Chapter 32 – LISA
LISA
When the truck stops and the engine dies, the sudden quiet wakes me. My head is against the window, neck stiff, and I’m curled up into a ball with my knees to my chest.
Beau’s staring at me with an odd look, his shoulders bunched up around his ears.
Sitting up, I stretch and squint through the windshield at an unfamiliar building, a house, but on a street of mainly shops and small businesses.
A porch light glows over the entrance, and a car sits in the driveway.
The medical practice sign that’s currently off is half hidden by a climbing rose beside the entrance.
I twist in my seat, not recognising the area and immediately on high alert. "Where are we?"
Beau shifts in his seat to face me, a rare look of uncertainty on his handsome features. He runs a hand over his thick, dark stubble, and looks toward the door in front of us. "My sister-in-law's clinic. Leila. She's mated to my older brother, Marcus. And she's a doctor."
Rubbing my eyes with the heel of my hand, I frown, my sleepy brain slow to put the pieces together. It’s been a long twenty-four hours, and apparently, Beau wants to make it even longer.
"You want me to see a doctor already? I haven't even taken a test yet."
Stubbornness mixed with utter exhaustion is urging me to dig in my heels and refuse to budge. Pulling my jacket tighter against the cold seeping through the glass, I stare at the house like it’s some kind of trap. My teeth catch my bottom lip, and my pulse kicks up, nerves replacing the drowsiness.
"We haven't even talked about any of this, Beau. About us. About what happens next."
I like a take-charge guy, but I’m feeling vulnerable and scared, and I’m not even sure I’m ready for any of this. There are so many words being casually thrown around that I know nothing about.
"I know." He reaches over and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, and I instinctively lean into the contact. "But I figured you'd want to know if it's even true before we delve into all that."
Reluctantly, I have to admit, he's right. There's no point getting into any of the details when I'm still not convinced there's anything to worry about. Part of me is still clinging to the idea that my world isn’t really about to be turned upside down. That it’s all just a big joke.
"And Leila's like me, but she treats humans and shifters, and humans that have ended up with shifters." He gives me a look that's almost sheepish as he shifts in his seat. "She can tell you anything you want to know. Whatever you say to her is private and confidential, and she's mostly impartial."
It is a good idea. Thoughtful, even. If I wasn’t so tired, I’d probably appreciate the gesture, so I suck it up and square my shoulders. There’s no point burying my head in the sand. It’s time to find out what I’m dealing with here.
My hand covers his giant one that’s resting on my knee, and I squeeze once, before unbuckling my seatbelt. "Okay. Let's do this."
Once she sees us walking up the driveway, a pretty brunette opens the front door in a soft lounge set and reading glasses, takes one look at the state of us, and steps aside without a word.
"I promise, I'm normally more professional than this, but I didn't have time to get dressed." Leila waves a hand over her outfit and presses her lips together, visibly refraining from asking why we look like we've been through hell.
"Are either of you hurt?" she asks, already pulling on a white coat and tying her dark hair back as she leads us down the hallway.
"No." I glance at Beau, unsure whether that’s actually true. He did get shot. A lot. "Or at least, not anymore."
My fingers brush against Beau's as we walk, needing his comfort. I pull back quickly, unsure of what's appropriate between us here, in his sister-in-law's clinic.
He catches my hand confidently and holds it, his thumb rubbing circles on the back, and some of the tightness in my chest eases. I know him. He’s a good man. I’m going to be okay.
Leila gestures us into an office and flicks on the overhead light.
Squinting, I take in the room. There’s an examination table, an ultrasound machine, and framed certificates on the wall beside a child's drawing of what is either a horse or a very oddly proportioned dog.
"Leila, this is Lisa, my... eh... mate." Beau stumbles over the word, and Leila looks at him, then at me, eyes wide, a knowing smile spreading across her pretty face.
My cheeks heat because neither of us has any idea what to call this thing between us. Well, he does but doesn’t know how I'll react.
