Chapter 143

Mira

“You must be overwhelmed with joy.”

That was one way to put it.

Malachi had crouched down next to my seat, bringing him closer to eye level. My hands were shaking, the folder with my fate listed on it dropped to the floor when the shock jolted through my system.

“But…how can I…”

My mouth felt dry, making it hard to formulate a sentence.

“Well,” Malachi said, suddenly teaching an obvious lesson, “presumably you and that Alpha wolf…”

I looked at him, feeling disgusted.

“I don’t mean that!” My voice was shrill and it echoed around the room. “I just mean, I didn’t think…”

He patted my arm where it had landed on the table, acting like that would make it all okay.

“These things are hard to predict, even when planned,” the doctor said, as if he’d been through this several times before. “It is really a miracle, don’t you think?”

A miracle.

I had wanted a baby for longer than I could remember. But facing this reality now, here, so far away from the man with whom I shared this child— this was not a part of the dream.

“I think I’m going to be sick,” I said mostly to myself.

“Yes,” Malachi answered, leaning slightly closer to my chair. “That will happen more frequently from now on.”

A new thought struck me, sending a chill to my heart.

“How did you know?”

He smiled.

“Just an intuition, I suppose,” he said wistfully. “Most newly married women are eager to start a family, so I could deduce that the mechanics had been met.”

Gross.

“And then after our conversations, seeing how maternal you can be even when acting professionally, I decided to run some tests.”

“But, I didn’t take any tests…”

Only then did he look slightly sheepish.

“No,” he said, his ears slightly pink, “but of course I have blood samples and your files and everything.”

“Of course,” I said, though this was the first I was hearing of it.

He saw my reaction, and now tried to save face.

“I apologize if I overstepped,” he said, hands in the air in defense. “But this is something that affects many people. We will work together to make sure you get the best care over the upcoming months.”

An image flashed through my mind, of endless days in these hallways as my belly grew bigger and bigger. And in the background there was Malachi, watching. And nowhere in that imagined future was the man I wanted. There was no sign of Dominic.

“I can’t do this alone,” I whispered, feeling the sadness set in.

“Oh, Mira, dear,” Malachi said, taking my limp hand in his. “You won’t be alone. I know you think you miss him, a natural occurrence with the increasing hormones in your body.”

I hated that he talked about my hormones, my body.

“But don’t you see how much easier it can be for you, here?” His eyes were bright as he spoke of his ideal scenario. “We have everything you could ever need, and what we don’t have we will get. Money is no object. And if it really takes a village to raise a child, I will be your village.”

He waited for me to respond, searching my face. He licked his lips, reminding me of something reptilian. Was he really implying that he could replace Dominic as a father-figure?

“That sounds…” I knew I needed to be careful. If I said the wrong thing, he might enact his backup plan and keep me here under lock and key. “Actually, I— do you mind if I excuse myself? This is all so much to take in, and I’m feeling a little woozy.”

Concern washed over Malachi’s face, and he rose back up to stand and offered me his hand. I reluctantly took it, allowing him to help me stand.

“Of course,” he told me, taking my other hand in his and holding me in front of him. “This is a lot to think about, but the gods have chosen you for this task. And I have no doubt that you will be an excellent host and conduit for the natural wonders that await you.”

This man seemed to be in love with me, but still managed to talk about me like I was an object or animal.

“Thank you,” I choked out, hot tears coming to my eyes. “I …appreciate you looking out for me.”

He smiled, dropping my hands so he could hold my shoulders. Then he leaned down and planted a dry kiss on my forehead. I closed my eyes, wishing I could disappear.

“Go rest,” he told me, his breath hot on my face. “I’ll come check on you later.”

Once out of earshot of the dining room, I removed my high heels so I could run the rest of the way back to my room. I made it just in time to throw up in the toilet, emptying the contents of my stomach.

At least I didn’t drink any wine.

I laughed out loud, my predicament seeming so absurd.

Still in my gown, I paced the room, a million potential plans of action swirling in my brain. I held my phone, wondering who could help me and if it would even be worth trying to reach out. I scrolled through my contents and hit the call button.

Lucian’s phone rang and rang, but he never picked up.

Rae’s phone went immediately to voicemail. Strange, since her phone was usually glued to her hand.

My finger hovered over the other name. The name at the top of the list of contacts.

Dominic.

For some reason, my fingers suddenly felt like lead. I feared that if I called him and he didn’t answer, my heart would actually burst. The tears started to fall then, and without thinking too much my brain cracked open and went searching for Dominic.

Our link had been shaken, blocked, closed off to one another. But now it felt wide open, and he somehow felt so close to me.

“Rescue me.”

The words repeated and echoed in my brain. I didn’t even know if he would hear me, but I just kept trying as my sobs intensified. I sunk to the floor, head in my hands.

My senses tingled: there was someone in the hallway outside my room. I braced myself, looking around for something I could use as a weapon if needed. I was able to get back on my feet when the door opened.

A large man stood backlit in the doorway, dressed ready for combat.

“Dominic!”

My voice was thin and weak, and I thought I would collapse back to the floor. He moved so quickly for one so large, and pulled me into his chest just as my knees started to give out. One large hand pressed my head to his heart, and I felt the rhythms of our bodies come back into sync.

It felt like coming home.

He pulled me away from his body and started checking me over.

“Are you hurt? What has he done to you?”

His hands were turning me and checking me like I was a show dog.

“I’m alright, I’m alright, I’m—“

He stopped my words with his mouth. I melted into his kiss, almost falling over except that he wrapped his arms around my waist to hold me. My hands found his face, his neck, and my fingers laced through his thick hair.

Then he stopped, and I squealed in disappointment. He stared at me, hard, as if to make sure that I was real. The tension in the air was palpable, and he looked me up and down, taking in my gown for the first time.

“You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen,” he said, eyes growing heavy with desire.

I inhaled, feeling my chest swell against the thin fabric covering my breasts.

And then Dominic’s hands were everywhere, all over me, and I struggled to unzip and unbutton and remove the heavy clothing he wore. Impatience won out, and he hiked up the skirt of my dress while lifting me into the air.

My legs wrapped around him as he carried me towards the bed, our actions blurry and frenzied until we reached our goal. He entered me quickly, his fingers gripping me firmly. It was not romantic, but desperate, filling a void that threatened to kill us otherwise. Both of our faces were wet with tears as we reached our peaks at the same time.

We were quiet after, lazy fingers tracing circles on skin, not wanting to break the spell.

Our reverie was broken violently when an alarm went off in some faraway place in the building.

Dominic rolled off of me swiftly, back in action mode.

“I think that means it’s time to go.”