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I swallowed hard, uncomfortable with how accurately he'd read me. "Well, now I have a whole new set of problems."

"Yes," Emery agreed, "but you also have a whole pack of people who value you. A mate who adores you. And a cub who will inherit your sass and Bayer's strength."

"Poor kid," I said, but I couldn't help smiling at the image.

We spent another hour finalizing our plans for the school, though my attention kept drifting to the door, hoping for Bayer's return.

“What are you going to do about your mom?’ Emery asked, and I sighed. I had no idea. And it wasn’t that I couldn’t trust her with my secret. It was because I couldn’t trust Shane.

"I honestly don't know," I admitted, setting down my pencil. "She'd be thrilled about the baby—she's been hinting about more grandchildren since I graduated college. But explaining that it’s actually me that’s having it..." I waved my hand vaguely, encompassing the supernatural world I'd stumbled into.

"You could tell her part of the truth," Emery suggested. "She knows Bayer."

“But even if we went with the adoption story, I can’t stay hidden for four months. I mean, she’s a nurse. As crazy as it sounds, she’s not going to accept unexplained weight gain in one area.” I chewed my lip. “She’s back in four days. She can’t stay at home on her own with this vampire zombie running around.”

“The adoption story is a good cover, but only for acquaintances, not for moms,” Emery agreed.

"And leave out the part where my boyfriend turns into a bear and I'm carrying a cub that might have claws?" I snorted. "Yeah, that might work until the baby starts shifting in the crib."

Emery laughed. "Fair point, but most shifters don't have their first shift until adolescence. But you can't just disappear on her."

"I know." I sighed, rubbing my temples. "It's not Mom I'm worried about. It's Shane."

"Your brother?"

"He's always been...off. Even as kids." I hesitated, not wanting to speak ill of family but needing to be honest. "He collects people's secrets, uses them when it benefits him. If he found out about any of this..."

"You think he'd expose the pack?"

"I think he'd do whatever brought him the most advantage," I said grimly. "Money, power, leverage—Shane's always looking for an angle."

“Been there, done that,” Em said and squeezed my hand, and I knew he had. Last year Em’s dad had tried to blackmail the pack and had gotten into a situation that had eventually cost him his life. We chuckled at each other because there was nothing good we could say, and when Em suggested tea, I took Tia from him, groaning theatrically at her weight, which made her giggle. Although seriously, shifter toddlers were no lightweights. Back in the kitchen, Em got his laptop out and started looking at supplies. I winced at the stiffness in my back then groaned because I needed to pee, again. “I thought this didn’t happen until the end?” I groused and took myself to the bathroom. I yanked down my jeans and my briefs and froze, unsure what I was seeing.

The bright red smear on my briefs sent ice through my veins. I stared at it in horror as my brain struggled to process what I was seeing.

Blood. There was blood.

"No," I whispered, panic clawing up my throat. "No, no, no."

My hands shook as I checked again, finding more spotting. The room tilted alarmingly, and I grabbed the sink to steady myself, heart hammering against my ribs.

"Em!" I called, my voice breaking. "Emery!"

I heard his quick footsteps approach, then a gentle knock. "Danny? You okay?"

"I—I'm bleeding," I choked out, unable to open the door, unable to move. Saying the words made it real, and reality was terrifying. "The baby—"

The door flew open immediately, Emery's concerned face appearing. He took one look at me and his expression shifted from worry to calm determination.

"Okay," he said steadily. "Let's not panic yet."

“But I don’t have a hole,” I screeched. “Not yet, it’s too soon. Where the hell is it coming from?”

"Deep breaths," Emery instructed, taking my elbow and guiding me to sit on the edge of the bathtub. "I'm calling Esther right now."

I nodded mutely, one hand pressed protectively over my abdomen as Emery stepped into the hallway to make the call. I could hear him speaking in low, urgent tones, though I couldn't make out the words over the roaring in my ears.

The baby. Our cub. The tiny heartbeat Phoenix and Bayer had heard. What if something was wrong? What if my body was rejecting it? What if I'd never been meant to carry a child at all?