Waiting...

The silent vigil stretched on for a few hours. The soft beeping of the machines was the only sound in the room, a constant, anxiety-inducing rhythm. Jayden remained on the windowsill, a dark, brooding silhouette against the deepening night, while Jamie sat slumped in the chair, his gaze never leaving Katy's pale face.

Then, a faint sound broke the stillness. A soft moan.

Both Jayden and Jamie's heads snapped towards the bed simultaneously. Katy stirred, a restless movement, her brow furrowing slightly. Jayden was off the windowsill in an instant, crossing the room in two swift strides, reaching the bedside just as Jamie pushed up from his chair. They both stood over her, their hearts hammering in their chests.

Katy's eyelids fluttered, slowly, reluctantly opening. Her eyes, still a little glazed, eventually focused on the two figures looming over her. Her expression shifted from confusion to a dawning recognition.

"Oh my god, Katy..." Jayden breathed, his voice thick with raw emotion, as he immediately reached for her free hand, his large, warm palm enveloping hers.

Katy's brow furrowed, a mix of surprise and the lingering fogginess of medication in her eyes. "What are you both doing here?" she whispered, her voice weak but clear. Her gaze flickered between them, then to her surroundings, taking in the sterile hospital room. "And how did you even know I was here...?"

Jayden's thumb stroked the back of her hand, his gaze unwavering. "We were the ones who found you, Katy..." he said, his voice quiet, almost an admission.

Katy blinked, processing his words. Her eyes widened slightly, a flicker of something she couldn't quite name – surprise, perhaps a touch of disbelief, maybe even a reluctant gratitude – passing through them. The image of collapsing on the sidewalk, the sudden darkness, had been a terrifying blank until now. That they had been there, that they had found her... it added another layer to the already incomprehensible tangle of events. She looked from Jayden to Jamie, who stood silently beside his brother, his eyes reflecting the same deep concern. The questions were still there, swirling in her mind.

Her voice was barely a whisper, frail but resolute in the quiet hospital room. "I'm pregnant," Katy said, her eyes fixed on their faces, watching for their reaction. The words hung in the air, a stark, undeniable truth as Katy began to sob.

There was no feigned surprise from the twins. Jayden's hand tightened on hers, his golden eyes, already filled with concern, now deepened with a complex mix of fierce protectiveness and a profound, silent awe. Jamie stepped closer, placing a steady hand on Jayden's shoulder, his gaze equally intense as he looked at Katy. They both knew. They had heard.

"Katy," Jayden breathed, his voice a low, rough murmur. He didn't deny it, didn't question it. Instead, he leaned closer, his free hand gently reaching up to cup her cheek. "We know. We overheard the doctor. You're going to be okay. Both of you." The last words were added with a soft, reassuring emphasis, a silent promise.

Katy's eyes searched their faces, seeing the sincerity, the lack of shock, and it did little to ease her spiraling confusion. If anything, it deepened the mystery. Her voice trembled as she continued, raw and honest. "I tried to remove myself from you both, that's why I haven't reached out," she confessed, the memory of her abrupt departure and unanswered texts heavy between them. "I never even knew I was pregnant until this happened. I felt a bit tired, and food was 'meh,' but I thought it was just emotional stress."

The twins just stared at her as she unleashed the torrent of her bewildered thoughts, their expressions unchanging, listening intently. "That night... was very strong emotionally," she whispered, the memories of impossible pleasure and overwhelming connection flooding her. As she spoke, tears welled in her eyes, finally spilling over and tracing paths down her pale cheeks. "Now... I'm pregnant," she continued, the new reality adding another crushing layer to her already immense emotional toll. She closed her eyes for a moment, a fresh wave of quiet sobs shaking her. When she opened them again, she looked directly at them, her voice barely a whisper of a mumbled question, laced with profound despair. "How did this happen? Why did you choose me out of all the women in this world?"

Jayden's hand tightened on hers, his thumb brushing a tear from her cheek. "Katy, it's not a matter of 'choosing' you," he began, his voice soft but firm. He exchanged a quick, knowing glance with Jamie. This was it. The moment of truth. "What happened between us... it wasn't just physical. It was something deeper, something far older than any of us. You felt it, didn't you? That pull, that connection?"

Jamie, stepping forward to stand directly beside Jayden, leaned in. "It was the mate bond, Katy," he explained, his voice equally gentle. "You're our mate. And the child you're carrying... it's our pup. All of it was destined to happen."

Katy's eyes, still wet with tears, widened impossibly. "Mate bond? Pup?" she whispered, the foreign words sounding alien and terrifying in the sterile hospital room. The confusion, which had been a dull ache, now sharpened into a blinding pain.

"Katy," Jayden began, his voice soft but firm, a faint chuckle escaping him at her question of giving birth to a four-legged wolf. "No, the pup—or baby, as normal people say—will look like a typical baby." He paused, letting that sink in. "The difference is, it will shift into a wolf just like we do, Katy. "We are human, but we are part wolf as well." His gaze intensified, holding hers. "We've been tracking you for six months because you are our mate. I finally had the courage to go into the library that day."

Katy's face, already pale, was now flushed with a furious red. The implications of his words hit her like a physical blow. Six months? Tracking her? This wasn't a fairy tale; this was an invasion. "How do you know I'm your mate?" she demanded, her voice sharp with anger.

"You have a scent," Jayden explained patiently, though his eyes showed the strain of her fury. "Only wolves can smell it. When it smells sweet, you've found your mate. The reason you gave your virginity to us without hesitation, even though you didn't know us, is because you sensed it, without knowing you did. It's our fate for the three of us to be together."

