Free Web NovelChapter 231: Chapter 231 False Alarm
Elara
Half an hour later, a Bugatti rolled into the gray, worn-down rest stop parking lot. It stuck out like a sore thumb.
Dominic killed the engine, threw the door open, and walked straight toward me.
He didn’t slow down, didn’t say a word.
He just opened his arms and pulled me into a hug so tight I could barely breathe.
"Dominic..."
"You scared the hell out of me, baby." His voice was still shaky. "Don’t ever let your phone die on me again, okay? I need to be able to reach you."
His arms tightened around me, like he was afraid I’d disappear if he let go.
I could feel his heart pounding against my cheek. Fast. Hard. He was still panicking, even now.
I wrapped my arms around his waist and pressed closer. "Okay. I’m sorry. "
"Don’t apologize." He pulled back just enough to look at me, his hands moving to cup my face. His amber eyes scanned every inch of me. "I just need to know you’re safe." ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
Then his expression shifted. Something hopeful flickered in his eyes. "Did you... take a pregnancy test?"
"Uh, yeah." I figured he’d seen the one in the trash. "It was negative."
"I mean, my period was three days late, so I just wanted to check."
"It was positive."
I blinked. "What?"
"It was positive, Elara. Two lines." He pulled out his phone and showed me a photo. Clear as day. Two pink lines.
"Wait... but I only saw one line." I stared at the screen, trying to figure it out.
"You probably left before the second line showed up," he said, his voice soft but sure. "It takes a minute sometimes. Look. Two lines."
I pressed a hand to my stomach, my mind racing. "Really? But we’ve only been trying for a a few days. That’s... fast."
"It’s okay." He cupped my face gently. "We’ll go to the hospital and get bloodwork done. Then we’ll know for sure."
On the drive back, I sat in the passenger seat of Dominic’s car, still dazed. I kept glancing over at him, replaying everything in my head. The ninety-nine missed calls. The test. The pup.
"Dominic," I said quietly, "what if something actually had happened to me?"
"Don’t." His tone was sharp, immediate. He didn’t even look at me. His hands tightened on the wheel. "Don’t say that. Nothing happened. Nothing’s going to happen."
"I’m just saying—"
"Elara." He cut me off, his voice softer now but still firm. "Don’t think like that. We have a long road ahead of us. You, me, and this pup."
I touched my stomach again, a small smile tugging at my lips. "Yeah. A long road."
--
We got to the clinic within the hour. Not the public hospital. Dominic had called ahead. His pack doctor was waiting for us at a private facility on the north end.
No waiting room. No paperwork. A nurse took us straight back. Bloodwork was done in five minutes.
Then we sat in a quiet office with soft lighting. Dr. Hayes walked in with a tablet. She was the pack’s lead physician. Calm. Professional. She had delivered half the pups in the territory.
She glanced at the screen, then at us. "Alpha. Luna." A pause. "The bloodwork is negative. There’s no pregnancy."
Dominic didn’t move. He just stared at her. "That’s not possible. The test showed two lines."
"Home tests can give false positives, especially if they’re expired or stored wrong. Bloodwork is definitive." Dr. Hayes’s voice was gentle but firm. "I’m sorry."
The silence hung heavy. I felt Dominic’s wolf stir beneath his skin. A flicker of disappointment, quickly pushed down. He didn’t say anything. His jaw tightened, then relaxed.
I reached for his hand. He took it. Squeezed once.
We left the clinic in silence. The night air was cool. Dominic walked beside me, his hand still holding mine. He wasn’t angry. Just quiet.
"Dominic."
He looked at me.
"I’m sorry," I said.
He shook his head. "It’s not your fault." His voice was soft. "Don’t apologize."
I stopped walking. He stopped too. I looked up at him. "We just started trying. It’s only been a few days. It’ll happen."
He looked down at me. His amber eyes were tired, but warm. "I know." He brushed a strand of hair from my face. "I just got my hopes up."
"Me too."
He let out a slow breath. Then he pulled out his phone. "Which pharmacy did you buy that test from?"
"Why?"
"Because I want to know if they’re selling expired products."
I laughed. "You’re not serious."
"I’m a little serious." A small smile finally touched his lips.
I shook my head and leaned into him. "Come on. Take me home."
He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pressed a kiss to my temple. "Yeah. Let’s go home."
We walked to the car together. The disappointment was still there. But it felt lighter now. Like something we could carry together.
