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Danny heaved a huge sigh of relief, and I called everyone back. “Can we get Dr. Coughran in here to examine him?” I asked after explaining what I saw, but then we turned at the sound of footsteps and Emery appeared along with Simeon, and Danny let out a breath, relaxing. Simeon had delivered Tia.

He immediately shooed everyone out and went to wash his hands. I knew Simeon wasn’t a qualified doctor, but his mom used to be the pack mother—or midwife—so he had plenty of experience. He looked and confirmed there was no sign of an opening, just the darker patch of skin. He went to wash his hands again while Bayer covered me up, then came back. We let Esther and Em back in.

“Firstly, everything seems fine.” He glanced at me. “Heartbeat?”

I nodded. “Yeah, little minx sounds like he’s doing the marathon.”

Simeon reached over to Esther’s bag and arched an inquiring eyebrow for her permission, then got out a stethoscope. Esther copied his eyebrow lift, but I wasn’t worried and squeezed Danny’s hand.

Danny

Simeon pressed the cool metal disk to my abdomen, moving it slowly across different areas. His expression remained neutral, but I noticed his eyebrows rise slightly before he handed the stethoscope to Esther.

"What?" I demanded, my voice higher than normal. "What's wrong?"

Esther listened, her face giving nothing away as she moved the stethoscope to different positions. After what felt like an eternity, she straightened and exchanged a look with Simeon.

"Nothing's wrong," Simeon said carefully. "But I think we need to get Dr. Coughran here as soon as possible."

"Why?" I grabbed Bayer's hand so tightly he winced. "You said everything was fine!"

"It is," Esther assured me, her voice gentle. "But I believe I'm hearing two distinct heartbeats."

The room went completely silent. I stared at her, certain I'd misheard.

"Two," I repeated numbly. "As in...twins?"

Simeon nodded. "That's my assessment, yes."

"No," I whispered, shaking my head. "No, that's not possible. I can't have twins. I can't even have one baby! I don't have the equipment!"

Bayer's hand tightened around mine. "Danny—"

"Two bear cubs?" I was spiraling now, my voice rising with each word. "Two? I'm going to be the size of a house! I'll never recover! My organs will be permanently rearranged!"

"Danny," Esther interrupted firmly. "Take a deep breath."

I sucked in air obediently, feeling lightheaded.

"The bleeding concerns me," Simeon continued once I'd calmed slightly. "It's not typical for male omegas, but then again, you're not a typical male omega. You're human-born, which means your body is adapting differently."

"Is that bad?" Bayer asked, his voice tight with worry.

"Not necessarily," Simeon replied. "But I'd recommend bed rest until Dr. Coughran can examine him properly and do a scan. Just to be safe."

"Bed rest?" I squeaked. "For how long?"

"At least until we understand what's happening," Esther said. "The bleeding has stopped for now, which is a good sign, but we need to be cautious."

"I'll call Dr. Coughran immediately," Phoenix said from the doorway. I hadn't even realized he was listening. "See when he can come."

"Twins," I whispered, the reality sinking in. "Two babies. At once."

Bayer looked shell-shocked, his amber eyes wide with a mixture of fear and awe. "Two cubs," he murmured, his large hand moving to rest protectively over my stomach.

"I need everyone out," I announced suddenly, feeling overwhelmed by the crowd in our bedroom.

Everyone filed out quietly, leaving just Bayer and me in the silence. I stared at the ceiling, my mind reeling with the impossibility of it all.