Chapter 41: Cold Sweat
Trishelle
When Trishelle heard those words, her heart began to race, a frantic drum against her ribs. Cold sweat broke out on her brow. Was it cancer? Some other tragic disease she’d never heard of? Both Dr. Lorenzo and Nicole wore strange expressions. They seemed more wary of Bradley’s response than hers, the patient. It didn’t help when Bradley growled, the sound a low rumble of impatience.
"Spit it out already," he demanded.
Taking a deep breath, Lorenzo began his clinical evaluation. "We were well aware of Trishelle’s health when she arrived. She was malnourished and underweight." He paused, offering her a reassuring smile. "Her health has improved greatly thanks to regular meals and the supplements I recommended. She even managed to gain a bit of weight, bringing her BMI to a healthy level."
Bradley nodded, his arm tightening around her protectively. Even he saw how much better she’d become - how the color had returned to her cheeks and the dullness had left her hair. She no longer looked like the fragile, broken woman who had stumbled onto his territory weeks ago.
"We ran tests on her blood," Lorenzo continued, his tone carefully measured. "So far, everything is within the normal range."
Bradley pressed a kiss to Trishelle’s hair. "Thank goodness. But if everything is alright, what caused her to get sick just now?"
Lorenzo glanced at his wife, uncertainty flickering across his features. He wasn’t sure how his Alpha would take what he was about to share, but as a doctor, he knew it was important for both of them to know. Taking a deep breath, he could feel Nicole’s love and encouragement flowing through their mate bond, steadying his nerves.
"Well, the thing is, we ran a full blood test on Trishelle, and there was one thing that stood out," he explained, choosing his words carefully. "Her estrogen levels are significantly elevated, and we also found hCG as well."
Bradley’s brow furrowed. "What does that mean? Is it something bad?" He was beginning to worry again, and he held Trishelle closer as if he was afraid that she would disappear if he didn’t.
"Actually, Alpha, this is a good thing for the Luna," Lorenzo said, his voice gentle. "It shows that the fetus is developing normally."
Trishelle was at first shocked, then confused. Her mind struggled to process the medical terminology. "What do you mean by a fetus? Is it... is it what I think it is?"
Bradley looked between Lorenzo, Nicole, and Trishelle, his confusion evident. He felt like he was the only one not following along. "Lorenzo, can you speak in English, please?"
Nicole, sensing the distress her mate was in, stepped forward with a soft sigh. "What my adorable and dorky mate is trying to say, and failing miserably," she said with a gentle smile at her husband, "is that your Luna is having a baby."
It took a moment for the words to sink in, to pierce through the fog of shock. Trishelle was the first to understand, and a choked gasp escaped her lips. The room seemed to tilt around her. Then, the dam broke. Tears streamed down her face, and her sobbing grew, her body shaking with the force of it.
The sound shook Bradley out of his own stupor. His Luna was expecting a pup. A pup that he had no part in creating. A swirl of emotions raced through him - a chaotic storm of confusion, rage, and a gut-wrenching pain that threatened to tear him apart. How? When? Who?... No, he knew exactly who. The name burned in his mind like acid. His wolf was snarling in his mind, a primal beast demanding blood, demanding vengeance for what had been done to their mate. But the sound of Trishelle’s heart-wrenching sobs brought him crashing back to the present. Cradling her in his arms, he wasn’t even aware that Lorenzo and Nicole slipped out to give them a chance to talk.
Bradley
Trishelle was devastated. It was like she was now living a continuation of her nightmare, one she couldn’t wake up from. The walls seemed to close in around her, suffocating her with the weight of this new reality. She buried her face in Bradley’s chest, desperately needing his comfort while being terrified that it would be for the last time.
I mean, who would want a knocked-up, orphaned omega who was carrying another man’s child? The thought circled in her mind like a vulture. She wished she could link Sammy, but she was sure they would be sent packing that same day. But would he go with her? It seemed he had found someone special in Alexa, and she would be cruel to separate them now, since this wasn’t his problem to bear. This was her burden alone.
Taking one last, deep whiff of Bradley’s comforting scent - pine and earth and something uniquely him - Trishelle squared her shoulders. She tried to memorize the feeling of safety in his arms, knowing she might never experience it again. Maybe she could humble herself and return to Bloodmoon, but the thought of facing James again made her stomach turn violently. The memory of his hands on her, his breath on her neck, made bile rise in her throat. It was time to face the man holding her so tenderly and say goodbye.
Bradley comforted Trishelle as best he could, running his hand soothingly down her back. His mind swirled with thoughts that he couldn’t even begin to sort through, but one thing he knew for sure was that it didn’t change his feelings or his desire to make Trishelle his Luna. The pup was innocent - a victim of circumstance, just like Trishelle herself.
Feeling her inhale deeply, preparing herself, he knew it was going to be an intense conversation. Trishelle pulled away from his chest, and he gently wiped the last few tears from her cheeks with his thumb, his touch tender despite the turmoil raging inside him. Just as he was about to reassure her, to tell her it was going to be okay, she beat him to the punch.
"Alpha Bradley, I’m so sorry that this happened," she said, her voice trembling but clear, each word carefully measured as if she’d rehearsed them. "I really had no idea, or else I would not have rejected my last pack." She paused, swallowing hard. "Thank you for your time and for allowing me to stay, but I guess I should return... back to Bloodmoon. I could only hope that Alpha James takes me back."
Her gaze dropped to her hands, which twisted together nervously. "I just hope that if my friend wishes to stay, you will allow him. Once again, thank you."
At first, Bradley was so shocked by what he was hearing that Trishelle was able to escape from his limp embrace and hop off the bed, heading for the door. The words didn’t make sense - she wanted to leave? To go back to the monster who had hurt her? The sound of the lock clicking into place jolted him from his stupor.
With three long, furious strides, he slammed the door shut before she could open it, the bang echoing like a gunshot in the small room. The force of it rattled the medical equipment on the nearby shelves.
Pinning her front to the cold metal of the door, he tried to calm his wolf by taking in her scent, but now he was livid for another reason. How dare his mate try to leave him? And on top of that, to return to the man who had hurt her, the man who had violated her? The very thought made his blood boil. His wolf wrested control from his human counterpart, and in a fluid motion, he spun Trishelle around to face him.
Pressing his body against hers, caging her in, he wrapped one hand around her throat, his grip firm but not tight enough to hurt. He would never hurt her. Using his thumb, he forced her chin up, making her look at him, making her see the truth in his eyes.
"Mine," he growled, the word a possessive rumble that vibrated through her, through the very air between them. "You are my mate, my Luna, and because of this, you are carrying MY pup."
Trishelle’s eyes grew wide, the tears momentarily stopping as she stared at him in disbelief. Her lips parted in shock, and he could hear her heart hammering against her ribcage.
"You need to be punished for trying to leave me, little mate," he said, his voice a dark promise that sent shivers down her spine. And with that, he swooped in for a kiss.
Trishelle
It was the first time they had kissed. Bradley had wanted to take things slow, to give her space to heal, but his wolf was never fond of that approach. He was ready to claim her from the start and never understood why he couldn’t. Yet now he was glad he had waited, because this was the sweetest, most desperate taste he had ever experienced.
It was like the rush he got when chasing prey, but better, more potent, more intoxicating. He felt like he was flying free, yet drowning in the purest honey at the same time. Her lips were soft beneath his, yielding yet responsive, and when she gasped against his mouth, something primal and possessive roared to life inside him. He poured everything into that kiss - his claim, his promise, his unwavering devotion. He never wanted the kiss to end, yet it ended too soon, leaving them both breathless and wanting more.
