Page 126 of Freeing My Alpha

My stomach flip-flops over itself, but something in Noah’s words sticks out. “You don’t have any allies you could talk to about this? Maybe some other top Alphas out there who could back you up?”

He leans into his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands beneath his chin. “You’re right. I do have some across the world, so maybe I could move our meeting sooner. We’re scheduled to talk soon about this huge event. Fuck, I need to tell you about that bullshit too.”

“What bullshit?”

Noah groans, dropping his eyes into his palms and pressing hard. “The fucking Alpha Summit. So, patriarchal bullshit.”

I have no idea what he’s talking about, but stress vibrates through his tense shoulders. I hop off the bed, plopping my butt in his lap. Noah breaks into low chuckles, scooting me closer by the hips until we’re huddled up tight.

Gazing into his worn, worried eyes, I give him a soft smile. “No matter what, I’m going through every second of it with you. You don’t have to handle this alone without me, either. Even if—” I bite my lip as Noah breaks into a smile. “Even if you’re right and I’m carrying your baby.”

Noah’s shoulders loosen. His hand slides off my hip, swooping over my abdomen. But he keeps his palm there, warming my belly.

We’re not smiling now; nerves crash through our bond. But the longer we stare, the fresher Noah’s gaze grows. I break into soft, shy giggles. Noah giggles with me, diving for my lips.

A woman tears open the door with a booming “Hello!” I jump off Noah’s lap, spurring him into more giggles. This woman has just as loud of a smile, her incisors gleaming white as she throws her arms out in excitement. “Alpha Noah! I’ve been waiting for you to introduce me to our future Luna! And she shouldn’t be on her feet.”

My heart flips as Noah ducks his head with a smile. This must be Natalia, the Pack Doctor.

“Agreed, Doc.” Noah helps me hop back onto the bed, settling the blanket over my knees.

Natalia drops into her rolling chair, whizzing across the room. “I only have a minute, but I wanted to stop in and say hello. It’s so nice to meet you, Aliya! My future Luna!”

“It’s nice to meet you too! Thank you for working so hard for us,” I say.

“Oh, I’m happy to, Luna!” She leans in without warning, sniffing my neck. I fawn, and she pats my arm. “Oops, sorry. And I’m also sorry for the wait. Alpha Noah mentioned you’re attempting to conceive?”

My stomach swirls. I grip my shirt, struggling to come to terms with the fact that I’m finally here, talking about this with a doctor. “Yes, I— We are.”

Noah chuckles. “Or we have. At least, I think it worked.”

I choke out a laugh. “Noah—”

Natalia breaks into booming laughter. My stunned stare meets Noah's, and we burst into giggles.

Flipping my wrist, Natalia pokes at my veins. “Oh, Alpha Noah, I think so too! Symptom-wise at least.”

I gape at her. With a skyrocketing heart rate, I replay what Natalia just said. Did I hear her correctly?

But as Natalia looks into my eyes, her smile softens. “However, I happen to know you’re a hybrid.”

My heart sinks to the floor.

Before she even says anything else, my eyes sting hot with tears. Natalia’s hand lands on mine. “Oh, sweetheart. Don’t you worry, okay? I’m here to help you.”

Noah stands. “Natalia, what do you mean? I’ve never heard anything about hybrids having trouble conceiving. No more than other Lycans.”

“Not with conceiving, but carrying to term. In order to shapeshift into such large forms, Lycans are denser and require different nutrients than humans. If a hybrid’s DNA contains more human than Lycan traits, it may strain the hybrid carrier, and all the usual pregnancy risks are higher.”

Noah’s wide eyes hit me the hardest. I try to cover my mouth, but as Noah meets my eyes, the pain in our bond triples, and I break into sharp sobs.

He rushes to my side, hugging my head to his chest. “No, I’ve never heard of this being a thing. How do we know this? Has it been properly studied? And either way, her wolf is a powerhouse. She’s got a lot of Lycan in her, and I really do think she’s already pregnant. Isn’t there a way I could give her what she needs? Someone in the world I could take her to that specializes in this?”

Natalia opens my file, pulling out a dense packet of pages. She hands them to me, and I take it with shaking fingers. “Oh, our poor Luna and top Alpha, I’m not meaning to make you so concerned. It’s my duty to clearly explain the risks to you both, but I want you to know that I’ve researched this heavily in my own time since the day I heard Alpha Noah found his mate—and that you were a hybrid. I’m already prepared to support you both through this.”

I suck in a sharp gasp. “So there’s— There’s some hope?”

“Absolutely, Luna. I said the risks are higher, but it doesn’t mean you need to necessarily have them. I just want to be straightforward with you from the beginning so you both know what to expect in case those risks arrive.”

---