Elara clutched the armrest of the plastic chair in the crowded clinic waiting room, trying to breathe through another wave of nausea. The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead like angry bees. Two weeks of hiding the truth from Mia, forcing smiles at the diner, and pretending everything was fine had taken its toll.
Her appointment was for a routine check, but the cramps had grown vicious overnight — sharp, twisting pains that radiated from her lower belly and left her dizzy. The heat in her veins came in unpredictable flares now, making her skin feel too tight, too hot. The nurse had taken one look at her pale face and bumped her up the queue.
"Elara Voss?" a tired voice called.
She stood on shaky legs and followed the doctor into the small exam room.
Dr. Patel flipped through her chart, frowning. "Your symptoms — severe morning sickness, abdominal pain, unexplained fever spikes… We'll run some bloodwork and an ultrasound today. Any chance you could be pregnant?"
Elara swallowed hard. "I… took a test. It was positive."
The doctor's expression softened with concern. "Let's take a look."
Minutes later, the ultrasound wand moved across her still-flat stomach. The screen flickered, and there it was — a tiny, flickering heartbeat. Strong. Faster than she expected.
But Dr. Patel's brow furrowed deeper. "The fetus is developing unusually fast for two weeks. And your blood pressure… it's all over the place. We need more tests. This doesn't look like a standard pregnancy. Your body seems to be… rejecting it, almost fighting itself. If it continues, you could be in real danger."
Elara's hand flew to her stomach. Danger? From her own baby?
She left the clinic with a prescription for anti-nausea meds and orders for more blood tests in two days. Her mind spun. How was she supposed to afford this? How was she supposed to protect a baby that might kill her?
Outside, under the gray Pretoria afternoon sky, she didn't notice the dark figure watching from the tree line across the parking lot.
Kai Blackthorn stood motionless, every muscle coiled. He'd followed her scent from the diner to the clinic, staying downwind, his wolf on high alert. Seeing her stumble slightly as she walked to her old car made his chest tighten with something feral and protective.
He waited until her beat-up hatchback pulled away, then slipped into the clinic's back entrance during a brief power dip — one of those annoying load-shedding moments that plagued the area. Security was lax. A few quiet threats and a wad of cash later, he was in the records room.
Hacking wasn't his usual style, but desperation made him creative. Jax had a contact who got him remote access. Kai scanned the digital files until he found hers.
Elara Voss. Age 24. Pregnant. Estimated conception two weeks ago.
Then the notes hit him like a silver bullet.
"Unexplained rapid fetal development… maternal immune response attacking pregnancy… risk of miscarriage or maternal organ failure high if untreated… recommend immediate specialist referral… patient is human, symptoms inconsistent with normal gestation…"
Human.
His human.
Carrying his pup.
The bond roared to life in his chest, confirming what his wolf had been screaming since that morning after the alley. She was his fated mate. And the pregnancy — proof the curse could break — was killing her because she hadn't been claimed. Without the mating bite, without becoming pack, her fragile human body couldn't handle the shifter pup growing inside her at an accelerated rate.
Kai's claws dug into the desk, splintering wood. His wolf howled for blood, for her, for the pup.
He had lost her once by walking away. He wouldn't lose them both now.
That night, under the cover of another rolling blackout that plunged half the town into darkness, Kai moved.
Elara had just locked her apartment door after putting Mia to bed when the power flickered off again. She cursed softly, fumbling for her phone flashlight.
A shadow detached from the corner of her living room.
Before she could scream, a large hand clamped over her mouth. A familiar scent — pine, rain, and raw masculine heat — flooded her senses.
"Shh, little mate," Kai's rough voice whispered against her ear. "I'm not here to hurt you. But you're coming with me. Our baby is killing you… and I'm the only one who can save you both."
Elara's eyes widened in the dark. She bit down hard on his hand and drove her elbow back, but he didn't even flinch.
As unconsciousness pulled at the edges of her vision from whatever he pressed to her neck, the last thing she heard was his low growl:
"You're mine now. Whether you trust me or not."