4 : Developmental Phase

Verena

The world seems to stop as I hear what she said. I am…pregnant?

“What?” I gasp.

The woman nods, her eyes glinting with excitement. “Yes, Luna. I ran a USG scan, and it shows that you are pregnant.”

Dory shrieks, “Oh my Goddess! That's wonderful news.” She grins at me, and hugs Drake, who is taken aback by her sister’s excitement.

The doctor looks at my confused expression and asks, “Is everything alright?”

I stare at my lap. How can I be pregnant? Drake senses my confusion and turns to the doctor, “Can we have some time alone with her? We’ll call you if we need anything. Thank you for the news, doc.”

“Um, alright,” she says hesitantly, giving me one last glance before walking out of the room.

Dory senses the change in mood and asks me, “What’s wrong, Luna?”

“I think I understand why she is confused,” Drake answers, and Dory looks at him. “We all know that Luna does not have a wolf.”

Dory’s brows shoot up in realization. “Oh my, that’s right. Then, how?” She looks at me, the colors of excitement on her face completely gone.

A she-wolf who did not shift can’t bear another male wolf’s child, let alone that of an Alpha’s child. Our genetics act like one of a normal human, and we are not compatible with carrying a shifter’s child. So how can I be pregnant?

“We should get the report checked or tell them to run another test on you. The report can be wrong,” Drake says in a calm voice. He is always calm in these situations and looks at every problem through a logical perspective.

As advised by Drake, I undergo another USG scan to confirm if the report is accurate or not. Dory insists that I get some rest, so I return to the packhouse after the test is over. She promises to bring me the test report, so I anxiously wait for her in one of my spare rooms.

When the second test report arrives, my eyes stay glued to the report file, my hands trembling.

Test result—positive.

Sweet tears blur my vision. I can’t believe this. I am really pregnant.

“It's really true, Luna. You are with child,” Dory remarks with a huge smile plastered on her face.

My hand reaches to my belly. There is a life growing inside me. When I had not shifted after my 18th birthday, I had lost all hope of conceiving. Elijah was unhappy about my barren state, and it was another reason for him to act cold towards me in the initial stages of our marriage. An Alpha needs an heir, and I was incapable of providing one.

“But how is this possible? I never shifted,” I mutter.

“I have a theory in my mind,” Dory replies as she stands before me with her hands crossed. I look up from the file, and a thoughtful look darkens her eyes, “There have been a few cases where the shifter did not transform at the right age because their wolf was still in a developmental phase.”

I raise a brow, “Developmental phase?”

She hums, “Most wolves start to develop in our bodies from the time of our birth. The average age for any healthy transformation is from eighteen to nineteen. Usually, after that time, no shifter ever transforms, meaning their wolf could not grow properly because of the lack of strength in the person’s body. But there was this one case study in the Moonlight Pack where the Alpha got his wolf at the age of twenty-six. Rumor has it that his predecessors also got their wolves late.”

“So it's in the bloodline?” I ask, rubbing my belly, “Isn’t the Moonlight Pack Alpha a powerful one who has magical powers?”

She nods, “That’s what everyone says. But recently, no one has seen the Alpha around, and some say that it's just baseless rumors. If he truly had magical powers, then he would have shown them, but there’s no incident as such. He’s been a mystery for the last ten years.”

I hum in agreement. It's hard to tell what my condition is, but I don’t care. If Elijah learns about this, I am sure he’ll annul the divorce. He can’t reject me after knowing that I have his baby. It will put the child’s life at risk.

I need to tell him. He has to change his mind after this. He can’t get separated from me if he knows that I am carrying his future heir.

I get up from the bed and tell Dory, “I’ll show this to the Alpha.” Not wasting another second, I am rushing out of the guestroom.

Thank Selene! She has blessed me with a child. She believes that Elijah and I are meant to be together. A smile curves my lips.

The moment I reach his office, I knock the door twice with my knuckles while excitement bubbles through me.

I hear his deep voice through the door, “Come in.”

I step in, feeling a little nervous as I find him sitting on his office chair, wearing his blue-light glasses with a white rim. They frame his obsidian eyes that scrutinize me. He looks so handsome in them.

But then my gaze falls on Nixie, whose arm rests on his shoulder. She is way too close to him, and frowns when she notices me. It's not hard to see the malicious look in her eyes. Once I settle things with Elijah, I’ll make sure she never gets a chance to come close to him.

“What brings you here, Rena?” Elijah asks, shifting his gaze to his computer screen. I am about to respond when he says, “I hope it's not ‘nothing’ like last time. You should know that I am a busy person, and my time has value." He speaks in a frosty demeanor that reminds me of winter.

“I am pregnant, Elijah,” I say, hoping that the news will shock him. He has always been looking forward to having an heir. Now his wish has come true.