Chapter 8 The Weight of Secrets

Lila POV

I stared at the ultrasound image taped to my bathroom mirror, the grainy black and white blob that Dr. Kim had circled in red marker barely recognizable as human. Seven weeks now. Seven weeks of carrying Marcus's child while watching him plan a future with another woman.

The morning sickness had gotten worse, though I'd become expert at hiding it. Quick trips to the bathroom between Marcus's meetings, breath mints constantly on hand, loose clothing that disguised my increasingly sensitive body. The physical symptoms were manageable. The emotional weight was something else entirely.

My phone buzzed with another appointment reminder from Dr. Kim. The comprehensive consultation to discuss "options and risk factors." The appointment I'd been putting off for two weeks because I couldn't face the decisions waiting for me there.

Footsteps in the hallway made me quickly tear down the ultrasound photo, shoving it into my jewelry box next to the divorce papers and medical records. My collection of secrets was growing by the day.

"Lila?" Marcus's voice carried through the bathroom door. "You okay in there?"

"Fine," I called back, splashing cold water on my face. "Just getting ready."

I opened the door to find him fully dressed in one of his expensive suits, checking his watch with the impatient energy that meant pack business.

"I have to run to the office early," he said, kissing my forehead in that absent way that had become our standard greeting. "Dad wants to discuss the European expansion before the board meeting."

European expansion. Right. The business opportunities that would apparently keep him very busy while I was conveniently out of the country.

"Will you be home for dinner?" I asked, though we both knew the answer.

"Probably late. You know how these strategy sessions go." He paused at the bedroom doorway. "Actually, I might have to travel more in the coming months. Dad wants me to personally oversee some of the new partnerships."

"Of course he does." I kept my voice neutral, but my mind was already cataloging the implications. More travel meant more time with Vera. More opportunity for them to plan their future while I dealt with an increasingly complicated present.

"You don't mind, do you? I know things have been... distant between us lately. But once you're settled in Paris and I get this expansion launched, maybe we can figure out how to reconnect."

The casual cruelty of it took my breath away. He was literally planning to cheat on me more efficiently while suggesting we work on our marriage long-distance.

"I'm sure we'll figure something out," I managed.

After Marcus left, I sat on our bed holding the ultrasound photo, studying the tiny cluster of cells that represented an impossible future. Seven weeks of carrying a secret that could change everything—if I let it.

The smart thing would be to terminate the pregnancy and stick to my original plan. Clean break, fresh start, no complications. Marcus would never know what he'd lost, and I'd be free to build whatever life I wanted in Paris.

But the longer I stared at the grainy image, the harder that choice became.

My phone rang while I was making coffee, Dr. Kim's number flashing on the screen.

"Lila, I need to see you today. There are some test results we need to discuss immediately."

The urgency in Dr. Kim's voice made my blood turn cold. "What kind of results?"

"I'd rather discuss this in person. Can you come in this afternoon?"

Two hours later, I sat across from Dr. Kim in the familiar examination room, my hands clenched in my lap as the doctor reviewed a thick file.

"The genetic screening came back," Dr. Kim began carefully. "Given your exposure to wolfsbane and the... unusual nature of this conception, I ran some additional tests."

I braced myself for the worst. Birth defects. Developmental issues. Confirmation that this miracle pregnancy was actually a cruel joke.

"The baby is completely healthy," Dr. Kim continued, and my heart resumed beating. "But there's something else. Something I need you to understand before you make any decisions about this pregnancy."

"What is it?"

Dr. Kim pulled up a genetic analysis on her computer screen, charts and graphs that meant nothing to me but seemed to fascinate the doctor.

"The wolfsbane exposure didn't just damage your reproductive system," she said slowly. "It actually altered your genetic expression in some very specific ways. Ways that are... unprecedented in our research."

"I don't understand."

"Your body has developed antibodies to wolfsbane that we've never seen before. Not just resistance—actual immunity. And more importantly, you're passing that immunity to your child."

The words hung in the air like a puzzle I couldn't quite solve.

"This baby," Dr. Kim continued, "will be born with complete immunity to wolfsbane poisoning. In the werewolf community, that makes this child incredibly valuable. Potentially the most valuable werewolf heir born in generations."

Valuable. The word echoed in my mind, reshaping everything I thought I understood about my situation.

"Are you saying this child would be special? Even beyond being Marcus's heir?"

"I'm saying this child could be the key to protecting the entire pack from their greatest weakness. Wolfsbane has been used against werewolves for centuries. A natural immunity could change the balance of power between packs, between species."

I stared at the genetic charts, my mind racing through implications I'd never considered. I wasn't just carrying Marcus's heir—I was carrying a child that could reshape werewolf society.

A child that Marcus was unknowingly throwing away for a normal pregnancy with a normal woman.

"Does anyone else know about this?" I asked quietly.

Dr. Kim shook her head. "The results came directly to me. Pack confidentiality means I can't share genetic information without explicit permission from the patient."

"And Marcus? Would he understand what this means?"

"Any werewolf would understand. This level of wolfsbane immunity is legendary. Theoretical. The kind of genetic advantage that pack leaders have dreamed about for generations."

I nodded slowly, pieces of a new strategy clicking into place in my mind.

"I need time to think," I said.

"Of course. But Lila—given the significance of what we're dealing with, whatever you decide, make sure it's for the right reasons."

That evening, I sat in my home office with my laptop open, researching werewolf genetics and wolfsbane immunity until my eyes burned. Every article confirmed what Dr. Kim had said—a child with natural wolfsbane immunity would be considered a genetic miracle, a potential savior for their entire species.

The child Marcus was unknowingly rejecting could be worth more than his entire family fortune.

The irony was perfect. I'd been planning to leave him with nothing but divorce papers and the knowledge of his betrayal. Instead, fate had handed me the ultimate revenge: the power to deny him something he'd value more than anything else in the world.

My phone buzzed with a text from Marcus: Working late again. Don't wait up.

Another evening with Vera and their ordinary baby while his wife carried the genetic lottery ticket he'd never even know existed.

Unless I decided to tell him.

I closed my laptop and walked to the bedroom, pulling out the ultrasound photo once more. Seven weeks of impossible, carrying a child that could change everything.

I had all the power now. The question was what I intended to do with it.

Outside our window, the city lights twinkled like stars, and I began planning the most elegant revenge I'd ever conceived.

Marcus Gray thought he was choosing between two women.

He had no idea he was choosing between two futures.