“That’s right, little wolf.”
The voice was so startling to me that I leapt in the air with a hiss. It was an embarrassing reaction, but that was the extent of how shocked I was. Behind me stood a tiny human woman. She smiled as she leaned on her wooden walking cane.
“How—when did you get here?” I demanded as I shifted into human form.
“Just now.” She chuckled. “I see you’ve made yourselves at home already. Is that you, Sage?”
“Dr. Pine!” Sage cried. His tail wagged as he smothered himself against her like a puppy.
I was still in awe that Dr. Pine had snuck up on me without my noticing, especially when I was in my cat form. My sharp eyes and ears should have sensed her, but they didn’t. It was like she appeared out of thin air. Truthfully, I had been skeptical about her magical ability to detect shifter pregnancies before the omegas themselves could, but maybe there truly was something magical about her in a way none of us understood.
“Now, are you going to introduce me to your friend?” Dr. Pine asked Sage. There was a twinkle in her eye that suggested she already knew we were more than friends.
“Yeah!” Sage said, shifting to cling to my arm. “This is Xander. He’s my fated mate!”
“Indeed,” she replied, smiling. “I see the threads that bind you two together.”
My eyes widened. There were obviously no physical threads linking us—could she see something beyond our vision?
I cleared my throat. “Dr. Pine, we’ve come here to ask you a favor.”
“You wish to know if Sage is pregnant.”
My mouth, which had opened to respond, stayed stuck that way. A flustered sense of shock went through me before I realized she had done this twice before, with Sage’s brothers, so therefore this wasn’t new to her. Embarrassed again, I said, “Yes, that’s correct.”
She chuckled softly at me before she said, “Come here, Sage. Let’s take a look.”
Sage obediently stood in front of her and went still as he waited for her examination. Dr. Pine shuffled closer with her cane, then raised a hand to his midsection. She closed her eyes and hummed quietly. I watched closely, eager to see what was happening with my own eyes, but I didn’t see anything. All I saw was her hand hovering over Sage’s body.
She had been correct twice before—would she be right a third time?
“Oh, yes. I see,” Dr. Pine mumbled to herself.
I bit my lip, keeping my questions silent because I didn’t want to interrupt whatever mystical event was happening. I noticed Sage almost vibrating. No doubt he was full of questions too, except it was even harder for him to keep still and stop himself from bursting from curiosity.
My thoughts took a turn. What if Sage wasn’t pregnant yet? I remembered my conversation with Hugo, and how I’d erred on the side of doubt so I wouldn’t get my hopes up before I knew the truth. But Ididwant Sage to be pregnant—it was what I wanted more than anything.
But Dr. Pine’s examination was taking a long time. Did it always take this long? How much time had passed? How much longer would this last?
Great, now I’m turning into Sage with the million questions running through my head…
Finally, after what felt like an eon, Dr. Pine drew her hand away. Sage bounced anxiously on the balls of his feet.
“Well?” he asked, unable to stop himself from blurting it out.
“Mm.” The woman turned to me with a slight smile. Was she genuinely happy or sympathetic? I couldn’t tell. “Xander, the mountain lion shifter. I see many things in you, but the brightest of them all is the desire for a family.”
My heart raced. “Yes.”
“And you, Sage,” she went on, addressing him now, “your brightest desire was to find the one fated for you, as your brothers have.”
Sage nodded, wide-eyed.
Dr. Pine put both hands on the handle of her cane. “And you have both found what you desired—in each other. You fit together perfectly.”
Sage and I exchanged a glance, smiling at each other.
“Which is why I’m so pleased to tell you that Sageispregnant,” Dr. Pine finally said.
