Zara

The kit contained a plastic cup, gloves, and a swab. Putting on the gloves, I took the cup and urinated into it. Then, taking the swab, I dipped it into the half-filled cup until I reached the black mark on the swab.

Removing the swab, I held it in my hand and placed it on the sink. Stepping away, I threw away the urine and the cup.

The instructions said half a minute, and I knew those 30 seconds would be the longest of my life.

For the next few seconds, the only sound echoing in my ears was my heartbeat. I washed my face and checked the test. I closed my eyes, inhaled, and picked it up. There should have been one red line.

Two clear red lines stared mockingly at me.

My cold hands were shaking so badly that I dropped the test on the floor and stepped back, stifling a scream.

Panic gripped every muscle in my body, like an anaconda coiled around me. I remembered shadows threat. Our heirs is their.

My breathing became ragged, and even in winter, sweat trickled down my temples and back. Placing my hand over my frantically beating heart, I tried to make sense of what was happening.

No luck.

"I should try the test again." With that thought in my mind, I quickly washed my hands and ran out of the bathroom to get a second kit.

At that moment, I was fighting back tears, overcome with emotion. Grabbing the second kit from my bag, I repeated the procedure with the remaining liquid.

Trembling and shaking, I checked the second test strip, but the result was the same. Two clear red lines made me dizzy, and I had to grab the sink to keep from falling. Hasn’t my life been ruined enough?

Tears welled up in my eyes and streamed down my cheeks, completely blurring my vision as I sobbed. I held onto the marble sink.

My heart sank in pain, and I clutched it with my left hand and straightened up. My right hand pressed protectively to my stomach, where life had already begun.

I sobbed, my body trembling with gentle tremors, my throat constricting so tightly I couldn’t breathe.

Panic, the truth, and the reality of this situation were sinking in.

I had been so obsessed with enjoying life that I had forgotten the consequences of my actions, and now I was faced with them.

What should I do?

How should I tell Alpha?

My gut instinct told me I was pregnant after having sex with Alpha.

I raised my hand to the faucet, and warm water gushed out. Filling my palms, I splashed it on my tear-stained face. I couldn’t go outside looking so awful; I had to be strong to survive this storm.

If I have to, I’ll take care of this child alone...

After drying my face with a towel, I threw everything in the trash except one stick. Wrapping it in a napkin, I tucked it into the narrow sleeve of my sweater and decided to leave the bathroom.

A prayer froze on my lips that Alpha would still be downstairs, and I wouldn’t have to face him until I calmed down.

But recently, my luck had slipped away, leaving me alone with the frost giant. As I left the bathroom, I came face-to-face with that same giant.

Worry and anger were evident in his expression... Mixed emotions mingled, creating a cocktail of anxiety for him. His worried eyes met mine. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Lately, all those filters he loved to apply to his face were quickly disappearing, leaving most of his emotions exposed.

I averted my worried gaze from him and tried to head for the dressing room. I wanted to hide the wand in my purse.

"What happened?" His voice was full of concern.

Damn! He must have heard my sobs in the bathroom.

Without answering, I tried to walk around him and enter the dressing room, but this time he stood between me and the door.

"Get out of my way!" I growled, barely holding back the tears threatening to spill out.

He didn’t move, looking at me with intense concern and regret. Fear was etched on his face, and his hands tightened.

"Not until you tell me why you were crying in the bathroom." His words unleashed a storm of rage and frustration. I was already teetering on the brink of insanity, and he was the easiest target for my anger.

"You! Damn it, this happened. You ruined my life, and now I have to live with you and pretend everything is as wonderful as the summer sun," I screamed.

The veins in my neck tensed as I raised my head to meet his gaze.

He stood there like the surface of a lake, where crocodiles rest, ready to pounce. He looked at me with such intensity, full of guilt and helplessness.

I understood part of it. His need to keep me away, to protect me, because of how terrible his life had been.

His arms slowly rose and gently wrapped around my shoulders, pulling me into his distant yet passionate presence.

"No! No!" I tried to push him away, pounding my fists on his heavy back, but he simply held me.

"Just calm down, please..." His voice was desperate.

This embrace of his didn’t reflect lust; it was simply warm and soothing to my troubled heart.

Hugs had become such a rarity in my life, and from the moment he broke my heart, I was left devastated without his touch, his embrace, his warmth.

My heart was like barren desert sand, and his embrace like a drop of rain falling after years of drought.

His warmth permeated me, dispelling the winter chill around my heart. Burning me, lighting up my veins, he made me feel alive. Breathless and sobbing, I collapsed into his arms, unable to contain myself.

My legs trembled, my knees buckled, my body lost all strength, but his strong arms held me tight. "I’m with you," he whispered before I passed out in his arms.