Page 31 of The Alpha's Baby Girl

“I feel…weird. My head’s a bit fuzzy, but I’m fine, I think. Can you tell me what happened?”

“You don’t remember anything?” Rowan asked softly.

“Not exactly, sorry.”

“Well, you passed out again. We went into the forest to investigate the ward that had been tampered with, and…”

And then her memories came rushing back with full force. The recollection slammed into her with unexpected strength, and she felt like she had just been rudely thrown into a cold pool of water.

She remembered feeling the ward trigger and rushing into the forest with Rowan. She had really hoped to find a clue about their target, but instead all they’d found was the young boy who had been hurt and left for dead.

Juniper remembered how that had felt. The boy had lost a lot of blood and she was going to lose him. She had felt it. She had checked her reserves and had known that she did not have enough to bring the boy back.

And yet, she had managed to stitch him back together. She had checked to make sure she wasn’t transferring her life to the injured wolf, and she hadn’t.

Still, she shouldn’t have been able to heal the boy. She had passed out before she saw the outcome of her healing, but before she fell unconscious she’d been able to feel the life in the boy again.

“How is the boy?” Juniper asked without thinking, interrupting Rowan who was still giving her a recap of everything that had happened.

Rowan stopped talking abruptly, then smiled again. “He’s wonderful. You saved that little boy’s life. He’s back home now, and his parents send their regards to you.”

Juniper nodded quietly. Of course they did.Right after telling their son that all I want is some attention, she thought angrily, remembering what the boy had said.

“Are you okay?” Rowan asked with concern on his face, and Juniper realized that she had been frowning.

She smiled weakly and nodded. “Of course. I’m just pretty tired. Can you tell me what happened after I passed out?”

“Sure. After you passed out, I rushed you out of the woods and brought you straight into town to the pack healer. He uh…made some discoveries. Interesting discoveries.”

Juniper noticed how unsettled Rowan looked and felt a mix of worry and suspicion. Everything about his gestures and countenance had appeared off to Juniper from the moment she had opened her eyes.

Something did not smell right, and whatever that thing was, Juniper wondered if Rowan had any intention of telling her about it.

What did he mean when he said the doctor made interesting discoveries?

She could feel her irritation climbing through the roof and did her best to keep her annoyance at bay. “What do you mean?” she asked quietly and hoped that Rowan didn’t see just how irritated she was.

Rowan touched her cheek fondly, with that weird, sad smile on his face. He brushed her hair with his fingers, moving a stray lock from her face behind her ear.

“Well, uhm…the healer wanted to check your mana reserves before giving you any extra boosters and replacers, you see? Err…when he examined you, he…uhm, he stated that he had found two mana signatures inside you…”

“Okay…” Juniper replied impatiently. “And what exactly does that mean?”

Rowan cleared his throat elaborately and shifted again in his seat. Juniper frowned and glanced down at his seat. He looked like he was sitting on a bed of hot coals. Could he just get on with it?

She wondered if they had found a tumor inside her or something terminal. Was that why Rowan was acting so strangely? Had he found out that she was about to die? His actions seemed to make more sense all of a sudden.

Juniper shook her head. There was no need to make assumptions or get carried away. She was just sick and tired of Rowan’s entire display, which was in stark contrast to the organized, composed man she had come to get used to.

Rowan rubbed his hands together. “I guess there’s only one way to say this.” He held Juniper’s hands. “Juniper, you’re pregnant.”

She felt an instant rush of blood to her head, and heard glass shattering in her mind. Her ears rang loudly and her heart was pounding like a battle drum. Juniper was confused beyond words. She looked at Rowan with disbelief.

She shook her head. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand. What do you meanpregnant?”

Rowan looked at her affectionately with sad eyes. “You’re pregnant. There’s a baby inside you.”

Juniper’s world tumbled around her and she was swallowed whole by a sinking feeling of panic. “But how? How could I be pregnant? What am I going to do?”

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