Page 14 of Knot Your Baby

But then she nods. “I work in a bakery and have alphas coming in all day and every day. It’s for the best.”

“You need to stop them immediately.” My voice sharpens with urgency. “They could cause the pain. The baby doesn’t like it.”

“The baby?” She blinks at me, surprise flashing across her pretty face.

“Yes.” I don’t want to sound alarmist, but this isn’t normal; I can feel it in my bones.

Her expression shifts from surprise to determination. “You’re saying these blockers could hurt my baby?”

“I can’t say for certain,” I reply carefully, watching her face. “It’s unusual for an omega to be on scent blockers when she is pregnant. They not only block your body from communicating to an alpha, but also, they can stop you from bonding with your child naturally.”

Her eyes round. “They can? No—”

“Yes. The baby needs to smell their mother while in the womb.”

Freya glances at Harlow for support; worry etches into her features as she absorbs my words.

“It’s not just about you anymore,” I add gently. “Stop the blockers and the pain will stop, and then you’ll sail through the rest of your pregnancy.”

A beat of silence stretches between us as she processes what I’ve said—her green eyes darting between mine and Harlow’s.

“I’ll think about it,” she finally says, but I sense doubt lingers beneath her resolve.

Harlow leans forward slightly in her chair. “Freya...”

The tension hangs thick in the air as we wait for Freya’s next move.

When I look at her, there’s a flicker of recognition igniting in my mind. Something about her is familiar, yet I can’t quite place from where.

“Have we met before?” I ask, breaking the silence that hangs between us.

She tilts her head slightly, her green eyes narrowing as if she’s trying to dig into a memory. “Possibly in here,” she replies softly, but there’s something deeper in her tone and the way she looks at me.

“You look familiar.” My voice is low, almost a whisper.

Freya’s lips twist into a tight smile, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “I have a bakery,” she says. “That’s what everyone says, but I’m also easy to forget.”

The hurt behind her voice tugs at something inside me. “I doubt anyone will forget you.”

A moment stretches between us. She glances at Harlow, who looks amused.

Freya swallows, and her gaze softens for just an instant before she blinks it away. “Well,” she starts, shuffling off the exam bed with renewed energy, as if shaking off the moment we just shared. “I’ll stop the scent blockers. It’s only for four weeks, anyway.”

“Wait,” I blurt. “How does your pack feel about you using scent blockers?”

Her expression shifts to wide-eyed and startled, like a rabbit caught in the headlights.

“They’re fine,” she stammers out too quickly, glancing toward Harlow for support. “They know the dangers an omega faces, so it’s part of the territory of working in a customer-oriented role.”

Did I just catch a lie simmering beneath her words? Otherwise, why did her voice tremble?

Something isn’t adding up.

“Freya...” I lean closer, lowering my voice. “You don’t have to hide anything from me. I’m a doctor. We have a doctor-patient confidentiality agreement.”

She meets my gaze again and for a heartbeat; I think she is going to open up, but then she masks it with another forced smile.

“My pack is away on business,” she insists lightly, as if brushing off my concern. “And I’m just concerned they won’t get back in time for the birth.”

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