Pregnancy

Elara woke to the sound of birds chirping just outside her window.

She blinked slowly, rubbing her eyes, confused at how late it was. Normally, she wakes up before sunrise before other servants wake up, but today her body felt too heavy, too warm, like she was under the sunlight she couldn't shake off.

Her stomach had strange feelings and the moments she sat up. She barely made it to the basin before she runs over, coughing and gagging, but nothing came up. Only a bitter taste in her mouth and the sharp sting of shame in her chest.

She wiped her mouth with her sleeve, frowning.

This wasn’t normal.

But Elara didn’t question it much. She never really did. She just assumed she was unlucky,maybe she ate something bad, or caught a cold from the chill in the air.

Still, it kept happening.

She felt lightheaded most mornings. Her appetite changed by the hour. One moment she wanted nothing but dry toast, the next she craved berries so badly she nearly cried when the kitchen had none left.

And the tears…oh, the tears.

She cried when she dropped a spoon. She cried when she saw a rabbit limp past the garden with an injured leg. She cried when the laundry line broke and her only clean dress fell into the mud.

Her fellow servants whispered behind her back.

“Elara’s acting strange again.”

“Did someone curse her?”

“She’s always been a little… slow, but now she’s worse.”

Elara heard them, but didn’t say anything. She never did. Instead, she kept her head down and tried to act normal,even when everything inside her felt wrong.

She remembered what the healer said a week ago.

“Come back. Alone.”

Elara hadn’t gone. She was too scared.

The old she-wolf had looked at her in a way that made her skin prickle. As if she knew something Elara didn’t. As if she saw inside her.

And deep down, Elara felt like something was changing. Her body wasn’t hers anymore. Her scent had shifted,stronger, sweeter. She caught some of the male wolves sniffing the air when she passed. Their eyes lingered too long.

One evening, she stood alone in the courtyard after dinner. The sun had dipped below the trees, leaving the sky streaked with purple and gold. Her hand drifted to her belly again.

She wasn’t sure why she kept doing that.

It didn’t hurt. It wasn’t swollen. But there was a strange warmth there. Like something soft was resting inside her. Quiet. Waiting.

“Maybe I’m just getting sick,” she whispered to herself.

But even her voice sounded unsure.

The next day, the head maid caught her dropping a tray in the hallway.

“Elara!” she barked. “You’re clumsier than usual. What’s wrong with you?”

“I’m sorry,” Elara mumbled. “I didn’t sleep well.”

The woman narrowed her eyes. “You’ve been pale for weeks. You need to see the healer again. Go now,before you break anything else.”

Elara didn’t argue. She was too tired to protest. So she walked, slow and quiet, toward the healer’s hut at the edge of the forest.

The door creaked open before she even knocked.

The old she-wolf stood waiting, arms crossed, sharp eyes watching her like a hawk.

“Took you long enough.”

Elara gave her a small bow. “Sorry… I didn’t know if you meant it.”

“I did,” the healer said. “Come inside.”

Elara stepped in, her bare feet brushing over cool wooden floors. The room smelled of herbs, smoke, and something sweet,lavender maybe. Or honey. She wasn’t sure.

The healer motioned to a stool near the fire.

“Sit.”

Elara obeyed, tugging at the hem of her dress nervously.

The healer didn’t speak at first. She just moved around the room, picking up bowls, dried plants, and jars with strange liquids inside. Then she came back and placed a gentle hand on Elara’s wrist.

“Breathe.”

Elara did.

The healer listened, sniffed, then touched her forehead. Her fingers were cold but firm.

After a long silence, the woman stepped back, her expression unreadable.

“Elara.”

“Yes?”

“You’ve been feeling sick, haven’t you?”

Elara hesitated. “A little.”

“Headaches? Hunger changes? Smell sensitivity?”

“Yes…”

“Tired. Crying easily. Strange dreams?”

Elara blinked. “How did you know?”

The healer’s gaze softened, just a little. “Because I’ve seen this before.”

Elara tilted her head, confused. “What is it? Do I have a fever? A curse?”

The healer almost laughed. Almost.

“No, child. You’re not cursed.” She paused, then spoke slowly, as if choosing each word with care. “You’re pregnant.”

Silence.

Elara stared at her.

The word floated in the air, strange and too big to grasp.

“Pregnant?”

The healer nodded.

Elara shook her head. “But… that’s not possible. I’m not mated. I’ve never…”

She stopped.

Her heart dropped.

She remembered.

The festival.

The masked Alpha.

The heat.

The night that felt like a dream.

Her hands flew to her mouth.

“No,” she whispered. “No, no, no…”

The healer placed a warm hand on her shoulder. “It happens. More often than you’d think. Especially during Moon Festivals. Alphas and omegas… their instincts can override reason. And if the bond sparks…” She didn’t finish.

Elara’s eyes filled with tears. “But I don’t even know who he was. I didn’t get his name. He wore a mask.”

“Then he likely doesn’t know your name either.”

Elara’s stomach twisted again, but not from sickness.

From fear.

“What do I do?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

The healer looked at her with pity. “For now… rest. Eat well. Your body needs strength. I’ll give you some herbs to ease the sickness. But this child…” She paused. “It’s growing fast. That means it’s strong. Likely Alpha-blooded.”

Elara didn’t know what to say.

Alpha-blooded.

She was just an omega servant. Unmated. Powerless. And now… pregnant.

With a stranger’s pup.

She walked back to her room in a daze, her mind a blur of fear, confusion, and something else she didn’t understand yet.

Her hand shifted to her belly again, little thing growing inside her,alive and Quiet.