chapter 1 Undressing for Inspection

Lyra's POV

"You're not saying you're pregnant, are you? But who knows if you're lying." My alpha heir mate's fated mate said. "Especially when you won't take off your clothes for me to examine."

"Take off your clothes, Lyra." My alpha heir mate said.

Two days ago, Dr. Blackwood told me I was pregnant. For these two days I'd been waiting for Dorian to come home, I couldn't help fantasizing a thousand times about his reaction when he learned I was pregnant. Not one scenario was like this.

At this moment, I could see them clearly. Dorian had his arm around his fated mate Seraphina, looking at me with furrowed brows and eyes full of doubt.

"He doesn't believe us," my wolf whimpered in my mind. "Our own mate doubts our word."

"Stay strong," I told her, though my own resolve was cracking. "The baby is real. We know the truth."

Two days earlier, I had gone to see Dr. Blackwood for a gynecological examination due to persistent physical discomfort, and was told I was pregnant. I was excited to tell Dorian the good news, but I kept waiting for him to come home, so I went everywhere looking for him, only to see him gently caring for Seraphina who had just returned at the edge of Moonlight Grove.

--

Two days earlier.

"Congratulations, Lyra. You're about six weeks pregnant," Dr. Blackwood had said.

"A pup," my wolf whispered. "Our pup. Our mate's pup."

Not our true mate, I reminded her silently. Trial mate. There's a difference.

Until the full Mating Ceremony sealed their fate, it existed in a temporary state, our connection time-bound.

"He could be," she insisted. "A pup changes everything. Even the coldest Alpha protects his offspring."

"Are you certain?" I'd whispered, afraid to believe it.

"The blood work confirms it. Your symptoms it all makes sense now."Dr. Blackwood said.

By the second evening, I couldn't wait anymore. The news was burning inside me, demanding to be shared. I had to find him.

I knew where to look. He often went to Moonlight Grove when he needed to think. But when I approached the ancient silver pines, I found him there with her.

Seraphina Crimson. His supposed fated mate who'd returned to Moon Shadow Bay just two weeks ago after three years away.

I watched from the shadows as he knelt beside her, his hands gentle as he examined what looked like a minor injury on her ankle. The way she leaned into him, their soft voices, the tenderness in his expression was everything I'd dreamed of having with him.

"Look at him with her," my wolf snarled, her mental voice turning bitter. "See how gentle his hands are? When has he ever touched us like that?"

Everything I'd never had. The careful attention, the worried concern, the protective instincts. I'd seen him check injuries of pack members before, but never with this kind of intimate care.

I'd forced myself to step forward, to interrupt this perfect moment between them.

"Dorian," I called out, my voice stronger than I felt. "I need to speak with you."

He looked up. "Lyra. What are you doing here?"

Seraphina's green eyes narrowed as she took in my simple appearance. Even in her injured state, she looked like a golden goddess, while I felt plain and ordinary in comparison.

"I need to tell you something important."

"Can't you see he's busy?" Seraphina said.

"I'm pregnant," I said.

Silence. Then Seraphina laughed.

"How convenient," she said, struggling to her feet. "Your trial period ends in two weeks, and suddenly you're pregnant?"

"I'm telling the truth—"

"Are you? The human doctor who doesn't understand werewolf physiology? "

"I have never lied to you," I whispered to Dorian, but he just watched me with cold suspicion.

"I think no one would believe a habitual liar about being pregnant," Seraphina said. "Maybe she's just—"

"Maybe she's just seeking attention," Dorian finished quietly.

The words shattered something inside me. The father of my child thought I was lying about the most important news I'd ever had to share.

"No," my wolf howled. "He can't mean that. Not about our pup."

"Is that so, Lyra?" he asked coldly. "Are you lying?"

"No," my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me. "I'm not lying. But if you need proof beyond my word then we'll get it."

"You're not saying you're pregnant, are you?" Seraphina said. "But who knows if you're lying. Especially when you won't take off your clothes for me to examine."

The demand hit me like a physical blow. "What?"

"I interned in obstetrics," she said smoothly. "I have experience with early pregnancy detection. If you're really six weeks along, there should be visible changes. "

"Take off your clothes, Lyra." Dorian commanded.

My hands trembled as they moved to the hem of my sweater. Alpha heir's command hit my wolf like a physical force, demanding submission. But beneath the supernatural compulsion, it was the emotional devastation that truly crushed me.

This man, who was supposed to protect me, cherish me, was ordering me to strip for his former lover's inspection.

"Don't do this," my wolf begged. "He has no right. Not like this."

But alpha commands weren't easily resisted, especially when delivered by your mate. My fingers continued their mechanical movements, even as tears began to stream down my cheeks.

I pulled off my sweater with shaking hands, then my jeans, standing in the moonlight in only my bra and underwear. Each piece of clothing that fell to the forest floor felt like another piece of my dignity being stripped away.

Seraphina circled me slowly, her green eyes cataloging every inch of my exposed skin with clinical detachment. "Hmm," she said thoughtfully. "I don't see any obvious changes yet."

I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to preserve what little modesty I had left. The cold night air raised goosebumps on my skin, but not as much as the predatory way she was examining me.

"The bra too," Seraphina said. "Breast changes are one of the earliest signs of pregnancy. "

I froze, my hands stilling at my sides. This was my breaking point. Some humiliations were too great to bear.

"Are you ashamed to show your barely-there breasts?" Seraphina asked. "Is that why you're hesitating? Because you know there are no pregnancy changes to see?"