Ella

“This baby is mine.” I tell him possessively. “You can’t just tell me you’re magic and expect me to take that as proof you’re the father.”

“My senses don’t lie, little human.” Sinclair declares, leaving no room for argument. “Nor do my investigators. You’re not in any position to care for this child. Your income is too low to pay off your debts in time, and no woman who claims to be responsible would ever get pregnant in such a situation.”

“My income?” I force the words out through clenched teeth, “what income? You got me fired!”

The big man… or wolf, I suppose, blinks in surprise. “You were fired?”

“Now who’s playing dumb?” I demand wryly. “You called the Graves after I asked you to help Cora, you got me fired and ruined my reputation.”

“I did no such thing.” He insists. “I didn’t even know you were no longer employed.”

“I thought your investigators were the best?” I taunt, and I can feel myself toeing the line of his temper.

“Clearly this was very recent.” He bites back. “And I don’t blame you for becoming desperate, but you have to admit the only explanation for this,” He gestures to my tummy, “is that you needed money and hoped to extort it from me in exchange for the child.”

“I wanted this child more than anything in the world!” | exclaim, surging to my feet. “I’ve been trying to get pregnant for years and when I came to Cora I didn’t know about the identity theft or that I was going to lose my job. This was my last chance and you have no idea how hard it’s been… how painful it is to think I might have to abort it because of everything that’s happened since.” I didn’t mean to tell him so much, but the words poured out of me before I could stop them. I’ve been so preoccupied with these thoughts the last few days I clearly couldn’t keep them contained.

“Abort it!?” Sinclair rises to his feet in a blur, suddenly towering over me despite the fact that I’m still standing on the exam table’s step. “So now you’re threatening me?”

anything to do with you, as you said I can’t afford to have a

too precious and Cora knows that. I’m sure that’s

if this child is yours, it was an accident! Cora didn’t switch the samples on purpose and I didn’t get pregnant because I wanted you

“You’re a very good actress, you

a snake.” I snap. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you have scales when you shift instead

Ella, I’m showing you a lot of lenience right now because

hiss, “you just told me how precious your pups. are so I know you’re not going to hurt me.” To my horror, I feel my eyes burning with tears. Swiping at them angrily, I continue, “and I’ve already lost everything else I care about, so it’s not like you can punish me some other

to do – I know how suspicious our situation looks. If I didn’t know better, I

of different species… wait a minute. The little voice in the back of my head whispers, and I turn back to

be impregnated by a werewolf, why would Cora have ever attempted to use your sp3rm?” I interrogate. “She couldn’t have known it was the wrong sample. She wouldn’t have believed it would work even if we were as calculating as you seem to think. And if all I wanted was to extort your money,

werewolf blinks, processing this information with a grimace. Silence stretches between us and eventually he sighs, scrubbing a hand over

warily, “what sort

name your price, Ella.” He mutters, pinching the bridge

sputter, “You want

t belong in my world. So how much is it going to take for

bag of rice or a car! Nor do I want it raised by someone who thinks of it as nothing more than a commodity!” I’m raising my voice now, feeling beyond offended for the

talking about!” Sinclair grumbles, “do you

prevent myself from losing this child now, but I’m not going to hand it over to someone who doesn’t give a da*n about it beyond what it can offer them.” I

about.” He repeats gutturally. “I will give this baby a life you never could, it will want for absolutely nothing! With you its best chance is to scrounge and scrape in poverty, assuming you have the decency to let it live. With me it will be

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