Chapter 21

(Julia’s POV)

Ronan’s words were still ringing in my ears as his unreadable gaze held mine, arms folded across his chest. The baby has Alpha traits? I didn’t even know that could happen! I took a deep breath, trying to buy some time before I had to answer.

Finally, I decided to just play dumb. “What?” I furrowed my brow, hoping I appeared sufficiently confused by Ronan’s question. “The pup…has Alpha traits? But how is that even possible?”

Ronan’s eyes narrowed slightly and he opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, I quickly said, “Well, I guess we should ask the doctor!” and frantically pressed the call button on the side of my bed.

The doctor came in almost immediately — the perks of being with an Alpha — and looked at me expectantly. “Hello. Is everything alright in here?” I smiled. “Yes, Doctor, everything is fine. We just…had a few questions about the ultrasound test you ran?”

“Hold on, let me find the test results.” As the doctor shuffled through a file folder with my name printed on it, I slyly asked, “I mean, the tests are completely accurate, right? The results won’t be messed up by anything?” I hoped whatever he said next would help me wiggle my way out of this mess.

“I wouldn’t say that,” the doctor said, pulling a sheet of paper out of the folder and studying it. He looked back up at us and said, “These ultrasounds are not 100% accurate, which can sometimes lead to some confusing results. I mean, right here, I can see your pup is already presenting Alpha traits, even though there’s no Alpha blood, correct?”

“Correct,” I said quickly. “So, you’re saying that a non-Alpha pup could show up with Alpha traits with this specific test?” The doctor nodded. “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying. There is a more accurate test, if you’re hoping to get a better idea of what your pup will be like, genetically speaking.”

He continued, “However, this test is quite invasive and there is a higher risk of miscarrying the baby, so I can’t say I recommend it.” Before I could respond, Ronan gruffly said, “Absolutely not. Whatever results the test would give wouldn’t be worth putting Julia and the pup at risk.”

I stared at Ronan, awestruck by the care he was showing both me and my baby at this moment. I had also been planning to refuse to take the test, but having Ronan on my side as well gave me a wonderful, warm feeling.

“Alright, I understand.” The doctor nodded and looked back down at my file. “Do you have any other questions for me while I’m here?” I asked, “Yes. I was wondering if you could give me any insight into my collapse?”

“Of course,” he smiled. “Is there anything specific, or were you looking for a general overview?” I replied, “Really, anything you could tell me would be appreciated. I want to avoid anything like that happening again.”

The doctor looked down at what I assumed were more of my test results, then back at me. “From what I’m seeing here, Julia, it looks like you’ve been under a lot of stress. Your heart rate and blood pressure are very high, which is bad for you and the baby.”

I could feel my face growing pale. “Is it — I mean, have I done any permanent damage to the baby?” The doctor shook his head, smiling kindly. “No, no, nothing of the sort. You just need to be more careful going forward.”

“And that means…?” I asked. “Taking it easy,” he said. “You need to take some time off before the baby comes. I would recommend taking a week or two away from work, and spending some time doing absolutely nothing.” The doctor smiled. “Do you think you can do that?”

I laughed. “Yes, Doctor, I think I can.” He looked over at Ronan and said, “Make sure she takes my advice, please.” Ronan just nodded, but I could tell he had been taking in the doctor’s every word and would insist I not move for a month.

After filling out the discharge paperwork and saying goodbye to the doctor and nurses who had looked after me, Ronan escorted me out of the hospital. He kept his hand on my elbow the whole time, and I felt a spark of electricity every time his fingers shifted on my arm.

We drove home silently and Ronan helped me into the house in the same careful way as before. As we went upstairs and started getting ready for bed, I wondered what to do next. Part of me wanted to just go ahead and tell Ronan the truth before things got any more complicated between us.

The other part of me, though….that part of me wanted to just keep on lying. It had worked for me up until this point, so why stir up trouble now? And I still had months before the baby was born, which gave me plenty of time to come up with a plan to leave safely.

I sat on the end of the bed, suddenly sure of what I should do: keep lying. It was just safer this way, for me and the pup. I fidgeted with the bedspread, still lost in thought, then had an idea: What if I come up with a plan right now? The doctor gave me the perfect excuse to leave Ronan.

I could resign from my job at PackHouse and end our agreement, right here and now, and just tell Ronan it was what was best for both the pup and myself. The doctor had told me to get rest, so it was the perfect excuse.

I felt a stab of pain in my heart at the thought of giving up my job, though. I had fought so hard for my position as Acting Beta, and I hated to resign, but in the end, this was what I needed to do.

“Julia?” I looked up to see Ronan staring at me with concern. “You’ve been sitting there for some time. Are you still feeling shaky? Do we need to go back to the hospital?” I shook my head, smiling at him.

“No, Ronan, I’m okay. I was just thinking about what the doctor said.” He frowned. “What do you mean?” I took a deep breath, then said, “I think he was right. About taking time off, I mean.”

“Of course,” Ronan said. “You can take a few weeks off from PackHouse. That’s no trouble at all. I’ll call my Gamma and we can get the paperwork started right away. Don’t worry about anything.”

I shook my head, feeling a bit of a lump in my throat at Ronan’s caring attitude. Once again, he was willing to take care of everything, to wave a magic wand and fix everything perfectly, just for me. It just made what I was about to say that much harder.

“Ronan, I’m resigning from PackHouse.” I looked up at him and almost flinched at the anger and darkness in his eyes. Ronan looked absolutely furious, and I quickly opened my mouth to explain myself, but he didn’t give me a chance. Instead, Ronan stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.