My heart jumped in panic. “Anna?” I whispered, my hands trembling as I pulled at the shawl quickly, tugging it away from her neck.
And what I saw shocked the life out of me.
RYAN’S POV
The moment I ripped that shawl away from her neck, my world stopped. The mark I had given Anna weeks ago wasn’t just there, it was glowing, a fiery red, pulsing like it had a heartbeat of its own. Smoke curled faintly off her skin, and for one terrifying second, I thought she was going to burst into flames right there in my arms.
“Anna! Baby, stay with me!” I shouted, clutching her as her head fell limp against my chest, her eyes barely open. Her skin was scorching, hotter than anything I’d ever felt, and my heart was pounding so fast I could hardly breathe.
Panic clawed at me, but I forced myself to move. I scooped her up and bolted out of the restaurant, rushing straight to the valet. My hands shook as I snatched the keys, sliding behind the wheel and speeding off, every second making it feel as if forever until I reached Johnson’s Hospital, the only place I trusted, because Dr. Kellan had been our family doctor for years, and more than that, he was the pack’s doctor.
}
The nurses took one look at Anna and hurried her onto a bed, while I barked out orders, my voice shaking, my legs refusing to let me stand still.
Kellan rushed in almost immediately, his coat half-buttoned, his face calm but sharp as always. He checked her pulse, her temperature, her breathing, before calling for an IV and injections. For a few endless minutes, I paced the floor, my fists clenched so tight they hurt, making me feel as if I’d break bones, watching them work on her.
Finally, after medication was administered and her breathing steadied a little, Kellan turned to me, his eyes narrowing.
“You say she’s human?” he asked, his voice low, almost skeptical.
I nodded quickly, my throat dry. “Yeah… she is.”
Kellan frowned, his eyes going back to Anna as she slept soundly on the bed, her face pale, sweat still glistening on her forehead. He lifted the edge of her gown slightly, checked her skin, then pulled the blanket back over her before looking me dead in the eye.
“Her vitals don’t match a human’s. Some of the readings I’m seeing… they’re showing werewolf traits.”
I froze. “What? That’s impossible. She’s… she’s-“
“I know who she is,” Kellan cut in, his tone firm but not unkind. “She’s the adopted daughter of your family. I know the story. I know how she came about. That’s why I’m just as surprised as you are. But Ryan…” He gestured at the monitors, then back at her mark. “This isn’t normal
My stomach twisted, my mind racing, “Do you think… do you think it’s because of the mark I gave her? Is this my fault?” My voice cracked on the last word.
Kellan shook his head slowly. “No. At least, not directly. She’s your mate, I can sense it… but the way I see it… this looks like something she was born with, buried so deep it ever showed. Your mark didn’t create it, Ryan. But it might have sharpened it, triggered something that was always there.”
I gripped the edge of the bed, staring at Anna’s sleeping face. “But she’s human… she’s always been human. How can she have… how can she have werewolf traits?”
Kellan let out a long breath. “Sometimes things weren’t as simple as they looked. Bloodlines can be complicated. There are cases, rare ones, where children born of human and wolf bloodlines don’t show any traits, and are believed to be fully human. Until something happens. Until the right trigger. It could be trauma. It could be a bond.39
In Anna’s case…” He paused, then looked me straight in the eyes. “…it was your mark. and now… her pregnancy.” The words hit me like a knife. I blinked at him, my chest tightening so fast I could barely breathe. “What?” My voice cracked. “No… no, you’re wrong. She can’t… she’s no-” My words choked out of me, my whole body shaking. “Pregnant? Anna?”
Kellan’s tone stayed steady, but there was weight in every word. “Yes. She’s pregnant. I’ve run enough checks to know. The symptoms aren’t just from your bond. It’s the child she’s carrying. The combination of your mark and the pregnancy is forcing her body to awaken the wolf blood she carries. That’s why her vitals are caught between human and wolf.”
My legs almost gave out. I staggered back, one hand dragging through my hair, the other clutching the edge of the bed like I needed it to stay upright. “No… no, this can’t-fuck-this can’t be happening. I was careful, Kellan, I swear to God, I was careful! I never-” My voice broke again, the words tangling in my throat.
Kellan’s gaze softened, though his voice stayed firm. “Ryan… you marked her. She’s your mate. Fate doesn’t care how careful you thought you were.”
I turned my eyes to Anna, sleeping so soundly, her lips parted, her chest rising and falling too faintly under the hospital blanket. My throat burned, my chest twisted until thought I’d shatter from the inside out. Pregnant. She was pregnant. My Anna. My mate. Carrying my child.
My pulse thundered in my ears as the words replayed over and over, but then Kellan spoke again, “Ryan… do you know anything about Anna’s biological parents before they died?”
I blinked, my head snapping toward him. “What are you talking about?”
