Page 219 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha

The infirmary walls were white-painted wood. It smelled sterile and antiseptic, making my nose itch and putting me on edge. I had never sat inside a doctor’s office like this. I was used to going home with scrapes and bruises from my bullies, but I’d never been injured to the point that a pack doctor needed to see me.

Night’s hand was warm and reassuring on my shoulder, and a wave of calm stole over me. “Don’t worry, I’m here,” he reminded me.

I put my hand over his and leaned against him. “Thank you. I needed that.”

So many problems felt insurmountable, but as long as I had my mate at my side, I knew we could conquer anything—including a brief doctor’s visit.

Dr. Stan returned a moment later, wheeling a bulky device with a flat black screen. The screen looked like a solar panel, but I knew it was meant to show images. I’d seen similar screens around the pack.

“I have to say, Alpha Night,” he said, closing the door with his foot, “the Kings have remarkable technology. We don’t have any ultrasounds as advanced as this one back home. We must get some of these ultrasound machines as soon as we can.”

Night smirked and nodded. “We’re working on it, believe me.” I knew he was referring to the alpha challenge. With his win, the Wargs would have access to the Kings’ resources.

That seemed to please Dr. Stan, and he brought the ultrasound closer to the examination table. “Congratulations on your pregnancy, Bryn. How have you been feeling?”

“Thank you, Doctor,” I replied. “Honestly, I haven’t been feeling all that well. I’ve been sick and exhausted.”

His gentle, handsome face was sympathetic as he nodded. “That doesn’t surprise me. Having a baby is no easy feat. Why don’t you lie down, and we’ll get started?”

“Sure. I’m a little nervous about all this.”

He smiled. “Don’t worry. There’s nothing invasive about this process; we’ll just see how your little one is growing. Could you lift your shirt, please?”

When I did, he squirted clear gel on my stomach.

Night took my hand again, and I squeezed it. “It’s a little cold.”

“Sorry about that. It’ll warm up once I’ve started the examination.” He pressed a device with a smooth head to my stomach and spread the gel around. Itdidwarm up pretty quickly. “Now, you’re just at the beginning of your pregnancy, so we probably won’t see much.”

As Dr. Stan slowly moved the device back and forth over my stomach, I squeezed Night’s hand again, and he ran his thumb back and forth over the back of my hand.

“There it is.” Dr. Stan grinned. “It’s just the size of a pea.” He turned the monitor toward me, showing me a black-and-white image. Near the middle of the image was a black circular shape and a little circle attached to the inside of that shape.

“That’s the baby?” I breathed. I didn’t know much about fetuses, but I hadn’t expected mine to be that small…and cute.

“Yes, indeed. Tiny, right? I’d say you’re around six weeks along.”

“Why is it pulsing like that?” Night asked, pointing to the throbbing bean.

“That’s the baby’s heartbeat.”

“In real-time?” he asked, awe filling his voice.

“Yes, Alpha. In real-time.” The doctor’s smile was so gentle, I got the impression that he loved having consultations with parents-to-be.

I returned my attention to the screen, my vision suddenly blurry with tears. It was one thing to know I was pregnant, but it was another thing to see the baby—to see it living. I was seeing thelittle life that was forming inside me, and I’d never seen anything more amazing.

Dr. Stan looked around a bit more. “Bryn, you should know that you’re very lucky.”

I tore my gaze away from the screen to look at him. “Hm? Why?”

His happy expression had smoothed into a more neutral one. “It looks like you’ve got only one ovary and a very low egg count. Because of that, the odds of you getting pregnant are quite low.”

I gaped at him. I’d had no idea there was anything wrong with me. True, my periods had never been regular, but my mother and I had chalked it up to female wolf hormones in the air throwing off my cycle.

“Will I be able to get pregnant again?” I asked.

“Most women with this condition only have one child, if they are able to conceive at all. It’s very unlikely that you will be able to have a second child. A condition like this is genetic, something you would have been born with.”