Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder

Chapter 87: Something’s Wrong with One of the Babies

Maeve

Three days had passed since the Lycennian refugees came to the village. Mom had been wearing herself thin over their arrival. She had been adamant that I see the village midwife, however. Dad offered to come if he could get away from keeping an eye on the refugees, which surprised me.

Thad barely had a chance to talk to Troy since our arrival in Winter Forest, let alone ask him about the conversations he’d had with Dad, but based on how Troy tended to be on the quiet side and used a filter I didn’t know he had whenever he spoke around my family, this made me think that he was walking on eggshells around Dad.

And so I found myself in the small, snow-covered clinic in the center of the village. Troy was pacing back and forth in the snug exam room, tapping his lip with his finger as he stopped to examine the pictures on the walls. He was nervous, especially when the nurse wheeled in an ultrasound machine and plugged it into the wall.

“It’s pretty old. Takes a minute to wake up,” the nurse said,

smiling at me.

I was laying on my side on the exam table, having given up on finding a comfortable position. I was feeling swollen and exceedingly grouchy, but I was very much looking forward to what would be my first ultrasound.

Cleo hadn’t had access to an ultrasound machine. She had relied on the supplies Una had given to her before we continued our journey through the Southern Pass and her skills as a midwife.

The nurse left the room again, and Dad caught the door before it closed, walking into the room and closing the door behind him. “Your mom wanted me to come so I could tell her about it when I got home,” he said, a little breathless.

“Did you run all this way?” I asked, laughing softly at his ruffled appearance.

He reached up to shake the snow from his hair and nodded. “Did I miss it? She’ll be so upset”

“No, it hasn’t started yet.” I smiled through the intense contraction I was having. The contractions had become longer and more intense over the past week, but they were still irregular. Apparently, according to the nurse and midwife, I was fine. It was normal. But it didn’t feel normal to me. It hurt.

Troy was still pacing, not even glancing up at Dad when he entered the room. “Troy!” I hissed, and he stopped pacing and moved to my side, touching my arm as he leaned down to me. “What is wrong with you? All I can hear is your shoes squeaking on the tile!”

“On,” he said, straightening up. “Sorry. I’m just nervous.”

“Why?”

He shrugged, shaking his head as though the words he wanted to say were stuck on the tip of his tongue. He

straightened up, turning his head to the door and noticed Dad standing against the wall. Troy nearly jumped out of his skin, his hand flying over his heart.

“Goddess,” he stammered. “How long have you been here, Alpha Ethan?”

Dad gave him a quizzical glance, then chuckled silently, crossing his arms over his chest. “A few minutes. You didn’t notice me come in?”

“No l-i’m losing my mind, I think. Troy was pale and acting strange.

I felt a wave of unease wash over me as he glanced over at the ultrasound machine with a skeptical glaze.

“I remember the first time I saw Rowan on one of these,” Dad said, tilting his head toward the machine. “I’ll never forget it. It was incredible. He was only a tiny dot, though.”

“Do you remember seeing me on an ultrasound?” I asked

sweetly, smiling at him.

He nodded, his gaze dream-like and far away. “Of course, I do. You wouldn’t stop moving, and your mom had to come in three different times to get a better image of your heart. You were a handful before you were even born.”

I frowned, glaring at him as I settled back against the pillow, sighing deeply. There had been blood drawn before the imaging appointment, and whatever they were doing with the sample was taking forever. I closed my eyes, lingering on the edge of sleep.

Troy had started pacing again, his shoes squeaking on the waxed tile floor. “Troy! Stop it!”

he huffed, and I heard him sit down in

nearly knocked it on its side. I should have rolled my eyes, but something stopped me. Troy was very, very uncomfortable, almost

asked him what was wrong, if there was something wrong with me or the babies, but I didn’t have time. I was being instructed to lift up my sweater, and then the midwife pressed the doppler down

the doppler over my belly. I nodded, explaining what Cleo had said and done in regard

passed, then another. I was

the

who was standing next to Dad, both of them standing with their arms crossed as they watched the screen.

baby number two,

round of rhythmic beating, and then the

screen with a skeptical expression on her face. She moved the doppler around, then motioned for me to turn

room was filled with a third heartbeat, softer, less rhythmic. It must have

expression faded in an instant

my voice

looked down at me, her eyes creasing

caught him, holding him upright until

the tiny space left in my body for

soon!” The midwife’s voice betrayed the look on her face, however. Something in her tone

“What’s wrong?” Dad asked.

eyes

seen, fluttering faintly in grayscale. I watched it as if in a trance, counting the beats in my mind, and then I noticed

skipping every

pointing to the screen.

then I felt the warmth of Troy’s hand on mine. I looked up at him, a silent barrage of questions

I asked, my voice a

midwife looked at me with a surprised look on her face, then she smiled sympatheticallylli No… something like this starts to form very early on, likely before you even knew

in the beginning, you know. Lots of cells trying to find their place all at once. This baby’s heart… just didn’t

voice boomed in the small space, taking

breath as he spoke, thankful he could be

as possible. Tomorrow, if you can get her to Mirage. Their hospital is larger, they have the tools to operate on a

forward and wrapped his fingers

the baby’s

after birth if the baby is going to survive. The other two are healthy, but small. That’s normal for triplets. It’s a miracle, in my opinion,

to form my mouth into a smile, but it

intact?” Troy asked Dad, his

now.”

at Dad and Troy, tears falling down my

don’t have a choice, Maeve. Dad was stone-cold serious, and I felt my heart begin to shatter. Mom was very sick, growing weaker

my

the last several months, so

one-one we hadn’t even known

leg as she looked down at me, her eyes filled with pity. I

know what you’re having?”

based on what Una had told us. But she had

me, the same anger and confusion I felt behind his own eyes. But, he nodded at the midwife,

she said

I sucked in my breath, closing my eyes against the tears. I shut down, blocking out whatever the midwife had said to me and to Troy and

to respond. What

***

weight on the kitchen stool, crossing

and Troy to Mirage to have the babies had given