Chapter 8
Vinny
I’d spent most of my life being what those around me called obsessive. If I cared for someone, I wanted to know where they were, what they were doing, and who they were doing it with.
I said it made me a good protector. But those around me, Serena in particular, said it made me a little crazy.
Being crazy was worth it if it meant everyone I cared about stayed alive.
Which was why, when a tiny, stubborn, silent omega with too many ribs and not enough trust landed in my house, and promptly got pregnant with my kid, I became a planner. I needed to make sure every angle was covered and every threat was eliminated.
So yeah–I bugged the bunny.
And thank God I did, because if it weren’t for that bunny, I’d be missing everything right now.
The feed flickered to life on my monitor, the camera in the bunny’s glass eye capturing the sterile white walls of the OB office. Reed had propped the rabbit upright on a counter across the room from the paper-lined exam table.
Which was great, because I had the perfect angle.
I leaned forward in my chair, elbows on the desk, watching the screen like it was a hostage situation. Because as far as I was concerned, it was. She had another alpha filling my role. I didn’t give a single fuck that it was her brother.
Blood was blood.
But an alpha was an alpha.
Territory was territory. And right now, that pretty-faced fuck was encroaching on mine.
Reed sat on the little stool beside her, long ebony hair tied back with a silver ribbon, rings on every slender finger, soft sweater pushed up to his elbows, and specks of cerulean paint dotting his ivory skin.
If I didn’t know better, I’d have assumed he was a beta.
Alphas weren’t supposed to be that pretty, but seeing as he and Violet shared a womb, it made sense.
Reed sat far too close to Violet as he played with her hair and answered questions for his silent sister, while I sat with a pen and notebook, ready to document everything I needed to know.
Any medical issues?
Fibromyalgia. She’d hidden that well, and I really didn’t know what the fuck that was, so I made a note to google it.
Allergies?
None.
Daily medications?
Prenatal vitamin and Tylenol for pain.
Then the doctor asked about prior pregnancies.
I scoffed and wrote none before Reed even had a chance to answer. Violet wasn’t a mom, she’d never—
“Ten,” Reed said softly. “Maybe more. She, uh… she was in a situation where medical care wasn’t exactly regular.”
My brow furrowed just as the pen snapped in my hand, spraying ink across the desk.
What–had this girl escaped from a fucking breeding farm?
On the monitor, the doctor froze mid-typing. A breath hitched in her throat.
“…Ten?” she repeated.
Reed nodded once, rubbing soothing circles into his sister's shoulder as she pretended she didn’t exist.
“Any live births?” the doctor asked gently.
Violet answered with the world’s smallest shake of her head, and my brain slowly spiderwebbed.
The doctor shot her a sympathetic look before turning back to her computer.
“…All right,” she said. “Thank you for telling me. That helps us know what risks to look out for.”
I dug my nails into the desk so hard the wood groaned.
“All right, since this is a complex case, we’re going to go ahead and try to look for a heartbeat,” the doctor explained.
She stood, walked to the cabinets, and began rummaging around like she was looking for a stapler, while Violet tightened her grip on Reed’s sleeve.
Her face was completely blank, but her fingers trembled.
After a moment, the doctor pulled out a Doppler and a bottle of gel and headed toward Violet.
Reed shifted, bringing his face down to his sister's ear before whispering something.
I didn’t catch what he said—and I still didn’t like that Violet brought another alpha—but he calmed her down, so that made him tolerable.
Barely.
The doctor snapped on gloves, and Violet rucked up her dress, exposing her swollen belly.
“Okay, Violet. Cold gel,” she warned softly, shaking the bottle.
Blue gel spattered onto Violet’s stomach and she flinched.
“Deep breaths, sweetheart,” I murmured, even though she couldn’t hear me.
The doctor pressed the wand into Violet’s skin, and I waited for the steady thrum of a little heartbeat. I’d been to a few of Skye’s appointments, so I knew what the Doppler was supposed to pick up.
But all it picked up was static.
Goosebumps prickled down my arms, and I felt a little dizzy as the doctor continued moving the wand.
Up–static.
Down–static.
Left–static.
Right–more. fucking. static.
Blood rushed to my ears as Violet clutched Reed tighter, and despite the sheen forming in her eyes, my brave girl forced a tight little smile.
The kind of smile you only learn after life’s kicked you so many times you stop expecting anything else.
I wondered how many times she’d had to act fine while her heart caved in on itself.
Too many.
“Okay,” the doctor said finally, pulling the Doppler back with a sigh that made my stomach twist. “Sometimes at this stage, Dopplers just aren’t reliable.”
Violet swallowed hard and nodded, but something in the way she held herself said she didn’t believe that.
“We have an ultrasound tech here today—and a portable machine. Would you be able to stay for just a few more minutes?” the doctor asked.
Violet nodded again.
The doctor left.
And the second she did, the dam behind Violet’s eyes broke.
Tears spilled silently down her cheeks as she pressed both hands to her swollen belly, like she could hold everything together if she just pushed hard enough.
Reed didn’t say anything at first. He just reached for her, cupping the back of her head and pulling her into his chest.
My fingers twitched with the urge to be the one to wipe her tears.
Fuck it–I knew where Violet was. That goddamn bunny had a tracker in it. She didn’t need to invite me.
That was my baby. And, mark or not, that was my omega.
She could fight me all she wanted, but biology didn’t give a shit about pride, hers or mine. My instincts were ripping me apart from the inside out, and if she wanted to argue about it later, I’d take every last sassy hand gesture she threw at me.
I slammed my laptop shut and scooted my chair back so fast it nearly toppled. But before I could leave my office, the front door slammed open hard enough to shake the whole fucking house.
Every muscle in my body snapped tight as I was torn between anger because I’d told Serena to stop slamming the goddamn door and the dread still coursing through my veins.
Storming out of my office, I prepared to remind her to stop destroying my fucking house.
But the second I stepped into the foyer, I realized Skye and Serena hadn’t come home alone.
They’d brought Serena’s friend Xenia and the entire Bentley pack too.
I had no idea what the fuck was going on.
All I knew was it couldn’t be good.