"Your pup?" I echoed, realizing I sounded like an idiot repeating him, but the situation was too strange and surreal. I felt like I was dreaming—a dream that might be a nightmare. "What are you talking about?"

I may have admired his physique earlier, but now Dominic Sinclair terrified me. I'd known plenty of bad men, but none intimidated me like he did. He felt superhuman, radiating an energy that made me want to curl into a ball at his feet.

"You," he said, narrowing his eyes at Cora, then gesturing to me. "Is this what you did with my sperm? Did you inseminate your friend?"

"Of course not!" Cora retorted, though her voice trembled. "Yes, I inseminated Ella last week, but not with your sperm. She chose a donor from our client dossier."

"You're lying," he accused, stating it as fact. "Ella clearly knew about the samples—since she came to plead your case—"

"You did that?" Cora blinked at me.

"Yes, but I was only trying to help. I thought he might show you mercy if he realized you wouldn't risk your career," I apologized. "I'm so sorry, I just wanted to help."

"It's okay," she said gently, patting my hand and turning back to Sinclair. "That doesn't mean anything… I mean, yes, I inseminated her the same day your sample disappeared, but… no—it's not possible. Your sample was in a separate fridge…" She trailed off, staring at the ultrasound screen with wide eyes. "Oh my god…"

"What?" I asked, utterly confused.

"It's not human," she murmured, so quietly I could barely hear her. She whirled around, looking at Dominic Sinclair with genuine fear. "I swear, I didn't do it on purpose. I don't know how it happened!"

"Why do you keep saying it's not human?" I asked, exasperated. "What else could it be—an alien?"

"Don't pretend you don't know," the infuriated man growled. "Don't pretend you two didn't plan this."

Cora's hand trembled on mine. "Ella, when I told you about the samples, I only told you half the story," she explained. "I had to sign a thousand confidentiality agreements because certain secrets came with testing Mr. Sinclair's samples."

"What secrets?" I demanded, feeling like everyone spoke in code.

"He's not…" she began, glancing nervously at the large man. "He's not human… he's a werewolf."

Before I could stop myself, I burst out laughing. "No, really, what is it?"

"Really," Cora whispered urgently. "He's a werewolf."

"Cora," I said, almost certain I was dreaming. "Werewolves aren't real."

"I didn't believe it either," she confessed, "until I started working here. This lab is renowned because it has two sides to its business. Half our funding is dedicated to shifter samples. In fact, very few humans work here because so few are trusted with the truth."

I started to worry about my sister. "Are you high?" I whispered.

"She's not high," Sinclair rumbled, drawing my attention back to his face. His eyes glowed—the usually piercing green now appeared almost neon, so full of light. The evidence was before me, but my brain couldn't process it. I felt dizzy, and everything went black.

When I woke, Cora was gone. I sat up on the exam table, trying to remember what happened. Recalling the strange events that caused me to faint wasn't difficult, as Dominic Sinclair sat before me, watching closely. His eyes weren't glowing, but I remembered how they'd lit up. I also remembered how he'd moved impossibly fast to rescue Jake. I'd attributed it to adrenaline, but now I wasn't so sure.

"How are you feeling, Ella?" he asked, calmer than before.

"I think I'm losing my mind," I answered weakly. "This can't be real."

"It is real," he assured me. "Your friend should never have agreed to let you try to entrap me when she knew the truth."

"Cora didn't let me do anything, and I wasn't trying to entrap you. I just wanted a baby," I argued.

"Please," he scoffed. "I've had my men run your background. I know you're bankrupt. Obviously, you thought that if you were pregnant with my child, I would pay your debts. You simply miscalculated—you didn't know what you were getting yourself into, or expect Cora to lose her job for the 'mistake.'" He used air quotes.

"That's insane!" I hissed. "I didn't bankrupt myself—my identity was stolen, and I didn't even know about it until after the insemination. I'm not irresponsible, or the type of woman who expects a man to solve her problems. I would never do what you're suggesting."

"I don't want to hear your excuses," he answered harshly. "The evidence is against you."

"We don't even know it's your child!" I reminded him. "Maybe it isn't…" I took a breath. "Maybe it isn't human, but that doesn't mean it's yours."

"I know it's mine," Sinclair snarled, making me tremble. "I can smell it; I can sense my bloodline in your womb."

I gaped at him. He could smell it? Sense his bloodline? It felt like I'd left reality. "This is crazy," I said, sliding back into denial. "If werewolves were real, people would know about it!"

Sinclair rolled his eyes and lifted a hand. Five claws extended where his fingernails had been a moment ago. I stared in disbelief. "How are you doing that?"

"I'll assume that's shock, not stupidity," Sinclair drawled.

I glowered, temporarily forgetting his size and predatory nature. "You don't get to talk to me like that just because you have money and howl at the moon."

He arched a brow, challenging my defiance. "Is that so?"

"Yes," I snapped, crossing my arms. "It is."

He seemed to want to smile. "You're gutsy, I'll give you that."

"I don't want you to give me anything," I growled. "I want you to leave me alone."

His eyes flashed dangerously. "That's not going to happen. You're carrying my pup."

"Pup," I said, feeling queasy. "Like… four legs and a tail?"

"No," he answered, not unkindly. "It doesn't work that way."

"How does it work?" I asked, subdued. "How does any of this work?"

"In many ways, werewolves are like humans," Sinclair explained, leaning back but never breaking eye contact. His gaze was so intense I found it hard not to squirm. "We're born in human form and live most of our lives the same way. Most shifters don't transform until they're a few years old. It takes effort and training. The heightened senses are always there—sight, smell, hearing—but shifting isn't as easy for children as adults make it look. It's like learning to speak—second nature when you're grown, but it takes time in the early years."

"But how can I be pregnant with one… if I'm not one myself?" I asked.

For the first time, Sinclair seemed unsure. "I'm not sure. I've never heard of this happening. Our society exists parallel to yours. A few people—like your friend—are occasionally let in on the secret, but only in special cases, and they never fully integrate. It's only when someone has valuable knowledge or expertise."

"So there's a shadow world of werewolves right under humans' noses?" I summarized.