Chapter 1

Iris POV

Pregnancy Test Result: Single Live Intrauterine Pregnancy

Species Test: 99% Probability Human

Alone in the doctor’s office while she got me some medicine, I read the simple lines of text several times before they truly made sense.

I was carrying a child.

I looked at the second line again, a smile breaking out across my face. A human baby born of me and Arthur, my fated mate.

I had to tell him right now.

I dialed his number with fingers that shook slightly, glad I was already sitting down. A bubble of happiness swelled up from my heart, and I released it with a laugh. The phone, however, went straight to voicemail, meaning his phone was off.

Swallowing my disappointment but all too aware that Arthur tended to avoid distractions while at work, including just ignoring my calls, I tried to keep my voice cheerful.

“Arthur, it’s Iris. I know you’re busy, and I wish you good luck with the candidacy, but I have some news for you. Great news.”

I pressed my lips shut. Voicemail was not the way I wanted to tell him. News this good needed to be told in person.

“Anyway, please give me a call when you hear this. Love you.”

I hung up and wrapped my arms around myself tightly. I felt ready to explode. If it were a normal day, I would hop in my car and drive to Arthur’s office.

But it wasn’t a normal day. Arthur was meeting with election officials and members of his party to see whether his bid as a presidential candidate would be accepted. A powerful alpha werewolf since his birth, he’d been working toward this goal his whole life, and there was no question he would make an exceptional leader.

This was no time for me to be pestering him, even if this were the best news of my life.

But tonight, when he returned home with his good news, I would tell him mine. Our good news.

The doctor returned with a smile and handed me a bottle. “Take two of these with food twice a day for your nausea.”

“Can you tell how far along I am?” I asked.

“Four weeks. I’d like to see you and your husband back here next week so we can go through your schedule for the next nine months.”

“He’s not my husband yet, but I’m sure he’ll be fine with that.”

She opened a folder and studied some pages in a failed attempt to hide her look of disapproval. “He’s human, I presume?”

“No, an Alpha werewolf,” I said. She looked up in surprise. “We’re fated.”

Her smile looked more genuine now that she knew I wasn’t some “human living off the system” but a future mother fated to mate with a socially prominent werewolf. This was providence working its magic.

“Such a rare and lovely match! Tell Brett to arrange that appointment, but call me if you aren’t feeling better with the medicine.”

I kept smiling as I walked to my car. Arthur would be so happy, and I knew he would be a wonderful partner in this pregnancy.

Although I was human and Arthur was of course a werewolf Alpha, lending him the highest possible social status, I had always believed that we could handle any judgment or prejudice our still somewhat hierarchical society might throw our way.

Because we love each other. Despite our polar opposite upbringings, fate had plans for us, drawing us irrevocably and irresistibly towards each other.

Besides, things were changing. Even fifty years ago a human-werewolf relationship such as ours, fated-mates or not, would have been seen as a laughable embarrassment for any Alpha. Though progress was slow, it was tangible, as humans began to prove themselves worthy of more than just positions of subservience.

Yes, both humans and werewolf-classes alike still preferred to mingle mainly amongst their own kind, Alpha’s being particularly notorious for this, but I had always chosen to focus on the progress, rather than the challenges humans still faced in our society.

On the drive home, I started to think about our wedding plans.

Arthur and I had been together for a year now and moved in together six months ago. It’s quite a long engagement for fated mates, but as a human, I’m fine with taking it slow. Now with the child, I guess we had to think about getting married.

I pulled up in front of our house and looked it over with new eyes. It was a two-bedroom. Would we need to get a bigger place now?

But then, if Arthur were to become the next Alpha President, we’d be living at the President’s Residence in the capital for the next ten years, twenty if he were re-elected. It was enough to make me giddy.

I set my purse down and went into the kitchen. I made myself a cup of herbal tea. No caffeine or alcohol for me for a while. I realized I was humming the Beatles’ song “Penny Lane” and laughed.

“You’re in a good mood,” a familiar and beloved voice said from behind me.

With a little squeal, I turned around, cup in hand. Arthur looked magnificent in his dark gray suit that set off the width of his shoulders and the trim lines of his waist and hips. More than that, he looked happy, his face uplifted by one of his rare deep smiles.

“You got it?”

He gave a little bow. “You are now looking at the latest and greatest candidate for Alpha President.”

I set down the cup and ran to him to wrap him up in a hug. He laughed, a rare event, and kissed me so deeply my toes curled. When he raised his head, I smiled into his face and wondered if our baby would inherit his dark hair and even darker green eyes.

“Your voicemail said you had news as well?” he asked.

I nodded, and it felt like I had champagne in my blood. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the report. Looking puzzled, he took it from me and unfolded it. His eyes scanned the page, and his smile disappeared.

I noticed his body going stiff and his dark brows pulled down in a frown. He looked at me, and his expression was shuttered.

“You're pregnant?” he asked flatly. “With a human fetus?”

“Well, yes, but don’t call it a fetus. It’s our baby, our perfect little baby.”

He looked back down at the test results, and now his eyes were hard and cold.

“Arthur?” I asked, my whole body going cold. “What’s wrong?”