her shifter species. There wasn’t anyone else in the waiting room, so it didn’t take long before Lexi was called back.
The nurse brought her to a small examination room, leaving her alone for a few minutes before a handsome, silver-haired doctor arrived.
“Dr. Henry Williamson,” he said, extending his hand. “A pleasure to meet you.”
“Likewise,” said Lexi, shaking his hand.
“Now,” he said. “A bear, right?”
“Right.”
“And what’s your category?”
“Omega.”
He raised an eyebrow as if this changed everything.
“And are you mated? Has an alpha imprinted on you?”
Lexi glanced aside, as if not sure how to answer the question. “I mean, sort of. I imprinted with an alpha, but we’re not mated or anything like that.”
“But you’ve mated,” he said. “As in you’ve been sexually active with him? And you’ve imprinted?”
“Yes.” She said the word hesitantly.
“And you’ve been having some nausea, along with some pain in your stomach.”
“That’s right.”
He rose. “Let me test something, Lexi.” He stepped over to her and took her wrist. It appeared as if he wanted to check her pulse, but she quickly got the sense he was trying to find out something more important than that.
When he was done, he sat back down.
“Now,” he said. “When you imprint with an alpha, you’re bonded to him. And nothing will never break that bond but one of you dying. In the human word ‘till death do us part’ is just a figure of speech. But with us shifters, it’s actual biology.”
“R...right.” Lexi wasn’t sure whether or not she regretted the decision to imprint that she’d made with Jason.
“And when an alpha and omega are imprinted, regardless of whether or not they’ve actually had a mating ceremony or a wedding, there’s a chance of pregnancy if the two of them have intercourse.”
At the word “pregnancy,” Lexi’s stomach tightened.
She knew, without him even saying it, that it was the case.
“And that’s what’s happened with you, Lexi. You’re pregnant with your alpha’s child.”
It seemed like the rest of the world melted away, like she was underwater. Dr. Williams kept talking, but she couldn’t hear the words. Lexi had no idea what to say, what to do.
“...you hear any of that?”
She shook her head, coming back to the moment.
“Excuse me?”
He reached over and took her hand, the feeling immediately comforting. “This is a big deal, I know. And I’m guessing that by your reaction, you weren’t expecting this to happen. But I can make sure you get the best care in the city, and that you and your baby are completely taken care of.”
“T...thank you.”
He nodded. “And as I’m sure you know, shifter pregnancies move much faster than human ones. You’re going to be showing here in a week or so, and you’ll be giving birth in a couple of months. The next step is going to be to run some tests and make sure that all’s good with the baby. Though so far, it doesn’t look like we’ve got any reason to think otherwise.”
“Thank you,” she said, repeating the words, not sure what else to say.
“Come on.” He rose and helped her to her feet. “I’ll call you a cab back to your apartment, and we can get you set up for another appointment. But the first thing to do is talk to your alpha, let him know what’s going on. Then after that, you can make the happy announcement to the rest of your pack.”
She opened her mouth to speak, to let the doctor know that she didn’t have a pack. At least, one that she was in contact with.
Lexi was soon outside, the cab waiting for her. She spent the entire ride back thinking about what she’d learned, thinking about the pregnancy, the life she’d built for herself, her relationship with Jason.
And she felt overwhelmed. She scolded herself for imprinting with him, for making such a decision without thinking about it.
I got carried away in the moment like some stupid kid. And now I’m linked forever with him.
The taxi reached the apartment, and she got out. But the moment she stepped out of the car, she laid eyes on someone by the door, someone whose eyes lit up the moment she saw Lexi.
It was Shana. And she looked terrible.
“Shana?” Lexi ran over to her friend, the two of them embracing.
“What’s going on?” she asked. “What happened?”
“Lexi,” she said. “Everything...everything’s changed.”
CHAPTER 15
JASON
He led the two of them up to the apartment, Shana clearly shaken beyond belief.
“Here,” said Jason, leading her over to the couch and helping her sit down.