Chapter 0413


    Gently, I knocked on Susie’s door. It was already partially opened. When I knocked, the door pushed


    farther inward. Susie was resting in bed. Nichs was standing beside the bed, speaking with her. I


    had just watched the doctor leave before I knocked.


    Susie saw me and waved me closer. As I followed her direction, I noticed she was visibly upset. Her


    face was red and splotchy. There were tear stains down her cheeks. She was still crying.


    “I’ll speak again with the doctor,” Nichs said, and after a quick concerned nce at me rushed to


    chase after the doctor. At that pace, he’d catch her in the hallway.


    With him gone, I took his ce at Susie’s side. With her crying like she was, it still felt too far, so I


    stepped closer until I was leaning on the bed.


    “I’ll speak with Bridget again,” I said. “I’ll absolutely insist that she change our parts. Susie, I’m so sorry


    that I didn’t fight harder. I never should have made you go up there.”


    Susie shook her head.


    When she didn’t speak, I continued, “I promise that we’ll find a way to protect you from your stage


    fright. I’ll beg Bridget if I have to. Surely she’ll be able to see


    reason now.


    “Piper…”


    “I’m serious, Susie. I’ll do whatever it takes -”


    “I’m not upset about the y anymore,” Susie said.


    I cut off my words. I closed my open mouth. Gave it some thought. Then opened it again. “Are you


    okay?”


    Oh G od, she wasn’t sick or something, was she? She was my oldest friend here, and one of the


    dearest. If something happened to her, I didn’t know what I would do. But, surely, she would be okay.


    The best doctors in the kingdom were here attending to the royal family.


    If Susie needed medical care, she was in the right ce.


    “Piper,” Susie said. Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks. “I’m pregnant.”


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    I stared at her.


    +15 BONES


    My thoughts fizzled into static white noise.


    I had known that Susie and Mark had been intimate, but… pregnant? They weren’t married. They


    weren’t even officially a couple. Susie was here, supposedly, to be trying to win the heart of one of the


    princes. I wasn’t even sure she’d ever been alone with Joyce!


    Now she was pregnant!


    “What did Mark say?” I asked.


    More tears spilled down her cheeks, this time with a so b.


    Oh, no. That ba st ard. Mark had always seemed like an upstanding guy, but if he had dared to hurt


    Susie, I would never forgive him.


    “He didn’t…” I started, unsure how to ask what I wanted to. What could have Mark said that would


    make Susie this upset? Had he broken things off? Had he wanted to terminate the baby?


    “He doesn’t know,” Susie said through her cries.


    Oh. Oh, thank Go d. I ced my hand to my chest to steady my out of control, furious heartbeat. I’d


    been half-ready to chase Mark down and punch him myself. I have a wolf now. He would have felt it.


    Discovering that he didn’t know yet was an absolute relief. I had so few friends, I couldn’t really afford


    to lose any.


    Before I could finish processing any of this, Nichs returned through the door. He crossed the room in


    a fewrge strides and joined us by standing again at Susie’s side.


    “Okay, the doctor will keep this quiet for now, but soon you will have to make a decision about what to


    do, Susie,” Nichs said.


    A decision? What an understatement. She’d have to make several life-altering decisions in very quick


    session.


    Questions like: Are you keeping the baby? How will you tell Mark? Will you and Mark make your


    rtionship public? Will you voluntarily drop from thepetition or will you wait until you have to


    leave? How will you tell your parents?