FILLED

CILLIAN

I had never felt this sick in my life.

I lay in the middle of my bed while five nurses moved around me, checking my blood pressure, taking samples, and asking questions I was too exhausted to answer properly.

My body felt wrong.

Everything hurt. My head was pounding, my stomach had been unsettled for days, and I was constantly exhausted. I couldn't remember the last time I'd slept properly.

And none of it made sense.

I had never been sick like this before. Not once.

"Sir, you need to rest," one of the nurses said.

I ignored him and reached for my phone.

The screen was empty.

No calls.

No messages.

Nothing from Adrian.

I checked the time. Then I checked it again.

He hadn't answered any of my calls since yesterday. He hadn't replied to a single message either.

I opened our conversation and stared at the last message I'd sent.

[Please talk to me.]

No response.

I locked the phone and dropped it beside me.

Thirty seconds later, I picked it up again.

A nurse noticed. "You should put the phone away for a while."

I looked at him. "What did you say?"

He hesitated. "I only meant that constantly checking it may be making you more anxious. You need to rest."

"Get out."

"Sir—"

"I said get out."

The nurse immediately stepped back. "I was only trying to help."

"Then help me by leaving."

He glanced at the other nurses before gathering the equipment and walking out.

The door closed.

I exhaled slowly and looked at my phone again.

Nothing.

I hated myself for this.

I am Cillian Vercelli.

Alpha.

Heir to the Vercelli Dynasty.

Everyone in Bellacorte knew my name. Men twice my age lowered their voices when I entered a room. People watched what I did because my decisions could affect businesses, families, alliances, entire organizations.

I wasn't supposed to lie in bed staring at a phone because an Omega wouldn't answer me.

I wasn't supposed to be this desperate. So why couldn't I stop?

Because it was Adrian.

Adrian fucking Cross.

He had always been my weakness.

The only person who could calm me when I was furious. The only person who could look at me and somehow know what I was thinking before I said a word.

The only man who could tame me.

And despite everything that had happened between us, some part of me still wanted nothing more than to pull him back into my arms and hold him there.

I could still feel the bond.

That was the only thing keeping me from completely losing hope.

He hadn't removed the mark.

If he truly wanted me gone, why hadn't he removed it?

Was there still something left between us?

Was there still hope?

The door opened and Dr. Elias Moreau walked in.

He had a report sheet in his hand.

I immediately sat up. "Finally."

He didn't answer.

He looked at the report. Then at me.

Something about his expression made my stomach tighten.

"What?"

He adjusted his glasses. "How are you feeling?"

"Terrible. You've asked me that six times."

"I know."

"Then tell me what's wrong."

For the last two days, my family had practically turned the estate into a private hospital.

Blood tests.

Scans.

Hormonal tests.

More blood tests.

Everything they could think of.

Every result had come back negative.

Nothing explained why I felt like my body was falling apart.

I had started thinking about the possibilities I didn't want to consider.

I looked at the report in his hand. "Do I have a tumor?"

His eyes lifted. "No."

"Cancer?"

"No."

"Then what?"

Elias didn't answer.

I knew him well enough to recognize that look. He was worried.

But there was something else there too. Confusion.

I had known Elias since I was a child.

When my family first discovered that my biological anatomy wasn't exactly like other Alphas, he had been one of the doctors assigned to me.

My family had subjected me to years of tests, medical experiments and treatments.

At some point, the doctors said I was an Enigma. And my family was excited.

But after being forced to mate with an alpha and couldn't get him pregnant, they concluded I wasn't an Enigma after all.

And they were all disappointed. Nobody knew what I was.

My grandfather called it a curse. Elias never did.

He was one of the few people who treated me like a person instead of an experiment.

So when he hesitated now, I knew whatever was on that report was serious.

"Everyone leave, now." Elias ordered.

The nurses looked at him.

I turned toward them. "Out!" They left immediately.

I looked back at Elias when the door closed. "Am I dying?"

"No." He sat down at the edge of the chair.

"Cillian..."

"Just tell me."

He looked down at the report. "I don't know how this is possible."

My brows drew together. "What isn't possible?"

He was quiet for several seconds. Then he asked, "Have you been sexually active recently?"

I stared at him. "Yes."

"How recently?"

"Three weeks ago."

His eyes lifted. "With an omega?"

I frowned. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Just answer me."

I swallowed. "Yes."

He nodded slowly. "With a man?"

I hesitated, then I sighed. "Yes, Elias. You already know my type."

Elias adjusted his glasses. “Tell that to Vivienne.” He looked back down at the report. His lips moved as he muttered something under his breath.

I couldn't make out half of it.

He turned one page. Then another.

His expression became more fascinated with every second.

"Elias."

He didn't respond.

"Elias."

He finally looked up. "I've never seen this before."

"What?"

He stared at me like I was something he'd only read about in a textbook. "How is this even possible?"

My patience was gone. "What is wrong with me?"

He took a breath, then he said it. "Congratulations, Cillian." I stared at him. "You are pregnant."

I simply stared. Then I laughed.

A short, confused laugh. "What?"

"You're pregnant."

I looked at him as if he'd lost his mind. "That's impossible."

"The test says otherwise."

"I'm an Alpha."

"I know."

"Only omegas can get pregnant."

"Under normal circumstances."

I shook my head. "No."

"Cillian—"

"No. You're joking."

"I'm not."

"You've been waiting two days to tell me this?"

"I've spent two days trying to make sure the results were correct."

I stared at him. He looked genuinely shaken.

"I repeated the tests," he continued. "More than once. I checked everything. The results are consistent."

My mouth went dry. "How far?"

"Approximately three weeks."

Three weeks.

My mind immediately went back to that night.

Adrian.

I felt something twist painfully inside my chest. I slowly lowered myself against the pillows.

A laugh escaped me. Then another.

It wasn't funny.

None of this was funny.

Adrian wouldn't answer my calls.

He wouldn't speak to me.

And somehow, against every biological rule I had ever known, I was carrying his child.

His child. My child.

My laughter died. Tears burned behind my eyes. "This will destroy me, Elias."

Elias said nothing.

"I'll lose everything." My voice cracked. "My grandfather will strip me of my position. My title. Everything."

The Vercelli heir.

The Alpha expected to inherit everything.

And now this.

An Alpha carrying an omega's child.

The humiliation alone would be enough to destroy my reputation.

I covered my face with both hands. "I can't let them know. I can't."

“I heard Adrian came by three weeks ago.” He cleared his throat. “It's his child, isn't it?”

“Adrian hates me.” I whispered. “He wants nothing to do with me.”

After a moment, he stood. “Maybe the shift happened when you made love.”

I didn't even want to think about it.

"I'll give you some time." He said.

I looked up.

"I won't tell your family until you're ready." He walked toward the door. "We'll talk again when you've had time to process this."

"Elias." He turned and I stared at the floor. "I'll terminate it. Get everything set.”

His expression fell but he gave me a sad nod. Then he walked out.

The door closed and I reached for my phone.

Adrian.

I called. It rang. And rang.

No answer.

I called again. Nothing.

Again. Still nothing.

I lowered the phone and stared at the screen.

For the first time in my life, I had no idea what to do.