OLIVIA
The room was swallowed by darkness, the light unable to find its way in. Olivia felt disoriented as she opened her eyes, the unfamiliar surroundings reminding her that Alex had moved them to a safer locationâa bedroom in the basement.
There wasnât even a window to offer a sliver of light. She understood the logic behind it; it eliminated any chance of a breach if their enemies decided to strike again.
The darkness was comforting when she needed to sleep, but it also served as a constant reminder of their situation and the fact that they were in unfamiliar territory.
She shifted in the bed, half-expecting to feel the comforting warmth of Alex behind her. But the cold sheets quickly reminded her that she was alone.
Her ears picked up a faint sound, like the distant hum of running water. ~Heâs in the shower~, she realized.
They no longer had the luxury of a private bathroom, so Alex had to step out to shower. But he wouldnât have gone far. His protective instincts wouldnât allow him to stray too far from her.
Sitting up in bed, Olivia felt something brush against her fingers. ~A piece of paper~. She looked down to find a large orange envelope on the bed with a post-it note attached.
â~Showering. Thought this would make more sense to you than me.~â He wasnât wrong. She had seen her fair share of blood tests.
She might need to do a bit of research to understand some of the results, though. She didnât have every detail memorized.
And she wasnât sure how comprehensive this test was.
She wasnât even sure what the results might reveal. Was there something wrong with her? Would the test even show it? Could it be something she ate? Her heat?
Most of those things wouldnât show up on a blood test. The mere thought of it made her stomach churn with anxiety. ~Donât overthink it~. She hadnât yet shared her suspicions about Lina.
She was waiting for the test results. She hoped that something might stand out, something that could validate her suspicions. Right now, all she had was a hunch.
She couldnât accuse someone based on a hunch.
What if Lina was just uncomfortable around her? Was it fair to point fingers at the only human member of the pack?
Her past experiences had taught her that she wasnât always the best judge of character. But she couldnât shake off the nagging feeling that she was missing a crucial piece of the puzzle.
She let out a deep breath, her lungs deflating as she exhaled. She opened the envelope and slowly pulled out the white sheet of paper.
She placed it on top of the envelope, her eyes scanning the information as quickly as possible. Most of the results were normal.
Her creatinine levels were high, but that was usually a sign of dehydration, which made sense given their circumstances. Her eyes moved down the page, taking in each result until she stopped. ~Oh~. hCG. 3,054.
~Okay. Right~.
They were expecting this.
She knew it wasnât ~a surprise~. She couldnât be surprised. ~No~. They knew. They ~suspected~. It explained ~so much~.
But her grip on the paper loosened, the sheet and the envelope slipping from her hands and landing on her lap.
~Itâs okay~. But no matter how many times she repeated that to herself, it didnât sink in. Her heart started to race, her hands became clammy, and her chest heaved as her mind filled with thoughts.
Was the room getting warmer? It felt warm. It was warm. Maybe she needed to get rid of the blanket. She kicked off the beige sheets, but it didnât seem to help.
She wasnât sick.
This was a good thing.
No one hadâdone anything. She understood why she felt faint now.
It was okay, it was good.
â~Hey, ~youâre aââ
But Alex didnât finish his sentence.
She turned to look at him, trying to keep her face neutral, but she knew she wasnât succeeding.
One look at his face told her that she had failed. Was it the wide eyes? The parted lips? The slight tremble in her body? All of the above?
âLivy, what happened?â
He was by her side in an instant, clad only in a towel, his dark hair still wet from the shower.
His hand enveloped hers, holding it firmly as his other hand gently lifted her chin. âAre you okay? Did something happen? I didnât hear anyone come in.â
His gaze darted around the room, likely searching for any signs of danger. He was worried about her. Because he cared.
âIââ She swallowed, her mouth dry as a desert, âI got my test results.â
His expression shifted, but it wasnât any less concerned. He was trying to keep his worry hidden. ~Right~.
She was making it sound like bad news. She was causing him unnecessary stress. It was good newsâshe was about to share good news.
âWhat did they say?â
âWell, um, myâI haveâmy hCG is over 3000.â
His slow blink made her feel foolish. Why on earth would he know what hCG meant? Get it together, Olivia, for fuckâs sake. The medical jargon, the nervous ramblingâ¦no wonder he was worried.
She was probably as pale as a ghost on top of everything else. The words were right there, on the tip of her tongue, but she couldnât say them.
â⦠And that means?â
She blinked.
âLivy?â
This was supposed to be a special moment, wasnât it? A cute stuffed animal? A picture? A card? She didnât have any of those. She had test results, but that wasnât cute or how sheâd imagined this.