I’m not sure I know either.
Leila extends her hand, and her grip is warm and firm, ignoring the weird atmosphere in the room. "So, tell me what's going on."
The question is open enough that I can say as much or as little as I want, but I decide if I’m here, I may as well just be honest, so I go for it.
"We had a one-night stand,” I blurt out. “And now, I might be carrying his baby. But we're not together, exactly. And this is all a bit weird because I only just found out he's..." I frown, testing the word. "A bear.” I shake my head. “Man, that sounds weird to say out loud."
Leila blinks slowly, then pins Beau with a look that’s slightly terrifying coming from such a beautiful woman.
"I might have to have a conversation with the rest of your brothers about getting women pregnant before you're mated. This is becoming a habit."
Especially when she then turns to me with an exasperated shake of her head.
Beau grits his teeth and takes the telling off. There’s obviously a story there that I’d like to hear sometime, but right now, I have my own surprise pregnancy to worry about.
Leila turns her bright smile back on for me while continuing to give him serious side-eye as she helps me onto the edge of the bed.
"I should warn you," I add, watching her drag over the ultrasound machine, anxiety bubbling up inside me. "I don't actually know if I'm pregnant. My evidence so far consists of two men who claim they can smell it.”
Leila doesn't bat an eyelid at my dramatic eyeroll.
“We used condoms at first, but then we ran out..." God, that sounds lame. We’re grown-ups. We should have known better. “But it was ages ago. Waaay too long ago.”
Beau doesn’t interrupt, just lets me ramble on like an idiot.
"Well, let's find out, shall we?"
Shimmying back on the bed, I recline and turn to Beau, a feeling almost like panic building inside me. What if he’s not happy about this? What if he blames me for getting pregnant?
And the whole bear thing. There are things I want to ask Leila, so many things, and I can't ask them with him standing right here.
Whether the baby will be like him, what this means for my body, what happens if I'm not ready, and when they say cub, do they mean a literal cub is inside my belly? This list is endless.
Beau must recognise that I’m spiralling because he leans close. "Do you want me to step out?" he offers, and the relief must be obvious on my face because guilt chases it immediately.
"Would you mind? Just for a minute. I just need to..."
Thankfully, he gives me a kind smile that melts my heart and eases my fears before he presses his lips to my forehead. "You don't need to explain. Ask her anything. Take your time."
The door closes behind him, and Leila raises an eyebrow as she snaps on her gloves. “So, what have you got for me?”
The questions come fast once he's gone. Leila answers each one calmly and without judgement, and by the time she's finished, the panic has quieted enough that I can breathe properly.
"Do you want him back in?" Leila asks, her eyes on the monitor as she adjusts the wand.
I nod quickly because whatever is on that screen, he deserves to see it, too. Something inside me wants him to see it at the same time as me. We’re in this together.
"Beau. You should come in."
He's through the door before I've finished the sentence, his eyes going straight to the monitor.
Leila presses the wand against my stomach and taps a key, freezing the image. "There." She points to a small, bright cluster on the screen, barely visible against the grey. "See that?"
My lips part, and a sense of peace washes over me.
It’s true. Only now do I realise how devastated I would have been if she’d told me they were wrong. That’s why I was nervous. Because I wanted so much for it to be true.
My gaze travels to Beau, then back to the screen. He seems similarly awestruck, but it’s harder to read if it’s excitement or terror that’s written all over his face.
"That's your baby. Early. Very early, but definitely there."
A sound comes from Beau's chest, low and constant, and his hand grips the edge of the table until his knuckles go white.
"That's impossible," I whisper. "I should be much further along. Or, not at all. I don't get it."
Leila glances at Beau, and he nods. They’ve obviously discussed this already.
"The implantation is recent," Leila says carefully. "Based on the size, I'd estimate the embryo attached roughly three to four weeks ago."
