Page 35 of Breeding Clinic

She lets me hold her, stiff at first, then leaning against me for back support. I rub her belly where our tiny bean is nestled safely in her womb and growing. It’s flat for now. Only a hint of softness that says she’s healthy and fertile. But soon she’ll start to show. I can’t wait.

“When’s your next scan?” I ask her.

“Twenty weeks, so a while. I’m only eight weeks along right now.”

“We’d all like to be there, if that’s okay with you.” Matthew and I weren’t allowed to attend the first one to confirm the heartbeat and due date. The clinic wouldn’t let us since we weren’t involved with the breeding. I don’t want to miss all of our baby’s milestones.

“Of course,” she answers.

The instructor comes in and starts giving instructions, explaining how this works for the new people in the class. Kat sits upright and listens intently. I’m a bit more distracted. From my vantage spot behind her, I can see right down her sports bra. It’s a bit too tight for her. Her breasts are already getting bigger.

The instructor dims the light and turns on gentle new age music. “And now for the partners, your job is to provide support. Pregnancy affects a person’s center of gravity and balance as the baby develops. Let’s start with some breathing exercises to develop nice, healthy lungs before we move into tree pose.”

Kat is right. The class is slightly awkward with her flat stomach. But I don’t mind the excuse to spend time with her. Or touch her. I want her to be connected to all of us, not just Liam. Whether that’s strictly friendship or something more is up to her, but it’s important she knows I’m here for her. However she wants me. We all are.

When she moves into tree pose and tries to stand on one leg, she wobbles. I catch her before she topples over. Kat hangs onto me as I get her upright again, providing support while her ankle wobbles again. “Shit, this is hard,” she whispers.

“You’ll get stronger,” I promise her. It’s a weekly class, and I’ve worked it out with the other PAs on my team to always have Tuesdays off.

When it’s time for floor work, she doesn’t need me as much. That means I get to stare at her shapely ass while she arches and scoops her back in the cat-cow pose.

“Don’t enjoy this too much,” she mumbles.

Grinning, I splay my hand across her lower back and make her dip lower, pushing her ass up higher. “What do you mean?”

She twists and gives me a knowing look while I smile.

“Now lay your chest down and twist, bringing one arm through. This is called threading the needle. If it’s not comfortable to be that low, you can use a block. This is prenatal yoga so we’re focusing on opening up that pelvis. Making a nice, healthy core to help with the baby’s birth.”

Kat watches the instructor, then moves into the pose. I stroke her back, brushing lightly over her ass, then drag my hand back up to her ribs.

For the warrior and goddess poses, I actually have to do more than tease her. Her balance is shit. It’s a good thing we’re starting this early. I don’t want her falling once her belly’s bigger.

“Now we’ll end in a nice, easy seated pose. Bring yourhands together, and if you’d like to set an intention for the day, do so now.” The instructor pauses, giving people time to meditate. “Om,” everyone says, dragging the sound out until they run out of breath.

“I feel taller,” she says after I’ve helped her stand. “That was harder than I thought it would be.”

I’m glad she liked it. Matthew hates the gym and Liam barely has to do more than think about weight lifting to bulk up. It’ll be nice to have a workout buddy. “Stretching is good for you. And it’ll help with the aches later. Do you want to see the rest of the gym? There’s a pool.”

“A pool?” she asks, excited. “Absolutely.”

I make a mental note to sign us both up for a water aerobics class sometime. I look good in a swimsuit. She definitely won’t be able to resist me then.

“And there’s a hot tub, but you can’t use that until after you have the baby. There are steam rooms and a dry sauna in each locker room.” I take her around the gym, showing her the running track that circles the room of weight machines. There’s a smaller room filled with free weights, and there are eight studios for yoga, pilates, and aerobics. The pool and hot tub take up the entire bottom level, and there are indoor courts for various sports as well as a tennis, basketball, and pickleball court outside. A juice bar with small alcoves for people to rest or get some work done on the wi-fi takes up half of the second floor. Physical therapy and outpatient rehab spaces occupy the other half.

“It’s a beautiful fitness center,” she says. “Did you want to work out? I know you’re not just here for the mommy-baby yoga.” She eyes me before looking away as if she’s self-conscious.

Has she been looking?The thought gives me hope. I trust Liam’s nose. If he says she’s pack, then I believe him. Besides,it’s nice to not be the newest packmate. Matthew and Liam have known each other for so long that sometimes it’s hard to not feel slightly intimidated by the depth of their history.

I bring her back to the weight room and show her how to use the machines, resetting the weight down to the lowest setting, slowly adding more until I see what she can handle. Once she’s set, I find another machine and move the pin down.

Building muscle as a beta is hard work. Alphas seem to pack on muscle simply by thinking about exercise. For everyone else, it takes determination and perseverance. After ten machines, I’ve sweated through my shirt. I move around to the chin up bar and whip my shirt off, tucking it in the waistband of my shorts. I grab the bar and start doing pull ups.

While I’m working, I look for her among the machines. Kat’s sitting on the bicep curl, staring at me, while a middle-aged man hovers nearby for his turn, annoyed. I wink at her as I pull myself up again and she turns pink.

She’s not the only woman sneaking glances. I tighten my abs while pulling myself up, then shift to the side to work my obliques. Women linger near the stretching station by the pull-up bar. It’s nice to be admired. To have all of my hard work appreciated. As a beta, I’ve always had to work harder to be fit. Kat can admire me as much as she wants. I like knowing that she’s interested in me too and not just our alpha.

But how interested is she? I’m itching to test that. To see if she wants me, too.

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