his hands on my sister. Go to our room, Pauline. Clean yourself up. I have meetings until evening. When I return, we begin."

"I won't," I said, trying to pull my wrist away. "I won't let you do this."

Ricardo leaned down, his face inches from mine. "You will. Because if you don't, I’ll send my Enforcers to Leo’s house tonight. Not to talk. Not to negotiate. I will have them drag him into the street and break every bone in his body while Maria watches. Is that what you want? Do you want your nephew to be born to a crippled father?"

I froze. The breath left my lungs in a painful rush. He knew exactly which string to pull. He knew I would sacrifice my own soul to keep Leo safe, even if Leo was the cause of all this misery.

"I hate you," I whispered, the words burning my throat.

"Good," Ricardo said, releasing my wrist. "Hate is a very strong emotion. It will keep you warm while I’m gone. Now, go. Prepare yourself to become a mother, Pauline. It’s the only way you’ll survive this marriage."

He turned and walked out the front door, leaving me standing alone in the vast, cold hallway. I looked up at the portraits of the Alphas who came before him, their eyes judging me from the walls.

I was twenty-two years old. I was supposed to be starting a life of love. Instead, I was a vessel for a war, destined to bring a child into a world built on spite and shadows.

I walked up the stairs, each step feeling like a mile. My wedding night had been a slap and a cold balcony. My first day as a wife was a death sentence for my freedom. I reached our bedroom door and pushed it open. The scent of the rain was still there, lingering on the curtains.

I sat on the edge of the bed and touched my stomach. "I'm sorry," I whispered to the empty room, to the ghost of the child that wasn't even there yet. "I'm so sorry."