Page 10 of An Uncertain Claim

Okay, so he had a point. Considering I was showing now, shifters would be able to detect both the mother’s and father’s scent from the child.

“Fine,” I conceded in a grumble. “But it’s still not certain that the baby is a wolf. And what do you mean ‘her?’”

He shrugged, but his expression suggested he felt the same surprised as I had by his casual use of the pronoun.

“Well, let’s see if we can find out,” Myka said as she squirted some clear jelly onto my stomach.

I squeaked, shocked by both the cold and the reminder that we weren’t alone in the room…because Nathan had the ability to make me forget everything else around me. So annoying.

Nathan winked at me as he crouched down next to my head. His mouth came so close that I felt his silky beard brush over my temple.

The little box Myka had brought over turned out to have a small screen and when she turned it on it was blank. Then she put a wand in the jelly and when she moved it around the screen blinked, suddenly showing a black and white picture. She moved the instrument around for a few minutes. “Everything looks really great. I don’t see anything to be worried about,” she said after a minute.

Her words sent a wave of relief through me, and I let out a breath I hadn’t known I was holding.

Myka bent toward the box once more and pressed another button. It began emitting a fastthump, thump, thump, and she smiled. “The baby has a very strong heartbeat, and the pace is right on track too.”

My eyes had been glued to the screen, but the second I’d heard the beating of my child’s heart, my gaze had locked with Nathan’s. Our hands automatically found each other’s and our fingers threaded together. I didn’t know what to say and for the first time in my life, I cursed my stunted emotional growth. But Nathan shook his head and squeezed my hand before leaning in to place a soft, sweet kiss on my lips. Just like that, I knew he understood what was going through my mind. Neither of us were adept at feelings and shit, but wonder had taken hold of both of us.

I felt the same emotion from my panther, who lay in contented happiness as she listened to the heartbeat. I saw the same happiness when Nathan’s eyes flashed with his wolf.

Myka laughed and pulled us from our intimate moment, drawing our eyes back to the little screen. “I hate to inflate my Alpha’s ego any more, but it looks like he predicted correctly.”

“It’s a wolf?” I asked hesitantly.

“Oh, no. You’ll have to do a DNA test for that one. But I’m very confident in telling you that you are having a baby girl.”

Chapter Seven

Peyton

“Agirl…”

Suddenly, everything became much more real—as if I’d been watching a movie all this time, not living it.

“Congratulations, Mom and Dad,” Myka said with a grin as she wiped my belly clean of the goop. Then she began packing up her equipment and added, “I’ll get out of your hair. I’d like to see you again in a week though, Peyton. With everything you’ve been through in the last month and a half, I want to keep a little closer of an eye on you for a while.”

“I’ll make sure she’s at her appointments,” Nathan interjected before I could agree.

My panther bristled at Nathan’s tone. She appreciated his strength and dominance, but she still didn’t like to be bossed around outside the bedroom any more than I did.

I smiled sweetly at Myka as I sat up and said, “I’ll absolutely be there, but if I’m not, I suggest you call the OB at the local prison for the criminally insane. I’ll probably be incarcerated there for the murder of your Alpha. I’m sure the insanity plea will work. Who wouldn’t believe he drove me crazy?”

“Enough sexy talk,” Nathan growled playfully.

I rolled my eyes hard enough to hit the back of my skull and stood. “Oh, for the love of…what kind of person is turned on by death threats?”

Myka laughed and hefted the strap of a bag containing everything she’d brought over her shoulder. Then she gave us a jaunty wave as she left out the front door.

Nathan grabbed my waist before I could stomp away and jerked me up against his body. His free hand cupped an ass cheek, and he buried his face in my hair. “It’s not the death threat, baby,” he said in a low, gravelly voice that had my toes curling and my cat melting into a puddle. Bossiness aside, both she and I were turned on by Nathan’s manhandling. Damn it. “It’s the prospect of dominating the one making the threats. It’s hot as fuck to think of making you scream my name in ecstasy rather than in a murderous rage.”

I bit my lip to keep from moaning. My cat, however, didn’t care what I wanted, and she purred.Fucking purred. Traitorous tramp.

“Hmmmm,” he hummed in my ear, making moisture flood to my center. “I think your kitty cat wants to play, Peyton.”

I almost gave in, but something kept niggling at the back of my brain. I dug for it and finally unearthed my anger. I didn’t know how it happened, but everything just went up in flames when we were together. It was so easy to focus on our physical need for each other and forget all the other shit between us.

Not this time though. I wouldn’t let him distract me from the come-to-Jesus meeting we needed to have. I shook my head and pushed against his chest, then held back a whimper of disappointment when he released me.

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