Inevitably Yours

QUINN

I sat at my desk, trying to ignore the itching on my sides. Michael waited until I felt better to leave for his class, but it didn’t make me feel good that I couldn’t do that blessing for him. I had only done it a handful of times since blessing his swords, but I could do it every time.

“Arghhh!” I g*****d, throwing my pen down on the desk. I attacked my sides and thighs with my nails, desperate to relieve the itch.

The previous night, I noticed a few little bumps on the tops of my thighs when I got out of the shower. After I put lotion on, I couldn’t stop itching. I eventually got a cool rag to rub over the inflamed, bumpy skin at Michael’s demand during our phone conversation. It helped for a little while, but I woke up multiple times through the night from the irritation.

When I dressed this morning, I noticed the rash had spread up the sides of my stomach. The itch was incessant now, and it was hard to focus.

“Luna,” Andrea said from the doorway. “Jacqueline was wondering if you had approved that work order for the warrior compound?”

I stopped scratching and started looking over my desk for the papers. It was one of the things I had to take out of Michael’s inbox when he left. I remembered reading through most of it. “Yea, it’s somewhere,” I said. One of my hands went back to scratching as I searched for the papers.

“Are you okay? You’ve been scratching all day,” Andrea frowned.

“Yea,” I said. “Probably just my skin stretching for Michael’s massive pup.”

Andrea looked at me skeptically. “If you’re sure. Maybe you should call the doctor just to have a look. Couldn’t hurt, right?”

“I have an appointment when Michael gets back. There are only a few weeks left before this pup comes. It’s just a little itching,” I waved her off.

“Alright,” she said. I found the papers Jacqueline needed and sloppily signed them. Andrea came over and grabbed them from me. “Let me know if you need anything,” she said as she left my office.

I sat back and pushed my hands through my hair. This was mind over matter. I could stop scratching; I just needed to stop focusing on it. I got up and headed to the kitchen. I grabbed some ice cubes from the fridge and wrapped them in a towel. I lifted my shirt and gently rubbed them over my hot, bumpy skin.Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.

A small hiss escaped me as I tried to calm the irritation. “That looks bad, Q,” Nic said. I snapped my head up to see her coming into the kitchen with a few dishes in her hands.

“It’s fine. Just itchy skin,” I told her.

“And the bumps? Seriously, that looks painful,” she said.

“I’ll be fine. I just need to bring the redness down,” I said. “The ice feels a little better.”

“I think you should call Michael and probably go to the doc. Every time he is away, it’s worse for you since you got pregnant,” Nic reasoned.

“I can’t bug him. He already shortened this class. It’s the last one before the pup comes. I just have to tough it out,” I told her. Nic shook her head. “I’m all good, promise. I got it handled.”

I tossed the towel and ice in the sink and hurried out of the kitchen. My skin felt like it was on fire, but I tried not to think about it. I just needed a distraction. I went up the stairs, deciding I could finish putting away things in the nursery to keep my mind off the constant itching.

–

“Baby, what is wrong? You sound upset,” Michael said over the phone.

“No, I’m fine,” I said, wiggling in the bed sheets. My skin was screaming with the need for friction, but I was already pretty much raw from scratching all day.

“You don’t sound like it. What is going on? Nic texted me today saying I should cut my class short if I could but wouldn’t explain why,” he pressed.

“Snitch,” I g*****d. “It’s nothing. Just a pregnancy thing, I am sure.”

“Tell me, baby,” he pleaded.

“I’m just itchy. I have been all day. My skin is just uncomfortable. I’m sure it’s from all the stretching to accommodate this massive child,” I explained.

“That doesn’t sound good,” Michael said.

“I’ll be okay,” I said, wiggling more. It wasn’t helping.

“What are you doing? All I keep hearing is the phone moving around,” he asked. I laid still. I closed my eyes, trying to think about Michael, not the burning and itching.

“I think I might take a cool bath. That should help,” I decided.

“Maybe I should come home. Nic is probably right,” Michael said.

“No!” I snapped. “No. I am fine. It will be fine. Just finish your class.”

“Quinn, I should be with you anyway. We are only a couple of weeks away from having a pup. There is still the crib to put together and baby stuff to put away. I should have canceled this entirely,” he worried.

“M, I promise. I can survive some irritated skin for a couple of days,” I tried.

“Q, I really think I should come home. If I leave tonight, I’ll be back by lunch tomorrow. Maybe you and the pup just need my touch,” he continued.

I sighed at that remark. I was craving his touch almost as much as my skin demanded to be scratched. “I hate being that pregnant mate,” I conceded.

“I’ll let Enrique finish the class and follow up with them later,” Michael said. I could hear movement on his end of the phone. “Go get in some cool water but not too long. I don’t want you accidentally making the pup uncomfortable. When you get out, towel off with one of my shirts, the softer ones; maybe my scent will help. Lay in bed naked tonight, so your clothes aren’t an added irritation.”

“Yes, Alpha,” I laughed.

“What?”

“I like it when you take charge,” I smiled for the first time today.

“Then do as I am asking, Q. I’ll be out of here in less than 20 minutes. I’ll drive all night,” he promised.

