Chapter 14

‘Was he thinking of taking me to the movies? Maybe an art gallery? Oh, perhaps some kind of museum? Perhaps, he’d plan a cute picnic in the park?’

Then again, this was James I was dealing with. It was truly difficult to associate a man like him with any of the ideas that came to mind.

He certainly didn’t come off as the kind of guy who would be interested in holding hands while lounging back on some sort of blanket on the ground, overlooking the city skyline. Regardless, the whole ordeal left me rather intrigued and I obediently followed after James as we headed out to the car.

...

When we arrived at our unknown destination, I got out of the back seat and stared blankly at the large medical facility that stood at least five stories high.

“James?” my voice filled with questionable concern. “What are we doing here?”

“We’re here for your prenatal check-up,” he responded casually.

My eyes practically bugged out of my head. “You know...” I muttered with a raised brow. “I’m fairly certain that you’ve managed to confuse the word ‘date’ with ‘appointment’.”

The corner of his mouth pulled up into a smirk as he escorted me into the building. He strolled up to the main desk and checked us in. While he and the receptionist dealt with all the finer details, I stole a quick glimpse around.

This place was absolutely stunning. At first glance, one wouldn’t even believe that it was a hospital but rather a hotel.

“It’s a private medical facility,” James commented quietly next to me.

Private?! Right as I was about to ask him a series of questions, James and I were happily greeted by an older gentleman in a long white coat, holding a clipboard.

“Mr. Derek! My goodness, it’s been quite some time since we’ve last seen you,” Dr. Harold said chipperly. “And you must be Miss Mia Jonhson, it’s an honor to meet you. Come this way, you two. We’ve got the room all set up and ready.”

As we followed Dr. Harold through the labyrinth of hallways, he boasted and prided over the newly finished renovations that the hospital had undergone.

“I’m also very pleased to announce that we’ve also been given some of the finest equipment in the field, so you can rest assured that you are in very good hands.” His smile never left his face as he spoke. “I must say, I didn’t think that the James Derek would ever find the time out of his busy schedule to come and visit with us as well.”

James chuckled and gently shook his head. “Harold, you’ve been a close family friend for years, let's not be coy with one another. We both know that you’re one the best gynecologists in the city.”

James said that he'd be waiting outside while Dr. Harold ran through the check-up. While I was prepped and lying back on the cushioned table, Dr. Harold and I began conversing on light topics.

“So, earlier James mentioned that you’re close with his family,” I commented.

“Oh, yes,” he hummed. “I’ve helped deliver many children within the Derek family. Of course, as I've mentioned before, it’s been quite some time since we’ve last seen him here. Give or take five years or so. But, of course, he’s never been fond of hospitals to begin with.”

Really? But if that were true, then why did James see the need to come here with me? It’s not as though I was incapable of setting and attending my appointments on my own.

‘Was I really that important to him?’ I asked myself.

Reasoning aside, it led me to feel a warm, comforting sensation between my stomach and chest.

“But why does James dislike hospitals so much?” I asked him.

Dr. Harold pulled his gaze away from his various screens to shoot me a hesitated glance. “Well, uh...Let’s just say that it’s not entirely my place to talk about such things. Anyway, just a few more minor tests to get through and we should be just about done here.”

After Dr. Harold had finished up with the ultrasound, he called for James to come back into the room. James gave me a curious look, wanting to know every bit of detail there was. I felt my cheeks blush under his heavy stare and nodded my head.

“Well, good news, first. The baby appears to be perfectly healthy and developing right on schedule as expected.” He nodded with approval. “It’s clear to see that James has been taking good care of you.”

James glanced between me and Dr. Harold. “What’s the bad news?”

“It’s not quite bad news as it is ‘worrisome’ news,” he explained. “ During my examination, I noticed that Mia’s physique is weaker than typical werewolves. One could almost mistake her for being a regular human. Why is this?”

Another blush touched my face. I wasn’t comfortable talking about my unusual condition so openly. I’d been shamed and harshly discriminated against for it over the years and had my fair share of unpleasant experiences because of it.

However, Dr. Harold had proved himself to be more than capable of keeping personal matters on a professional level. Plus, I could tell that James truly trusted the man too.

I took in a deep breath and barreled through my hesitant worry. “I confess that my wolf, Bella, has inexplicably fallen into a deep sleep since high school. I’m afraid I haven’t been able to wake her.”

James reached out to rest his hand on my shoulder.

Dr. Harold looked as though he was following a deep train of thought. “I can easily speculate two possibilities...One, Mia, you may have some sort of special lineage. Or, two, your wolf was potentially affected by an external disturbance.”

“Is there any way to awaken a sleeping wolf, in Mia’s case?”James asked.

“Mia should always try and maintain some sort of close contact with her fated mate, as the instinctual desire could stimulate her wolf,” he explained.

Again, I felt at a loss.

“But, I don't necessarily know who my fated mate is,” I said. “And with my wolf being asleep, I wouldn’t even know how to make a clear distinction that would be able to alert me.”

I noticed how Dr. Harold gave James a meaningful look before lowering his gaze back to me.

“Then I’ll suggest just letting anything between you and your alpha progress naturally,” he instructed.

James and I left the hospital to head back to the house. Although I was glad to hear that everything was okay in terms of my pregnancy, my mind was still puzzled when it came to hearing about my wolf’s current state.

“James, how do you know when you’ve come across your fated mate?”

He smiled. “Well, like you sort of mentioned before, my Wolf, Jake, would essentially alert me. Then I’d feel an overwhelming urge to want to be around my mate at all times. I’d want to touch them, kiss them—get as close as bodily possible to them.”

“Like what happened this morning?” I muttered. I slapped my hand over my mouth and cursed myself for letting something like that slip right past my lips.

“Exactly like that,” he confirmed.

I stopped short. “Who is your mate, James?”

“You’ll know when it’s time,” he answered.

“But, how am I supposed to know the difference between mate attraction and basic hormones?” I hissed in frustration.

James glanced over his shoulder and smirked. “If you’re interested, I can experiment with you tonight.”