My fingers curl against the paper covering the table. "That can't be right. We didn't have sex then. I didn't have sex with anyone then. And if it’s that recent, how can we even see it?"
None of this makes sense. Desperate for someone to explain it, I wave at the tiny blob on the screen and then at my flat belly that’s currently coated in clear goo.
Leila points to the image. “Shifter pregnancies develop faster than humans, even with latent genes or when the human is carrying the child. What we're looking at is roughly equivalent to six or seven weeks in a normal pregnancy.”
She sets the wand down.
"With delayed implantation, the embryo doesn't attach itself to the womb immediately.
For want of a better word, the female puts the fertilised egg on ice until she's ready.
In your case, the trigger isn't physical because there's no food shortage, or threat from other males.
It's about the mother's readiness. For you, probably your acceptance of the bond. "
How can I accept a bond I know nothing about? My head starts to hurt, information overload tipping me over the edge. Frustrated now, my tone gets a bit snippy, and my eyes sting, but I try to pull it back.
"This mates thing. And this mysterious ‘bond’." Pulling myself up on one elbow, I make air quotes as I say the word, gel getting cold on my stomach. "But I'm not one of you. I'm human. How can my body even do this?"
Leila leans against the counter, arms folded and glasses perched halfway down her nose. "How much do you know about your family history? It's possible there's a bear somewhere in there."
I freeze. "My grandmother used to tell me stories. About bears, about people in Black River having magic blood going way back. I thought she was just eccentric."
We all did. She just had all these wild stories. We were never sure if she even believed them or if she was just winding us up.
Leila laughs. "She wasn't making it up. Latent shifter genes are more common around here than you'd think.
Diluted over generations until there's not enough to trigger a shift, but still enough for certain traits to persist. Enhanced immune systems, strong intuition, faster recovery.
" She pauses. "And in your case, apparently, the ability to delay implantation when paired with a shifter mate. "
Lying back, I stare at the ceiling, one hand sliding my top back down over my stomach. "So, the nausea, the exhaustion... it wasn't the flu."
She shakes her head and gives me a knowing smile.
"Your body was adjusting to an active pregnancy. The symptoms would have started around the time the embryo implanted. That’s a tough time physically."
Beau shifts, regret written all over his face. We were both idiots for a long time.
"The visit to Ben's cabin, when you told me it could be easy if I wanted it to be," I mutter, immediately knowing when. The memory is sharp and clear. Except this doesn’t count as easy to me. "I felt exhausted that whole week."
Bone weary, like I could just melt into the couch and not move. I thought it was a bug.
"Sounds about right," Leila confirms, pulling off her gloves. "Tiredness is the most common first sign."
Staring at the frozen image on the screen, I let that settle through me. All those months ago. My body decided before my brain did.
Beau's huge hand covers mine on the side of the bed now. When I turn my head, his jaw is tight, and his eyes are fixed on where our fingers are tangled together. He's doing the same replay as me, working backward through every stupid argument.
Leila scoots closer to the machine and hits a few keys.
"I'm going to print this, and then I'm going back to bed.
Come back in two weeks for a proper check-up and please, call me anytime if you think of more questions.
I know this must be a lot." She presses a small, grainy printout into my hand and gives me a kind smile. "Get some rest. Both of you."
Holding the printout up, I study the tiny cluster of cells, my thumb tracing the edge of the image.
"Thank you, Leila."
We walk out to the truck, side by side but not touching. In the cab, I hold the printout in both hands, tilting it toward the glow of the streetlight. My thumb moves across the flimsy row of pictures, and my emotions come in like a storm.
Disbelief, fear, wonder, exhaustion, all of it churning together until I can't separate one from the next.
But above all else, joy.
Then I look at Beau and smile. A real one, tired, lopsided, and slightly dazed, but real.
"We're going to be parents."
The tension in his face cracks, and whatever’s underneath makes my throat ache. I think maybe he’s happy about it too.
"And you're going to be a great dad. I just know it."