Chapter 217

Fiona

His arms are still around me, even as my body contorts and shrinks. They stay around me.

Golden eyes flicker then fade to green, watching me with a strange mix of awe and worry, but I can’t focus on the emotion. All I can see, hear, feel, smell is him. He’s so close that I can see the little flecks of gold in his eyes. Ethan’s heart thumps loudly against my ear, but it provides nothing except comfort as the sound surrounds me. One of his hands rubs gently down my back while the other clamps down on the back of my neck, holding me close.

And his scent. It surrounds me, seeps into me, and has me leaning in and rubbing my cheek against his neck. It grows stronger, calling to me until I’m straddling his lap and burying my face fully in Ethan’s neck.

“Fuck,” he growls, gently moving me back. “Fiona.” I breathe his scent in, trying to burn it into my senses. It wasn’t this strong before. Now, it’s like I’ve had my nose coated in a spicy forest scent, and I can’t get enough of it. I don’t just want to smell it; I want to bathe in it.

“Fiona!” My body jerks back at the loud, commanding tone, “We need to make sure the baby is okay.”

My entire world tilts as I finally come down from the high that kept tugging at me. I turn my head, finding the three healers and Laxus standing there looking at me. Laxus is beat up and bloody again, but he’s standing there like nothing happened.

“Wh-what happened?”

“We’re not sure yet, but we need you to calm down so the healers can check to make sure the baby is alright,” Ethan repeats, pulling my attention squarely back to him. It’s like he’s a siren, and I’m the sailor passing by, tempted by his voice- by everything about him.

“Our pup,” a soft, female voice whispers in my head. It sounds familiar, like the voice I’d heard guiding me in my fight. Her words and Ethan’s worried expression spur me on, reminding me that I am not only responsible for my life, but for the life of the baby inside me.

Turning my eyes to the healers, I nod to let them know I’m ready. When he moves to the chair at my side, I clutch Ethan’s hand and watch the healers set up the ultrasound machine. It takes longer than last time, the three women muttering and fiddling with the machine.

“Is there a problem?” Ethan asks.

“We’ve been having trouble lately with the machine, Alpha. It’s been going out during ultrasounds recently and is taking longer and longer to boot up,” Healer Asha says while rolling it up beside the bed.

“Yes. Just last week, we used it and had a troubling result, but then when we used it again, everything was fine,” Healer Sarina says with a sigh. “We almost had to tell a poor woman that she lost her baby, but after rebooting, there was no problem.”

Ethan’s eyes narrow on the machine almost as if he’s daring the piece of mechanics to tell us such a thing. I squeeze his hand, offering the only comfort I can right now, and he sighs.

“I’ll have a new one to you as soon as possible. We can’t have that happening,” he tells the three older women. Their smiles shine with gratitude even as he continues speaking, “Is it your only machine?”

Healer Sarina nods sadly, “Yes. Our other one gave out about six months ago.”

Ethan’s head whips up, his brows pulling together in confusion. “Why did you not say anything? I would have approved the request.” I can feel his regret and sadness through the bond at the thought of them not trusting him with this.

He truly cares for these women. I can see it on his face and feel it through our bond, which seems to be working find now.

“Oh, honey, it’s not that we thought you wouldn’t. We just didn’t see the need to bother you when we don’t get too many pregnancies around here. Most people go to the Kingdom Center for pregnancy visits,” Healer Farah says calmly, laying a soft hand on his shoulder.

“Got it!” Healer Asha declares triumphantly as the machine flickers to life.

“We’ll need you to lay back,” Healer Farah says, “And lift your shirt like last time.” I do as she says, leaning back and taking a deep breath. I can feel pain in my leg and side, but the pain in my leg is much worse.

I fought those wolves and even though I tried to protect myself and the baby, what if I failed?

Worry floods my body, and I tighten my hand around Ethan’s. I could have killed my baby. There’s a chance that… a rumbling, steady purr filters into my mind. The sound instantly calms me down and has me closing my eyes to listen.

“Everything will be alright,” Ethan whispers through our bond. I let the words cocoon me like a warm blanket on a cold night. It’s soothing enough that my worried thoughts are chased away, and I can focus on the ultrasound screen.

The flickering of the screen makes it hard to see, but between the glitches I can almost see the shape of a tiny baby.

“Your baby seems fine… there,” Healer Farah says, pointing at the little shape on the screen. It flickers away again, but she turns to us with a smile.

“We should take some blood to test, but since the baby seems alright, we can set another check up for when we get the new machine,” Healer Sarina says, glancing at Ethan. He nods in confirmation that he will get them another machine, and I squeeze his hand gratefully.

His responding smile makes me smile and sink into the warm feeling of happiness settling in my chest.

“Fiona shifted, and she has spoken with the Moon Goddess?” Elder Denton asks, his eyes wide as he stares at me. I nod, unsure of how they will respond. Elder Denton and Elder Nugyen seem to be the most trustworthy elders since they’re the first people Ethan contacted to talk about my situation.

“I thought you were human…” Elder Nugyen’s words trail off as he subtly sniffs the air. “You smell Lycan, now, but it’s… it’s…”

He looks to Elder Denton for clarification, his eyes wide and questioning.

“The only Lycans who have been rumored to speak with the Goddess are those pledged to the Shrine of the Moon and those from the old noble line,” Elder Denton says.

Noble line?

“B-but I’m human.”

“Evidently not.”

“My parents were human, they never changed into wolves. I would’ve known. They would’ve told me, and… this can’t be real,” I mutter, rubbing at my aching head. “Was my whole life a lie?”

Ethan leans in, tightening his arms around me and whispering in my ear, “We’ll figure this out. I promise.” Then, he gently kisses my forehead and pulls his phone out as I sink into his chest, wondering what the hell is happening.

I can’t imagine either of my parents being a Lycan.

This has to be wrong. There has to be some sort of explanation that doesn’t reveal that my parents lied to me my whole life.