Raelynn's POV

I burst out of my bedroom, my heart pounding against my ribs while gripping tightly onto my purse. Deep inside, hidden among layers of toilet paper, was the pregnancy test. I had wrapped it so thoroughly that even a werewolf wouldn’t catch a whiff of anything unusual.

I couldn’t afford to let anyone know. Not yet. If this wasn’t real, if it was just a mistake, I couldn’t bear the thought of raising false hopes for our pack. That would feel cruel.

There’s only one person who’ll know what to do. Idalia.

Idalia, my rock, had been part of my life since childhood. She was Roldan’s sister, one of my closest confidantes, and the pack’s OBGYN. If anyone could guide me through this nerve-wracking predicament, it was her.

Swallowing my nerves, I headed out, forcing a smile as I greeted packmates along the way. Appearances mattered. The last thing I needed was for the Luna of the pack to dash out of the house looking frazzled. Gossip traveled fast, and I didn’t want anything getting back to Roldan that might worry him.

Just as I reached the door, a voice stopped me in my tracks.

“Raelynn!”

I turned, and there was my mother-in-law, Sable, standing in front of me with an uncharacteristically pleasant smile that almost made me stumble. Sable and I had never been close. She had always struggled to accept that someone else had taken her place as Luna. Her smiling at me—on a random Sunday no less—was enough to make alarms go off in my head.

“H-hi, Sable,” I stammered, trying not to sound too surprised. “Is something the matter?”

She shook her head. “Not at all. But you look... a little preoccupied. Is everything alright?”

I forced another smile, though my palms started to sweat. “Of course! Just heading out to run a few errands.”

“Well, then, take this with you,” she said, handing me a brown paper bag. “Just some sandwiches. Thought you might appreciate it since you and my son barely ate breakfast. Can’t have you running around on an empty stomach.”

Sable offering me food? Sweetly and unprompted? If I wasn’t already feeling off balance, this certainly tipped the scales. Still, I accepted the bag with yet another smile, masking my confusion.

“Thank you. That’s very thoughtful,” I replied. “I’ll see you later.”

“Absolutely,” she responded with a strange spark of friendliness I wasn’t quite used to.

Clutching the sandwiches like a lifeline, I finally made it to Idalia's practice. The waiting room was bright and welcoming, but I caught the cautious glances of the other patients. They weren’t stupid; everyone knew that Roldan and I had struggled to conceive for years. My sudden appearance here could only raise questions.

“I’m just stopping by with lunch,” I said, holding up the paper bag in what I hoped was a casual manner. “Idalia forgot hers.”

Inside, though, I was spinning. There was no certainty yet, and I couldn’t let even a hint of this slip out until I had confirmation. For the pack, for Roldan.

Thankfully, Idalia emerged from her office just then, ushering out a patient whose belly unmistakably proclaimed the miracle of impending motherhood. “Pick up your prescription at the counter, and call me if you need anything, Rhosyn,” she advised warmly.

Her professional smile morphed into surprise when she spotted me. “Rae? What brings you here?”

I plastered on another smile. “Your mom asked me to drop off your lunch.”

Her curious look didn’t fade, but through our mind link, I added quickly, Ida, I need to talk. It’s urgent.

She nodded almost imperceptibly. “Actually, those test results you asked me about came in. Come on back. Just a minute, ladies,” she said soothingly to the room before leading me toward her office.

As soon as the door closed, I set the bag on her desk and pulled the test out of my bag, my hands trembling. “This... this happened,” I said, my voice wavering.

Idalia took one look at the test. Her expression lit up. “You’re kidding me!” she whispered. “When did you take this?”

“Not even thirty minutes ago,” I admitted, swallowing hard. “I need to know if it’s real. If it could actually be...”

She reached for my hand, squeezing it gently. “Take a few deep breaths first,” she advised. After a few moments, she added, “This is a solid brand—false positives don’t happen often. Odds are... it’s real. But let’s confirm it. Normally, I’d recommend bloodwork, but knowing how you and needles get along, let’s skip straight to an ultrasound. We’ll know right away.”

My heart thudded as I followed her instructions, climbing onto the examination bed and pulling up my shirt. Idalia worked quickly, prepping the machine and positioning the wand over my belly. The room buzzed with tension so thick, I found myself holding my breath.

“I’ve never seen anything like it before,” I muttered nervously, staring at the ceiling. “A positive test. I spent minutes just... staring at it, convinced I was imagining things. I even took pictures of it because I thought maybe the test only looked positive in person.”

Idalia’s gentle chuckle relaxed me just a little. “But the pictures showed the same thing, didn’t they?”

I nodded faintly. “It’s just... I can’t believe it. After everything we’ve been through, I never thought I’d see this day.”

She softened. “I know Roldan had started to lose hope too. He told me how much it hurt him to see you so heartbroken.”

Tears pricked my eyes as I thought about how much this had weighed on him. We had done every test, explored every possibility, but nothing had worked. Our dream of starting a family had begun to feel impossibly distant.

Her gasp pulled me back to the present. Idalia’s expression shifted—she looked utterly stunned, then overjoyed. “Do you want to see?” she asked, her voice shaking slightly with emotion.

“See what?” My heartbeat quickened.

She turned the monitor toward me, her smile radiant. “Not what, Rae. Who.”

I stared at the screen. Time seemed to freeze.

Idalia pointed to a small shape on the right. “That’s baby A.” Then she gestured to another shape nearby. “And here’s baby B. Rae, you’re having twins.”

The world spun, and my chest swelled with a mix of disbelief and overwhelming joy. “Twins,” I managed to whisper. “Two babies.”

After two agonizing years of yearning and heartache, the Goddess had granted us not one miracle, but two. Two hearts to cherish, two lives to nurture, two little blessings to call our own.

Idalia clapped her hands, overjoyed. “Let’s call Roldan so you can tell him!”

“Not yet!” I stopped her quickly. “This needs to be special. I’ll tell him at lunch—just the two of us.”

She nodded, her excitement contagious. I couldn’t stop the tears from falling as I stared at the monitor. My heart overflowed as I gazed at the two tiny lives nestled inside me.

“I never thought I’d see this day,” I choked out. “It feels like a dream.”

Idalia hugged me tightly. “You deserve this, Rae. There’s no one who does more than you and Roldan.”

As her words sank in, my hope solidified into a joyful certainty.

I was going to be a mother.

We had finally made it.