ANNE MARIE’S POV:
"Puke on the floor is a hell of a way to start a career." My own voice reverberates in my head. It’s that damn knowing thing us Blue Mooners have; typically warning us about what's to come. I ignore it. Can't let some unknown stint of the future (especially never knowing if it'll come true or not) ruin my damn mojo.
The sliding doors hiss open; I push through the lobby. My co-worker looks like she has been chewed up and spit out by a double shift in the ER.
"Hey Missy! You ready for the big day…?"
"Yeah, I think so," I say. I look down at my scuffed sneakers.
"You got this. Stop over thinking it..." She squeezes my shoulder and leaves.
I walk forward with a fake confidence that doesn't reach my shaking hands. The air in Greyson Medical smells like bleach and old blood; it is the same scent that made me chicken out last time and follow my cousin here. My shoes squeak on the linoleum. Everything’s too bright.
Nix growls in my head. "Stop psyching yourself out, dumbass. You earned this."
She isn't wrong. Marcus would’ve given me any job if I just used the mate bond to get what I want. I could have been a trophy wife at Walker Industries, a top exec with clout, but I spent two weeks reading business manuals until my eyes felt like they were full of sand. I wanted to prove myself to him. Prove myself to myself.
Oliver stands by the exam room door. He adjusts his glasses as I reach him.
"Miss Rightfield. The front seat is free..."
He hands me a packet with a smile. The other applicants stare. I can tell they are wondering why I get special treatment, though they probably smell the heavy wolf musk on me. It is the same scent as their beta.
My stomach flips. Sienna would laugh at me for stressing, but she has spent the last two weeks puking every morning. She is too busy hiding a baby bump from her clueless mate to bother with me.
I feel off lately too. I probably need to hide a bump of my own. The air in the exam room is freezing, and it clashes with the sticky heat from outside, still lurking on my skin. The other candidates have blank eyes. I place the packet on the desk. The overhead lights glare off the paper.
My stomach lurches. The room tilts, and I lean over, vomiting my breakfast across the floor. The smell of half digested strawberry smoothie hits my nose.
"Shit! Anne Marie!"
Oliver rushes over and grips my shoulders.
"Talk to me. What is it..."
I wobble. The room spins.
"I dunno," I mumble into his shirt. His cologne is too strong (never usually that way, I like it most days); but right now it makes my mouth water like a leaky faucet.
"Your nerves are wrecking you..."
He rubs my back and guides me toward a trash can. I slump over the rim and drool.
Nix growls. "Sweetheart, I think we have pups on the way too."
Oliver is basically cradling me from behind, holding me up. I’d probably collapse without him. But that very action seems to cause a stir, shocked whispers ripple through the room. They all know by now who I am to the Beta that they’re applying to work for.
"Mate is here," Nix whimpers in my thoughts, relieved.
Marcus is in the doorway. There’s a few gasps. He sees Oliver holding me. Another wave of sick hits me, and it is loud and messy. I hurl into the trash can.
"Anne Marie? What is wrong?" His voice is quiet, gray-blue eyes scanning over me. Marcus looks at Oliver. "Oliver, get her a wheelchair..."
He looks like he is mind-linking someone, eyes glazed over. He pulls me against him and his assistant rushes out. His grip is too tight. I gag again.
"It’s okay. Greyson will fix it..."
My eyes flutter and I’m practically going limp.
“Annie? Annie?” Marcus tries to get my attention.
I cannot answer him. I almost collapse. He holds me tight. Everything goes black.
Next thing I know, Dr. Stephanie's barking orders: "Move it! We’ve got a critical..."
I am in a wheelchair, rolling toward the ER. Oliver pushes me. Marcus storms beside us; he looks like he wants to start a fight. His security team flanks us with enough guns to take down a small country. I guess this is how the second in charge of the hive pack travels. We are treated like the president and first lady. My vision swims. Nix's whine is the only thing keeping me grounded.
"Hold on Annie," she says in my head, her wolf voice thick with worry. "You're gonna make it..."
Dr. Stephanie blurs into view. She moves faster than my stomach can handle. The world tilts. Her flashlight stabs my pupils, and a group of newbie scrubs closes in.
"Sorry, big bro," she says, brushing a warm thumb on my arm. "Pat's tied up in a meeting..."
She looks at me. "Annie, look at me. When was your last period?"
The question hangs there. My tongue feels like a piece of lead.
"Anne Marie...?" Marcus is closer now.
I want to answer. I want to scream. Instead, my mind just floats. It feels like I am unhooked from reality. Sienna bolts by and enters a door labeled: “ultrasound room.” Dr. Lucas slips in after her. I try to reach her through a mind-link, but whatever is wrong with me has deadened the connection.
I’m transferred from wheelchair to bed by multiple hands. I can’t even tell who or what’s going on.
"Let’s go. Finalize that room. Now, interns!" Stephanie barks more orders, and my gurney lurches forward.
The next thing I know, I am staring at ceiling tiles. IVs snake up my arms. Machines chirp. Nurses stab me with more needles than I care for. I feel like a lab rat. Time gets weird. Sleep consumes me. Blinking means hours, or seconds. I cannot tell. My brain scrambles for answers, but Nix and I have a sickening hunch.
