Pregnant

Two Weeks Later – Selene’s POV

 The nausea hit me before my eyes even opened.

 I groaned, curling deeper into the sheets, hoping if I stayed still enough, the rolling in my stomach would stop. It didn’t. It hadn’t for days. I’d been waking up with this same awful, queasy feeling—nauseous, tired, weirdly sensitive to smells. Even Liora’s perfume made me gag yesterday, and I usually loved that scent on her.

 With a hiss, I sat up slowly, pressing my palm to my forehead. My head was throbbing, and the sunlight that leaked through my window was way too bright for this hour.

 “What is wrong with me?” I muttered under my breath, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed. My room was warm and still, but something in my chest felt unsettled. Like I was on the edge of a drop I couldn’t see yet.

 I hadn’t told anyone—not Aunt Ysara, not Liora, especially not my uncle. Spirits, if Malric even suspected I was sick, he’d probably call for a full council meeting and label me ‘unfit to serve as a Moonbane omega’ or whatever title he was currently obsessed with.

 But I couldn’t keep ignoring this.

 I pulled on a long, oversized hoodie and slipped out of my room quietly. The hallways of the Moonbane estate were quiet, a rare moment of peace in this usually tension-thick house. I didn’t stop to greet anyone or answer any questions. I walked straight to the healer’s wing.

 Hannah was there, quietly tending to herbs along the far shelf, her fingers moving with delicate precision. She was a few years older than me—soft-spoken, kind eyes, someone who always seemed to carry calm like it was stitched into her skin.

 She turned when she heard me, surprise flickering across her face. “Selene? Are you alright?”

 I hesitated in the doorway before stepping in. “No. I mean… I don’t know.”

 Her expression shifted immediately. She waved me in gently, her hands brushing the herbs aside. “Sit. Tell me what’s wrong.”

 I sat on the edge of the healer's cot, fiddling with the sleeves of my hoodie. “I’ve been nauseous. Like, every morning. My head hurts. I feel tired all the time. And food—spirits, I can’t even stand the smell of roasted meat anymore. I thought it was just a bug but… it’s been almost a week.”

 Hannah didn’t say anything at first. She just nodded slowly and started pulling tools and vials from the shelves. “Has your cycle come this month?” she asked, her voice careful.

 I blinked. “What?”

 “Your cycle. When was the last time you bled?”

 I had to think. Count back the days. My stomach turned again—but not from the nausea this time.

 “I… I don’t think I have.” My voice came out a whisper.

 She was quiet as she prepared something—a small enchanted stone, one used by healers for early detection. She handed it to me without a word and gestured for me to hold it to my stomach.

 I did.

 The stone shimmered. A warm, glowing gold that spread beneath my palm like liquid sunlight.

 Hannah’s shoulders dropped. “You’re pregnant.”

 I stared at her. My mind went blank, the word echoing in my skull like thunder.

 “No,” I breathed. “No, that’s not—That can’t be. I don’t even know who he is.”

 Hannah looked at me like she wanted to say a dozen things but didn’t know where to start.

 My heart was racing, my breath coming faster. “It was just one night. He—he was masked. It was a neutral gathering. We didn’t even share names.” I laughed, but it sounded like I was choking. “This is insane.”

 “I don’t think you understand,” Hannah said softly, crouching in front of me. “Selene… if Alpha Malric finds out, he won’t care if it was one night. If the child isn’t a full Moonbane wolf, he will consider it a disgrace to the bloodline.”

 My vision blurred for a second. “But I didn’t mean— I didn’t even know who he was. I didn’t plan this!”

 “I know,” she said gently. “But he won’t care. You know how he sees you—barely worthy to carry the name, let alone carry an outsider’s child.”

 Tears stung the back of my eyes, but I blinked them away. Crying wouldn’t help. Thinking would. Planning would.

 I had to breathe. I had to figure this out.

 “I won’t tell anyone,” Hannah whispered. “But you need to think about what you’re going to do.”

 I nodded slowly, but my thoughts were a whirlwind.

 I was pregnant.

 And the father… the masked stranger from the masquerade. The one with the storm-dark eyes and that deep, sinful voice. I didn’t even know his name.

 And now I was carrying his child.

 What the hell was I supposed to do?

 “T-T-Thank you.” I stammered before stepping out.

 My gaze was cast to the ground as I made my way back to my room, heart pounding in my chest like a war drum. The hallways felt colder than usual, the shadows longer. Everything around me looked the same, yet I felt… completely different. Wrong. As if my very skin didn’t fit me anymore.

 The moment the door closed behind me, I crumbled.

 My knees hit the floor beside my bed, the weight of everything crashing into me all at once. My hands trembled as they gripped the edge of the mattress, trying to anchor myself to something real—anything that wouldn’t shift under the weight of the truth.

 I was pregnant.

 A tear slipped down my cheek. Then another. Then I broke.

 Silent sobs wracked my body as I buried my face in my arms, shame and fear curling like fire through my veins. How did this happen? How could I have been so careless? So foolish?

 And yet, in the pit of all that panic, there was something else too—something bittersweet. A memory that surfaced uninvited, pulling me back to that night…

  ~~

 It was cold when I woke up. The scent of pine and dew filled the air, earthy and sharp. For a second, I didn’t remember where I was. Then I blinked up at the fabric of a tent, dim morning light filtering through. My body ached, and when I shifted, the reality of what had happened the night before rushed in.

 Him.

 The masked stranger. His hands on my skin. His lips. His voice.

 It hadn’t been a dream.

 But now… he was gone.

 I sat up, pulling the sheet over my chest. My heart thudded. “Hello?” I called out, but no one answered. My voice felt small in the silence.

 Then I heard it. A voice, low and resolute, just outside the tent.

