Read The Lion's Pride (BBW Paranormal Lion Shifter Romance) (The True Date Agency) for Free Online

say too much, as confidentiality is one of the clauses to continue receiving donations. The only thing we were asked to do is to take every child that comes our way and never turn them away. Which is fine by me! It’s why I wanted to set the school up in the first place.” She took a deep breath, then started coughing, her eyes wide.
    “Are you okay?” I shoved my glass of water at her.
    She flapped a hand in the air. “I’m fine. How are you feeling?”
    “Me?”
    “With…you know?”
    I stared at her. What was she—
    “You don’t know, do you?” she said slowly, finally taking a sip of water.
    “Know what?”
    “You’re pregnant.”

6
    Lara
    “ Y ou didn’t know , did you?”
    I could hear the words, but they seemed a million miles away, a strange buzzing masking them.
    “Lara?”
    I think I nodded. That was me.
    “Do you need to lie down?”
    “No!” I forced the word out past dry lips. I didn’t want to move. If I just sat here, I could try and process this. I was pregnant?
    “You don’t seem happy about it.”
    How did I feel? I was pregnant, after all this time. After all the failed attempts, the tests, the humiliation, then devastating news that it might never happen. And now? My hands drifted to my stomach. There was a baby in there…
    “I’m happy.” Beyond happy—ecstatic, elated, scared, confused—all of the above, and more. “But…my job?”
    “Oh, don’t worry about that! This is wonderful news! A little shifter baby to play with all the other kids; it’ll be fine.”
    Shifter? “You can smell that?”
    Sarah tapped the tip of her nose, chuckling. “Never underestimate a shifter’s sense of smell. The baby’s a big cat, from the smell of him.”
    “Him?”
    “Oh, balderdash! Did you want a surprise? I’m sorry, I forget that humans can’t tell, so I didn’t think about it—”
    I laid a hand on her arm, interrupting her mortified babble. “It’s fine. Really. I’m having a baby boy!”
    “I’m surprised the father didn’t tell you.”
    Oh, yeah. The father. My sunny mood came crashing down at the thought of Zane. I didn’t know a hell of a lot about shifters, but I was pretty sure having a baby with someone who wasn’t your mate wasn’t the done thing. “He doesn’t know,” I admitted.
    Her eyebrows arched, a frown furrowing her brow. “You’re not mated?”
    “No.”
    “Lara—”
    “And I’d appreciate it if we could keep this between us, just for the time being, until I get my head around it.”
    “It’s going to come out, you know, and soon. Shifters can smell a pregnancy, and they can tell what kind of baby you’re carrying—”
    “But not whose, right?” Please…please…please…
    Her lips twisted, then she eventually answered, not meeting my eyes. “Most wouldn’t be able to. They’d have to have met the father and have a good read on his scent.”
    “Do you mind if I—?” I gestured vaguely at the door.
    “Sure! Of course, if you need anything…” Her voice trailed off as I stood up, grabbed my bag and nearly ran from the room.
----
Lara
    It wasn’t that I didn’t believe Sarah and her infallible nose. Nope. I just needed some good, old-fashioned medical confirmation. Had it been five minutes yet? The test said to wait three, but I wanted to be sure, so I wasn’t looking until five had passed. I paced my small bedroom, darting suspicious looks at the innocuous white plastic stick which sat on the dresser.
    A piercing sound filled the air, making me jump. I willed my thudding heart to slow; it was just the timer on my phone. Well, it was now or never. Taking a deep breath, I picked the test up. This was it—if I was to believe Sarah, then everything I had ever wanted was about to come true. All my life, all I ever wanted was to be a mother. It was one of the reasons I had chosen the career I had, working with children every day, strengthening their minds while nurturing their souls. Being a teacher was all I had ever