"Brandy, I've run the tests," Dr. Bennett began, his voice laced with professional detachment. "I'm sorry to inform you that you're not pregnant."
Brandy stared at Dr. Bennett in utter disbelief, her mind overwhelmed with a chaotic mix of panic and dismay. This couldn't be right. She felt the movement.
"You are wrong. I know I am pregnant," Brandy protested, her voice trembling with a potent blend of anger and desperation. The sterile scent of the doctor's office permeated the air, threatening to make her sick.
The pack doctor, a grizzled man named Dr. Lucas Bennett, hid his grin from behind his clipboard as he pretended to read her medical chart. He enjoyed witnessing Brandy's turmoil, believing that she deserved this after the troubles she and her mother had caused him and his daughter.
"Brandy, I assure you the results are accurate," Dr. Bennett insisted, gently placing his clipboard aside.
"Run the test again. I know what I felt," Brandy demanded, her anger intensifying. The pain in her stomach had started after her encounter with Lily, and she had come to the doctor to ensure the well-being of her unborn pup. Now, this man was telling her that she was not pregnant. It had to be a lie.
Dr. Bennett sighed, weariness etched across his features. He had dealt with Brandy's demanding nature before, but her entitlement seemed to know no bounds. Any wolf with a proper working nose could smell that she was not pregnant. "Brandy, it's not uncommon for our bodies to play tricks on us, even in our transformed state."
Before Brandy could argue further, the door swung open, and Mandy, her mother and the Luna of the pack, entered the room. Her regal presence filled the space, her icy gaze settling upon her daughter with a mixture of disappointment and frustration.
"Do as my daughter told you and leave us," Mandy commanded, her tone leaving no room for debate. "I need to speak with Brandy privately."
Dr. Bennett nodded and quietly exited the room, leaving Brandy alone with her formidable mother. The tension in the air was palpable as Mandy locked eyes with her daughter, her voice dripping with a calculated mix of authority and disdain.
"Mother, I..."
Mandy swiftly crossed the room and slapped Brandy hard across the face. Brandy winced, clutching her cheek, determined not to shed a tear. "I indulged in your foolishness because I believed you were carrying Matthew's child, but I've had enough of covering up for your reckless actions, Brandy. Are you trying to prove the rumors about you true?" Mandy seethed. "Your recent encounter with Lily is all over the news. How many times must I remind you to be cautious of your surroundings?"
"I'm sorry Mother. She was being so smug and I wanted to put her in her place," Brandy explained, her voice tinged with regret.
Mandy scoffed. "Your constant antics embarrass me, and your obsession with power is becoming insufferable. You have already won. You have taken everything from her or is there something else you're not telling me."
Brandy's face twisted with a mixture of resentment and fear. "I know what I felt Mother. I am pregnant. The pack doctor just hates me because of what you did to him." After Lily escaped before the rejection ceremony, Mandy assumed that the pack doctor helped her escape. As punishment, she clawed out his daughter, Mira's eye.
"Nonsense. That old fool knows better to cross me unless he wants his worthless daughter to be fully blind," Mandy said, dismissing Brandy's claim. "You need to stop playing games and act like an adult. You chose this path and now you need to ensure your position as Luna of the Grey Blood plack by any means necessary."
"Even if I do, Luna Kelly doesn't like me. She is a devout follower of the Moon Goddess. No matter what I do, she'll never accept me," Brandy lamented, her voice filled with a sense of hopelessness.
Mandy's nostrils flared, her voice filled with simmering anger. "Luna Kelly's opinion of you should be the least of your concerns. You are my daughter, and it is your duty to uphold our family's legacy. You don't need that old hag to show you how to be a Luna. I will be your mentor."
Brandy paled for a moment at the thought of her mother training her. "I will speak with Luna Kelly again. I will..."
"You have exhausted that avenue. You will do what I tell you and exactly what I tell you. You nor anyone else will stand in my way. I want this done Brandy," Mandy interrupted Brandy.
"Yes, ma'am. I will do what it takes," Brandy said, dropping her head in submission.
Mandy regarded her daughter with a calculated gaze. "Very well, Brandy. What do you plan to do?"
"Simple. I need to have a baby."
Mandy snapped back with a hint of sarcasm, "Oh, is it that simple? If it were, you'd already be pregnant, and we wouldn't be having this discussion." Lowering her voice, she continued, "However, you're thinking in the right direction. Having a child would solidify your position and grant you undeniable influence. But it's evident that Matthew is still grieving the mate bond with Lily. He hasn't touched you since the rejection ceremony, and any pup you claim to carry would not be his."
"How? How do you know that?" Brandy asked in disbelief. She had needs and went elsewhere when Matthew failed to please her night after night. He hadn't marked her yet, so he was unaware of her transgressions.
"It is my responsibility as the Luna to know," Mandy responded. "Whether the child comes from Matthew or Garrett, it doesn't matter. Garrett has a reputation as a womanizer. Seduce him; entice him. Lily's grip on him is not unbreakable. Use the herbs I provided you if he becomes troublesome. Better yet, use them on both brothers so that Matthew won't question the pregnancy."
Brandy's heart quickened at the prospect; the idea of securing her future through manipulation and control fed her ambitious desires. She grinned, relishing the thought of rubbing her success in Lily's face, proving that she could take away her happiness whenever she pleased.
"Do you really think I can do it?" Brandy asked, a spark of excitement flickering in her eyes.
Mandy nodded, a sly smile spreading across her lips. "Yes, my dear, but only if you employ your intellect and abandon these childish antics. I expect results, Brandy, or there will be consequences."
"I won't disappoint you, Mother."