Chapter 0117
Emory
I try to sit still as Dr. Joe Martin looks over my vitals. Kane is busy dealing with the diplomat from Scarlett Thunder to be with me for the check–up. He feels terrible about it, but I told him it isn’t a big deal. I know he’s stressed enough dealing with this stalemate with King Peter, and I don’t want to add on to his load.
Besides, I’m not alone. Lola is here trying to sit still on a stool nearby. My maids, Helga and Nellie are in- the room with us trying not to hover. After Lord Alistair found out about my pregnancy and informed King Peter about it, Kane and I decided to let our friends in the castle know. We need the support of those closest to us more than ever.
We know that King Peter won’t be sitting on this information for long and will probably be spreading it to the other kingdoms to curry favor for his cause against Kane. We can’t keep this information to ourselves any longer, so all we can do is try to mitigate the upcoming wave of opinions that is coming our way. We havn’t sworn our friends to secrecy, but we know they aren’t blabbing to others about what they know. Helga and Nellie have become my biggest supporters, concerned and overjoyed at me carrying Kane’s child and heir. Along with most people in the kingdom, they have been waiting for him to finally reproduce -even if it is with a wolf shifter.
“Have you been sleeping well?” Dr. Martin asks. “Your blood pressure is higher than normal.”
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping. I seem to only get morning sickness in the evenings, usually late.”
“It’s not that uncommon with vampire babies. I recall Queen Agatha had similar symptoms when she was pregnant with the king and his brother.”
“I also get really queasy around strong smells. Garlic makes me want to barf.”
He nods and makes a note on his clipboard. “That’s also common. Your wolf shifter senses might be even more heightened as the pregnancy goes along.” He looks up and asks, “Are you also feeling ill at the smell of blood?”
“No,” I reply. “I like my meat rarer now.”
I prefer my meat to be practically raw, which might have been unhealthy if I wasn’t a wolf shifter but I won’t get sick from it. My dinner last night could probably moo at me with how rare it was.
“The baby will be craving blood. Preferably fresh.”
My eyes widen slightly as I realize what he is getting at “I have to drink blood?”
“You will only need to consume it in small amounts. We can have the staff serve you a small cup of blood during dinner.”
The thought of me drinking blood would have thoroughly grossed me out months ago, but I don’t feel the same way now. I have a craving for it like I would with a good steak or even ice cream.
“This is good for the baby?”
“Healthy vampire babies need blood.”
“All right. I’ll do it for the baby.”
+25 BONUS
Chapter 0117
He prescribes prenatal vitamins to me then instructs Helga and Nellie about the best food for me to eat. Lola is bored during the entire appointment and is happy to leave once it’s over.
“Are wolf shifter babies the same? Lola asks me as we walk back to our rooms. “Are pregnancies this difficult with our kind?”
“It can be rather complicated,” I answer honestly. “There’s the risk of miscarriage if the mother shifts into her wolf form during the pregnancy.”
“That won’t be a problem with you.”
Lola knows I haven’t met my wolf yet. Wolf shifters don’t change into their wolf forms until their twenty- first birthday, and my birthday is still months away. That will be a problem I would have to deal with when it comes because I won’t be able to stop myself from shifting for the first time on my birthday, but I don’t want to think about that now. Being pregnant already scares me enough as it is.
“Not now, Lo,” I tell her. “It’ll all be okay though.”
