Chapter 33

Olivia

As I entered the examination room, Angela, the nurse, wasted no time in directing me towards the scale.

“Get on the scale,” she said in a curt tone of voice.

I jumped a bit at her sudden demand and went to set my purse down on the floor and take my shoes off, but she just let out an exasperated sigh and shook her head.

“There’s no need to do all that,” she said. “Come on. I don’t have all day.”

“Um… Alright.”

Anxiety gnawed at my insides, but I tried to maintain composure and not be reactive to her nastiness, as all I hoped for was a smooth checkup. I stepped onto the scale, anticipation mingling with apprehension.

A scoff escaped Angela's lips as she glanced at the scale's reading. Confusion settled over me, and I couldn't help but shoot her a confused look. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"Well, it seems you're quite overweight for a girl your age. You should be more careful, considering your… condition." Angela’s voice dripped with disdain, and her cruel words almost made me feel sick to my stomach.

“What?” I asked. “How am I overweight?”

Angela simply shrugged as she scribbled furiously on her clipboard. “I can’t argue with the numbers,” she said. “Besides, if what happened at the hunt the other day with your dress was any indication of your size—”

Confusion quickly gave way to irritation. I knew that I was a perfectly healthy weight, and Angela’s comment seemed both unwarranted and judgmental.

Taking a deep breath, I held my chin up and glowered at her. "Actually, I know for a fact that I’m a perfectly healthy weight,” I replied sternly. “If I lost any more weight, I wouldn’t be able to do many of the physical activities that I enjoy doing because I would be too fatigued.”

Angela scoffed, her eyes narrowed, her expression was condescending. "We'll see about that," she retorted dismissively, speaking in a low tone of voice so as not to be overheard.

The tension in the room thickened as Angela moved on to the next part of the exam. She had me sit down on the exam table, and then with a little too much force she pushed me down onto my back and roughly lifted my shirt up to check my belly.

“Ow— Hey!” I exclaimed as she began pushing hard on my abdomen. “You’re hurting me!”

Angela rolled her eyes. “Oh, hush,” she said with a wry laugh. “You’re fine. This is just a standard physical exam.”

I bit my lip as she continued to push all around on my belly. Her fingers felt like knives, and I winced as I just prayed internally that this could be over soon.

Maybe I should have brought Nathan with me, I thought to myself as I clenched my fists and stared up at the fluorescent-lit ceiling. No one would be this horrible with him right beside me…

Finally, Angela finished her rough exam of my abdomen. She ripped off her blue latex gloves with a snap and tossed them in the trash, then made a point to thoroughly wash her hands with a copious amount of soap while I sat up with what little dignity I had left and readjusted my shirt.

When she was finished washing her hands for a second time, she sat down at the desk and shot me a dirty look.

“We’ll be testing you for sexually transmitted diseases today,” she said, tapping on the laptop that was sitting on the desk. “We’ll be doing bloodwork, a vaginal STD swab, and a urine sample.”

I raised an eyebrow, feeling a sense of unease take over my mind. "That's strange," I began. "I've already been tested before, and I'm certain I don't have any STDs. Why should I be tested? Is that common practice for first maternal checkups?"

Angela chuckled and shook her head. The look on her face was cruel, and her eyes practically dripped with contempt. Why she felt so much hatred for me was still a mystery to me.

But what she responded with next made me feel as though I would vomit.

"We need to ensure that our Alpha isn't tainted by a dirty girl from the streets," she sneered, her disdain cutting through my body like a knife.

I was taken aback. My mouth hung open as my mind scrambled to understand what had just come out of her. “Angela,” I said, standing from the exam table, “why would you say that? That’s awful!”

Angela, who I was now realizing was the worst nurse known to man, simply shrugged.

“Look, if you don’t want to do the tests, then I can happily refer you to a psychiatrist who will treat you for prenatal hysteria,” she chided, her lips turned up in a little smirk. “Should we do this the easy way or the hard way, hm?”

Anger surged within me, a fire ignited by her spiteful words. How dare she belittle me and make so many cruel assumptions about me? Even if my so-called ‘relationship’ with Nathan was fake, I still should have been the Luna in her eyes! Who would speak to the Luna like that?

With a firm resolve, I reached for the urine sample cup, determined to prove her wrong. "Fine," I snapped, my voice laced with determination. "I'll take the test, just to prove you wrong."

Angela looked pleased. “Good,” she said, gesturing to the door that led to the bathroom. “Bathroom’s over there. I’m sure you’ve done plenty of these tests, so I won’t bother telling you how to do it.”

I held in a growl as I stormed over to the bathroom and slammed the door behind me. When I used the cup, I made a point to fill it up to the brim just to run the risk of it sloshing out onto her hand when she opened it.

When I was finished, I came back out and slammed it on the desk next to her.

“There. Enjoy my dirty urine sample.”

Angela made a face, then typed some more on her laptop.

“Sit down,” she said, pointing back to the exam table. “And take off your pants for the vaginal swab.”

Now, I felt even more ashamed. Angela didn’t even bother to leave the room while I took my pants off, and didn’t give me the courtesy of a sheet to cover myself with. I laid back and winced while she did the swab.

Silence settled between us as she completed the test. I felt a mix of indignation and frustration. Angela was rough, both physically and emotionally, as she conducted the necessary examinations.

When she was finally finished with the swab, I sat up and glared at her as I pulled my pants back on.

“Are we done here?” I growled, feeling just the tiniest shred of dignity left in my body.

Angela simply laughed.

“We have one last thing to do,” she said.

I folded my arms across my chest and scowled. “What is it, Angela?”

Angela stood, and walked over to me. She towered over me as I sat on the exam table, and I could practically feel the heat emanating off of her body.

“It’s time for the paternity test,” she practically whispered as a cruel glint flashed across her eye.

My eyes widened.

Technically, her suspicions were not incorrect… But I wasn’t going to subject myself to a paternity test, and it was honestly offensive that she would even suggest it.

Finally, unable to bear her torment any longer, I mustered the strength to confront her. I stood, curling my hands into fists, and faced her head on.

"What's your problem, Angela?!"