Chapter 10: A Secret Pregnancy

Evelyn’s POV

Pain.

That was all I knew.

My body ached from the long hours of work, from the cruel hands that shoved and struck me when I was too slow. But the worst pain of all wasn’t physical.

It was the loneliness.

The silence of being invisible, cast aside like I had never mattered.

I had once been Luna.

Now, I was nothing.

And yet, deep inside me, something new was stirring.

Something I had yet to understand.

A Disease Unlike Any Other

My stomach twisted violently as I woke up with a start.

Before I could even stumble out of my cot, I fell to my knees and vomited into the bucket next to my bed.

This week, it happened three times.

With shaking hands, I cleaned my mouth.

I initially believed it to be fatigue and a lack of food.  However, the nausea, dizziness, and persistent exhaustion persisted.

A chilly insight took hold of me.

No.

It isn't possible.

Not right now.  Not his.

My pulse was pounding as I put a hand to my stomach.

Might I be?

No.

I forced myself to breathe and shook my head.

I had to be certain.

An Intense Look for Solutions

Tucked away on the packhouse's far side, where only the ill and injured ventured, was the healer's hut.

I had no business being here.

I would cause trouble if anyone saw me.

But I was powerless.

I slipped in, gasping for air.  The scent of burning incense and herbs filled the air.  There were shelves lining the walls, containing bottled elixirs and dried roots.

An old woman was sitting in the corner, grinding something in a little wooden bowl.

Her creased face was unreadable as she looked up.

"Evelyn."

My heart was racing.  "I—I need your assistance."

After examining me for a while, she nodded.  "Take a seat."

My fingers twisted in my lap as I obeyed.

She grabbed my wrist and pressed two fingers to my heart.

Minutes went by.

Then she narrowed her piercing eyes and leaned back.

"Don't you already know?"

I took a deep breath.  "I—I think so."

The healer let out a sigh.  "You have a child."

I was startled by the words.

Hearing it aloud made it real, even though I had suspected it and feared it.

Shaking, I put my arms around myself.

Kieran's kid.

His child, the one who detested me.

The offspring of the man who had deprived me of my position in this world, my dignity, and my title.

My eyes burned with tears.

"What should I do?"  I muttered.

The healer paused.  Evelyn, you have to exercise caution.  If the pack discovers...

She didn't have to finish for me.

They would never let me keep this child.

A Perilous Secret

With my hood down and my mind racing, I walked out of the healer's hut.

Nobody could be aware.

Not Serena.  Not the fighters.  Not Kieran in particular.

I had to keep this baby safe.

I had to keep my baby safe.

But my body struck a hard chest as I turned the corner.

Strong hands steadied me by grabbing my arms.

I went cold.

Cedric.

Kieran's beta.

His piercing blue eyes met mine.  "Why are you moving stealthily?"

My chest erupted in panic.

"I—I wasn't," I struggled to say.

He looked from my pale face to the healer's hut behind me and back again.  He clenched his jaw.  "You're ill."

I feigned a feeble smile.  "Just worn out."

His hold remained firm.  "You're telling lies."

I took a deep breath.

Kieran had always had Cedric's loyalty.  He would tell him if he had any suspicions.

I couldn't allow that to occur.

I hurriedly said, "I have to leave," attempting to distance myself.

But for a horrifying moment, I believed he wouldn't let me go as his fingers tightened around my wrist.

Then at last he let me go.

"Watch out, Evelyn," he whispered.

I rushed away, afraid to turn around.

Serena's Increasing Doubt

For days, I kept my secret.

This pack, however, never kept secrets for very long.

Serena had observed me.

Her eyes lingered on me as I strained to lift heavy crates, and I could see it.  When I turned my back on food because my stomach couldn't take it, her lips curled in satisfaction.

She was aware of the problem.

And she was curious to know what.

She came up to me that night while I was cleaning the packhouse's floors.

She crouched next to me, she whispered, "You look pale."  "Are you ill?"

I didn't raise my eyes.  "I'm all right."

She removed a lock of hair from my face with her outstretched hand.

It was a touch that chilled me.

"Are you certain?" she muttered.  "Because if I didn't have better knowledge...  You appeared to be pregnant, in my opinion.

I felt ice rush through my body.

I held the brush tightly while maintaining a neutral expression.  "That is absurd."

Serena laughed.  "Is it?"

She folded her arms and stood.  "Because I'm positive you haven't dated anyone since Kieran rejected you."

She spoke in a sarcastic tone as she bent down.

"So, if you're expecting..."  She grinned.

"That implies that it belongs to him."

I dropped the brush from my grasp.

Her smile got bigger.

"Don't be alarmed," she purred.  "I will not inform him.  However.

Her laughter reverberated in my ears as she turned and left.

A Last-Ditch Escape

I was unable to stay.

No longer.

Not while Serena is observing me.  Not while my secret is in jeopardy.

I had to go.

Before it was too late, I had to flee.

I waited until the clock struck midnight.

Then, with my heart racing, I crept out of the servant quarters and stayed in the shadows.

It wasn't far to the gates.

If only I could get through to them—

"Are you going somewhere?"

I whirled around, gasping.

With his arms folded and his face icy, Kieran stood in the shadows.

My throat tightened with breath.

Something unreadable flickered in his eyes.

Suffocating his towering presence, he took a step closer.

"Evelyn, tell me," he said softly.

"What precisely are you fleeing?"

My heart struck my ribs hard.

If he discovered...

If he was aware of the baby...

My fate was sealed.