Royal Wolf Box Set by Haley Weir
Chapter Seventeen
Over the course of the next several days, Marquette was ill off and on. Sometimes she seemed to have better days in which she could get up and walk around, and even eat. And then other days, she seemed to be unable to do anything more than lie in bed and hold her sick stomach. When it began to seem as though she wasn’t getting any better, they called for a doctor from the city to be brought in to examine her.
The human doctor was well-trained in the arts of medicine and illness. He was also knowledgeable about the holistic methods and things such as poisons and afflictions that might have caused Marquette to have fallen ill. He gave Marquette a lengthy exam as Cassandra stayed in the room with her, and Theo paced the hall feverishly.
“She’ll be okay,” Holly said as she tried to ease her brother’s worried mind. “I’m sure it’s just the recent events that have taken a toll on her human body. You know they aren’t as sturdy as we are. I’m sure that she will recover fully with a bit of rest.”
“She already has rested,” Theo said. He didn’t mean to be angry and abrupt with Holly, but he was too worried over Marquette’s condition to think about tempering his tone.
“I’m sorry,” he said when he realized that he had snapped at his sister.
“It’s okay,” Holly smiled. “I understand that you are worried.”
When the door opened and the doctor stepped out, Theo looked at him anxiously and waited for him to speak and tell them what was wrong with Marquette. The doctor had a strange look on his face that Theo couldn’t make out, so his patience didn’t last more than a second or two.
“What is it?” he asked the doctor abruptly. “What is wrong with Marquette?”
“Well, there isn’t anything wrong with her,” the doctor replied. “Marquette isn’t sick—she’s pregnant.”
Theo stood frozen in the hallway after he heard the doctor’s words.
“Prince Theo?” the doctor said. “Did you hear me?”
Theo didn’t answer. He didn’t even blink or breathe.
“He heard you,” Holly answered for her brother. “I think he just needs a minute.”
She thanked the doctor and escorted him from the castle. Then she walked back to where Theo was still standing and staring at the open doorway to Marquette’s bedroom without walking inside.
“Are you going to go in and talk to her or are you just going to stand here all day?” Holly teased.
“She’s pregnant,” he whispered.
“Yes,” Holly giggled. “I heard.”
But when she noticed that Theo wasn’t smiling, she worried that maybe the news was more upsetting to him than it was shocking.
“Are you okay?” she asked. “Are you upset by this news?”
He shook his head as if he was trying to clear the clouded thoughts.
“No, I’m not upset. I just don’t know what to think or feel right now,” he answered.
“Well, maybe you should think about what Marquette is feeling and go in and talk to her,” Holly suggested. “I’m sure that this news comes as a shock to her too. And seeing as though she is a human, who is now carrying a shifter’s baby, there will be things that will need to be explained to her.”
“Things like what?” Theo asked.
Cassandra heard the two of them talking and came out into the hallway, closing the bedroom door quietly behind her.
“How is Marquette?” Theo asked his mother.
“She is fine,” Cassandra smiled. “Sleeping again now. This pregnancy will take a toll on her human body.”
“Yeah, I was just beginning to try and explain that to Theo,” Holly giggled. “But I think that I’ll leave you two to talk about that now.”
She gave her brother a kiss on the cheek and a pat on the back and then went to go and tell Aeron and Rubius the news of Marquette’s unexpected pregnancy. She was pretty sure that a pregnancy between a human and shifter hadn’t happened in many generations. Most shifters had forgotten that such a thing was even possible, so this news was bound to have some startled reactions.
“What do you mean it will take a toll on her?” Theo asked his mother with concern.
“Walk with me for a minute,” Cassandra said as she put her arm around her son.
Theo glanced back at the door behind which Marquette was sleeping. He hadn’t gone in to talk to her about this news yet and he felt as though he already should have. He was too shocked to know what to do or say in the moment, and now he didn’t want to walk away from her bedroom without talking to her first.
“She’ll be fine,” Cassandra reassured him. “Let her sleep while we talk, and then you can go in to see her.”
Theo nodded and let his mother lead him down the hall. Cassandra had a gentle and patient way about her that was helpful when trying to discuss delicate matters. She explained all of the things about Marquette’s pregnancy that would be unusual and different than a normal human pregnancy and that of a normal shifter pregnancy. She explained the things that would need to be done to ensure that both Marquette and the unborn child were safe and healthy, and the things that Marquette would need to be made aware of.
“You should be the one to talk to her and tell her about these things,” Cassandra said. “Not me. Marquette is your mate, and this is your child growing within her. The two of you need to have an intimate conversation about these things so that Marquette feels secure and not alone as she goes through this. She will have questions and fears, and it is up to you to be there for her. You will be a father now.”
A father, Theo thought. Emotions swirled around his head, and when he and Cassandra had finished talking, he went back to Marquette’s room and went inside.