Chapter 191: The Result
Rebecca’s POV
Stephanie swallowed hard, her eyes staying glued to my face. "Becca... you and Alpha Kaden... has it been up to two weeks since the two of you first..." She paused, her cheeks turning a light shade of red. "...had sex after you came back here?"
I frowned, my brows pulling together in confusion. My mind flashed back to two days after I arrived. I remembered how he drove me to the woods and the hot sex we had on the bonnet of his car.
"Yes," I answered slowly, wiping my damp chin with the towel. "It’s been about two weeks. Why are you asking me that?"
Stephanie took a deep breath, dropping down to sit on her heels in front of me. "Becca... I think you might be pregnant."
A sharp, disbelieving scoff burst out of my chest. "I’m not pregnant, Steph. Don’t be ridiculous." I shook my head, resting my hand over my aching stomach. "You know my womb is damaged from the poisoning. The pack doctors told me I might never even carry a child, and I’m still taking those medications every single morning to heal. It’s just a stomach bug or a reaction to the medicine."
"I have a strong feeling about this, darling," Stephanie said softly, her voice dead serious. "We need to check. Just to be sure."
Before I could object, she stood up and hurried out of the bathroom. I pushed myself off the marble floor with shaky legs, walked back into the bedroom, and sat on the edge of the mattress.
"No... no way," I muttered to myself, staring blankly at the golden morning light on the floor. "I’m not. I can’t be. I’m sick, that’s all. My body is just exhausted from the summit and the cliff... and besides, I’m still under treatment. My body couldn’t possibly hold a baby right now."
Minutes later, Stephanie walked back into the room, holding a small white plastic tube in her hand. She held it out to me. "Go test. Please, Becca. Just do it so we know."
"Steph, this is stupid," I argued, glaring at the white stick. "I am telling you, my womb is damaged! I took my medicine just yesterday! Why are you doing this?"
"Because morning sickness like that doesn’t just happen out of nowhere!" Stephanie insisted, pressing the tube into my palm. "Just take the test, Rebecca. If it’s negative, I’ll stop bringing it up and bring you tea. But if I’m right, you need to know."
I glared at the plastic stick, my chest heavy with anger and a sudden, terrifying panic. "Fine!" I snapped, pulling myself off the bed. "I’ll do it just to prove you wrong."
I marched back into the bathroom, slammed the door shut, and followed the simple instructions. The moment I was done, I refused to even glance at the small window on the tube. I turned around, opened the door, and handed the plastic stick straight to Stephanie without looking.
"Here," I said, crossing my arms tightly over my chest as I stood near the bed. "Now watch it turn out completely blank."
Stephanie held the tube in her hands, her eyes fixed on the small screen. We stood in complete silence as the seconds ticked by. The air in the room grew cold, suffocatingly quiet.
Suddenly, Stephanie sucked in a sharp, ragged breath. Her hands began to tremble.
I scoffed again, though my heart started hammering wildly against my ribs. "Negative, right? I told you, Steph. My womb—"
Stephanie didn’t answer with words. Instead, she slowly turned the plastic stick toward me.
Right there in the small glass window were two thick, dark red lines.
"You’re pregnant, Becca," Stephanie whispered, her eyes wide with shock.
My mind went completely blank. The world around me lost all sound. I stared at those two dark lines, my hand flying up to cover Stephanie’s mouth as panic ripped through my body.
"No!" I gasped, tears instantly springing into my eyes as I shook my head violently. "No, no, no! Shh! Don’t say that out loud! I’m not... I can’t be pregnant! The test is wrong! It’s broken!"
Before the words could fully leave my mouth, another violent surge of heat hit my chest. Nausea slammed into me so hard my knees buckled. I spun around, sprinted back into the bathroom, and fell back onto my knees, vomiting pure bile into the bowl.
Stephanie rushed in right behind me, gently wiping my face and rinsing my mouth with warm water as I sobbed uncontrollably against the cold wall.
"How... how could this happen?" I wept, my voice cracking into helpless pieces. "How could Kaden not feel it? He’s an Alpha King! His wolf should have smelled his own blood the second it took root!"
Stephanie knelt beside me, her expression full of deep pity. "Alpha Kaden couldn’t feel it, Becca... because of the heavy silver choker wrapped around your neck," she whispered softly. "It doesn’t just suppress your energy and keep your wolf locked away—the silver completely masks your scent. It hides the aura and heartbeat of the pup growing inside you. That’s why his wolf hasn’t felt his own blood yet."
The truth hit me like a physical blow, leaving me completely breathless.
"No..." I sobbed, clutching my stomach with both hands as fresh tears streamed down my face. "No, Stephanie, please... I don’t want to carry a baby for that monster... he knows I am innocent and still treats me like a slave!"
I squeezed my eyes shut, my chest heaving with desperate, terrifying grief.
"Take this baby away," I begged, my voice breaking as I looked up at my friend. "Please... help me take it away. I can’t bring his child into this world."
Stephanie tried to wrap her arms around me, her touch gentle as she tried to soothe my shaking shoulders. "Becca, please... just breathe. Calm down first, okay?"
"How can I calm down?!" I yelled, shoving her hands away as fresh, bitter tears spilled over my eyelashes. "Do you have any idea what he did to me, Stephanie?! Do you know that Alpha Kaden knows I am innocent?!"
Stephanie froze, her eyes widening in absolute shock. "What... what are you talking about?"
"He knows!" I choked out, a raw, painful laugh escaping my chest amidst my sobs. "He captured Monica and Brandon! He tortured them until they confessed to everything! He knows I never killed Helen! He holds the proof of my innocence right now!"
Stephanie gasped, her hand flying up to her mouth as she stared at me, completely speechless. "He... he knows?"
"Yes! He knows!" I wept, clutching my head in my hands, my body trembling with the weight of the betrayal. "And yet he still keeps this burning silver collar locked around my neck! He still lets the whole world treat me like a filthy murderer! He acts all sweet, buys me clothes, saves my life, and touches me like I’m precious—all while keeping me as his caged slave!"
I squeezed my eyes shut, pressing my palm hard against my flat stomach, feeling a sickening knot tighten in my core.
"There were times... God, Stephanie, there were times I wanted his baby so badly," I sobbed, my voice cracking into sharp, desperate pieces. "Back when I thought staying alive was giving him a pup, I prayed for a child. But not like this! Not now! Not when I know he knows I am innocent."
"Becca..." Stephanie whispered, tears filling her own eyes as she looked down at me with pure pity.
"This baby is a mistake," I whispered, staring blindly at the wet marble floor. "A terrible, cruel mistake... I can’t do this, Steph. I can’t bear his child."
Stephanie knelt down, wrapping her arms tightly around my shaking frame, letting me weep against her neck. She rubbed my back in slow, heavy circles, letting the silence settle over us until my hysterical sobs slowly turned into quiet, hollow gasps.
"You can’t handle this alone, Becca," Stephanie finally murmured into my hair, her tone dropping into a low, serious whisper. "You have to tell Alpha Kane."