“Okay,” I agreed.

–

I only managed to sleep a few uncomfortable bursts through the night. In the morning, the rash was worse, now covering my entire pup bump and down to my knees. It even migrated to the back of my thighs. I slid on one of M’s shirts and went to the kitchen. When I opened the fridge, there was a bowl of something with a note on top.

Skin medicine. Rub all over rash. -Judy

I opened the bowl and retched at the smell. It was aloe with something else. It looked gooey and strange. I took the juice and her skin medicine over to the counter. The cold liquid felt great as I greedily drank it down. My whole body was warm now.

I went to the bathroom, taking Judy’s medicine with me. What did I have to lose at this point? Any amount of relief would be better than this. Any friction on my skin was painful, as demonstrated when I scratched the front of my thigh and almost screamed in pain.

I sat on the tub’s edge and rubbed the slimy balm into my legs. At first, a cooling sensation blanketed the pained skin. I sighed in minor relief for a moment. I moved onto my stomach, trying to make sure I had enough to go over everything. I set the empty bowl on the counter and waited. The cooling effect faded, and for a moment, I thought there was some mild relief until it started burning. I waved my hands in front of me, trying to produce an air current to cool the burning off. My phone started ringing in the bedroom, but I couldn’t answer it. I tore off M’s shirt and desperately climbed into the shower, shakingly turning the knob to blast myself with cool water. I grabbed my body wash, frantically trying to wash away whatever I had just put on my skin.

“Q!” I heard pounding on the door.

“Hold on!” I screamed. The soap didn’t make it any better at first. I lathered up again, desperately rubbing the bubbles in to remove anything left on me.

“Q! Michael is freaking out. What is going on?” Nic yelled from the other side of the door.

“I just gotta get it off!” I shouted. I probably sounded crazy. This whole thing was insane.

“He’s fifteen minutes away, Quinn. Just hang on. Breathe through it!” she tried. Not only did I have my mate worried, but now I had his best friend worried too.

I switched to Michael’s soap, still trying to get anything left of that gooey remedy off of me. The smell calmed my frayed nerves fractionally, and after a few more washes, it finally felt like the burning had subsided. I shut the water off and stepped out of the shower. I grabbed the shirt I had torn off and started to pat myself dry tenderly. I was almost crying by the time I was dry and wrapping my sopping hair up in a towel.

I opened the bathroom door into our bedroom and heard heavy steps as I went to the dresser for something to put on. Michael burst into our room, his eyes wide and a little crazed. “Quinn…” he trailed off.

He rushed over to me but stopped before he touched me. His hands hovered over me as his eyes tried to fully evaluate what he was seeing. “It wasn’t this bad yesterday,” I said.

“Baby, this isn’t good,” he whispered. His eyes met mine, and I could feel the tears welling up in mine. I crossed my arms and turned away from him. He stepped closer, almost flush to my back. “Let me try,” he said, his hands hovering over his pup. I nodded. He slowly set his hands over my skin, and I gasped. There was the slightest relief to the burning and itching. I loosed a ragged breath. “Better?” he asked.

“A little,” I swallowed.

“We need to go to the doctor, sweetheart. This isn’t normal, and it looks so bad,” he said. Gently, he inched his hands over the curve of my stomach.

“Okay,” I said, tears actually falling down. The minor relief his touch brought was almost overwhelming. “I need you to lay with me first.”

“Anything you want,” he said. His hands left my skin, and I immediately needed them back. He started pulling his clothes off behind me. “Come on,” he said, guiding me toward the bed. He laid down, and I climbed on top of him. My entire body slackened as our skin came in contact. “Is it helping?”

“Just enough,” I answered. My eyes closed as my mind was able to clear from the itching-induced fog it had been in.

MICHAEL

I was scared when I saw Quinn. Her skin was red and raw, swollen over her thighs and tummy. There was a bumpy rash all over her torso and legs. I couldn’t even imagine what was happening to her. I had begun to feel her discomfort as I got closer to the pack, but only a few minutes away, I felt like something had lit my skin on fire. I called Nic to check on her, but Quinn was in the shower.

She passed out on top of me, probably of sheer exhaustion. I knew she wasn’t sleeping well with the pup in her and my being gone probably made it worse. With this rash all over her, I was glad I decided to come home early.

Her whole body was hot to the touch; she was never this warm. In fact, it was the opposite. Quinn always seemed colder than the average wolf. I linked Nic to set up an appointment for a few hours from now so she could at least rest. If I could help her sleep, we could wait a moment to have her looked at. Nic returned that she had already made a call and the doctor would be coming by personally in a little while.

I ran my fingertips over her skin. Everywhere the rash touched was hard, like a callous. Even with my presence, it didn’t look like it was going away. I wondered what happened to spontaneously ignite so much burning.

Quinn’s baby soft snores were the only sound in the room. Even Eros was quiet for once. Frustration brewed inside of me; I should have never left. I should be able to fix this for her, but I didn’t even know what it was. My phone was in my shorts pocket on the floor; I couldn’t even attempt to search the internet.

