chapter 29

Chapter 29: First Pregnancy Scare

The farmhouse had settled into a strange kind of rhythm. Days blurred together with no raids, no sudden moves, no new threats crashing through the door. Vittorio’s promised midnight attack never came. The traitor’s intel turned out half-true—men had gathered, cars had rolled, but something made them pull back at the last second. Maybe cold feet. Maybe a leak on their side. Matteo’s crew stayed sharp, guards doubled on the perimeter, but the quiet stretched on.

Elena woke up one morning feeling off. Her breasts ached when she rolled over. Heavy. Tender. She pressed a hand to them and winced. Nausea rolled through her stomach, not bad enough to run to the bathroom, but enough to make coffee smell wrong.

She sat on the edge of the bed. Matteo was already up, shirt on, checking the cameras on his phone. Luca snored softly beside her. Nico lay on his back, eyes open, staring at the ceiling like he was thinking hard.

Elena touched her lower belly. Flat still. But something felt… different.

She slipped out of bed. Went to the bathroom. Peeled off the T-shirt. Looked at herself in the mirror. Nipples darker than usual. Skin flushed in places it hadn’t been.

Her period was late.

Three days. Maybe four. She’d stopped tracking exactly after the collar came off, but she knew her body. It didn’t play tricks.

She washed her face. Brushed her teeth. Came back out wrapped in a towel.

Matteo looked up first. “You okay?”

Elena hesitated. Then sat on the bed between Luca and Nico.

“I think… I might be pregnant.”

The room went still.

Luca sat up fast. Eyes wide. “What?”

Nico turned his head slow. Looked at her belly like he could see through the towel.

Matteo set the phone down. Voice calm but tight. “You sure?”

“Not sure. Just… late. And my breasts hurt. And I feel weird. Nauseous. Tired.”

Luca rubbed his face. “Shit. We’ve been… a lot. Inside you. Every day.”

Elena nodded. “Yeah.”

Nico reached out. Touched her hand. “When did you notice?”

“This morning. Woke up and it hit me.”

Matteo stood. Paced once. Twice. Then stopped in front of her.

“We need a test. Now.”

Luca was already moving. “I’ll send one of the guys to the pharmacy. Discreet. No questions.”

Nico stayed with her. Thumb stroking her wrist. “You scared?”

Elena looked down. “A little. If it’s true… daddy will find out eventually. He’ll go crazy. And I’m not ready. Not really. But also…” She looked up at them. “I don’t hate the idea. Not with you three.”

Matteo crouched in front of her. Took both her hands.

“If it’s real,” he said, “we handle it. Together. No running or hiding. We lock this place down tighter. We protect what’s ours.”

Luca came back in, phone in hand. “Guy’s on the way. Fifteen minutes.”

Elena let out a breath. “Okay.”

They waited.

No one pushed her to talk more. They just stayed close. Matteo sat beside her now, arm around her shoulders. Luca paced but kept glancing over. Nico held her hand the whole time.

The knock came. One of Matteo’s men handed over a small paper bag through the cracked door. No eye contact. Gone in seconds.

Luca brought it in. Three tests. Different brands.

Elena took one. Went to the bathroom alone.

She peed on the stick. Set it on the sink. Washed her hands. Stared at the wall.

Two minutes felt like forever.

She opened the door.

They were all standing there. Waiting.

She held up the stick.

One line.

Negative.

Elena exhaled hard. Legs shaky.

Luca let out a loud breath. “Fuck. Okay. False alarm.”

Matteo rubbed his jaw. “You’re relieved?”

“A little,” she admitted. “I wasn’t ready. Not yet. But… part of me wanted it to be yes.”

Nico pulled her into a hug. Gentle. “There’s time.”

Luca grinned. “Plenty of time to try again. And again. And again.”

Elena laughed. Weak but real.

Matteo took the test from her. Looked at it. Then at her.

“We keep going like we have been,” he said. “No changes. But we watch. If it happens next month… or the month after… we’re ready.”

Elena nodded. “I know.”

They spent the rest of the morning in bed. Not frantic. Not rough. Just close.

Matteo kissed her slow. Hands everywhere but not demanding.

Luca teased her nipples with his mouth. Gentle sucks. No bites.

Nico licked between her legs. Slow circles. Made her come soft and quiet.

After, they lay tangled. Elena in the middle.

Luca traced her belly with one finger. “When it does happen… you’ll be the hottest pregnant woman alive.”

Elena smiled. “You’d better think so.”

Nico kissed her shoulder. “We will.”

Matteo’s hand covered Luca’s. Both resting on her stomach.

“We’ll keep you full,” Matteo said low. “Until it sticks.”

Elena closed her eyes. Felt their warmth. Their weight. Their quiet promise.

The scare was over.

But the wanting stayed.

And outside, the quiet held.

Vittorio hadn’t moved yet.

But Elena knew he would.

When he did, she’d be ready.

Not just as the girl they took.

As the woman who chose to stay.

And maybe, soon, as the one who’d carry their future.

She pressed Matteo’s hand harder against her belly.

“Soon,” she whispered.

Matteo kissed her temple.

“Soon.”

The day stretched on.

Peaceful.

For now.