Chapter 0002

“I haven’t seen you before, beautiful.” The man raised an eyebrow as a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. This man, whoever he was, was the epitome of the word ‘cocky’. And I really, really didn’t like cocky people. I wasn’t looking for a conversation, all I needed was that damn vial and I wasn’t in the mood to flirt with some idiot to get it.

“Yeah, well, it’s my first time here, so that’s probably why.” My eyes flickered down to the vial in his hand and I couldn’t help but frown when he crossed his arms over his chest, leaning lazily against the doorframe and crossing one foot in front of the other. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at his flippant tone and posture – despite the fact that I already thought of him as an idiot, I prayed that that gene didn’t transfer over to the vial of DNA. I didn’t need my future child acting like an imbecile.

“Hm.”

“You don’t need to have seen me, because you’re just here to give your sperm to some woman you don’t even know. Spread your seed and all that, right?” I forced a polite smile on my face before snatching the vial from his hand with ease, a little surprised at how quickly he’d let go of it as soon as I touched it. I paused for a moment, expecting another cocky comment or even for him to take the vial back, but… nothing.

“Alright.” He shrugged, pushing himself off the frame of the door before giving me a slight nod, “It’s yours now, then. Take care, gorgeous.” I couldn’t help but watch as he sauntered off towards the exit, shoving his hands into both pockets and whistling a little tune.

Strange. So, so strange, but at least I’d gotten what I came here for. I shook my head to myself before making my way back to the front desk, slapping the clipboard of donors onto the counter to get the receptionist’s attention before holding the vial of sperm up to show her.

“I’ve found my donor. Let’s get this done.”

“Oh, uh-” The receptionist cleared her throat quietly, looking side to side before leaning forward and lowering her voice, “That’s not… exactly how the procedure works, we have to follow protocol and-”

“And we can make an exception for Ms. Ravenwood, of course we can.” The manager stepped in with a smile, bumping the receptionist out of the way before letting out what sounded like a very forced laugh. “Don’t worry, Ms. Ravenwood. If you’ve found your perfect match, who are we to stand in the way of that?” She slid the clipboard off the counter and took the vial before placing it in the receptionist’s hand. “You’ll make sure to treat our VIP well, won’t you?”

The receptionist pressed her lips together before turning to give me a smile and a slight nod, “Of course, Ms. Ravenwood. I’ll personally see to it that we get this done right away, and I’ll even help you with filling out the paperwork. Right this way, ma’am. I’ll take you to the insemination room and one of our doctors will be with you as soon as they can.”

“Thank you.” I smiled sweetly, batting my lashes slightly before rounding the counter to follow the receptionist. The manager was right – who were they to stand in the way of my happiness?

***

“Alright, Ms. Ravenwood,” The doctor smiled, wheeling herself over to the foot of the examination table as she pulled on her latex gloves with a snap, “It’s a relatively straightforward process so this shouldn’t hurt at all. If anything, you’ll feel a little pinch but that’ll be it. If you feel uncomfortable at any time, just let me know and we can take a break.”

“Okay.” I kept my eyes trained on the black and white monitor as I laid on the table, reaching down to adjust my dressing gown slightly to keep it from sliding down all the way and exposing me even more to the doctor. (My legs were already in stirrups, I really didn’t need to be in an even more vulnerable position than I already was.)

“Perfect. Here we go.”

The hum of the fluorescent light on the ceiling was the only thing I could hear, and I let out a little breath before folding my hands over my lap. My lips parted as I watched the sperm being injected into my body, my legs fighting the urge to clamp shut at the foreign feeling of being inseminated this way.

“And… done.” The doctor reached up to help me pull my dressing gown down before unclasping my ankles from the stirrups. “See? Not so hard, was it?”

“How long will it take before I know I’m pregnant?” I asked, turning to look at her when she reached over to switch the monitor off.

“At least ten days, ma’am. If it doesn’t work, we’ll have to try another insemination.”

I nodded in understanding but hoped that I’d get lucky on the first go and it would work – I really hated being in stirrups.

***

“Prince Isaac.” The beta dipped his head in acknowledgement as Isaac Thorn stepped into the meeting room. Isaac brushed past him before taking a seat at the head of the table.

As the youngest son of the Lycan King, the only reason why he’d paid a visit to the Werewolf Kingdom was for one reason and one reason only: he needed an heir. He was the only prince without a Luna, and he knew that this wasn’t exactly the best look for him and his family. And so, for the sake of succession, he chose to use a surrogate – even though surrogacy was technically illegal in Lycan’s country, what his family and the people didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them, right?

“How much longer until the surrogate mother is ready?” Isaac asked, inspecting his cuticles before glancing over at the beta, who continued to stand obediently by the double doors. He wanted to know how soon he’d be able to confirm the woman he had seen at the Werewolf Reproductive Center was pregnant. It was odd, though – she didn’t seem like the type to be a surrogate mother. Based on the short interaction they had, he could already tell that she was stronger than any she-wolf Isaac had ever met.

“She’ll be here soon, sir.” The beta swallowed nervously, his throat bobbing. Just then, there was a gentle knock at the door, and the beta perked up before reaching over to open it. Isaac turned his head, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion when a stranger stepped into the room. She offered him a polite smile before folding her hands in front of her, keeping her gaze lowered.

“Out of all the candidates you had me meet with, this young woman was the most promising surrogate mother I’d screened,” The beta cleared his throat with a proud smile on his face, gesturing to the young woman, “I have her file as well, if you’d like to take a look for yourself. And if you’re satisfied with her, we can proceed with the surrogacy right away, sir.”

“But…” Isaac’s eyes flickered off to the side as he slowly sat up straighter in his chair, his lips parting to say something before he pressed them together. He looked at the young woman standing by the door, taking a second to process what the hell was happening before- Oh, no.

He’d made a mistake. A very, very big mistake.