Page 90 of Knot Your Baby

“Are you sure they were DRA officials?” Thorne asks.

I run my hand through my hair, frustration bubbling through me. They had badges, but something feels off.

Thorne continues. “The lawyer told me the DRA doesn’t typically make hospital calls like this. They usually send letters first.”

“Unless they sent letters to her apartment,” Zane says.

Thorne stops pacing, his jaw tight. “But how did they even know where to find her? She’s not at her apartment.”

“Her medical records probably have a tracker on them,” I say, keeping my voice low.

Zane pushes off the wall, eyes narrowing at his brother. “That doesn’t explain how they knew about Stone in the first place. The birth certificate shows my name.”

A heavy silence falls between us. Thorne’s shoulders stiffen, and I catch the subtle shift in his scent.

“Thorne?” I press.

He won’t meet our eyes. “I might have made some inquiries.”

“What kind of inquiries?” Zane’s voice drops dangerously low.

“I asked Maya to check wellness center records. To see if we could track down who...” He doesn’t finish the sentence.

Zane lunges forward, grabbing his brother by the collar. “You fucking idiot!”

I step between them, pushing them apart. “Keep it down. Freya’s already terrified.”

“Why couldn’t you just let her be?” Zane snarls.

“I thought—”

“The baby’s father should know.” The pieces click together in my head. “But you’ve put them in a perilous position. “

Thorne’s face pales. “I never thought—”

“That’s the problem,” I cut him off. “You never think about anyone but yourself.”

We fall silent as a nurse walks past, giving us a warning look.

“I thought I stopped it.”

I shake my head at Thorne. “We need to get back to Freya,” I say, straightening my lab coat. “She needs to know we’re not going to let anyone take her baby.”

“We need to get her out of here,” Zane says.

I grimace. “She had a severe drop four days ago. Moving her could be risky.”

Thorne rubs a hand over his stubble jaw. “Is it riskier than leaving her where government officials can walk in and try to take my baby and potentially jail her?”

“Our baby,” Zane corrects him, and both Thorne and I turn to him. “She and Stone are our pack now, Thorne. The baby belongs to this pack.”

“Talking about Stone. Why did you run the tests?” Thorne stops pacing, his shoulders rigid as he turns to me. “When did you know?”

“I had an inkling she had something to hide. She tried to tell me a few times, but stopped herself,” I tell him.

Zane hums to himself like he’s just worked out the puzzle. “We could protect her and the baby by making Freya our official omega. Then we can protect them properly.”

“Yes. We could ask her to accept us legally…we could claim her,” I say. “I know it’s a bit early, but—”

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