Hours later, Stephanie reappears with Lucas at her side. His grin is too wide; he kneads my blanket covered calf with his fingers.
"Hey, kiddo. Dehydration’s a bitch..."
He nods at the IV. I manage a weak thumbs up. Stephanie clutches a thin stack of papers. Her face is wide with shock. Marcus shoots to his feet so fast his chair screeches.
I know that look. He is worried. I didn’t even know he was still here. How long has he been sitting there? Marcus never just lingers; he is too busy. And what about all those job applicants waiting for their interviews?
"You're pregnant, Anne Marie!" Dr. Stephanie chirps. "With twins."
"Two little boys, Annie," Nix says in my head (mirroring Dr. Stephanie's voice). The news hits me like a truck. My eyes go wide. Me? Pregnant? With twins?
"Oh, my..." Marcus replies. His deep, half british voice rumbles through the room. His eyes flash with Onyx, his wolf, right there beneath the surface. "Well ain't that something. My little bean sprout's carrying my first heirs..."
He uses Dad's old nickname for me while giving me a look that is hungry and full of pride. It makes my heart stutter. There it is. Confirmation of everything Nix just said earlier. His bloodline. His heirs.
"Congratulations, Marcus and Annie," Dr. Stephanie gushes. She hugs her brother before smiling at me.
"Oh boy! Five in one day..."
Lucas chimes in, grinning like a fool. We all just stare at him. That sharp blue gaze (same as his twin, Nolan's) twinkles with secrets. He brushes us off with a wave.
"Never mind me," he laughs. "Big day. Must be getting my wires crossed..."
He shoots his arms in a crisscross pattern above his head before stretching. There is something in his eyes. Excitement, sure, but something more. What does he mean by five? He knows about Sienna's? Of course he does. Why else would she be going into an ultrasound room with him following her?
I look up at Marcus. His stormy blue eyes lock onto mine, Onyx right there with him. The walls feel too close. Twins. Future Betas for the Hive Pack. His sons. Would they (his people) even want me as his mate, their female beta? Our kids as the beta heirs? Sienna and I are Blue Mooners; we are still rogue wolves who never joined their hive.
"What'll we name them?" Marcus's voice slides into my mind, calm as ever.
His steady gaze helps me breathe again. If he is not panicking, maybe I shouldn’t either.
"Marcus and... Peter?" I mind-link him back. I wince at how shaky I sound. Peter is their youngest brother's name. The one without a namesake yet. I know how close Marcus is to him and Patrick.
Marcus chuckles via our mind-link. "Done. Our boys: Marcus Jr. and Peter..."
The door swings open. A nurse wheels in an ultrasound machine. I saw one earlier when I was in and out of my trance.
"Thought you two might also want to see them," Dr. Stephanie says.
"Okay," I mumble. I rub my stomach like the twins might vanish.
Lucas and Stephanie do most of the work. They roll down my blankets, help me pull up my top, and slide my pants down. I am still wearing the same scrubs I walked in wearing this morning, which feels like a lifetime ago.
Marcus just stands there, watching. He does not let go of my hand. The nurse's gel is icy against my skin as she rubs it on. When the probe touches me, Nix yips inside my skull. The screen flickers green for a second before resolving into two tiny shapes. Heartbeats sync up.
"Oh, Annie! Look at our little pups," Nix growls. I can see her tail going wild in my head. "Little Marcus Jr. and Peter... perfect names for our future hive pups..."
My heart jackhammers so hard I forget to breathe.
"I know," I say in my thoughts. My voice breaks as Marcus squeezes my fingers.
The look on Lucas and Stephanie's faces are priceless; identical: shocked by Marcus’s behavior.
Marcus rests his hand on my stomach. All arrogance gone. He feels softer than usual, though the scent of old leather and that cologne clings to his clothing.
"Thank you, my love," he says, his lips hitting my forehead. "You just made me the happiest old wolf in the world..."
"Awwe... can you even?" Lucas elbows Stephanie. He looks like an idiot.
They cling to each other while the ultrasound nurse watches with a small smile. I feel the scratchy fabric of the sheets against the back of my legs.
"It's just pure bliss," Stephanie says, her eyes wide, pupils twinkling blue. "Maybe you, me, Soph and Nol should get our own little brood going..."
They start teasing each other, and I just roll my eyes. Oliver blurs into the room at wolf speed. He carries blue and white balloons and a teddy bear so big he can barely see over the top of it. The mylar balloons swing and hit the wall.
"Ah, there you are, my boy," Marcus rumbles. He points to the screen. "Come look. There they are..."
"Congratulations, my lord... Miss Rightfield," Oliver says. He sets the bear down next to me. "How exciting. I knew you would end up with some children eventually. You got the girl..."
Marcus frowns for three seconds before he laughs. Lucas and Stephanie join the noise. His palm stays on my stomach; it is warm and heavy. I cover his hand with mine. I can feel the thrum of his pulse against my skin.
Yeah. This is right where Cee-Cee and I were meant to be. With our mates. Starting families… I guess.