The Lycan Series
The Lycan King’s Breeder Chapter 49

Avalyn's POV

As Talon stepped into the room, it felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over me. I couldn't stop the chill that ran through my spine, causing my body to tremble slightly. I could tell he was upset, I could feel the tension in the room immediately after he stepped in, and even Lydia's smiles were not as comforting as they seemed to be before. Everybody was on edge around Talon.

"All right Avalyn, let's do this," Lydia said, giving me a small smile.

I stared at her in confusion, not daring to utter any sound with Talon's hard gaze directed at me. But Lydia answered the unspoken question anyway.

"An ultrasound, honey. We have to see how the baby's doing," she said, gently brushing my hair out of my face. She had been so supportive of me since the first day I'd arrived here. She always made me feel so safe and welcome.

I smiled at her to show her I was ready, ignoring the sick feeling I felt at the small of my back. Ever since I had become pregnant, I had developed an aversion to many different smells. The smell of Lydia's clinic was at the top of my 'dislike' list, but I tried to push it to the back of my mind.

"All right then, let's take a look at you." Lydia started checking my vitals. "Have you been losing sleep lately?" She asked, loud enough for the whole room to hear.

"Uhm... y-yeah," I whispered, trying so hard not to look at Talon when I felt him twitch at my answer.

Lydia hummed. "High-quality rest is very important, dear. Why didn't you come to me?" She sighed. She didn't give me time to reply as she pulled out a piece of paper and started writing something down. "I've got some pills -herbal medicine- that can help you sleep better and are safe for pregnancy. You can take one or two as needed."

I nodded, I couldn't tell her that I'd been having weird dreams lately.

Then she smiled and gestured towards the screen beside me. "That's where we're going to see it, honey. So keep your eyes peeled."

"Okay. I'm ready," I said softly, I was going to see what my child looked like for the very first time. A feeling of joy came over me and I couldn't help but feel happy. This was it. I was so excited.

Lydia nodded her head with a smile. "All right, young lady, let's get started."

She said this like a million times already and I could tell how nervous she was but I laid down quietly and let her do her work. She pulled up my shirt to reveal my stomach, I watched as she slathered a clear gel liquid across the nozzle of the machine and brought it closer to me.

"This is going to feel a bit cold on your skin, dear. So heads up." She whispered.

I flinched a little bit as she dropped the nozzle of the machine on my stomach, dragging it across to try and get a clear image of the fetus within. I held my breath as I stared at the screen.

The door to the room opened and in stepped Emily, drenched in sweat as she made her way to Dawn's side. "It's started already? Why didn't you come to call me?" I heard her whisper.

"I didn't want to leave her alone again." Dawn hissed out. "Now hush, we're trying to see the baby."

I could tell Talon found their constant bickering really irritating by the furrow in his eyebrows, but he ignored them and turned to look at the screen too.

"Is that the baby right there?" Greg suddenly asked, pointing to a small blob on the screen, causing everyone's attention to quickly shift to where he was pointing at.

Lydia squinted her eyes, looking at the screen, then a huge smile spread across her face. "Yes! There it is." She chuckled before turning around to look back at me with excitement.

The moment I saw the shape of my child's adorable tiny body, tears welled up in my eyes. The little one just lay there, safe inside my belly. I knew we were connected, it was a part of me and I could almost feel their heart, beat in rhythm with my own. I would do anything for my child, regardless of what a disaster my life had been. If felt so amazing that I had new life growing inside of me.

"How did you know where the baby was?" I heard Emily ask Greg, causing a small giggle to fall from Dawn's lips.

"I was present at all of Cassie's appointments, so yeah I know what a fetus looks like," Greg replied gruffly.

"There isn't any picture in the world more beautiful than this..." I couldn't help but murmur to myself, but I was sure they all heard it. I didn't care, I was emotional.

I noticed though, that Talon had not uttered a single word, he'd been quiet since, watching the screen.

"How's the baby doing?" He finally asked in a serious tone, as if its physical well-being was the only thing that he cared about.

"Overall, the pregnancy is going really smoothly. Our baby looks very healthy and strong. Nothing to worry about." Lydia's words were a big relief for me. Then she turned around to face me, "Just remember to stick to your diet, and please, Avalyn, take it easy." She sighed.

I nodded, wiping my tears away, they were tears of happiness. But then, Talon's next question made the atmosphere suddenly become tense again.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" He asked in an even tone.

Bitterness built up in my heart. Why did it matter? I looked at him with disappointment.

Boy or girl, the baby should be loved either way. But I knew my opinions on child-rearing didn't really matter to him. Talon turned to face me, the dark gaze in his eyes revealing some undercurrent that I could not quite understand. I met his gaze firmly, refusing to submit to his authority. I didn't even know where the courage had come from, but I was this baby's mother and I needed to stand up for my child.

The tension in the room seemed to skyrocket and Lydia shot me a hesitant glance before she replied to her Alpha. "It's too early to tell, Alpha."

Talon didn't comment further, but I was surprised to capture a glimpse of relief in his eyes. What was he thinking?

"Sweetie, please make sure you keep yourself hydrated," Lydia said, pouring me a cup of water as she helped me sit up on the bed. Then she walked towards her desk to print out the ultrasound pictures.

She grabbed a few small photos and handed them to me. "Thank you, Lydia," I replied as she looked between the both of us.

Before she could say anything in return, Talon started speaking.

"You." He growled, his eyes on me as he stepped closer. "Do you have any idea how worried you got me? What the hell were you thinking?" His words were said harshly, but I knew it was because he was concerned about me.

"I-I'm sorry... I couldn't sleep..." I tried to explain, tears already streaming down my face. I just didn't want to have this conversation with him right now, with everyone standing here, watching us. I just couldn't do it.

"Starting today, you are not to leave your room unaccompanied. Anywhere you want to go to, anywhere at all, you tell Dawn." He hissed before turning to Greg, "I want two guards stationed at her door at all times. Every single second of every f*****g day. They're not to leave for whatever reason."

The room was dead silent as everyone stood and listened to Talon spit out orders. Nobody dared to utter a single word. As tears blurred my vision, I saw Lydia offer me an apologetic smile.

"In fact," Talon suddenly said. "Assign two guards to accompany her on her every movement. She is not to go anywhere without them."

"Yes, Alpha." Greg bowed.

Talon spared me a short glance before he looked away and stormed out of the room, Greg immediately following after him. Only when they'd left the room did I break down into a fit of tears. I felt like I'd caused something so serious.

"It's all right, Avy." Emily quickly came to pull me into a warm embrace. "He's just worried about you and the baby. You did cause quite a scare." She must have noticed the scolding look Dawn threw at her because she immediately apologized.

"I didn't mean to cause trouble... I couldn't sleep and I just... I just wanted to go for a walk." I tried again as even more tears came pouring down.

"We know, sweetie. It's fine." This time, it was Lydia that spoke. She offered me a big smile, "You must be really hungry. Dawn, please go get her something to eat."

Dawn nodded and left the room.

"You have to know that he doesn't mean anything bad, he's just trying to look out for you." Emily sighed.

I knew she was right. Talon didn't mean anything bad, he was just worried. Everyone was worried about me and the baby. But I couldn't help the pang of pain I felt in my heart at the look he'd given me when he snapped.