CHAPTER THREE: IMPOSSIBLE

This has never happened before.

When the bleeding finally stopped, Maya looked up at her reflection and froze.

Something was different. Her face looked... sharper somehow. Her eyes brighter. Her skin is almost glowing despite the dark circles underneath.

A wave of nausea hit her hard. She barely made it to the toilet before she was retching, her stomach heaving even though she hadn't eaten anything.

When it passed, Maya sat on the cold tile floor, trembling.

This wasn't normal.

She dressed up, she was on her way to hospital.

Two hours later, Maya sat in an examination room at a different hospital across town. No way was she going back to her workplace. Not after James.

The doctor, an older woman with kind eyes, reviewed her chart. "The blood test confirms it. You're pregnant."

Maya's world tilted. "That's impossible. It's only been two days since…"

"Two days?" The doctor frowned. "That's not possible. You'd need at least…"

A sound cut through the room. Low. Primal. Like a distant howl.

It came from Maya's stomach.

The doctor's eyes widened. She grabbed her stethoscope with shaking hands and pressed it to Maya's abdomen. Her face went pale.

"You're carrying an Alpha pup."

"A what?"

"An Alpha werewolf pup." The doctor pulled back, studying Maya with a mixture of awe and concern. "This is... this is extremely rare. The pup is powerful. Growing at an accelerated rate. I can already hear its heartbeat, strong, faster than human. The pregnancy will progress much quicker than normal."

Maya's mouth went dry. "Werewolf? But I didn't, I mean, he looked completely…"

Human. The stranger had looked completely human. No claws. No fangs. No glowing eyes. Just a beautiful man who'd made her feel wanted for one night.

The doctor was still talking. "Alpha pregnancies are intense. You'll experience rapid changes. Heightened senses. Nosebleeds as your body adjusts. Nausea. The pup will be born in approximately six weeks instead of nine months."

Six weeks.

"The father needs to be involved," the doctor continued. "Alpha pups need their father's presence during development. The bond helps stabilize both mother and child. Do you know how to contact him?"

Maya shook her head numbly. She didn't even know his name.

"I see." The doctor's expression grew serious. "This is going to be difficult then. Alpha pups are possessive even in the womb. Without the father's scent, the pup may become agitated. You'll need to…"

"I understand." Maya stood abruptly. "Thank you, doctor."

She needed to leave, and process what was happening.

The doctor handed her a prescription. "Prenatal vitamins. Specialized for werewolf pregnancies. And Maya?" She caught her arm gently. "Be careful. There are people who would pay a lot of money for an Alpha pup. Keep this pregnancy quiet."

Maya nodded and fled.

She made it home on autopilot. Her small apartment felt suffocating as she closed the door behind her and leaned against it.

Pregnant.

With a werewolf baby.

From a man whose name she didn't know.

Maya slid down to the floor, pulling her knees to her chest. "How is this happening? I'm a nurse. I understand biology. You can't get pregnant in two days. You can't…"

Another wave of nausea hit. She pressed her hand to her stomach, feeling nothing different yet. But something was there. Growing. Changing.

An Alpha pup.

What did that even mean? Would it have claws? Fangs? Would it hurt her? Could a human body even survive carrying a werewolf?

The doctor seemed to think so, but Maya had never encountered anything like this in her training. Werewolves were myths. Stories. Things that didn't exist in the real world.

Except apparently they did.

And she'd slept with one.

Her mind raced back to that night. The stranger's fever-hot skin. His unusual strength even while drugged. The way his eyes had seemed to glow in certain light, she'd thought it was just the reflection from the window.

Had he known? Had he known what he was doing to her?

Maya's phone buzzed. A text from the hospital. Her shift started in three hours.

She couldn't go. Couldn't face James. Couldn't pretend everything was normal when her entire world had just shattered for the second time in two days.

Another howl echoed from her stomach, louder this time. More insistent.

Maya pressed both hands to her abdomen. "Okay. Okay, I hear you."

The pup, her pup, was real. Growing inside her. Depending on her.

And she had no idea who the father was or how to find him.

She was completely, utterly alone.

Maya curled up on her side, tears sliding down her face. "What am I going to do?"

The apartment remained silent except for the steady, too-fast heartbeat thrumming beneath her chest.