Ivy’s Point Of View
After a few moments, Dr. Whitfield makes a sound like she’s trying to suck all of the oxygen out of the room.
Alarmed, I turn my eyes to the screen. I hadn’t been watching before because I have no idea what I should be looking at. I still don’t.
"Nurse Elena, do you see what I see?" Dr. Whitfield says, her voice a sharp whisper.
Nurse Elena comes over next to me and stares at the little screen. She inhales loudly too.
"That’s... amazing!" she says.
"I know!" Dr. Whitfield agrees. "One in a million!"
I swallow hard. I have no idea what they’re talking about, but it sounds like they are happy about it. All I can think about is that whatever is on that screen is probably not helping me earn my ticket out of this awful place.
Dr. Whitfield puts the wand down, clicks off the machine, pulls out a few photographs she’s apparently printed, and turns to me as Nurse Elena wipes the gel off of my skin. "Have you ever had an exam like this before, dear?"
I shake my head. No words are coming out of my mouth.
"Well, you have a very unusual anatomical trait that most women do not have. You have two uterine horns, dear. Like a wolf. Most shifters only have one uterus, like a human."
"Ookay," I mutter. "So... what does that mean?"
"It means your chances of conceiving are very, very good," she says with a wide smile.
I can only stare at her.
Selfishly, this is terrible news for me.
There’s a bustle around me as they discuss what to do. I am in a trance, wondering exactly what this means for me.
"Get dressed, dear," Dr. Whitfield tells me, and then they both leave. And I am alone.
With my two uterine horns...
I pull myself up off of the table and get dressed, sitting back down to hook my shoes. A few moments later, Dr. Whitfield calls, "Are you dressed, dear?"
"Yes," I tell her, and she pulls the curtain open.
"The king would like to see you immediately, honey. I will walk with you."
My head rocks back and forth, and I press my feet to start moving like I’m some sort of automaton or zombie.
Dr. Whitfield is overjoyed as she walks down the hallway with me. She is practically humming with excitement. I don’t know what to think about any of this. Perhaps King Victor will think I am some sort of an abomination from how I’m walking and send me straight home.
We do not enter the king’s office as I expected. Instead, we head towards a large auditorium, and Dr. Whitfield walks me up on stage.
Bright lights shine into my eyes, but as I look out at the crowd, I can tell that there are dozens, maybe hundreds of people out there. I can’t see many faces, but I can see the front row. I recognize the red-headed girl I spoke to before and that blonde who was so stuck up.
Why are all of these people here?
Why am I here?
"This is her?" King Victor says to the doctor as we walk over to him. He looks shocked to see me again so soon.
"Yes, Your Majesty," she says and hands him the pictures.
He looks at them and makes the same annoying ’ahh’ sound like the doctor and nurse had done. "Very well," he says. "Thank you, Doctor."
Dr. Whitfield nods her head, and then steps back beside me as King Victor quiets the crowd.
"Ladies, gentlemen, and all citizens of the kingdom," he begins as the crowd quiets to a hum, and I find myself looking out at the audience as well. "It is with great pleasure that I announce to you that our Breeder has been found!"
I look around. Is there another woman on the stage? Who is she?
Then... he answers the question for me. "Ivy Ashford of Birch pack!" He is gesturing at me!
I’m the Breeder? Because of my stupid abnormal uterus? That’s all it takes? Really?!
I don’t even know how to react. My knees are threatening to give way. All I want to do is to run down off of the stage and hide somewhere—anywhere.
But I’m here, and I can’t. There are guards for one thing. Also, my parents would murder me if I came home now. News travels fast here and when they found out I had been selected and had managed to outrun the king’s guard, they wouldn’t accept me back in their house. They would beat me out in the streets like a stray dog caught stealing food.
I try to refocus my attention on the room around me. Many people in the crowd are clapping and cheering, but on some of the other girls’ faces, I see outrage.
"What?" I hear a voice shriek, and I look out to see it is the blonde from before. "No fucking way!" she screams.
"Calm down, Paige," a brunette next to her says, looking around to see if the guards are moving in on Paige. The brunette has to rub Paige’s back to stop the girl’s hyperventilating.
I know who she is now. Paige Winters from Thorn pack. Her father, Alpha Franklin, is one of the most powerful Alphas in the kingdom.
It’s no wonder she’s mad. She probably feels she deserves to be the one to carry the future heir and maybe even marry the next king.
They won’t expect me to do that, will they?
I can’t even think about what all of this means!
Paige is escorted from the auditorium, along with a few other angry girls who are interrupting the king. I wonder if they will be punished for getting out of line, but I doubt it. They should be given some leniency for coming all this way and not getting what they’d hoped for. Like some sort of participation award that says, ’Breeder Tournament: Runner-Up.’
Now that’s something tangible I can brag about. Not two uterine horns...
"Thank you all for coming," King Victor continues. "Now... you may all go!"
For a moment, I hope that I am somehow included in that statement.
But it doesn’t last. He turns to me and says, "Except for you, of course." A wicked smile pulls back his parted lips, and panic washes over me.
What have I gotten myself into?
King Victor dismisses everyone from the auditorium except for me.
Dr. Whitfield stays with me, and I notice a couple standing down at the bottom of the stage. Still, my heart is pounding in my chest. I wonder what in the world is going to happen to me now.
"Well, I must say," the Alpha King begins as soon as we are mostly alone, "when I met you earlier, I was not expecting you to be the winner."
I can only stare at him. Believe me, I wasn’t either!
"But once Dr. Whitfield told me of your unique situation, well, how could I choose anyone else?" He smiles at me again, and like before, I feel my stomach tighten. I don’t like that smile.
It’s... creepy and makes me question his sincerity.
"I think that she’s a bit overwhelmed," Dr. Whitfield says, resting her hand on my shoulder. "Perhaps we should let her have a rest before you introduce her to the Alphas?"
King Victor is still staring at me, and I’ve felt his eyes wandering along my form as the doctor is speaking. When that handsome man in the hallway did that earlier, it made me feel attractive and beautiful. But this makes me feel almost as creepy as his smile.
"Yes, yes, of course," the king finally says. "Beta Owen! Can you and Callie escort Miss Ivy to her room?"
"Yes, Alpha," the man who is still standing at the edge of the stage answers. I look at him closely for the first time and see he isn’t much older than me. I had no idea that the Beta was so young.
Perhaps he hasn’t been the Beta for long? No one ever speaks of the Alpha King’s Beta.
He gestures for me to meet him at the stairwell, and I realize, with the king in the room, I’ll have to back down the stairs.
In these shoes, that seems dangerous.
I’m not supposed to turn my back on the king, though.
Thankfully, before I make it to the edge of the stairs, the king turns and walks off in the other direction.
Thank the Moon Goddess!