Mended and Marked

Chapter One - Duri

*THIS IS AN EXTENDED SAMPLE.*

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Knotty reading!

The vast openness of space locks me in amazement and holds me hostage until footsteps pull my attention away from the massive viewing window.

"Still standing here, Du?"

I smile and bat Seung's hand away, years of friendship teaching me to expect his teasing tug on my hair.

"Of course. It's so... mesmerizing. It makes me feel small."

"You are small, Duri—except for that belly of yours."

His light tone and soft chuckle take the sting out of his words, but I tilt my head away to hide my blush. My hands lift and caress the swell of my expanding waistline, protecting the new life growing in my womb.

I don't have any immediate words to toss back at him. It's my fault I'm carrying his offspring: if I had elected to suffer through my heat alone instead of asking him to tend me, I wouldn't be pregnant.

But I can't feel shame for such a gift. It's precious, even if its father and I will only ever be friends. I fill my lungs until they ache and offer him my brightest smile.

"It'll get bigger, you know. I'm not even halfway through the pregnancy yet."

"Ew, Du. You sure know how to make an alpha cringe. Go on to the medical bay then, while my offering is still fresh."

Trying to hide how much his playful words hurt, I force my smile bigger and pat his arm as I step around him.

"Thanks, Seung. You didn't have to come, much less offer more services, so I'm truly grateful."

He shrugs and turns toward the expanse of nothingness, causing an ache to pulse behind my sternum.

We spoke at length and signed a contract before my heat began, so I know he holds no regrets over our rutting and subsequent child, but his dismissal still hurts.

With a heavy heart, I start the trek to the medical bay, keeping close to the wall despite the wide hallway. The same worries I've carried for years seem to weigh heavier than ever before, but I bear them as best I can.

Each step offers me another moment of newness. Another moment of motherhood, even if I haven't met my baby yet. I shake off my troubling thoughts and sneak my hand to the bottom curve of my belly, excitement bubbling within me.

When a shape no taller than my protruding belly button darts out of a room as I pass, I squeak and flail, trying my best to keep my feet under me.

I fail, landing on my hands and knees. As sharp pain lances through my arms and legs, a tall, curvy shape steps from the same room, her shout ringing in my ears.

"Oh no! Are you alright?"

Her husky voice sounds more harried than worried, and through the haze of pain I realize it must have been her child I almost squashed. The patter of tiny feet scurrying down the hall awakens my own maternal instincts.

Gritting my teeth, too shaken and embarrassed to form words, I sit back and nod while gesturing for her to follow her youngling.

"I'm sorry. He just got his cast removed, but it's no excuse. Hayden, get back here right this instant!"