Evaline:
"What are you talking about?" Kyros asked, he and Mallory staring at as if daring to spout any nonsense.
I inhaled deeply, fixed my gaze on the two of them, and made the announcent - "I’m pregnant."
Silence.
That was the last thing I was expecting. Not a squeal, not a scream, not even one of Mallory’s usual gasps that always made heads turn. Just silence.
Kyros and Mallory both stared at like I had just sprouted wings... or worse, horns... right in front of them. My chest tightened. My fingers twisted in the hem of my sweater as I waited for one of them to say sothing, anything.
It was Mallory who broke free first.
She blinked rapidly, then waved her hand in the air like she was swatting away a fly. "Ha-ha, very funny, Eva. Do better with your jokes next ti, will you? For a second, I almost believed you."
My lips parted in disbelief. Mallory, of all people, thought I was joking? Ever since I had known her, I had dropped such shock bombs in her lap nurous tis and she always believed . But for the first ti, her reaction was... denial.
Kyros, on the other hand, hadn’t moved an inch. He was still staring at with wide eyes, lips parted as though words had left him completely. His gaze flickered between and Mallory, like he was trying to decide who to believe.
I sighed softly, the sound slipping out before I could stop it. "I’m not ssing with you guys," I said quietly. "I am really pregnant."
Mallory froze this ti. Her eyes narrowed at like she was trying to read if this was another one of my occasional dry teases. But I held her gaze. I didn’t look away. Didn’t blink. Didn’t let my lips twitch into a smile that might betray my seriousness.
And then... finally... it clicked. Her eyes went wide. Shock flared across her face as she realized I wasn’t playing around.
Right at that mont, Rowan’s calm voice filled the silence.
"She’s telling the truth. She’s pregnant."
Both Mallory and Kyros whipped their heads toward him so quickly I almost worried they would strain their necks.
"You knew?!" Mallory shrieked, her voice a mixture of betrayal and disbelief.
Rowan gave a simple nod, his expression unreadable as always.
Kyros was the next to find his voice, his tone more asured but equally stunned. "Since when?"
Rowan leaned back in his couch, folding his arms. "Almost since the beginning. Since we entered Silver Moon."
Mallory’s mouth opened. Then closed. She repeated the process like a fish gasping for air before finally managing words. "Wait. Hold on."
Her fingers lifted, counting off on each one as she spoke. "You felt your mate bond snd got together with Draven and Oscar after you got into Silver Moon. And River... that was just recently. But if what Rowan’s saying is true, then-" She turned to him sharply. "That ans she was already pregnant before the term even began."
Rowan dipped his chin once in quiet confirmation.
Mallory whipped back to , her eyes so wide I thought they might pop right out of her face. "So... you got pregnant before you even t your mates? Is that what you are saying?"
Her voice rose higher with every word, ending in a squeaky question mark.
I closed my eyes for a second, inhaling deeply, before releasing the truth I had been holding close for far too long. "The baby... belongs to my ex-mate."
The room went silent again.
But this ti, it wasn’t disbelief. It was processing.
Mallory and Kyros exchanged a look, and I knew exactly what was running through their heads. They had known about him... about the mate I once had, the one I lost... because I had told them long ago in one of those raw, late-night conversations when we opened up to each other. But knowing I had an ex-mate was one thing. Finding out I was carrying his child was another.
Finally, both of them nodded slowly, their faces softening with understanding.
But then Mallory’s eyes sharpened again. I could almost see the gears turning in her mind before she looked down at my belly.
"Wait a minute," she muttered, her brows furrowing. "It’s been six months since we joined Silver Moon. You are saying you were already pregnant before that. Which ans..." Her gaze trailed from my face down to my midsection, stopping there. "Then how co...?"
Her voice faded as the unasked question hung in the air between us. Her stare remained glued to the gentle curve hidden beneath my oversized sweater.
I swallowed and gave her the truth. "I’m already thirty-three weeks along."
The collective gasp that followed nearly shook the walls.
"Thirty-three?!" Mallory practically scread. "As in... like... eight months?!"
I nodded faintly.
"That’s insane," she whispered, pointing at my stomach in sheer disbelief. "How is that even possible? You don’t... I an... You look-" She waved her hands helplessly. "You don’t look eight months pregnant, Eva! No where close to it!"
Before I could answer, Kyros finally spoke, his voice firm but laced with quiet frustration at her obliviousness. "Did you forget what she looked like when we first ca to Silver Moon? She was only skin and bones, Mallory. A skeleton."
Mallory paused, her mouth closing.
I nodded, my voice soft. "He’s right. My bump didn’t show at all until the end of the second trister. My body was too weak, too thin. But now... it’s catching up fast. The last two weeks, it feels like everything just exploded. My bump’s grown twice the size, but winter clothes are hiding it well."
Mallory blinked at , then down at my stomach again, realization dawning.
Her lips parted, her eyes wide with horror and awe all at once. "That ans... your due date could be in a month or so."
Her words hung heavy in the air, settling into all of us at once.
And just like that, it clicked for her... why I wouldn’t be able to return to Silver Moon Academy anyti soon.
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