Katy's anger, fueled by disbelief and a profound sense of violation, boiled over. Her voice, though still weak, was now laced with bitter sarcasm. "So let me get this straight," she spat, glaring at them. "You both stalked me for six months, then made up a party happening at your house to lure me there and impregnate me?" Her eyes narrowed, fixing on Jayden.

Jamie stepped forward, his eyes pleading, his voice earnest. "It's not like that," he said, his gaze fixed on her. "We didn't 'lure' you, Katy. We were trying to find a way to meet you, to talk to you. The mate bond... it's overwhelming. For months, we've felt you, known you were out there. And when we finally met, the pull was too strong to deny. We wanted you, desperately. But we never intended to hurt you, or to trick you."

Jayden took over, his voice heavy with sincerity. "For wolves, when we find our true mate, especially when the bond is as strong as ours, it's about creation. It's an instinct that overrides everything. Our bodies... they reject artificial barriers with our mate. It's meant to be. And conception with a mate is almost immediate, a certainty, when the bond has been sealed. "It's part of our nature, part of what makes you our mate and this pup our child."

He reached for her hand again, slowly, giving her the chance to pull away. When she didn't, he gently took it. "We understand this is a lot. It's terrifying, even for us at times. But please, try to understand. We didn't do this to you. We did this with you. And this baby... this pup... it's a gift. A part of us, a part of you. We would never intentionally put you in harm's way, Katy. You're too important."

Katy stared at them. The explanation was outlandish, unbelievable, yet their sincerity was palpable. They weren't laughing, weren't mocking. Their golden eyes held an intensity that seemed to speak of ancient truths, of a world beyond her comprehension.

A new, chilling thought solidified in her mind. She looked from one brother to the other, her voice barely a whisper, filled with dawning horror. "So you knew?" Katy asked, the words heavy with accusation. "You knew if I had sex with you both I would get pregnant?" The reality of their foreknowledge, combined with her utter ignorance, made her feel utterly violated, despite their tender words. The sincerity in their eyes seemed to make it worse, not better.

Jayden met her gaze directly, his golden eyes unwavering. "Yes," he said, his voice quiet but firm, confirming her greatest fear. "We knew that was a high probability once the mate bond was fully accepted between us. It's... how our kind continues, Katy. When a wolf finds his mate, especially one as strong and destined as ours, having a pup is often the immediate next step for the bond to truly settle."

Jamie nodded, stepping forward slightly, his own face solemn. "It's part of the bond's purpose, Katy. Our instincts screamed for it. We understand how this sounds, how wrong it feels to you, but for us, it's the most natural, powerful force in our lives." He reached out, his hand hovering over her arm, wanting to offer comfort but hesitating, sensing the fragile edge she was on.

Katy's eyes flashed. The confirmation, stark and undeniable, hit her with a physical force. She didn't hesitate this time. With a surge of unexpected strength, Katy pulled her arm away from Jayden's grasp, her entire body tensing in rejection. The surrounding monitors flickered slightly, mirroring her agitation. The sincerity in their faces, their claims of "fate" and "mate bonds," didn't matter. They had known. They had known the inevitable outcome

of that night, an outcome that would irrevocably alter her life, and they hadn't told her. They had taken her choices, her future, without her consent.

"And here," she continued, her voice trembling but gaining strength with each word, "I am laying in a hospital bed after almost dying on a sidewalk, all because you didn't use condoms when you knew I was a virgin and this would happen!" The last words were a raw, pained accusation that tore through the quiet room.

Jayden flinched, as if physically struck, his golden eyes darkening with profound anguish. Jamie's jaw clenched so tight a muscle jumped in his cheek. Her words, searing with betrayal and hurt, cut them deeper than any physical blow. They had seen her near-death, felt the terror of the bond weakening, and now to be blamed for it, for her virginity being taken, for her very life being at risk due to their nature... it was crushing.

"Get out," she whispered, her voice trembling with a renewed, fierce anger. "Both of you. Get out now."

They stood frozen for a beat, the monitors beeping a furious rhythm. The raw pain on Katy's face was unmistakable. They both knew, instinctively, that arguing, explaining, or even trying to comfort her now would only make it worse. They had pushed her too far. Their mate, the very core of their existence, was rejecting them, and their instincts screamed in agony.

With heavy hearts, Jayden and Jamie took a step back from the bed. Their eyes, filled with a desperate plea for understanding they couldn't voice, lingered on her pale, furious face for a long moment. Then, without another word, they turned and quietly slipped out of the room, leaving Katy alone with the sterile quiet and the overwhelming weight of her new, unbelievable, and now deeply resented, reality.

She shifted, trying to get more comfortable, and a sharp wince of pain shot through her right side from the recent surgery. She closed her eyes, biting back a groan. The physical agony, combined with the emotional maelstrom, was almost unbearable.

Her gaze drifted to the empty chair where Jamie had sat, then to the windowsill where Jayden had been. The images of their devastated faces, their golden eyes filled with hurt, flickered in her mind. She had been so furious, so violated, but a tiny, lost part of her still felt the echo of their presence, the confusing pull she couldn't deny.

Just then, the door opened softly. The nurse entered, her movements quiet and efficient. She checked Katy's vitals on the monitors, adjusted the drip of her I.V lines, and with a kind smile, announced she was about to administer some pain medicine to keep Katy comfortable.

Katy murmured a tired "thank you," feeling the blessed warmth spread through her veins almost instantly. The sharp edges of her physical pain began to dull, and the tumultuous thoughts in her mind softened, blurring at the edges. Her eyelids grew heavy, and she dozed off almost instantly, seeking refuge in the deep, unconscious sleep that promised temporary escape from her impossible reality.