Chapter 19: The Reveal
The door slammed, and the silence that followed was louder than the chaos outside. Duncan's heart slammed against his ribs, a wild drumbeat that drowned out the distant crack of gunfire. He stood frozen in the dim hall, one hand still pressed to his stomach, the other reaching back toward the door handle as if he might bolt back into the night.
Sofia stepped out of the shadows by the far wall. He had not seen her there. She must have slipped in through the side door while the pack was scrambling. Her grey eyes, sharp as flint, fixed on the hand he had not yet lowered.
"How far along are you, omega?"
The words dropped into the silence like stones into still water. Duncan's breath caught. His hand moved away from his stomach, then back again, a betraying flutter he could not stop. He opened his mouth, ready with a lie, and Sofia shook her head slowly, a tired amusement curving the corner of her mouth.
"Don't. I've watched you for weeks. The nausea, the hand on your belly, the way you've been eating like a bird and sleeping like the dead." She crossed her arms, leather creaking. "I was a medic in my old pack. I know the signs."
Duncan's throat worked. The lie died before he could shape it. Outside, someone shouted, and there was a heavy thud against the east wall that shook dust from the rafters. The Coyotl were still pressing the fence. Jared was out there, and Duncan was here, caught in Sofia's knowing gaze like a rabbit in a snare.
"It's early," he said finally. His voice came out rougher than he intended. "Very early."
Sofia's expression did not change, but something softened behind her sharp eyes. She took a step closer, and Duncan's instincts screamed at him to retreat, to protect the secret he had carried like a stone in his chest. But he held his ground. He had learned, in the diner and in the ridge and in the war council, that running did not serve him.
"Does Jared know?" Sofia asked.
"No." The word came out too fast, too defensive. Duncan forced himself to breathe. "No. And he can't. Not yet."
Sofia studied him for a long moment. The sounds of the fight filtered through the walls, muffled and distant. She reached into her jacket and pulled out a small tin, opening it to reveal a handful of dried herbs that smelled sharp and green. She held it out to him.
"For the nausea. Chew a pinch, don't swallow. It'll settle your stomach."
Duncan stared at the tin. His hand moved from his belly to accept it, and his fingers brushed the worn metal. Something in his chest loosened, just a fraction.
"Why are you helping me?" he asked.
Sofia tucked the tin back into her jacket after he took a pinch, a small dark leaf crumbling between his fingers. She looked at him with an expression he could not quite read, part weariness, part something warmer.
"Because I've seen what packs do to omegas who carry secrets. I watched my sister hide her pregnancy for five months until it nearly killed her." She paused. "You're pack now. And pack looks after its own."
Duncan's throat tightened. He had not expected cruelty from Sofia. He had not expected kindness either. The taste of the herb was bitter on his tongue, but the nausea in his stomach did ease, a small mercy.
"How did you figure it out?" he asked quietly.
Sofia snorted. "You think you're subtle? You've got a hand on your belly more often than you've got a hand on a gun. And you've been looking at Jared like he holds the sun, but you flinch every time he touches your waist." She shook her head. "I've seen that dance before."
Duncan looked down at his hands. The key on his leather cord caught the light, swinging gently. He thought of Jared's hands on his waist, how he had turned away, how he had lied about being hungry, about being tired. The secret had been a weight, and now it was out, even if only to one person.
"The Coyotl don't know," he said. "If they found out, they'd use it. They'd come after me, after the pup, to break Jared."
Sofia's eyes sharpened. "And you thought hiding it would protect everyone?"
"It protected them from the worry." Duncan's voice was barely above a whisper. "Jared has enough to carry. He doesn't need this too."
"He's your alpha. Your mate. He has a right to know what's in his pack." Sofia's voice was firm but not cruel. "And the longer you wait, the harder it gets. Trust me on that."
Duncan pressed his lips together. He wanted to argue, to explain that he had only been trying to survive, that every step of his life had been about staying one breath ahead of people who wanted to use him. But Sofia was not asking him to explain. She was waiting, patient as stone.
"How many weeks?" she asked.
"Maybe six. Maybe seven. I don't know exactly." He swallowed. "I've been sick for a while, but I thought it was the stress. The war. It wasn't until a few days ago that I started to wonder."
"And you didn't tell anyone."
"I didn't know who to tell." Duncan met her eyes. "I'm still the stranger who showed up with pie and trouble. I didn't know if anyone would believe me."
Sofia's expression flickered, something like respect passing over her features. "You've got more spine than half the pack, omega. And you've proven yourself in ways that have nothing to do with bloodlines." She reached out and gripped his shoulder, a firm squeeze. "When you're ready to tell Jared, you won't have to do it alone."
Duncan opened his mouth to respond, but a heavy crash shook the building. A window shattered somewhere to the west, and the sound of snarling, of beasts in fur and fury, poured into the hall. Duncan's heart seized. Jared was out there.
Sofia's hand tightened on his shoulder, then released. "Stay here. That's an order." She moved toward the side door, pulling a knife from her belt. "And don't do anything stupid."
"Define stupid," Duncan called after her.
Sofia glanced back, a grim smile on her face. "Following me." She slipped through the door and was gone.
Duncan stood alone in the hall, the pulse of the pack's heartbeat thrumming through the floorboards. The herb was bitter on his tongue, but his stomach had settled. He looked down at his hand, still resting on his belly, and made a decision. When the fight was over, he would tell Jared. He would trust that the bond he had been given was strong enough to hold the truth.