Aurora's heart hammered in her chest as she walked through the hospital doors.
Her hands were shaking, clutching her phone tightly as if it could somehow tether her to reality.
The sterile scent of the emergency room hit her immediately, amplifying the unease that had been gnawing at her all morning.
She approached the reception desk, her voice tight with tension. "I need to see a doctor. I've been having stomach pain and... some spotting," she murmured, her words faltering.
The nurse looked up from her clipboard, her expression softening at Aurora's obvious distress. "Alright, let's get you checked in. Can you tell me when the symptoms started?"
Aurora bit her lip, trying to stay calm as the questions came. "It started yesterday. I didn't think it was serious, but now... I'm really not sure."
The nurse nodded understandingly and swiftly entered Aurora's information.
After taking her vitals and asking a few more questions, she led her to a waiting room. "A doctor will see you soon."
Aurora nodded, barely hearing the words.
Her mind raced as she sat in one of the plastic chairs, her leg bouncing nervously.
Thoughts of the paparazzi whirlwind she was trapped in flitted through her head, but that was a distant concern now.
She couldn't focus on anything except the tightening in her gut, the blood, the possibility that something was seriously wrong.
After what felt like hours but was likely just minutes, a doctor finally entered the room, clipboard in hand.
He looked up and gave Aurora a reassuring smile. "Hello, I'm Dr. Evans. Let's see what's going on."
Aurora breathed in sharply, trying to keep her voice steady as she explained her symptoms. "I hit my body against a door yesterday. At first, I didn't think much of it. But this morning, I noticed blood… and I've been having cramps."
Dr. Evans's expression became more serious, though he remained calm. "Okay, let's run a few tests to make sure everything's alright. I'll order an ultrasound and some blood work to get a better understanding."
Aurora nodded stiffly as the doctor called in a nurse to assist.
Her mind was racing again. This wasn't normal, right?
She couldn't ignore the deep sense of dread that settled in her chest.
The nurse returned, leading her to an examination room where the ultrasound machine was already set up.
As she lay back on the examination table, the cold gel on her stomach felt like ice against her skin.
Aurora stared up at the ceiling, trying to block out the fear twisting inside her.
She flinched slightly as Dr. Evans moved the wand across her abdomen, his eyes fixed on the screen.
"Alright, let's have a look," Dr. Evans said, his tone, professional and calm.
Aurora couldn't decipher anything on the screen, but she kept glancing from the doctor's face to the monitor, searching for any sign of relief—or warning.
Her throat felt dry, and her hands were balled into tight fists at her sides.
After a few minutes, which seemed like an eternity, Dr. Evans finally spoke. "Aurora, I don't see anything too concerning with the ultrasound itself, but we'll need to wait for the blood test results to be sure. I'll also conduct a pelvic exam to make sure everything is alright."
Aurora nodded numbly, following his instructions.
She felt detached, like she was watching herself from a distance as the doctor performed the examination, methodically checking for any signs of abnormality.
Once it was over, she sat back up, her stomach still twisting in knots.
"What do you think it could be?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
Dr. Evans paused, meeting her gaze. "We're going to wait for the full test results, but based on the ultrasound and the symptoms you've described, there's a possibility you might be pregnant."
Aurora's breath caught.
Pregnant?
Her mind scrambled to make sense of the words.
How could she be pregnant? That was impossible.
She hadn't even thought about it as a possibility; it hadn't crossed her mind. And yet, the idea seemed to cling to the edges of her thoughts, growing more real with each second.
"Pregnant?" she repeated, her voice faint. "But... that doesn't make sense. I haven't—"
She stopped herself, realizing that explaining her werewolf physiology would only lead to more questions. She couldn't risk that. Not here.
Dr. Evans offered a gentle smile, clearly trying to ease her concern. "We'll know for sure once the blood tests come back. Try not to worry too much until we have all the information."
Aurora nodded absently, but her mind was already spinning out of control.
Pregnant.
The word echoed in her head like a warning bell, a stark contradiction to everything she'd believed possible at this moment.
As the doctor left the room, promising to return once the results were in, Aurora sat alone in the quiet examination room, her heart pounding in her chest.
The sterile white walls closed in on her as the minutes dragged by.
Her mind raced, thoughts jumping from one anxious conclusion to the next.
The possibility of pregnancy gnawed at her, but it didn't make sense.
There was no way she could be pregnant—she hadn't been intimate with Lucas in months.
"Could the doctor be wrong?" she wondered.
But her heart thudded in her chest, reminding her that something had been off lately.
The nausea, the strange food aversions, the unexplained tiredness. It all pointed to one thing.
Still, disbelief lingered. Werewolves, especially the ones who abstained from sex, didn't get pregnant easily. That was a basic fact of their physiology.
The door creaked open, and Dr. Evans stepped back into the room, holding a chart in his hand. His face was calm but serious.
"Aurora," he began gently, "the blood test confirms what we suspected. You're about five weeks pregnant."
The words hung in the air, freezing Aurora in place.
Her heart stopped for a moment, then started racing again, faster than before.
She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came.
Pregnant? How could this be?
Her mind spun, grappling with the impossibility of it.
Five weeks.
Her thoughts scrambled to piece together a timeline, searching for anything that would make sense.
She hadn't been with Lucas for over six months—he'd been gone, wrapped up in his business, and they hadn't spoken, let alone been intimate.
There was simply no way. But then, something clicked.
Her breath caught in her throat as her mind flashed back to the day Lucas had returned unexpectedly.
It was the first time they'd seen each other in months, and the moment had been charged with emotion—anger, frustration, and passion.
They hadn't even made it upstairs to their bedroom.
The intensity between them had been overwhelming, and all the tension that had built up over those long months apart had spilt over in a single, heated night.