Pregnant and Mated to Three Kings

Isabella Hawthorne "Am I dying?" I asked the healer as I lay on the cold marble slab of the town hall's infirmary. Today's routine checkup did not feel routine. I felt like a frog ready for dissection. "Gods, no," Aurelia remarked. "But Isabella, my dear... I have unexpected news." The knot in my stomach tightened as I held my breath. "What is it?" "You are with child, Isabella." My eyes widened. Time warped, stretched, then snapped. The walls of the chamber seemed to press in, suffocating. You are with child, Isabella. The words pulsed in my head, a discordant drumbeat of disbelief. Pregnant? Me? But how... who? "Oh, Gods. That's impossible!" I hissed. My blood roared in my ears, drowning out Aurelia's gentle murmur. "You must be mistaken. Please, take a look again." "Isabella, I have checked you thrice before informing you, my dear. My hands have known countless wombs, and yours speaks with an undeniable truth." Swallowing the lump in my throat, I sat upright, the cold stone biting into my bare legs. "But how? There's... there's no one. I am unmarried! I have no partner, no suitor, I haven't even had..." My voice trailed off as memories began to flood my brain. Aurelia shot me a knowing look. "Ah. There it is. Do you recall when it happened, Isabella?" "But it's impossible! It was only for one night!' "I asked you a question, my child. When did this happen?" I sighed. "Two... two months ago." "Hmm. That aligns with my findings," she replied. Oh, Gods. I was royally, utterly screwed. Isabella Hawthorne, the girl who blended into the wallpaper of the human town of Meadow Brook, was about to become the walking scandal, and the living embodiment of gossip. Again. Two days after my twenty first birthday, I stumbled out of the Hall of the Four Kingdoms, my head pounding from too much wine and laughter. Instead of joining the lively dance with my human friends and the other races like Lycans, Elves, Vampires, and Dragon shifters at the 3rd Treaty Ball, I chose to slip away into the shadows. I wanted to be an unseen observer amidst the chaotic revelry. But then came him. The man with the mask. He materialized on the balcony, a whisper of black velvet swallowed by the silvered light. Secrets clung to his covered face and promises danced in his voice. Each word from him ignited desires I wasn't supposed to want, yet I craved them with a ferocity that surprised even me. His touch was an inferno unleashed, scorching my skin, igniting every nerve beneath his fingertips. Then, the kiss. It swallowed my breath, spun my senses into a dizzying vortex, leaving me drowning in the taste of him, the intoxicating feel of him, promises whispered against my lips like forbidden prayers. And, by the Gods, the glorious s3x. How could I forget about that? The things that mysterious masked man made me feel? The countless 0rgasms? His thick and lengthy c0ck... Hold up, Bells. You should not be thinking about that. Reality slammed into me like a rogue wave. Impregnated. By a stranger. A phantom from a drunken night. This wasn't gossip, this was a hurricane brewing, ready to rip my life apart, leaving only smoldering wreckage in its wake. "Fvck! I don't even know his name," I whispered. "I don't even know what he looks like!" "That's a pity, my dear. But it's true. You really are with child." Aurelia's gaze pierced through me. Under her scrutinizing eyes, my hands instinctively fluttered to my belly, trying to feel for the life it supposedly housed. How could it be? One foolish night, one stolen pleasure, and now this impossible burden. The echo of Aurelia's words resonated in my head, pulling memories from dusty corners. Meadow Brooks Orphanage, its looming brick walls still felt like a prison even after I had gone. School had been crueler still. Laughter at my threadbare clothes, whispers about my nonexistent future, chipped away at my fragile resolve. It pushed me out, leaving me with no choice but to trade textbooks for mops. Mrs. Higgins, the gruff old cleaning lady who took me in after I became too old for the orphanage. Together, we scrubbed floors and emptied ashtrays, the stale air of the bakery our constant companion. When Mrs. Higgins died, I lost the only family I had known. "You fly away now, Isabella. You deserve more than this place," she had said. I tried. I found a tiny apartment, its chipped paint and flickering light bulb a semblance of home. But the past clung to me like the scent of bleach on my worn apron. Every judgmental stare, every whispered pity, was a reminder of who I was - the unwanted one. Now, hearing that I was with child, a kaleidoscope of emotions flooded me. This life nestled within me, a tiny flame in the darkness. Would I be enough? Could I shield it from the harshness I knew so well? "What do I do?" Panic clawed at my throat, squeezing out a desperate plea. "Aurelia, please. Help. I… I don't know what to do." She reached out, but then stopped mid-air, as if her hand had snagged on the sudden, ominous clamor from outside the chamber. A cacophony of shouts and hurried steps rose like a dark tide, breaching the quiet confines of the town hall. My eyes snapped towards the sound, fear icing my veins. "What was that?" The commotion pulsed closer. It sounded like the entire town had spilled onto the cobblestones. Aurelia's face blanched, her eyes wide with a terror that mirrored my own. "Wait here, dear," her voice crackled. "I will see what the ruckus is about." I swallowed hard, the bitter metallic tang of fear coating my tongue. My head bobbed in a numb nod. In her absence, the room seemed to shrink, the walls pressing in as paranoia painted grotesque shadows on the stone. My fingers gnawed at my nails, each frantic bite chipping away at my remaining composure. Minutes felt like an eternity, each second intensifying my frayed nerves. Finally, the chamber door squeaked open, and Aurelia reappeared, looking ghostly on the threshold. "What?" I croaked. "What is going on, Aurelia?" She looked at me as if I'd grown a second head or sprouted wings. "There's…" she stammered, her voice barely a whisper. "There's people… looking for you." The air thinned and the world tilted on its axis. "What people? Who?" She swallowed hard. "I reckon it is best that you just go out and see for yourself, my dear." "Am I in trouble?" "I fear I do not know, my dear Isabella. Come on, child. I'll help you to the door." Aurelia's grip tightened around mine as she helped me down the slab. My knees wobbled, but I managed to walk forward. With a deep breath, she pushed the door open, and the sight that greeted me was enough to steal the air from my lungs. The courtyard of the town hall was a sea of faces, the townspeople gathered in hushed murmurs, their eyes wide with curiosity. But it wasn't the crowd that made my jaw clench and my heart plummet. It was the figures standing at the forefront, three impossibly handsome men radiating power and an unspoken tension that crackled in the air like static. What in the nation of Elysia are they doing here? There was Ulric, the Lycan King, his eyes burning with an amber fire, his muscular form cloaked in midnight fur. Beside him stood Damien, the King of the Vampires, an air of elegant menace hanging around him like a shroud, his crimson eyes gleaming like polished jewels. And finally, there was Draven, the Dragon Sovereign, his presence as imposing as the mountains themselves, the scales on his shoulders glinting like polished gold under the moonlight, eyes like molten silver. Forget curiosity, forget concern. All I saw was raw hunger, a smoldering ember in each gaze that sent shivers dancing down my skin. Then, the night itself held its breath, as a chorus of voices, silken and deep, slithered into the air. "Mine," they all said. Gods and Goddesses of Elysia, have mercy on me.