For a time, she wasnât even sure if ~this~ was a possibility for her. But she couldnât change the situation or the moment.
Deep breath, deep breath.
âI-it means Iâmâ¦â ~Just say it, Liv.~ âPregnant.â
The word hung heavy in the air between them, and all she could do was watch him as he processed the news. His eyebrows shot up but he didnât say anything. He looked at her, then at the crumpled paper mixed in with the sheets, ~then back at her~. âAre you sure?â
~How could I not be~. âYeah.â
She knew he had considered this possibility, one he was much more comfortable with than she was. This was his world, after all.
He knew what he was getting into and he didnât hold back. He was okay with this. But being okay with a hypothetical situation versus reality; those were two different things.
Would he handle it as well now that it was real and right in front of them?
Of all the reactions she expected from him, a hug was the last thing she thought heâd choose. But thatâs exactly what he did.
His arms enveloped her, pulling her close to him. She could feel the dampness of his skin, his wet hair brushing against her faceâand he was laughing. His body shook with laughter as he held her.
~He was okay.~
He was more than okay~.~
Oliviaâs eyes widened as he pulled back just enough to plant a kiss on her cheek. Did he think she was ill? Did he think something terrible was about to happen to her?
From that perspective, of course, pregnancy was a much better outcome. Between a baby and deathâ¦not that she was comparing herâ~yes, her~âbaby to death.
No, she wouldnâtâshe would loveâor ~already loved⦠God, she had just found outâ¦~
âYouâre pregnant,â he echoed, lowering himself to kiss her stomach. There was nothing there.
Even if she lifted her shirt, there wouldnât be a bump. Not yet. But that didnât stop him from kissing her stomach. He was genuinely happy. Not pretending to be happy. ~He was simply happy~.
Watching him hold her, kiss her belly, she couldnât stop the tears welling up in her eyes.
She hadnât handled everything perfectly. New situations often overwhelmed her, especially when she had no control over them.
But Alex? He took everything in stride. He persevered, even when faced with countless obstacles.
He was radiating joy and relief, completely engrossed in the news sheâd given him as if sheâd made him the happiest man on Earth.
How could he be like this?
How could ~she~ be more like him?â
A wave of emotions washed over her, filling her to the brim and before she knew it, she was throwing herself into his arms.
He caught her before they both toppled overâjust as she knew he wouldâand he returned the embrace. âYou alright?â
Tears were cascading down her cheeks, but she didnât bother to wipe them away. ~It needs to come out~, she thought.
This could be a positive thing. She wouldnât dwell on the fear it stirred within her, or the worry that the baby might get entangled in the chaos that was unfolding. It was another life to safeguard.
But she didnât want to ponder on that now. She wanted to find joy with him.
He made her yearn for happiness.
She nodded, nestling her face into his neck. âHold me.â
He laughed softly. âYou donât have to ask me twice.â
Alex embraced her more tightly, and she could feel his heartbeat against her chest. âEverythingâs going to be okay, I promise,â he murmured. âIâll look after both of you.â
She had no reason to doubt his sincerity, but it did frighten her.
She didnât want him to risk his life. She didnât want him to go to extreme lengths if it meant endangering ~his~ life.
âAre you okay with this?â
She nodded.
âI know itâs sudden.â
They had discussed it.
They had overcome that obstacle. But then, it hadnât been real before, and it was now. âMy mindâs going to need a moment to process,â she quipped. Hopefully, heâd interpret that as her being okay.
Because she truly was.
Someone was targeting her. She had just started to adjust to this new environment. She was in a good place with Alex. ~And now~ a baby was added to the equation. She didnât want to dampen this moment for him, for them.
âCan you do me a favor?â
âAbsolutely.â
âDonât tell anyone yetânot even Maya.â
~What theâ¦~âWaitâ¦are youâ¦â Her heart plummeted; it didnât make sense. He was ~truly~ happy. She could see it.
Alex gently pulled her away from him, creating a space between their bodies, and then he cradled her face in his large hands. âIâm happy. I-I just need to see something. Thatâs all.â He rested his forehead against hers, his nose lightly grazing hers.
âDo you trust me, Livy?â
âYes.â She didnât hesitate.
âWeâll tell them. I just need a few days.â
She nodded. âOkay,â she whispered.
Alex had a tendency to withhold things from her. This wasnât the first instance.
He never did it with ill intentions before. But this time, she wouldnât question it. Not just because he asked her to, but because she herself didnât know how to break the news to others.
They might get excited, ask questions, and she needed to process this before she could share this development with others.
Pregnant.
She was ~pregnant~.