Tasting 315

315–My Baby Is Kicking Me

Nora:

When they left together, I was the happiest. I completed all my chores without any obstacles. The

royal Beta and Gamma didn’t come around much either, as they had to fill in for Alpha Brody and

take care of the trainees on the training ground.

But when they returned, their behavior towards me grew even worse. Clara had become nearly

unbearable. She already saw herself as the Luna of the pack, which made her act out constantly. It

wasn’t just with me, but with the other maids as well. I guess she stopped caring about my presence

when she noticed that Brody had also stopped focusing on

1. me.

The only time Brody even mentioned me was when they discussed building an arena so they could

start matches the very next day after I gave birth. This made me realize I might not be getting the

proper rest I needed.

“You are growing big.” I wondered aloud as I touched my belly. I was still very early in my

pregnancy, but my belly was larger than it should have been. Sometimes, I wondered if something

was wrong with my baby. I hadn’t been to a doctor, and worry had started to consume me.

“Mrs. Fishes! May I go speak to Alpha Brody?” I finally decided to ask if he would ever let me go to

the hospital. My skin has been so rough that I feared if I ever shed a single tear and it reached my

cheek, it will run my skin into crisp.

“Firstly, it’s Mrs. Fishers. And secondly, Why?” Mrs. Fishers asked

315 My Baby is Kicking Me

rudely, not even raising her head from the magazine she was reading. I was sitting on the ground,

chopping onions while she rested on the chair, watching the maids do their work.

“I want to speak to him about my hospital visit,” I murmured softly.

“Why? Why would you care about that thing in your belly? Don’t you think it would be much better if

the baby just died somehow?” Rosha, the tall and petite maid with black hair, sneered at me.

I closed my eyes but gripped the knife tightly. She had always been a real bully, constantly

bothering everyone around her.

“Please, Mrs. Fishers,” I requested, and she suddenly slammed the magazine into my face. I

gasped but then took a deep breath to calm myself.

“Does that mean I can go speak to him?” I was in a position where I avoided angering anyone. I had

a feeling that if I did something wrong and they hurt my baby, they would never face any punishment

for it.

“Fuck off! But come back quickly,” she rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed by my persistent questioning

and the way I was spoiling her mood.

With a nod, I got up from the ground with much difficulty and left to find Alpha Brody. He was in his

bedroom, seemingly getting ready when I stood near the open door and knocked.

A hand on my back helped me walk properly. But for the last few days, something had been moving

in my belly. A maid once mentioned the baby was kicking me. I didn’t understand why my baby

would kick me, I never did anything to my baby. Or was it something normal?

“Come in,” he said without even looking at me.

315 My Baby is Kicking Me

“I need to speak to you,” I uttered, standing behind him while watching his face reflected in the

mirror.

“Are you going to ask for a day off to rest? You’ve already taken one leave this week. I suggest you

keep working and avoid pissing off the other maids. They’ve been complaining about you being lazy,

so don’t get on their nerves,” he warned. The fact was, if he wanted, all of this could have been

avoided.

I nodded and cleared my throat again. “Can I visit a doctor?”

He stopped styling his hair for a moment and glanced at my belly through the mirror.

“What for? You look fine, just getting fat,” he raised an eyebrow. He was lying, though. My belly had

a child in it, but apart from that, I knew I had lost a lot of weight.

I wasn’t given proper food. My sleep schedule was a mess because the girls would prank me by

knocking on my door every few hours at night. And during the day, I wasn’t allowed a moment’s

rest.

“I still need to see a doctor to make sure everything is fine,” I kept my voice full of misery, hoping he

might remember our friendship and feel some pity for me. Even when I didn’t feel any sadness, I

acted so sad and miserable yet no one felt bad for me. I needed to work on my acting skills. But no,

just as Clara had expected, he was entirely over

me now.

“Nora! I don’t have time for this nonsense. If you would stop complaining and go back to work, it

would be better for you,” he gestured for me to leave, and just like that, he dismissed my request

again.