Chapter 4: One fatal Error 

Maple Hollow Fertility Clinic felt different the next morning. The soft piano music still drifted through the waiting room, and the scent of fresh coffee still lingered in the air.

But the warmth I had felt on my first visit was gone. The smiles looked forced. Conversations faded whenever someone walked past.

Even the receptionist, who had welcomed me so cheerfully the day before, barely managed a polite smile now.

"Good morning, Ms. Marsh." Her voice was gentle, but it lacked its usual warmth.

"Morning." I searched her face. "Is everything all right?"

She hesitated, then lowered her eyes. "I'm sure Dr. Whitfield will explain."

My chest grew heavy. Before I could ask another question, Grace appeared at the end of the hallway. She usually greeted me with an easy smile, but today her expression was tight.

"Vivienne." Her voice was as kind as ever, but I caught the strain underneath it. "Come with me."

I followed her down the hallway lined with photographs of smiling babies. Yesterday those pictures had filled me with hope.

Today I couldn't bring myself to look at them. Grace walked in silence, her footsteps echoing softly against the polished floor.

"Grace." She glanced at me. "Please tell me what's going on."

Her lips parted, but no words came out. "I think it's better if Dr. Whitfield explains."

My unease deepened. She stopped outside a large office and knocked lightly.

"Come in."

Grace opened the door and stepped aside. Doctor Whitfield rose from behind his desk the moment I entered. He looked exhausted.

His face carried the strain of a sleepless night, and the folder in his hands was creased, as though he had opened and closed it countless times.

"Ms. Marsh," he said quietly. "Thank you for coming in on such short notice." He motioned toward the chair opposite him. "Please, have a seat."

I sat without taking my eyes off him. Grace closed the door and stayed near it, her hands clasped tightly together. No one spoke. The ticking clock on the wall suddenly seemed louder than it should have been.

Doctor Whitfield lowered himself into his chair and let out a slow breath. "I owe you an apology."

My stomach tightened. "What happened?"

"This clinic has served families for more than twenty years." He paused, rubbing a hand across the edge of the folder. "We've built our reputation on trust, safety, and attention to detail."

"Doctor." My voice came out firmer than I intended. "Please stop talking around it."

He looked down for a moment before meeting my eyes again. "I'm afraid we've made a serious mistake."

A chill crept up my spine. "What kind of mistake?"

"There was an error in our laboratory yesterday." I frowned. "A supply mix-up caused one of our technicians to select the wrong sample vial for your procedure."

For a moment, I simply stared at him. The words didn't make sense. "The... wrong sample?"

He nodded slowly. "I'm deeply sorry."

I leaned forward. "Do you mean someone else's anonymous donor?"

He closed his eyes briefly before answering. "No."

The single word sent a wave of unease through me. "Then whose sample was it?"

Grace lowered her eyes. Doctor Whitfield opened the folder in front of him, though he didn't seem to read anything inside. "The sample used for your procedure wasn't taken from our anonymous human donor bank."

I blinked. "It was a private, restricted sample," he said. "One that should never have been anywhere near the general inventory."

I stared at him, trying to understand. "Restricted?"

"Yes."

"What does that mean?"

He hesitated. "It belongs to a private client."

"Who?"

His jaw tightened.

"Doctor." My voice shook. "I deserve to know whose sample was used."

He held my gaze for a long moment before speaking. "It belonged to Alpha Killian Cross."

Everything inside me went still. Alpha Killian Cross. The name echoed through my mind. No. That couldn't be possible. Everyone knew who he was. Even people who had never met a shifter knew his name.

He wasn't just another Alpha. He was the leader of the Blackridge Pack, one of the wealthiest men in the country. He was also one of two Alphas competing to become the next Alpha King over every shifter territory in the region.

His businesses were featured in the news almost every week. His face appeared on magazine covers. People spoke his name with equal parts admiration and fear.

And somehow, his sample had been used for me.

"That's impossible." The words barely escaped my lips. "I specifically requested a human donor."

"I know. Your request was documented exactly as you gave it."

"I didn't want anything connected to packs."

"And you shouldn't have had to worry about that."

My hands tightened around the arms of the chair. "Then how could this happen?"

