Chapter 13
Hazel's POV
The sunlight streamed through the wide window, scattering across the room in golden beams that danced against the sheets. My eyelids fluttered open reluctantly, and the first thing I felt was pain. A dull ache stretched from my waist to my stomach, heavy and uncomfortable. I groaned softly, stretching my body lazily, only to wince as the soreness bit deeper.
I reached a hand to the other side of the bed, expecting to meet warmth, his warmth. But the sheets were cold—untouched, as though Val hadn't slept there at all.
A hollow feeling rose in my chest. Where could he have gone?
Dragging myself upright, I picked up my phone and blinked at the time. Noon. My jaw nearly dropped. Noon? I was supposed to be up long before this! My life here already felt fragile, uncertain, and yet I had spent half a day in bed like a pampered fool. Is this how I'm going to survive?
But that thought was soon buried by something far more terrifying.
As I shifted, I caught sight of something crimson on the sheets. My breath caught in my throat. Blood.
For a heartbeat, my world froze. Then panic surged through me, sharp and merciless. My fingers trembled as I touched the stained fabric, and my heart hammered so violently that I thought it might burst out of my chest.
No… no, no, no. Don't tell me I've contracted some strange illness? Am I dying?
Frantic, I grabbed my phone, my hands shaking as I typed: When a young lady wakes up to find blood sliding down her private part, what kind of disease is that?
I bit my finger nervously as I scrolled through the answers. And then, as the screen filled with repeated explanations, realization struck me like lightning.
Menstrual cycle.
I stared. Blinking. Reading it again.
I was panicking… because of something normal?
Relief washed over me, cooling the fever in my veins. My racing heart slowed. But then, almost instantly, shame replaced it.
Still… what now?
I typed the next desperate question: What to do when you get your first period?
The search results mocked me with their simplicity.
---
And that was how I found myself standing in front of the mirror, holding a sanitary pad in one hand and my phone in the other. My face burned red as I followed a tutorial step by step, fumbling awkwardly.
It felt so wrong. So foreign.
Even though I had accepted being in Hazel's body, this… this was another boundary altogether. My reflection glared back at me—hair messy, cheeks flushed, lips bitten in frustration—as I tried to follow the instructions.
The waistband of the pad pant snapped against my hip as I pulled it too hard. I cursed under my breath.
By the time I was done, I wanted to crawl under the floor in shame.
The pain grew worse as the hours dragged on. My stomach cramped relentlessly, a twisting ache that made me restless. Do women really endure this every single month and still call it natural?
I glared at my reflection again. "Damn it. I miss my balls."
The thought was bitter, ridiculous, and yet true.
Staring at the stained bedsheet behind me, another wave of mortification swept over me. What if someone saw? What if Val saw? The humiliation would be unbearable.
Gathering the sheet quickly, I carried it to the washing machine, stuffing it inside with detergent and water. I leaned against the machine, pressing a hand to my aching waist, wishing desperately for warmth and relief.
A hot compress… a massage… a bed to sink into… anything but this torture.
At some point, exhaustion claimed me. The pain dragged me into darkness, and I drifted, unaware.
---
Heat jolted me awake. A warm towel pressed against my stomach, soothing the cramp like a fleeting mercy. My heavy eyes blinked open to see the Earnhardt family doctor sitting beside me. He smiled stiffly, as if nervous.
But it wasn't him that drew my attention.
Leaning lazily against the doorway, half his body bathed in shadow, stood Val. His dark gaze locked on every movement, every breath in the room. He didn't speak, but his presence was suffocating, his aura heavy, dangerous, and watchful.
"Just… cramps?" I asked, forcing my voice steady, though my eyes were fixed on Val, daring him to answer with his silence.
The doctor cleared his throat, his voice calm though sweat glistened on his forehead. "Yes. But it was severe because… you are an alpha. And this was your first period."
My heart skipped. "First period? What do you mean? Don't all girls go through this when they're teenagers?"
"Yes," he replied carefully. "But alpha females are… usually infertile. It seems your body has changed. Strong partners can influence biological states. In your case—your husband is powerful enough to trigger it. Congratulations, Lady Hazel. It means you're fertile now. In the future, a child is possible."
The words hit me like a thunderclap. Fertile. Pregnant. Child.
My stomach churned violently—not from cramps this time, but from dread.
My gaze snapped to Val. My lips curled into a sneer, though fear twisted deep inside me. This is his doing. Of course it is.
Pregnancy? Carrying a child in this fragile body for nine months? Enduring labor that could very well kill me? My blood ran cold.
"I don't want it," I muttered under my breath. My glare slid away, refusing to meet his eyes again.
But I could feel him. Watching. Waiting. His silence was a trap.
---
Author's POV
Unbeknownst to Hazel, Val's eyes darkened to obsidian. A silent warning radiated from him, sharp as a blade.
The doctor felt it immediately. His hand, which had been resting lightly on Hazel's wrist, stilled. Sweat trickled down his temple as he slowly lifted his touch away, careful not to anger the beast standing at the door.
Because that's what Val was—a beast cloaked in human skin.
Possessive. Dangerous. A man who would raze the world for the woman before him, yet destroy anyone who dared to touch her.
And yet… the doctor had seen something.
He had witnessed the way Val had rushed, uncharacteristically frantic, when Hazel's breathing had faltered. He had seen the fear—the real fear—of losing her flicker in the enigma's eyes.
It was enough to tempt him.
His lips pressed into a thin line. He knew it was reckless, dangerous even, but he was already planning to deliver this discovery to Mrs. Paula Earnhardt. He wanted her to know that Hazel was fertile—that Val had, perhaps unknowingly, changed her very nature.
Would Val kill him for it?
The doctor swallowed hard, his skin prickling under Val's gaze. He didn't know the answer. But for now, he lowered his eyes in submission, praying that silence would keep him alive.