Seraphina’s POV
One month later
I sat in the cramped waiting room of Whispering Valley’s only clinic, my hands trembling as I clutched the appointnt slip. For the past month, I’d been staying at Ophelia’s place.
The morning sickness had started two weeks ago—violent waves of nausea that left retching into Ophelia’s toilet bowl every sunrise, even though I’d taken ergency contraception the day after my encounter with the mysterious stranger.
Ophelia squeezed my hand, her own face pale with worry. "Whatever happens, we’ll figure it out together, okay?"
Dr. Matthews erged from his office, a kind elderly man who was one of the few pack mbers still willing to treat ogas with basic dignity.
"Seraphina," he said softly, settling into the chair across from us. "Child, you’re pregnant."
Blood rushed to my head, creating a roaring sound in my ears that drowned out everything else. Pregnant. With the mystery man’s child.
"What?!" Ophelia’s voice exploded beside , her shock matching my own.
"But... but we only had one night..." I stamred, my voice barely above a whisper.
"One night is all it takes," Dr. Matthews said gently, his eyes kind but serious.
"You’re about six weeks along." He leaned forward, studying my face with concern.
I stumbled out of the clinic on unsteady legs, Ophelia’s arm wrapped around my waist to keep upright. I was numb to everything except the thundering of my own heartbeat.
Gradually, tears began spilling down my cheeks.
"Ophelia, what am I going to do? I don’t even know who the father is. I never saw his face clearly, and I’m just an oga. If the pack finds out I’m carrying so stranger’s child..."
"Stop," Ophelia wiped my tears away with fierce determination. "First things first—we need to tell your parents. No matter what happened between you all, they need to know."
But when we arrived at the Knight residence, I was greeted by Victor’s explosive rage before I could even cross the threshold.
"Where the hell have you been?!" His voice bood across the front yard, drawing stares from neighbors. "You’ve been missing for an entire month! Do you have any idea how you embarrassed us by disappearing right before Valerie’s engagent ceremony? You selfish little brat!"
I knew perfectly well that Valerie and Gabriel wouldn’t have delayed their precious engagent for —they’d probably celebrated my absence. Fighting back a wave of nausea, I forced myself to et his furious gaze.
"I need to tell you sothing important," I said, my voice stronger than I felt.
"You need to apologize is what you need to do!" Elizabeth appeared behind him, her face twisted with disgust. "Running off like so common whore, making us look like fools in front of the entire pack."
"I’m pregnant," I blurted out, the words falling like stones into sudden silence.
Victor’s face went through a series of expressions—shock, disgust, then blazing fury. In one swift motion, he grabbed my arm hard enough to bruise. "What did you just say?"
"I said I’m pregnant." I tried to pull free from his grip, but his fingers dug deeper into my flesh.
"Enough!" Elizabeth’s voice cut through the air like a blade. "We don’t care about your excuses. What we care about is that you’re carrying so bastard’s child and expecting us to deal with the consequences."
"You have two choices," Victor snarled, his grip tightening until I gasped in pain. "Get rid of it, or get out of our house. We will not raise so stranger’s spawn or let you drag our family na through the mud any further."
"No!" I instinctively wrapped my free arm around my still-flat stomach.
"Then you can pack your things and leave," Elizabeth said coldly. "We won’t give you a penny. A pregnant oga with a bastard child? You’ll be the laughingstock of every pack for miles."
They were right about one thing—I needed to leave. I couldn’t stay in this prison they called ho, couldn’t subject my child to the sa abuse I’d endured.
"Fine," I said quietly, yanking my arm free from Victor’s grasp. "I’ll leave."
I climbed the stairs to my tiny room for the last ti, pulling out the battered suitcase I’d brought when they first adopted ten years ago. There wasn’t much to pack—a few worn dresses, so books, the small savings I’d accumulated from my diner job.
As I descended the stairs, suitcase in hand, Elizabeth and Victor watched with expressions of cold satisfaction.
"Don’t expect to co crawling back when reality hits," Victor called out as I reached the door. "You made your bed with whatever random wolf you spread your legs for. "
The words should have hurt, but I felt strangely numb. I walked out into the crisp evening air, leaving behind the only ho I’d known since childhood. Ophelia was waiting by her car.
"You’re staying with now," she announced before I could say anything. "No argunts. We’ll figure out the rest as we go."
"Ophelia, I can’t ask you to—"
"You’re not asking. I’m telling." She grabbed my suitcase and threw it in her trunk. "Besides, you think I’m letting my future godchild grow up without Aunt Ophelia spoiling them rotten?"
Despite everything, I felt a smile tug at my lips. "Godchild?"
"Damn right." She paused, studying my face. "Though... we should probably think about what you want to do long-term. Whispering Valley isn’t exactly the most progressive place for single oga mothers."
The mory of those srizing blue-silver eyes flashed through my mind, followed by the echo of whispered endearnts in the darkness.
"We’re going to be okay," I murmured, not sure if I was talking to Ayla, the baby, or myself. "We’ll figure it out. We have to."
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