Page 21 of Rejected Mate's Baby for the Alpha King

Blinking, she looked over her shoulder. No one was paying attention to us, so she settled on the ground in front of me and pulled her phone out of a waterproof bag. “I realize I can’t make phone calls, but my whole life is on here. I’m just hoping I don’t break it,” she confessed. “All right, when was your last menstrual cycle?”

“Seven weeks ago.”

“And when do you believe the child was conceived?”

“Six weeks ago.”

She didn’t judge or question it as she made a note. “You took a pregnancy test?”

“I did, when I realized that I was late. I’m pretty punctual.”

At that, her head snapped up. “You are?”

Most wolves weren’t because of their shift. It messed with the hormones. I nodded. “I don’t spend much time as a wolf.”

“I see.” She typed a few more things on her phone. “Any physical symptoms? Tenderness or morning sickness? Fatigue?”

“Fatigue and some tenderness.” I dropped my voice so the others couldn’t hear.

“Any spotting?”

“No.”

“All right. Everything sounds pretty normal. Without equipment, I can’t do an exam, but I’m probably going to question you every day and keep a log of your answers. It’s going to feel a little invasive, and I’m sorry about that.”

“No need to apologize. I guess I’m just happy that someone else is looking out for…um…it…the baby…the cub…whatever.”

A small smile curved on her face. “If you need to talk to me, I encourage you to do so. You’re in a high-stress environment, and those stress levels can also affect the baby. I’m not a therapist, but sometimes talking can help. Before I signed on with the king, I was a midwife.”

“Really? Lucky me.”

“Hmm.” She gave me a strange look. “All right, you should get your sleep.”

I hadn’t dressed since shifting back, and I wasn’t about to sleep naked, so I fumbled around in my pack for a change of clothes. “Maya? You’re not sleeping in human form, are you?”

Pausing, I turned my head. “I am. Is that a problem?”

“It’s safe for the baby if you shift. You know that, right?”

“I’ve napped a couple of times as a wolf, but I’ve never spent the night as one. I’m just more comfortable as a human.”

She frowned. “But we’re sleeping on the bare rock. There’s no pad.”

Shrugging, I went back to pulling out some clothes. As much as shifters were comfortable being naked around each other, I didn’t spend all that much time with other shifters, and I wasn’t as comfortable with my nakedness. “I’ll be all right. I sleep on the ground plenty.”

Tessa didn’t say anything right away, and I looked up to find her studying me. “Is that a problem?”

Blinking, she shook her head. “Of course not. I’m sorry. Please make yourself comfortable.”

She moved away just as everyone started to shift. I hurriedly dressed and turned to find everyone had settled except Rhyson. His massive black wolf stared at me unblinking until I lay down and turned my back on him to face the wall.

He seemed no better than my father, but at least I could turn my back on him. Here, I thought, maybe nobody would attack me while I slept.

The night was cold and I woke up shivering. There was movement in the cave, and I turned to see that most everyone was outside except for the other female. “Juniper,” she said shortly as she studied me. “Rhyson’s third.”

“Maya. Rhyson’s despised one-night stand.”

She smirked. “You have a sense of humor. That’s a relief.”

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