chapter 1 I‘m Just Seeking Attention?

Lyra's POV

"I think no one would believe a habitual liar about being pregnant. Maybe she's just---"

"Hmm, maybe she's just seeking attention," my husband's fated mate said.

"Is that so, Lyra?" my husband asked.

Two days ago, Dr. Blackwood told me I was pregnant. For two days I'd been waiting for Dorian to come home, fantasizing a thousand times about his reaction when he learned I was pregnant. Not one scenario was like this.

At this moment, I could see them clearly. Dorian knelt beside his mate Seraphina, looking at me with furrowed brows and eyes full of doubt.

Our mating bond allowed me the right to his protection, but not his love. The four-year trial period was nearly over, and I had clearly failed to win his heart.

--

Two days earlier

"Congratulations, Lyra. You're about six weeks pregnant," Dr. Blackwood had said, setting down my chart with a rare smile.

The words had hit me like lightning.

'A pup,' my wolf whispered, her voice filled with wonder. 'Our pup. Our mate's pup.'

Not our true mate, I reminded her silently. Arranged husband. There's a difference.

'He could be,' she insisted, hope bleeding into her mental voice. 'A pup changes everything. Even the coldest Alpha protects his offspring.'

"Are you certain?" I'd whispered, afraid to believe it.

"The blood work confirms it. Your symptoms, the fatigue, nausea, heightened senses, it all makes sense now."

I'd left the hospital in a daze, my hand unconsciously moving to my still-flat stomach. This changed everything. A baby might finally give Dorian a reason to see me as more than just an arranged obligation.

For two days, I waited. I paced our shared wing of the manor, rehearsing how I'd tell him. I imagined his surprise, maybe even joy.

'He'll be pleased,' my wolf kept insisting. 'An Alpha always wants strong pups. And ours will be strong—Shadow bloodline runs deep.'

But Dorian never came home.

By the second evening, I couldn't wait anymore.

I knew where to find him. He often went to Moon Light Grove when he needed to think. But when I approached the ancient silver pines, I found him there with her.

Seraphina Crimson. His supposed fated mate who'd returned to Moon Shadow Bay just two weeks ago.

I watched him kneel beside her, his hands gentle as he examined what looked like a minor injury on her ankle. The way she leaned into him, their soft voices, the tenderness in his expression—that was everything I'd dreamed of having with him.

'Look at him with her,' my wolf snarled, her mental voice turning bitter. 'See how gentle his hands are? When has he ever touched us like that?'

Everything I'd never had.

--

"Dorian," I called out, stepping into the grove. "I need to speak with you."

He looked up, amber eyes meeting mine before his expression hardened. "Lyra. What are you doing here?"

Seraphina's green eyes narrowed as she took in my simple jeans and sweater. "Can't you see he's busy? Some of us have real emergencies."

'Real emergencies,' my wolf scoffed. 'A twisted ankle that barely broke the skin. I've smelled worse injuries on pups.'

"This is important," I said. "Dorian, please."

He sighed, that familiar sound of barely contained irritation. "Make it quick."

I took a breath. "I'm pregnant."

The silence stretched between us. Dorian's face went completely blank. Seraphina's mouth fell open.

Then she laughed.

"Oh, that's rich," she said, struggling to her feet. "You're really going to try that angle?"

"What angle?" I stared at her, then at Dorian, whose expression was shifting to something cold. "I'm telling the truth."

"Are you?" Seraphina's voice turned sharp. "This is exactly what I'd expect from someone whose trial period is about to end. How convenient that you're suddenly pregnant just as Dorian is about to become Alpha."

My heart pounded. "I saw Dr. Blackwood two days ago. I have proof---"

"Dr. Blackwood?" She laughed again. "The human doctor who doesn't understand werewolf physiology? Who wouldn't know a real pregnancy from a hysterical one?"

"Seraphina," Dorian said quietly.

"You don't get to dismiss this," I said. "I am pregnant, Dorian. With your child."

"Really?" Seraphina's voice dripped with disdain. "Everyone knows you've been throwing yourself at him for four years. Making up excuses to spend time with him, pretending to need his help with everything. And now this? You're lying to trap him into staying with you!"

Each word was a slap. But what hurt more was Dorian's silence. He just stood there, watching me with those amber eyes that had once given me hope.

"I have never lied to you," I whispered. "Not once."

"Haven't you?" Seraphina said. "What about when you said you were fine with the arranged mating? What about when you claimed you understood your place? Face it, Lyra—you've been lying to yourself and everyone else since the day you accepted this arrangement."

She wasn't wrong. I had been pretending: pretending our mating bond meant something, pretending the man who barely acknowledged me might care, pretending I could be satisfied with scraps.

'She's right,' my wolf admitted reluctantly. 'We've been living a lie. But this pup... this is real. This matters.'

But this pregnancy was real.

"I think no one would believe a habitual liar about being pregnant," Seraphina said. "Maybe she's just---"

"Hmm, maybe she's just seeking attention," Dorian finished.

The words shattered something inside me. The father of my child thought I was lying about the most important news I'd ever had to share.

'No,' my wolf howled inside my mind. 'No, no, no. He can't mean that. Not about our pup.'

"Is that so, Lyra?" he asked. "Are you lying?"

I looked at him, really looked at him. At the suspicion in his eyes, the way he stood protectively near Seraphina, the complete absence of any warmth or trust.

"No," I said quietly. "I'm not lying."

"Then prove it," Seraphina said before Dorian could respond. "If you're really pregnant, you won't mind getting a second opinion."

"Seraphina---" Dorian started, but I cut him off.

"Fine," I said. "I'll schedule another appointment with Dr. Blackwood for tomorrow morning. You can both come if you want to witness the verification."

"That would be best," Dorian said, as if we were discussing a business transaction.

I turned to leave.

As I walked away, I heard Seraphina's voice, softer now but still carrying: "Poor thing. She really thought you might believe her."

And Dorian's response, so quiet I almost missed it: "Maybe that's what makes this harder."

I didn't look back. I pressed my hand to my stomach as I headed toward the manor, its lights glowing cold through the mist.

"It's okay," I whispered to the life growing inside me. "Tomorrow we'll show them. And then we'll decide what comes next."

'Tomorrow we fight,' my wolf agreed fiercely. 'For our pup. For our truth. For our honor.'

Because one way or another, everything was about to change.