Page 51 of Bred By the Wolfman

“It’s always hard to know with monster-human hybrids,” Dr. Hodgens says as he withdraws the wand. “Every pregnancy is different. But I do know most of the warning signs to watch out for now, and I think the two of you are good to go with a healthy baby.” He glances sideways at Russ. “Or, um, cub.”

With that, the doctor cleans off the wand and steps out of the room so I can get dressed. Russ carefully keeps his eyes turned away, but I can tell his mind is somewhere else.

“Are you okay?” I ask as I pull on my jeans.

He glances at me, then realizes I haven’t quite zipped up and hastily looks away. “Y-yeah. I’m fine.” I can tell his claws are extended, though, and his fur on his neck is bunched up. I think about asking more questions, but do I really want to know the answers?

Instead, I finish up, and we exit the office together. In the parking lot, though, Russ hesitates.

“Can I... come to the next one, too?” he asks, hovering before stepping off the curb.

I pause. “In two weeks?” He nods quickly. “Sure. I don’t see why not.”

Relief passes over his face. “Thank you, Dee.” He bites his lower lip. “Really. For letting me be involved.”

“Like I said,” I say, unlocking the car, “it’s your kid.”

All the hope drains out of Russ’s face. “Right. Well, see you in two weeks.” He heads off into the parking lot without another word.

twenty

RUSS

I hated watching that man touch Dee. On a basic, intellectual level, I knew I had nothing to worry about. But on that other level, the one I’m trying desperately to banish, I wanted to eat him. Not to mention that he was sloppy with the wand, which made it far more uncomfortable than necessary for Dee.

But I’ll get to see her again in two weeks. At least while sitting in the room with my mate and cub, alone for a few minutes... my instincts grew quieter, and I felt a brief, momentary peace.

Except that as the days to the next appointment drag on, the need rises up inside me again. This isn’t enough, but it’s all I’m going to get.

My life becomes a cycle of worrying about Dee living at her apartment alone, going to the gym, going to work, eating somewhere in between, worrying about Dee, and then going to sleep. I repeat the cycle every day, wishing I just knew where she was, what she was doing, whether or not she was eating right.

I know she was lying to the doctor, and that she hasn’t been taking care of herself. I didn’t watch her all that time for nothing. The only thing she eats before 11 a.m. is cereal, and then after that she makes tea, before walking her dog and then settling in for an evening of salad and chicken fingers, or sometimes she orders pizza.

She orders pizza a lot more often than she probably should.

To sate my growing restlessness, I go hunting again, and now I’ve gone twice as often in one month as I have in the last three years. It curbs the need enough that I can clear my head and wait patiently until the following Friday, when it’s time for Dee’s next checkup.

I take care with my appearance, hoping it doesn’t look like I tried too hard, then drive in so I arrive two minutes before our scheduled time.

Dee is polite again, and I wonder if this is my destiny. To be an acquaintance to my mate, my cub’s mother. I wonder what I can possibly do to show her that I’m right for her.

It is a marvel, even a second time, to see our cub up on the ultrasound screen. There she is. My chest swells as I look at her, and then down at Dee. She’s also too busy staring at the screen to notice me watching her, observing her, studying all the lovely planes of her face. Her breasts are slowly growing, which I can only tell because I haven’t seen her for two weeks.

My heart aches thinking of the wet nurse waiting to step in as soon as the cub is born. What will my life be like, raising this little one by myself? That had been my plan all along, and I had loved the idea of it—loved it enough that I saved and saved so I could afford the package at DreamTogether.

And now... the thought of Dee walking out of our lives makes the clamp around my heart constrict so tight, I think my lungs might burst.

“She’s beautiful,” I say. Dee nods in agreement, but doesn’t speak. When I look down at her, her eyes are shimmering. Then she looks away from the screen and covers up her chest with her arms, and she’s quiet for the rest of our time with the doctor.

After the appointment, I pause outside the DreamTogether office building, just like last time. I can’t let her leave without finding out what she was thinking about.

“Are you all right?” I’m the one who asks this time.

“What do you mean? I’m fine.” She winces. “He’s sure not gentle with that thing, though.”

“He fucking sucks at it,” I say.

A laugh bursts out of her. She wipes at one of her eyes, and it’s clear she was on the verge of tears.

---