Page 12 of Wanted By the Cartel

"No," I whispered to my reflection one morning, after Zoren had left for an early meeting. "It's not possible. Not yet." But even as I said it, I knew I was lying to myself.

Moon-blessed omegas were notoriously fertile, especially with compatible alphas. And Zoren wasn't just compatible—he was my fated mate. Our magical resonance was perfect, our bond growing stronger each day. Of course this would happen.

He must have gotten me pregnant that one time… Still, at the time, I hadn't thought it would happen. I hadn't thought it was so easy to get pregnant.

I needed to know for sure, though. Without undeniable truth, I was still only imagining things.

Mae was the only one I could trust with this. I found her at the Howling Pine during the quiet afternoon hours, just like I knew I would. I thought that maybe I shouldn't come back to the same place I worked, given everything that happened to me, but didn't have a better choice.

The moment she saw me, her weathered face creased with knowing concern.

"Well, look who's back," she said, setting aside her inventory clipboard. "I was wondering when you'd come see old Mae about this."

I froze. "About what?" Did she really know? If so, how?

She gave me a look that saw right through me. "Child, I've been helping omegas for longer than you've been alive. I can sense the change in your magic from here. The real question is, why haven't you told that alpha of yours?"

Another question was how she was able to feel the change in me without being near me. Did she have some kind of special power I didn't know about?

The tears I'd been holding back for days finally spilled over. Mae immediately rounded the bar, pulling me into her arms like my grandmother used to do. Her embrace smelled of herbs andcomfort. Everything she did reminded me of my grandmother. It was one of the reasons we became friends.

"I'm scared," I admitted into her shoulder. "What if... what if this changes everything? What if he—"

"If you finish that sentence with any nonsense about him rejecting you or this child, I'll smack you upside the head," Mae interrupted. "That man looks at you like you hung the moon itself. But first, let's make sure, shall we?"

She led me to her private office upstairs, where she kept her special supplies. Not just a regular pregnancy test, but one designed for supernatural beings. The kind that could detect not just pregnancy but magical potential too. She'd once told me everything about it, as though she already knew this moment was going to come.

"Now, we do this properly," she said, setting up a small ritual circle. "Your regular drugstore test won't tell us what we need to know, not with your kind of power. This has to be done this way."

The waiting was excruciating. Mae had me lie on her old couch while she worked, combining modern medical testing with ancient magic. The room filled with the scent of burning herbs and the soft glow of spelled crystals.

I was surprised by how much she knew about omegas. I knew she was very experienced, but never thought that her knowledge was so vast.

When she finally turned to me, her eyes were wide with wonder. "Oh, my dear," she breathed. "You're not just pregnant. You're carrying twins."

The world tilted sideways. "Twins?" I echoed as though my voice was disappearing.

"Two little ones, already bright with magic. Moon-blessed, like their parent." She paused, studying the magical readingsmore closely. "And something more. Something I haven't seen in all my years..."

My hands flew to my stomach as though something was threatening my children. "What is it? Are they okay?"

"More than okay. Their magical signatures... they're perfectly balanced. One pulling toward lunar magic, one toward terra magic. Light and earth, moon and wolf. Do you understand what this means?"

I did. The implications hit me like a physical blow. Twins born to a moon-blessed omega and an alpha of Zoren's power would be extraordinary enough. But this perfect balance of powers... it was the stuff of legends. The kind of potential that could either heal the rifts in our world or become a target for those who would exploit such power. It was kind of terrifying.

"Mae," I whispered, terror and wonder warring in my voice, "what am I going to do?" I really didn't know.

She sat beside me, taking my trembling hands in hers. "First, you're going to breathe. Then you're going to tell that mate of yours, because these little ones are going to need both their parents' protection. The Nightshade Wolves aren't just your best option anymore—they're your only option."

I knew she was right, but still had an objection.

"But what if—"

"Stop with the 'what ifs,'" she said firmly. "I've seen how that man looks at you. How his magic reaches for yours even when you're across the room. He's not going to abandon you. If anything, he's going to become even more protective."

She was right, of course. Zoren had proven himself again and again, showing me that he wanted me for who I was, not what I could give him. But this... this would change everything.

I knew it was going to. The moment he found out, our relationship wouldn't be the same, and it was for that reason I was afraid.

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