The Lost Queen

Ch. 5: Denial

"You're pregnant."

"You're pregnant."

"You're pregnant."

Kliden's declaration echoed in Rayne's head.

She was dreaming. She had to be dreaming.

Her lips trembled as she shot straight out of the bed, releasing her hand from Jarrah's. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think. She couldn't think of the impossible. They'd only laid together three times . . . and the third time was just the previous night . . . it couldn't be possible!

Rayne shoved her fingers into her curls. Somewhere behind her, Kliden swore himself to secrecy, and she wondered if it was all one big joke. She'd know if she was pregnant. Wouldn't she be the first to recognize the symptoms? To feel her body changing?

But then again . . . she had the symptoms. She thought about the nausea, the throwing up, the tender breasts, the cramps.

"Oh Creator," she half-sobbed, half-whispered.

Rayne didn't know one thing about being a mother. A mother to a mixed species no less! Was she to have a child who was half-wolf, half-Fae?

"Rayne," Jarrah said behind her shoulder but she shook her head as tears swelled in her eyes.

"No," Rayne choked, her chest squeezing.

Jarrah stepped in front of her. She couldn't even force herself to look up into his face and see whatever emotion was stationed there. Seeing any sort of disappointment or anger would surely break whatever sanity she had left.

"J-Jarrah, not now," she begged, her fingers pressing against the front of him. He wrapped a hand around the back of her head and soothed her with soft hushing as she sobbed her fears. "N-not when—when we're possibly in a mutiny! Not when there's so much death around us. And—Jarrah, we just started this!"

Jarrah laid his head on top of hers. "I know," he confessed, softly. "I know."

"I can't be pregnant. I can't be," she cried. They'd only been together for a month! Sure, they went on a journey that led them to falling in love with each other before that month, but it was still too soon. They just started their council visits, still don't know the truth behind the recents deaths, and just barely began their relationship. How could they be parents when they barely knew what it was like to be together? Their trial run was cut short, and Rayne didn't know where to go from there. What to do, what to accept.

And yet, she couldn't deny what was. She was pregnant with a baby; their baby. Whether she wanted it to or not, their baby was coming in nine months. And they were going to be Jarrah's heir to the throne and Moonshine's future alpha.

Rayne pressed a hand to her stomach between them and moved her head to his shoulder. "What are we going to do?" she whispered.

Jarrah tightened his hold on her. "I can tell you what I think we're going to do," he whispered, kissing her head.

He moved back just a little to stare into her teary-eyed face and wrapped his fingers around her cheeks. His shimmering eyes were flooded with such love, such wonder and warmth, that it took her breath away. And his smile was like daybreak across a gloomy sky.

"We're going to have a strong, healthy baby in nine months with the most amazing mother that'll protect them against anything," he promised, kissing the tears away. "Hybrid or not, our baby will be protected and loved by their people, because they're going to be the strongest ruler our people have ever seen. Our baby is going to be hlampko, Rayne."

Hlampko. Strong.

Rayne breathed out an unstable breath of air. "Jarrah . . . vno? A Svshki?"

"Yes, you, wolf. I can't think of anyone else who'd be a better mother to our future child than you."