Chapter 5
Nina's POV
The next morning, I woke up with my temples throbbing and some weird heartburn in my chest. It took me a while to sleep last night, the event on yesterday took a toll on me as Dwayne's cold words played on repeat on my mind relentlessly. I sat upright and massaged my chest to subside the heaviness. I refused to let another man throw me into depression, I was stronger than that. I had to be.
I didn't want to get out from bed, but a lot needed my attention as the wedding was yesterday. I wondered where Dwayne had slept and I shook my head when I realized I was thinking about him. He was not worth it.
Dragging myself out of bed, I tried to push through the unease that had settled in my stomach. I attributed it to stress or maybe even the leftover tension from the wedding, but the bile building up my throat got more intense and I sprinted to the bathroom.
I rinsed my mouth and washed my face once I had vomited everything. My head spun and my breathing became ragged. My heart burn didn't decrease as well. I felt sick.
By noon, I was pale and exhausted. My hand flew to my stomach as another surge of nausea washed over me.
"Ugh," I muttered, sitting on the edge of the bed as I took deep breaths to calm myself. What was wrong with me? The food from the wedding? Maybe I had eaten something that didn't agree with me.
I attempted to eat a light lunch brought by Anna as I hadn't been out of my room, but the smell alone sent me running to the bathroom again. It was unbearable. Even the faintest aroma of food turned my stomach, which was odd because I was very hungry. I wasn't a picky eater as well.
As the day went on, I noticed other changes in me. My sense of smell became sharp and almost unbearable. I could smell the musk of the old wood in the walls, the musty smell from the old books lined up on the shelves, and even Dwayne's lingering cologne. I was beginning to get overwhelmed.
My wolf stirred uneasily inside me. She wasn't as present as she had been since I'd severed the mate bond with Richard, but now her restlessness added to my growing discomfort.
The nausea and heightened smell weren't the only strange things happening to me. By evening, I found myself unreasonably tired. My limbs felt heavy, and my emotions were all over the place. My mood shifted a lot as well. One minute I was reassuring myself that all would be fine and the next minute I was bawling my eyes out.
I sat alone in the room Dwayne and I were supposed to share, not that he had spent even a minute in it after our wedding night. The sun had begun to set and the orange hue seeped in from the curtains. I sighed in deep thoughts. I was sure I wasn't feeling this way because of heartbreak or any other thing. That'd just be so pathetic.
Finally an idea crept up into my head. Why hadn't I thought of this?
I went to the desktop set up in my room and quickly looked up my symptoms. My hands froze on the keyboard when I read the first suggestion. Pregnancy.
I placed my hands on my stomach, my heart thudding rapidly in my chest.
"No," I whispered to myself. "It can't be."
Deep down, I knew it was a possibility. The symptoms matched up—nausea, fatigue, heightened senses. I never imagined I'd be pregnant so it never crossed my thoughts.
I decided I couldn't put it off any longer. I needed answers. The pack doctor would know for sure, and I couldn't bear the uncertainty for another moment.
The following morning, I gathered the courage to head to the pack infirmary, my mind was filled with so many thoughts and questions on the way, my heart pounding against my chest. What would Dwayne think if it were actually true? Would he even care? Would he believe he was the father? I pushed those questions to the back of my head and hoped I was not pregnant.
When I reached the infirmary, Dr. Evans, the pack doctor, greeted me as he stretched out his hands and gestured for me to take a seat. He was a man in his mid fifties with kind eyes and a calm deameanor that made me less nervous.
"Nina," he called out my name with familiarity. "You're looking pale. What seems to be the matter?"
I hesitated. I rubbed my clammy hands on my trousers. "I've been feeling… off," I admitted. "Nauseous, tired, sensitive to smells. I thought it might just be stress, but…"
Dr. Evans tilted his head, his expression thoughtful. "But you think it might be something else?"
I nodded, and I looked up to meet his eyes, "Can you run some test on me?"
He studied me for a moment. "Let's run a few tests. It won't take long."
It felt like eternity as I waited for the test results. I didn't know what to expect. Soon, Dr. Evans showed up holding a clipboard in his hands.
"Well," he said, his voice calm but firm, "the results confirm it. You're pregnant, Nina."
The room spun for a moment as his words sunk in. Pregnant. I was going to have a child.
I didn't know whether to laugh, cry, or scream. What was wrong with my fortune?
"What now?" I whispered to my self but Dr. Evans heard it.
He looked at me with concern. Everyone in the pack knew I just got married yesterday and there was no way I'd be pregnant after just one mating night. Unless…the father was not my husband.
I knew the thoughts running through Dr. Evans mind but I couldn't even offer him an explanation. "Can you please keep this a secret." I asked with pleading eyes.
"I had no intention of disclosing this," he said with a smile that eased my raving mind. "But for now, you need to avoid stress."
Avoid stress? I nearly laughed. How was I supposed to do that in a loveless marriage with a husband who detested my kind
?
What would he do to my child the moment he found out I was pregnant?