Shock of Pregnancy

The walls felt like they were closing in on me. Ever since the revelation about my blood and Kieran's, a restlessness had been building inside me, a pressure that made it hard to breathe. I needed to move, to escape the suffocating confines of this room, even if just for a moment.

"I need to take some air," I said, moving toward the door.

Frost stepped into my path, concern etched on his features. "No, you need to go to the healers; things would only get worse if you left this unattended to and it's severe as it is."

"I can't..." I felt my heart racing, my skin flushing with heat. "I just need some air; get out of my way."

"I'm sorry I can't do that." He stood firm, his tall frame blocking the exit completely.

Something shifted inside me, a hunger I'd never experienced before rising to the surface. "You don't choose where I go and when," I said, my voice coming out sharper than I'd intended.

As I moved closer, intending to push past him, a strange scent caught my attention—pine and winter air, but underneath it something richer, more compelling. Blood. Frost's blood, pulsing just beneath the skin of his neck.

I found myself stepping closer, not to get past him now, but drawn by that scent. My gaze fixed on his throat, on the steady rhythm visible there.

"I'm sorry," I murmured, reaching up to touch his jaw, turning his head slightly to better expose his neck. "You scent really nice, Frost... really really nice, and your neck... it's beautiful."

Confusion flashed across his face, followed by alarm. "Is she drunk?" he asked, looking over my shoulder.

I hadn't realized Kaius had entered, hadn't heard him approach over the roaring in my ears—the sound of Frost's heartbeat, the call of his blood.

"No, she's not," Kaius replied, his voice tight.

I sensed movement behind me, but couldn't tear my gaze from Frost's neck. My mouth watered, an instinct I didn't understand compelling me closer, closer...

A hand gripped my arm, pulling me back. I turned to see Kaius, a syringe in his other hand.

"What are you doing?" I asked, reality breaking through the strange hunger for a moment.

"This is for your own good," he replied, his expression grim.

I understood his intent immediately, panic surging through me. "Don't," I warned, trying to pull away.

"Hold her," Kaius ordered Frost, who hesitated only briefly before complying, his strong arms restraining me despite my struggles.

"You want to hurt me," I accused, thrashing against their grip.

"No, I want to help you," Kaius insisted, bringing the needle toward my arm.

I fought harder, a strength I didn't know I possessed allowing me to break one arm free. I struck out at Kaius, my nails—suddenly longer, sharper—leaving red welts across his cheek.

He didn't flinch, didn't hesitate. The needle plunged into my arm, the liquid fire spreading through my veins. Almost immediately, the strange hunger began to fade, replaced by a heavy drowsiness that made my limbs leaden.

"No..." I protested weakly, but darkness was already closing in.

The last thing I saw was Kaius's face, his amber eyes filled with a mixture of concern and determination.

---

I awoke slowly, my thoughts foggy, my mouth dry. It took me a moment to realize I was in the healing wing, the sterile smell and soft beeping of medical equipment giving it away.

"Kaius?" I called, my voice raspy.

He appeared at my side, relief evident in his features. "You're awake. How do you feel?"

"Where am I?" I asked, though I already knew.

"You are at the healing room."

Memories filtered back through the haze.

"I'm sorry, Frost," I said, noticing him standing by the door.

"Is fine," he replied, though he kept his distance. A small smile played at his lips. "Do you still find my neck beautiful?"

Heat rushed to my cheeks. "That was really creepy of me," I admitted.

"It was less creepy and more concerning," Kaius said, his expression serious. "Do you remember what happened?"

"I felt... hungry. But not for food." I tried to make sense of the alien urges that had possessed me. "I could smell his blood. I wanted..." I couldn't finish the sentence, the implication too disturbing.

"Did the healers discover what was wrong with me?" I asked, desperate to change the subject.

Kaius exchanged a glance with Frost before answering. "There was nothing wrong with you," he said carefully.

I frowned. "Nothing wrong? I tried to bite Frost's neck. That's pretty wrong."

"You are pregnant," Kaius said, the words falling like stones between us.

I stared at him, certain I'd misheard. "I am pregnant?"

"Yes, you are..." He hesitated, then added, "and I don't mind taking care of the child."

The shock was so great I almost laughed. "Wait. I can't be pregnant. I and Kieran never... did it; the last person I had been with was you, and that was months ago; it can't be possible."

"Are you sure?" Kaius asked, his eyes searching mine.

"Yes. I never felt ready, so it never happened, and I am hundred percent sure of that." I ran a hand through my hair, trying to make sense of this impossibility.

"Back at the Storm Wardens, have you at any time woken up with any loss of memory or have you been unconscious around Kieran for a long period of time... alone?"

Horror replaced confusion as I understood what he was suggesting. "It can't be; he wouldn't. I should have felt something... right?, but I didn't. Kieran isn't like that; he would never rape me."

"Then how else would you explain a pregnancy?" Frost asked, his tone gentle despite the harshness of the question.

I looked between them, desperation rising. There had to be another explanation, something we were missing. My mind flashed to the strange transformation I'd undergone, the ritual in the forest, Kieran's blood...

"Kaius," I began, uncertain how to express the half-formed suspicion taking shape in my mind.

"It's fine," he cut me off, his expression hardening as he turned to Frost. "Watch over her; I will be gone for a while."

He strode from the room, purpose in every line of his body.

"Where is he going?" I asked, though I feared I already knew the answer.

Frost's silence confirmed my suspicion. Kaius was going to Storm Wardens, to Kieran. And he believed Kieran had violated me.

"I need to stop him," I said, trying to sit up. A wave of dizziness hit me, forcing me back down.

"You're not going anywhere," Frost replied firmly. "The healer wants to run more tests."

"But Kaius will kill him," I protested.

"If Kieran did what Kaius thinks he did, would that be so bad?" Frost asked, his usual gentleness giving way to a harder edge.

"But he didn't!" I insisted. "I know he didn't."

Before Frost could respond, a strange sensation rippled through my abdomen—not pain, exactly, but an unsettling movement that shouldn't be possible so early. I pressed my hand against my stomach, feeling a slight curve that hadn't been there before.

"Get me the healer," I whispered, fear seeping into my bones. "Something's wrong."