 “I’m coming for that pack.”

 I froze.

 What?

 Before I could move or even breathe, the silence fell again—deafening. I waited, afraid to step out. But eventually, curiosity and unease won.

 I wrapped myself in the blanket and stepped outside.

 There was no one. Not even a footprint in the damp earth. The campfire had died out. The place looked abandoned, as if no one had been there at all. I turned in a circle, confusion turning to panic.

 What did he mean? Coming for that pack? Who was he?

 Why did it feel like I had walked into something I couldn’t begin to understand?

 “Selene!”

 I turned sharply at the sound of my name.

 Liora came running through the trees, eyes wide and relief painting her face. “Spirits, I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” she gasped, grabbing my arm. “Where the hell did you go?! Aunt Ysara’s going to kill us both!”

 I opened my mouth, but no words came out. Just a weak shake of my head.

 She sighed, pulling her coat tighter around me. “Come on. You look like you’ve seen a ghost. We’ll talk later. Let’s get you home first before the entire pack launches a search party.”

 I let her lead me away, too stunned, too hollow to explain what had happened. Too shaken to admit how something inside me had changed the moment he touched me—and how now, everything would be different.

  ~~

 Back in the present, I was still on the floor, knees pressing into the cold stone, arms limp at my sides. My cheeks were wet with tears I hadn’t stopped long enough to wipe away. I didn’t even know how long I had been crying. The silence in my room was thick, and the ache in my chest wouldn’t go away.

 I had seen his face and that was when we were so engrossed in the s*x but how am I to keep his face in my head when I was taken to another world entirely?

 I can’t remember his face cleary.

 There was a soft knock on my door.

 I stiffened, wiping at my face hastily even though it was pointless. My throat burned from crying, and my eyes felt swollen.

 “Selene?” came a voice.

 Liora.

 The door creaked open slowly, and she stepped in with a tired smile, her braid loose over her shoulder. But the moment her eyes landed on me—curled on the floor, face blotchy and broken—her smile disappeared.

 “Selene…” she breathed, closing the door behind her as she rushed over. “What happened?”

 I couldn’t even speak.

 I just looked up at her, lips trembling, and whispered, “I messed up. I really messed up.”

 And for the first time in a long time… I let her hold me as I cried.

 "What's wrong?" she asked gently, stepping fully into the room, her gaze falling to my crumpled figure on the floor.

 I forced a smile, weak and trembling. "Just… you know… woman stuff," I muttered, brushing my palm across my cheek quickly. "You look tired though. Everything okay with you?"

 Liora tilted her head slightly, studying me with narrowed eyes. "Talk to me, Selene. You know you can."

 I nodded, not trusting my voice for anything more than a whisper. "Yes, Liora. I know."

 She let out a soft sigh and knelt beside me, reaching out to gently wipe the damp trails on my face with her sleeve. "Alright," she said softly. "How about this—we trade? I tell you the mess I came to talk about, and then you tell me what’s really going on with you. Deal?"

 I gave a small nod, the kind that feels like the only movement I could manage.

 From the pocket of her coat, she pulled out a folded sheet of paper. "Look at this," she said, unfolding it and holding it out. A printed face stared back at me—sharp jawline, intense eyes, dark hair. Even in black and white, he looked like he could command a room without saying a word.

 "This gorgeous bastard," she began dryly, "is Alpha Kael. The ruthless Alpha of the Obsidian Pack. He's been circling us for a month now, threatening our borders. And now... he sent this."

 She reached into her other pocket and pulled out a small, creased note. Her voice was low as she read it aloud:

 "I’m coming for you."

 The words sliced through the air like a blade.

 Pain twisted in my stomach—sharp, sudden. My heart skipped, then kicked into a frantic rhythm. "Let me see the face," I said, my voice cracking as I snatched the paper from her hands.

 I stared.

 And stared.

 Bit by bit, memory crashed through me. Those eyes. That voice. The lips that had traced fire down my neck. The man who had made the world fall away with a single touch.

 It was him.

 My breath caught. The walls of the room seemed to shrink. My chest tightened, and I instinctively pulled my knees to my chest.

 "Selene?" Liora’s voice sharpened with concern. "What is it? What’s wrong??"

 But I couldn’t speak. My throat burned. Then suddenly, the tears returned—hot, heavy, unstoppable.

 "I’m done," I gasped, my voice cracking. "I messed up. I fucked up big time."

 Liora sat straighter. "I… what do you mean? Selene, talk to me."

 "The masquerade… that night..."

 "The one where I begged you to finally go out and have fun?" she asked carefully.

 I nodded, burying my face in my hands. "Yeah, well… I did more than just have fun, Liora."

 She blinked at me. "Selene..."

 "I slept with him!" I said it too loud, too raw, and the room fell into thick silence.

 Liora stared at me, mouth slightly parted. "You what?"

 "Yes," I whispered, defeated. "It was him. That night… it was him."

 She closed her eyes for a beat, then exhaled slowly. "Okay… listen, it's not your fault. You didn’t know. You didn’t do anything wrong, Selene. You couldn't have known."

 But I shook my head furiously, trying to hold back more tears. "No, it’s not okay. It’s worse than not okay."

 Her expression tensed. "Selene…"

 I looked at her, truly looked at her, as my voice broke again. "I’m pregnant, Liora. I’m carrying his baby."

 Time froze.

 Her face drained of color, her breath catching mid-inhale.

 "You’re… what?" she whispered.

 I nodded, eyes glassy. "Hannah confirmed it today. It’s his."

 She didn’t speak for several seconds. Just stared at me, completely still, as if her brain couldn’t process the words.

 Finally, she swallowed hard, her voice small. "Oh Spirits, Selene..."