The steady rise and fall of Lottie's back against my chest is what wakes me in the morning. My arm had been slung over her waist gripping her hand that was resting over her stomach. I didn't want to get up this morning. Shït, I could still feel the remains of alcohol in my system. It wouldn't impair me but it still made me want to stay right here with my arms around my mate. I had to meet with the alphas again and the idea already gave me a headache. Groaning I tighten my hold around Lottie and pull her in closer to me, my nose brushing over her neck. Taking a deep breathe a savour her scent letting it calm my wolf before I freeze. Her scent had changed. Opening my eyes I push myself up a little and look down at her. Her face was relaxed and she was breathing steadily. She was sleeping a lot better lately and I know she was completely out of it but at the moment I wanted her to be awake. Pressing my nose back to her neck in the little spot behind her ear, I breathe in her scent again. It wasn't even faint. The smell was there, stronger than ever. It was a strong smell of the pregnancy hormone. Taking a deep breathe I reposition my hand over her lower stomach where our pup was growing. Past her heartbeat and my own fastened one I finally hear the steady and dull fast beat. How had I not noticed it before? 'Riley,' Keeping my hand protectively over Lottie's I contact Riley. 'Suite, blood test, now please.' Pressing a kiss to her forehead I pull myself from the sheets and tuck her back in before I walk over to the door. Reynolds head turns to me from his spot at the end of the lounge. He was leant back and looked deep in thought until he saw me. His eyebrows furrowed as he quickly got up to stand next to me in the doorway. "What, what's wrong?" his eyes flicked back to Lottie before they came back to me. Shaking my head I turn back to look at my mate who looks completely peaceful and unaware that she was carrying the future monarch to an entire country. "Listen." Again his eyebrows furrowed but he still looked towards Lottie and listened out for the heartbeat. The same time he scoffs a little and looks to me with a smile, Riley comes through the other door. "Why are you waking me so early?" She questions as she comes up to stand with us, her eyes looking to Lottie as well. "She's pregnant." Riley's eyes widen and she takes a breath. "We haven't mated since the night before George took her. Can you check everything is ok please?" I felt my throat tighten on the words. Riley senses my distress and holds her hand out. "The heartbeats strong and if you can smell it everything should be fine." Slowly she walked across the room, looking over Lottie's form. "She already has her arm over her stomach because sub-consciously she should already know. She would have the instinct of a she wolf and would know if something was wrong." Thinking back on it she had been sleeping like that for weeks. Why was I only just figuring this out? "She lost a lot of blood." My mind was plagued with the images of her skin shredded. She still had faint scars covering her arms even though she tried to keep it hidden, they were there. "When her body couldn't feel your wolf she drew from the pup's power. I was wondering why she didn't bleed out." Her voice drops low as she moves to Lottie's side. "The best way I can check if anything is really wrong is to do an ultrasound, but I can't do that here and I don't really want to do it if she can't see it." She shot me a glare across the room and I growled lightly. "I don't want to wake her up, she needs to rest. Plus I don't want her to get happy if that pup is in danger." Crossing my arms over my chest I go closer to Lottie as Riley pulls the needle out. Reynolds stays at the door with his arms crossed over his chest as he watches over both rooms. I sat down in front of Lottie pulling her arm over my lap, running my hand over the underside of it trying to relax the skin. Gently Riley inserted the needle into her arm, she groaned lightly and curled herself around me as she tried to pull her arm back. Riley excused herself and said she'd contact with me the results. The best she could guarantee was how far along she was and she was persistent in not doing an ultrasound until Lottie could see it. "You're not going to tell her anytime soon are you?" Reynolds questions from the door. Looking down at her push back a few strands of her hair that had fallen. "I will, I just don't know how." "She wants this Ryder." He says still sounding a little annoyed. "She's going too pissed off if you know and you don't tell her. I'll let you get some more sleep." "Stay with her for the day." I say to him as he walks back out of the room only giving me a mumble in reply. Moving back behind her I wrap my arm back around her placing my hand over hers that was already resting on her stomach. Nuzzling my noise back into her neck I breathed back in the calming scent as I waited for Riley to get back to me. 'She's four weeks.' She eventually says. 'From the HCG levels she's been pregnant since her heat. It's up to you to tell her but I'd like to do any ultrasound as soon as possible.' My arms stayed securely wrapped around Lottie until she woke up. She gently stirred and moved further into me before she spoke. "Don't you need to be with the alphas?" her voice was scratchy from sleep, but it was one of my favourite noises. I had to tell her. "I do, but," She cut me off before I could say anything, her voice hinting to the smirk I couldn't see. "But what, I'm fine. Go do what you have to do. I'm not going anywhere today." Pushing myself up on the mattress I looked down at her forcing myself to tell her. However my eyes meet the beautiful turquoise blue of her eyes and I sunk into the beauty of them instead. "But..." Again she cut me off. "You know for a king, I would think you wouldn't say the word but. Go Ryder. Reynolds is going to be in the room all day." Grumbling out a stream of curse words in Jordenian she didn't know I looked towards the door. I had to tell her but she just wasn't letting me and I really didn't know how to tell her. I had all day to tell her. "Fine, I love you." Pressing a kiss to her forehead I get up off the bed. When I walked back out of the closest she was already half asleep and I smiled at how she was protecting her stomach again. Reynolds eyed me as walked out of the room. "Don't." I said simply to him as I raised my hand. I didn't need to hear from him how much of a dičk I was being. "If she attempts to castrate you when she finds out, which she will, I'm not going to stop her." Shaking my head at him I walked out of the door. I was going to tell her, I just had to figure out how.