My hands trembled as I folded the rejection letter from the third bank I'd visited that morning. The loan officer had barely glanced at my application before dismissing me with a practiced smile and empty platitudes about "financial responsibility."
"We're sorry, Ms. Moon, but with your current credit situation..."
I stuffed the letter into my purse and checked my watch. I had thirty minutes to make it across town to Lyra's clinic. Today was the day. The pregnancy test.
My heart raced as I navigated the busy sidewalk, dodging businesspeople rushing to lunch meetings. I'd spent three sleepless nights weighing impossible choices. If the test was positive, I'd be facing my greatest dream under the worst possible circumstances.
"Just breathe," I whispered to myself as I entered the sterile medical building.
As I approached the elevators, a strange sensation washed over me—a certainty that I couldn't explain. He was here. Kaelen Thorne was somewhere in this building. The thought came unbidden, completely irrational, yet I felt it with absolute conviction.
I stepped into the elevator, punching the button for the fifth floor, when the doors to the executive conference room across the lobby swung open. A group of men in expensive suits emerged, and there he was—towering above the others, his broad shoulders straining against his tailored jacket.
Kaelen Thorne. Even from this distance, his presence dominated the space.
His dark hair was swept back from his forehead, emphasizing the sharp angles of his face. He nodded at something one of the men said, his expression serious and focused. Power radiated from him like heat from a flame.
The elevator doors began to close, and I found myself holding them open, unable to look away. What was he doing here? Was it coincidence, or did he know I'd be here today?
He suddenly stiffened and turned his head, as if sensing my gaze. For a moment, I thought our eyes would meet, but one of the suits stepped into his line of sight, breaking the connection.
The elevator doors closed, and I leaned against the wall, my heart hammering. What was wrong with me? This was the man who'd fired me and Lyra without a second thought, possibly ruining both our lives. Why did my body react to him like this?
When I reached Lyra's floor, she was waiting for me, her white lab coat immaculate but her eyes rimmed with red.
"You okay?" I asked as she led me to an exam room.
She attempted a smile. "Just finished my exit interview with HR. Today's officially my last day."
"Oh, Lyra." I squeezed her hand. "I'm so sorry."
"Don't worry about me," she said, straightening her shoulders. "Let's focus on you today."
Once the door closed behind us, her professional demeanor slipped slightly. "Have you made any decisions? About... what you'll do?"
I sank onto the exam table, crinkling the paper beneath me. "I don't see how I can keep it, Lyra. I'm about to lose my apartment. I'll be lucky to avoid bankruptcy."
"I understand," she said softly. "But promise me something? Don't make the final decision until the last possible moment. Sometimes solutions appear when we least expect them."
"Solutions don't just fall from the sky," I said bitterly. "And I can't count on Mark suddenly developing a conscience and returning the money he stole."
"True," Lyra conceded, pulling on latex gloves. "But I just hate seeing you have to give up the one thing you've wanted most."
Tears pricked at my eyes. "Me too."
Lyra handed me a plastic cup. "You know the drill."
Minutes later, I was back on the exam table, staring at the ceiling while Lyra conducted the test. The silence stretched, heavy with anticipation.
"Sera?" Her voice was gentle.
I forced myself to meet her eyes.
"It's positive."
The words hit me like a physical blow. Positive. I was pregnant. After years of trying, of heartbreak and disappointment, it had finally happened—through a mistake, an error, a cosmic joke.
Joy and despair collided within me. I pressed a hand to my stomach, where a life was growing—the child I'd dreamed of for so long.
"How far along?" I whispered.
"Based on the insemination date, about five weeks. I'd like to do an ultrasound to confirm."
I nodded numbly, lying back as she prepared the machine. The cold gel on my abdomen made me gasp.
"Sorry," Lyra murmured, pressing the transducer against my skin. "Let's see what we've got here."
The screen flickered with gray shadows. Lyra's brow furrowed in concentration as she moved the wand.
"There," she said finally. "See that tiny flutter? That's the heartbeat."
I stared at the screen, at the tiny pulsing light that was my baby's heart. My baby. Despite everything, a fierce surge of love washed over me.
"It looks... larger than I'd expect at this stage," Lyra said, moving the wand slightly. "And the molecular structure..." She trailed off, her frown deepening.
"What's wrong?" Alarm shot through me.
"Nothing's wrong, exactly. It's just..." She adjusted the settings, zooming in. "I've never seen readings quite like this before. The cellular division is accelerated, and there's something unusual about the genetic markers."
My throat went dry. "Unusual how?"
"I'm not sure. It almost doesn't look..." She hesitated. "It doesn't look entirely human."
Before I could process her words, the door to the exam room burst open. I jerked my head up to see Kaelen Thorne filling the doorway, his massive frame radiating tension. His green eyes fixed on the ultrasound screen, then dropped to my exposed stomach.
"What the hell?" I gasped, scrambling to cover myself.
"Mr. Thorne!" Lyra exclaimed. "You can't be in here! This is a private exam—"
"You will explain this to me right now," he demanded, stalking into the room. His voice was low, dangerous, vibrating with barely contained rage.
I shrank back against the exam table. "Explain what? How dare you barge in here!"
His eyes met mine, and I nearly choked on my next breath. They were glowing—actually glowing—with an eerie green light that was decidedly not human.
"Because," he declared fiercely, "I can smell my pup."