Doctor Whitfield lowered his head. "The restricted storage area was being reorganized yesterday morning after maintenance work. During the process, one vial was mistakenly placed in the wrong preparation rack."

"The technician believed it belonged to the anonymous donor inventory." His voice was heavy with regret. "It should never have happened."

I stared at him, unable to find the words. "So... my procedure..."

Doctor Whitfield gave a slow nod. "It went ahead using Alpha Cross's sample."

My hand flew to my mouth as I struggled to steady my breathing.

Yesterday I had walked into this clinic believing I was choosing a peaceful future. In less than twenty-four hours, that future had slipped completely out of my hands.

"There has to be a way to fix this."

"I'm afraid there isn't."

"Use the correct donor instead."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Marsh, but that's no longer possible."

I shook my head. "No." My voice grew stronger with each word. "There has to be something you can do."

"I wish there were." His answer came quietly. "But the procedure can't simply be undone."

The room blurred for a moment. "So my child..."

"If the procedure is successful," he said carefully, "the biological father would legally be Alpha Killian Cross."

The words settled over me like a weight I couldn't lift. My child. Not just mine anymore.

Doctor Whitfield drew a slow breath before speaking again. "There's something else you need to know."

I looked at him without saying a word.

"Shifter law differs from human law when it comes to bloodlines."

A cold weight settled in my chest. "What does that mean?"

"If Alpha Cross learns that a pregnancy resulted from his genetic material, he has legal rights that cannot be ignored."

The warmth drained from my face, leaving me cold despite the afternoon sun shining outside the office windows. "He doesn't even know I exist."

"No," Doctor Whitfield agreed softly.

For one brief second, relief flickered inside me. Then he continued. "But he will."

The hope vanished as quickly as it had come. I stared at him. "What are you saying?"

"The law requires us to report incidents like this."

"You mean..." My throat tightened. "You're going to tell him?"

He lowered his eyes. "I don't have a choice."

"No." The word escaped before I could stop it. "You can't."

"I'm truly sorry."

"There has to be another way."

"If there were, I would take it." His voice was steady, but the regret in his eyes looked genuine. "My responsibility is to both you and the donor. I can't legally keep this from him."

He reached for the phone on his desk but didn't pick it up. "The moment you leave this office, I'll have to notify Alpha Cross's office."

The words knocked the breath from my lungs. "So he'll know..."

"Yes. I expect they'll respond immediately."

I gripped the arms of the chair until my fingers ached. Everything I had planned was slipping away.

Yesterday I had walked into this clinic believing I was finally taking control of my life. Now the future I had chosen no longer belonged to me alone.

I looked toward Grace. She stood quietly by the door, tears shining in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Vivienne."

A short, shaky laugh escaped me, sounding more like disbelief than amusement. "This wasn't supposed to happen."

No one answered. There was nothing anyone could say. I pushed myself to my feet. "I need to go."

Doctor Whitfield stood as well. "I understand." He paused. "If there's anything we can do to support you..."

I shook my head before he could finish. "I just need to leave."

Grace quietly opened the office door. "I'm truly sorry," she whispered as I walked past. I couldn't find the strength to answer.

The hallway seemed much longer than it had yesterday. The photographs of smiling babies still lined the walls, but I kept my eyes fixed on the floor as I walked by.

Only yesterday those pictures had filled me with hope. Now they reminded me how quickly hope could be taken away.

Outside, the afternoon sun still shone, but I barely felt its warmth. For a moment, I simply stood in the parking lot, staring at rows of parked cars.

My mind was so scattered that I couldn't remember where I had left mine. When I finally found it, my hands shook so badly that I missed the unlock button twice before the doors finally clicked open.

I climbed inside and closed the door. The silence felt almost unbearable.

I rested both hands on the steering wheel and drew in a slow breath, but it caught halfway, leaving my chest tight. Nothing about my life made sense anymore.

My phone buzzed inside my purse. The sound made me jump. Unknown Number. I stared at the screen for a moment before answering.

"...Hello?"

A deep, controlled voice came through the speaker. "Ms. Marsh."

"Yes?"

"I'm calling on behalf of Alpha Killian Cross." My fingers tightened around the phone. "A car is already on its way."

"I didn't ask for one."

"This isn't a request, Ms. Marsh."

The line went dead.