Page 39 of Rejected and Pregnant by the Alpha (Forbidden Alpha Kings #52)
Hannah
Curled up in a bath of ice water, I whimper and push back the pain of my heat. Jiya came in a while ago to say Saben woke up. I was happy to hear my baby was awake and that the wolfsbane was gone from his small body, but I hated that I couldn’t be there as the first person he saw when he woke up.
“Mama?” The door to the bathroom opens, and I plaster a smile onto my face, not wanting Saben to see me in pain.
“Hi, baby,” I greet him as Saben walks into the bathroom and stands by the large bathtub.
“Granny Jiya says you’re in heat. Is it painful?” he asks, his green eyes filled with worry.
“It’s just really hot in here for me, Saben,” I answer carefully, not wanting to give too much away. He looks at me as if he doesn’t believe my words, and I sigh. My son is too smart for a five-year-old some days.
“Mama, do you want Dr. Grace to come take care of you?” he asks, and I chuckle. Of course, my son would think that I should have Dr. Grace come and treat me.
“Sorry, Saben, but a doctor can’t help me,” I begin to explain. “Heat is a cycle a mama goes through. It tells her mate that her body is ready for another baby.”
Saben lights up at this, his green eyes shining with mischief. “Does this mean I can have a brother?” he asks excitedly, making me laugh.
“Sorry, baby, but Mama needs a mate to give you a little brother,” I say through my chuckles, watching Saben pout at this. “Besides, you might end up with a baby sister,” I add.
Saben stays quiet, looking down at his hands that clutch the edge of the bathtub. I sigh, reaching out and gently poking his nose.
“One day, Mama will give you lots of brothers and sisters, but you need to wait a bit,” I promise, and my son perks up at this.
“Okay, Mama! I will wait for a brother to play with,” he agrees readily, his eyes closed as he grins at me.
“Saben, there you are.” The door is pushed open further, and Jiya walks in wearing a pair of slacks and a nice blouse.
She catches Saben’s attention, and I chuckle as he looks down with guilt.
“I told you to wait for me to check on your mama before you came in here.” She sighs, moving toward my son and ruffling his hair.
“I wanted to see Mama,” he whispers, expecting to be scolded.
“You’re not in trouble,” I reassure Saben, giving my son a gentle smile.
“But Mama needs to focus on getting better, so could you go play with your toys while Granny Jiya and I talk?” I ask, trying not to wince as the flames from my heat lick at my body.
Saben nods, his grin returning to his face as he tells me to get better before running out of the bathroom. Jiya is quick to close and lock the door before handing me a towel. I quickly bite down on it, screaming from the pain caused by the heat, and finally allow the tears to flow down my face.
“Sorry, he got away from me when I was helping Aidan bring in some food from his car,” Jiya apologizes as I sink further into the ice water, praying for this heat to end.
It’s fine. I’m just glad to see Saben awake and back to his old self, I link to Jiya, my eyes shut and mouth full of the towel muffling my whimpers of pain. Jiya sighs, reaching out and pushing my hair back from my face.
“This one is the strongest heat you’ve experienced,” she mutters. “I think it’s because Julian is so close. You might need his help this time,” she continues.
I say nothing, knowing Jiya means well. She is right; this heat has been unbearable, the pain so intense that I have to keep biting down on something to prevent myself from snarling and howling with pain and scaring Saben.
I will only let him near me if it’s life or death at this point, I say, wrapping my arms tightly around my body and writhing in pain. The ice water splashes around the tub with my movement, and Jiya sighs.
“Fine, but I will send him your way if I think you can’t endure this any longer,” Jiya states, putting her hand in the water.
Fine. If you think that I’m on the brink of going feral, or worse, that this heat will kill me, tell Julian, I agree reluctantly.
“I will. Let me get some more ice. The last batch has nearly melted,” Jiya says. She leaves the bathroom before returning a few minutes later, pouring three bags of ice into the water. The cold instantly soothes my burning flesh, and I sigh, slowly stretching out.
“Thank you,” I whimper.
“Get some rest, Hannah. I’ll keep Saben occupied,” she says, giving me a reassuring smile.
Jiya leaves, closing the door behind her.
I close my eyes and focus on breathing. I know the ice won’t last long, as this is our fourth refill since my heat started.
My body seems to grow hotter with each passing hour, and I can’t help but wonder just what caused it to be so strong.
The only reasonable answer is that my body is reacting to Julian being so close and that the mate bond is trying to bring us back together.