LOGINThe clinic doctor warned me my body would go through major changes, but this felt so incredibly wrong.None of the books I bought this weekend mentioned anything about sudden nerve pain or extreme body heat.Then again, none of the books mentioned men getting pregnant in the first place.My male body was fighting a losing battle against whatever impossible thing the man from the club put inside me.I was a literal freak of nature, and my systems were failing because they didn't know how to sustain a baby.My blood pressure was probably spiking from the stress of the office, causing my nerves to misfire in panic.I tried to regulate my breathing, counting to three in my head while inhaling the spicy steam from my tea.I opened my eyes and reached up to unbutton the top of my gray sweater, desperate to cool my burning skin down.As I brought my wrist near my face, a very strange smell hit my nose.I paused and brought my arm closer, taking a cautious sniff of my own skin.I wore the exa
I left the stack of schedules on the long mahogany table and walked out of the freezing boardroom.The heavy glass doors clicked shut behind me, sealing away the empty chairs and the waiting notepads.My stomach turned over again, a sharp twist that made me stop and press my hand flat against the hallway wall.I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for the nausea to pass, taking shallow breaths through my mouth.The ginger tea I usually kept in my desk was my absolute best hope right now.I needed something to settle my stomach before these mysterious council people showed up and turned the office into a war zone.I pushed myself off the wall and bypassed the anteroom, heading straight down the side corridor toward the employee breakroom.The executive floor was unnervingly quiet today.Usually, this hallway was packed with interns running errands and junior executives talking loudly on their cell phones.Today, it felt like a ghost town.The few people I did pass kept their eyes glued to
I ordered a massive spread of cold cuts, fresh fruit, and expensive sparkling water.I demanded they deliver the food directly to the loading dock before one o'clock, and then I hung up the phone.My fingers flew across the keyboard as I formatted the final itinerary and sent it to the central printer down the hall.I needed to stay busy so I wouldn't think about the awful weekend I just had.I didn't want to think about the lonely spare room in my apartment or the stack of useless pregnancy books hiding under my bed right now.I couldn't afford to break down and cry about my changing body while I was sitting at my desk in a corporate building.Working gave me a convenient excuse to shut my brain off and ignore the raw fear eating away at my chest.I stood up and walked down the hall to the printer room to grab the fresh itineraries.The smell of the warm ink hit my nose as I pulled the papers off the plastic tray, and my stomach gave a nasty warning lurch.I swallowed hard and forced
Monday morning arrived way too fast, dragging me out of a restless sleep.I barely closed my eyes on Sunday night because my brain flat out refused to shut off.The terrifying diagrams from the pregnancy books kept flashing in my mind, reminding me of all the things I didn't understand about my own body.I forced myself out of bed and took a fast shower, letting the freezing cold water shock me awake.I threw on my usual baggy slacks and a loose gray sweater to hide the firm curve of my stomach.The subway ride downtown was a miserable experience.The train cars were packed shoulder-to-shoulder with miserable commuters, and the smell of damp coats made my stomach churn violently.I held onto the metal pole and kept my head down, praying the ride would end quickly before I threw up on someone's shoes.I swiped my badge at the corporate security desk and walked toward the elevators with heavy steps.The main lobby was usually a chaotic mess of people talking over coffee and complaining
I didn't give them a chance to argue or find a loophole in my demand.I reached out and hit the red button on the screen, disconnecting the call and plunging the study into absolute silence.I slammed the laptop shut and shoved it away from me.The adrenaline slowly drained out of my system, leaving me feeling hollow and sick to my stomach.I stood up from the desk and walked over to the small cart sitting in the corner of the room.I grabbed a glass and poured a generous splash of dark amber liquor into it.I did not bother with ice.I brought the glass to my lips and swallowed the cheap burn, welcoming the harsh distraction in my throat.I walked over to the massive floor-to-ceiling windows and looked out at the city skyline.The rain from Friday had cleared up, leaving the distant skyscrapers glittering against the dark night sky.I stood there in my expensive penthouse, surrounded by luxury and power, but I had never felt more trapped in my entire life.I spent my whole weekend fi
The digital clock on my laptop screen flipped to eleven at night.My study was pitch black except for the harsh blue light spilling from the monitor and casting long shadows against the walls.I sat back in my chair and rubbed my burning eyes, feeling the heavy weight of exhaustion settling deep into my bones.I had been sitting in this exact spot for two days straight, trapped in endless video calls that felt more like interrogations.Six small video boxes filled my screen, displaying the sour, impatient faces of the pack elders."You are stalling, Ren," Nathaniel said, his voice distorting slightly through the laptop speakers."I am not stalling, I am doing my due diligence as the leader of this territory," I replied, keeping my tone dead flat."We gave you the finalized drafts on Friday morning," Victor, another older wolf, chimed in.He leaned closer to his webcam, his face twisting into a deep frown."The terms are incredibly clear, and Rosalie’s family has already agreed to the