He folded his arms, studying me with that steady look of his. “If one of them carried wolf blood, even a little, that could explain everything. The dormant traits. The way your mark lit up something buried. The pregnancy making it worse. Maybe… maybe she was never fully human to begin with. You need to ask your parents, Ryan. They should know something.”
ANNA’S POV
I stirred slowly in my sleep, though it wasn’t really sleep anymore, because voices were already tugging at me, pulling me awake. At first, I thought maybe it was a dream, but then I recognized them. Ryan’s voice, broken and shaky, and Dr. Kellan’s, steady but serious. My lashes fluttered, but I didn’t open my eyes fully, I just stayed still, pretending to be in a deep sleep while my ears stayed sharp
Then I heard Ryan, his voice choking on the words, as if saying them hurt him more than anything ever had. ” Pregnant? Anna?”
My heart stopped. My stomach twisted so violently I thought I’d throw up. Pregnant? Pregnant? That couldn’t be me. No. I told myself I must have misheard. I must be dreaming. But then Dr. Kellan’s voice came in, calm, matter of fact, cruel in how certain it sounded.
“Yes. She’s pregnant. I’ve run enough checks to know. The symptoms aren’t just from your bond. It’s the child she’s carrying. The combination of your mark and the pregnancy was forcing her body to awaken the wolf blood she carries. That’s why her vitals are caught between human and wolf.”
I froze. The words spun inside my head, over and over, repeating until my chest hurt. Pregnant? Wolf blood? Human and wolf? None of it made sense. It wasn’t me. I didn’t understand. My throat tightened, my body trembled under the blanket, but I kept still, pretending to sleep while my ears refused to let me miss a single word. Confusion mixed with fear, my heart hammering as my world started to feel like it wasn’t mine anymore.
I stayed like that until Dr. Kellan left, the door closed behind him and the silence that followed was deafening. I couldn’t hold it anymore. My eyes opened, and I pushed myself up slowly, every muscle trembling, not from fever anymore but from dread.
Ryan turned at once, his frown deep, but when his eyes met mine, worry took over his face. He rushed to me immediately, his voice soft.
“Anna, baby, when did you wake up?” He brushed his hand against my forehead, slid his fingers down to my neck , his thumb gently pressing to check my pulse. His brows pinched together as he studied me. “Do you feel okay? You scared me half to death. You were burning up. Are you better now?”
But I didn’t answer his questions. I couldn’t. My lips trembled and the only words that made it out were a whisper. “Am I truly pregnant?”
His hand stilled. His entire body froze. He looked at me, his mouth opening slightly, but no words came out. Finally, he sighed, his eyes closing briefly before he took my hand in his, holding it tightly,
My voice cracked as I added, “And I’m not fully human?”
Ryan’s eyes lowered, and his silence told me everything I needed to know. My stomach dropped, my chest twisted and my body began shaking harder. But it wasn’t sickness anymore. I wasn’t weak. I wasn’t burning. I was fine now, fine in my body, but broken in my heart. Shaking because the truth was too heavy.
“I’m pregnant…” I whispered again, repeating it as if I was trying to make sense of it, but each time I said it, it hurt more. Tears filled my eyes until they blurred my vision I looked at Ryan helplessly, my grip tightening around his hand. “How? We were careful. We were always careful. It was only once, only once you released inside me, how could that one time…?” My voice cracked, my tears fell. “What is Mom going to say? She’s going to hate me, Ryan. She’s going to hate me forever.”
Ryan cupped my face, his thumbs brushing my cheeks, his voice desperate. “Anna, please, baby, calm down.
We’ll figure this out together, you’re not alone in this-“
“No!” I shook my head violently, the tears falling harder. “Don’t tell me to calm down! I can’t be pregnant, Ryan, I can’t! I’m just nineteen! I’m still a fresher in the university, my life was only starting. How am I supposed to raise a baby? How am I supposed to even face Mom? She already said we were wrong, she already said we were supposed to be siblings, she already hated that we were together… and now… now I’m pregnant with your child?” My voice cracked and broke into sobs, my chest heaving as buried my face in my hands. “She’s going to be so, disappointed in me, Ryan.”
SO
He wrapped his arms around me tightly, pulling me into his chest, rocking me slightly as if that was making me calm. “Anna, listen to me, I’m here. You’re mine. You’re my mate. This is our baby, and I’ll protect you both with everything I am. Please don’t cry like this. Please, baby.”
But I kept shaking my head, sobbing against him. “No, Ryan, I can’t be pregnant. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to breathe right now. I’m scared. I’m so scared.”
The door opened.
Everything inside me froze. Ryan’s arms stiffened, his body turned, and I lifted my tear-soaked face slowly, dread crawling through me.
Mom stood in the doorway.
Her face was carved with everything I had feared most. Shock. Disappointment. Anger. Betrayal. Her eyes flicked between me and Ryan, her lips trembling, her breaths uneven. Then her voice came, making my chest cave in completely.
“What did I just hear…? Pregnant? You? Anna?”
ANNA’S POV
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