I closed my eyes, leaning my nose into her hair. I hated being away from her, and I was going to be hard-pressed to leave her side now. I would happily lie here naked with her until this went away.

I soaked up her scent, letting it ease my nerves. She still smelled like Quinn, but there was something else with her scent. It had to be the pup, and it was only reasonable that it would be. It smelled like something delicious, but I couldn’t put my finger on what.

“I’m sorry, M,” Nic linked. “I should have pushed the issue yesterday.”

“It’s fine,” I told her. “I’m back now, and we’ll figure out what this is. As long as she and the pup will be healthy, that is all that matters.”

“You don’t think this was an attack, do you?” Nic asked.

“By who?” I asked. I hadn’t made any enemies since I stopped Wild Paws. It was the opposite, actually; I was growing in reputation and acquaintances.

“Well, we do have a new body in the packhouse with a lot of access to you and your mate,” Nic said. I could hear the distrusting accusation.

“No,” I said flatly. “It’s not Judy.” Even after giving her the job, I had her vetted. Everything she told me checked out. Judy was not coming after Quinn.

“I found her making some slimy stuff last night, and she claimed it was for Q,” Nic said.

“Okay, I’ll talk to her and Quinn about it. But I have a tough time believing she was attacking Quinn. Plus, that was after this all started,” I told her.

“Alright,” she said. “I’ll give you a heads up when the doctor gets here.”

I looked at the blue shock of wet hair hiding my mate. I knew Judy wasn’t trying to hurt her, but if I found out this was because of someone targeting her, they would regret every decision they made.

–

Quinn sat with her legs resting on the couch and back against the armrest. I found her a light dress to pull on before she arrived. She still looked uncomfortable but marginally better after her nap. I stood behind her, holding her hand as the doctor examined her skin. I had to hold back the urge to snap at her for touching what was mine.

“Well, it’s been a long time since I have seen this, and certainly not in this manner,” she concluded.

“So you know what it is?” I asked. She gently pulled Quinn’s dress back down, returning her modesty. Her shoulders relaxed slightly.

“I believe I do. I should do a test to confirm, but I can’t explain why it is happening,” the doctor answered. “Humans even have this affliction. Ironically, it’s called PUPPPs. P-U-P-P-P. It occurs when the fetus’s body views the mother’s body as a foreign entity that it must protect itself from. Essentially, the pup’s cells are attacking the Luna’s as if she were a parasite. It is causing this rash and skin irritation.”

“Wait, so my pup is trying to kill me?” Quinn gasped. I laid my hand on her shoulder and squeezed. I could immediately feel the frenzy of emotions she was feeling at this news.

“In a sense, yes, but technically no. Usually, we see this when the mother and pup are of differing species. For instance, a human mother with a wolf pup. It is almost unheard of for a wolf fetus to attack a wolf mother this way,” the doctor continued.

“So what do we do? She can’t just scratch herself to death until he comes,” I stated.

The doctor frowned. “That is where I must disappoint you. There is very little we can do safely with the pup inside of her.”

“Wait, this will continue for four more weeks?” Quinn said, her voice cracking. She was always good at rolling with whatever life threw at us; she did minimal complaining. If she was freaking out, I knew she wouldn’t be okay with this.

“I can give you some creams and offer a few over-the-counter remedies. They might help to relieve the symptoms. I can also offer you a short regimen of steroids. It will work two-fold to strengthen the pup and reduce the inflammation on your stomach and legs.”

“But this will persist until she gives birth?” I clarified.

“And for a period after as the Luna’s body returns to normal,” she confirmed.

Quinn looked up at me with tears swimming in her eyes. Anger and helplessness swirled in my chest. I couldn’t fix this for her, and I couldn’t punish the person responsible.

“Calm her,” Eros growled.

“It’s okay, baby,” I told her softly. “We’ll get through this. I’ll stay home until it’s time.”

The doctor took a small b***d sample from Quinn to double-check her diagnosis and then left us with a prescription and grocery list of remedies to try to ease her discomfort. By the time she left, I could tell my mate was barely hanging on. It took us so long to get here, and now her pup didn’t agree with her body.

I took the list and prescription down to Judy, asking her to take care of it for me. She quickly headed out the door to help. When I came back up to our floor, Quinn was still sitting on the couch, looking devastated. I sat down and pulled her legs over my lap, gently massaging where she wasn’t red and rash-covered.

“I sent Judy to the store. We’ll try everything we can,” I told her.

“Why me?” Quinn asked in a whisper.

“I’m so sorry, baby,” I told her. “We’ll get through it, though.”

“I’m tired,” she said, closing her eyes.

“Let’s go lay down,” I suggested. I helped her up from the couch and led her into our room, dropping the thermostat in the hallway a few more degrees on the way. With the cool air pushing through the vents, I helped her out of her dress, and we got back in bed to lay together.

She was quiet the whole time, but I could feel her frustration and sadness. I held her close, repeatedly running my fingers over her spine and kissing her soft hair. Every time her hands moved to scratch her sides, I gently took her wrist and moved it away, then skimmed the spot she was about to scratch with my fingers. Eventually, her breathing evened out, and she fell asleep again while I stared at the slowly turning ceiling fan.