MARKED BY BLOOD
FIONA'S POV
I didn't know how to feel. My whole life had just flashed before my eyes.
"Are you sure I'm pregnant???"
The doctor seemed so invested in the results, he didn't even hear me.
"Sir, I said—are you sure I'm pregnant?" I raised my voice.
"Yes, yes, you are indeed pregnant," he said while his head was still buried in my files.
For him, he wouldn't understand how those words he just uttered had destroyed my life.
A baby?
Whose baby?
I thought to myself.
Where do I even begin?
That day, after I was prescribed my medication, I was given two days off. I went straight to my dorm, my hands on my head, as I stood quietly against the wall in one corner.
At one point, I was begging God to just take me.
"Oh God, I can't handle this torture. I can't handle this pain anymore. Please take me away," I spoke silently.
A million and one questions ran through my mind—but none as recurring as:
"Who is the father??"
I felt so stupid.
I convinced myself that this pregnancy was for Michael. He was the last man I had been sexually intimate with.
How could I be so stupid??
Pregnant from a one-night stand??
Pregnant for a billionaire that would never love either me or my baby?
I fell to the ground in tears.
I felt my life slipping away right in my hands.
I was traumatized.
"Dr. Alex said to meet him at his office by 9 a.m. tomorrow," the head cleaner yelled.
Wiping my tears away, I replied, "Yes, ma'am."
I could barely get any sleep throughout the night, so I just stayed awake till daybreak. I quickly rushed, had my bath, and headed to Dr. Alex's office.
"Good morning, sir. May I come in?" I knocked.
"Yes, please, do come in."
His eyes were fixed on me the whole time I walked in until I sat down.
"I want to run some additional bloodwork," he said.
"Bloodwork? Why? You've already confirmed I'm pregnant."
He hesitated. "It's protocol, please."
I didn't buy it, but I didn't care enough to argue. After all, my life wasn't worth living anymore.
He stood up, took out his equipment, and drew the blood himself, labelled it very strangely, and didn't keep it where the blood was usually kept. Instead, he locked it in his drawer. I began to become suspicious.
"What kind of protocol requires you to hide my blood?" I asked.
"Not hiding, it's just a private lab. Faster results," he said without blinking.
I stood up, adjusted my scrub, and went quietly back to my dorm. I was finally able to sleep.
My break was finally over, and I got back to cleaning, scrubbing, and mopping the floors—even though I was battling with nausea, dizziness, and fatigue like I'd been hit by a moving truck.
Scrubbing the floors, like usual,
I collapsed again.
I woke up in that same hospital bed with Dr. Alex watching me carefully.
"You can't keep doing this," he said. "Your body is packing up."
"I'm fine," I tried to sit up.
"No, you're not."
"I need the job, please."
"I already paid your hospital bills. They were deducting it from your salary—you'd never finish paying it off."
I stared at him. "Why would you do that?"
He didn't respond.
He came closer to me. "Come stay at my place, just until you're stable. You can't keep working in this condition."
"Okay then." I didn't have the strength to argue.
DR. ALEX'S POV
Dr. Alex sat in silence in his office long after Fiona had left. The sealed report in his hands—unopened—but he already had a strong feeling about what it would say. The scent in her blood, the irregular scan…
It was undeniable.
When he finally summoned the courage to open the envelope, it confirmed his fears.
"SHE CARRIES THE MARKED ONE. THE CHILD OF PROPHECY."
His countenance changed, his fingers shaky as he picked up the phone and called his pack.
They answered on the first ring.
"The blood confirms it," Alex said. "She's carrying the one we thought we'd have to wait centuries for."
The voice on the other end was firm, uptight.
"SHE MUST NOT BE HARMED. THE CHILD MUST BE BORN."
Alex hung up, feeling overwhelmed.
His nice little life had just taken a turn.
So had hers.
But she couldn't know yet.
FIONA'S POV
Moving in with Dr. Alex was supposed to feel strange, but for some weird reason, I felt oddly safe.
His apartment was warm—in a way I hadn't felt in weeks. It felt like home. Or maybe it didn't.
The house was always stocked with foodstuffs. My room was so beautiful and pink, it reminded me of when I was a little girl and had no problems.
And Dr. Alex?
He was never in my way. Very caring, very nice, and tried his best to make sure I felt at home.
It didn't matter where I stayed, I still had nightmares at night. I still dreamt of how Michael and I could be a family.
Was I running mad?
Was I suddenly in love with Michael because of the baby?
Or had I always had a crush on him?
Nothing made sense to me anymore.
One night I woke up, sweating. I was so sure I heard something whispering my name—but when I opened my eyes, there was no one. Just me, alone as usual.
I went to the kitchen and made myself a hot bowl of noodles, then came back to my room and wrapped myself in my sheets—all tucked in, watching some documentary on TV.
Then my phone buzzed.
"NO CALLER ID."
I didn't think much of it. I picked up the call.
"Hello?"
A voice I couldn't recognize spoke. "Fiona, it's your mother."
My stomach twisted. "What about her?"
"She doesn't have much time to live. She's dying."
The call ended.
I shot to my feet. I was torn between finally starting to enjoy my life and leaving the only woman who raised me all my life to die alone. Surely, I wasn't that heartless.
Frustrated, I screamed.
Dr. Alex ran into my room. "What's wrong? Are you okay? Did something happen?"
Tears falling from my eyes, I looked up.
"I have to go. My mother's dying."