Page 47 of Lycan King's Claim
I clench my stomach, the nausea overtaking me as I heave into the bucket placed hastily at my bedside. Adina stands nearby, her face a mixture of concern. As if it weren't embarrassing enough to puke in front of him, I have his mother to bear witness to my misery. However, I prefer Adina to Xandros.
“Must be food poisoning,” I mumble between retches, feeling the heat rise in my cheeks from both the embarrassment and the exertion.
Queen Adina watches me with worried eyes until the doctor arrives, sighing heavily as if his coming here is nothing short of an inconvenience to him as he steps into the room.
“Queen Adina, Queen Sienna,” he greets us. I cringe internally, hating the title he's bestowed upon me. I'm no queen, not by choice anyway.
“You're wasting your time, just leave. I'm sorry Xandros called you in, I am fine, I think it's just a bit of food poisoning,” I tell him, trying to dismiss his concern.
“Food poisoning? He should have brought you straight in given your condition,” Doctor Rami says sternly. He takes my temperature, and checks my pulse. His brows furrow in confusion.
“Seriously, Doctor, I am fine.” I try to sound reassuring, but it only makes him click his tongue.
“At least let me get my doppler,” he states, rummaging through his bag. Adina clears her throat, clearly confused, and I find myself sharing her bewilderment.
“Did you say, doppler?” Adina asks him.
“Yes, for the baby. Why didn’t your son bring her straight in? If it's food poisoning, she needs to be monitored.” he explains while I stare at Adina horrified. Baby? What baby?
My heart pounds wildly in my chest, and a cold sweat breaks out on my forehead. Surely, he can't mean that I'm pregnant. The thought is absolutely horrifying, something I never even considered possible.
“Doctor, there must be some mistake… I can't be pregnant,” I whisper, my voice barely audible. The room seems to shrink around me, the air growing heavy with the weight of this revelation.
“Queen Sienna, I'm afraid there's no mistake. I'm sorry you had to find out this way,” he says, genuine regret in his eyes. Did he not tell you when I sent the results, though, this explains why you missed your first scan?
My mind races, trying to process the information. Adina stands frozen, her expressions mirroring my own shock.
“Wait,” Adina rubs her temples, attempting to process this shocking revelation.
“You need to slow down… Are you telling me she is pregnant?” She glances at me, her eyes filled with worry.
I stare at the doctor, my heart pounding in my chest like a wild animal trying to break free. His words echo in my mind, and I struggle to comprehend them. Pregnant? Me?
“He seriously didn't tell you?” the doctor asks, his brows furrowing as he looks between Adina and me. His confusion only adds to the chaos swirling inside me.
“Tell me what?” My voice cracks, betraying the terror that courses through my veins. Hoping I just imagined this entire thing.
“That you're pregnant. I mailed the results two days after you fainted, along with your check-up schedule,” he says, his tone matter-of-fact.
Adina seems taken aback by the revelation, but her surprise pales in comparison to the torrent of emotions threatening to drown me. “No, I'm on…” my voice trails off. Wait, Xandros never put me on birth control. It must have slipped his mind.
My eyes widen as I look at Adina, searching for answers in her expression. Her thoughts must go to the same place mine did because I've been training, I challenged Carina, and I've drunk alcohol. What would be the chances of a fetus surviving all that? And with so many Lycans and vampires around, couldn't they tell, wouldn't that be something they can hear or smell?
24
“Doc, we need to backtrack a little,” Adina says, her voice wavering. “None of us were aware she was pregnant, and I know my son certainly didn't know because there's no way he would let her out of his sight had he known.”
The doctor looks between us, clearly confused. “I mailed her results to the castle. It's not a severed bond; she is pregnant. She is…” He rummages through his bag, pulling out a file. “Roughly six weeks along.”
Six weeks? That means I must have gotten pregnant the very first time I went into heat. I glance at Adina, who seems just as shocked as I am.
“Doctor,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper. “You're telling me, I have a baby growing inside me and not one of us heard a heartbeat, when I can hear a damn fly in the next room?” I ask and Adina nods her head in agreement.
He hesitates before answering, carefully selecting his words. “Yes, that can happen. Especially if the amniotic sac is unusually thick. It's rare but not unheard of among Lycans. This makes it difficult for others to detect the pregnancy, even for you.”
“Is that why I couldn't shift?” I ask, connecting the dots.
“Yes. The pregnancy affects your body and its ability to shift,” he confirms.
