Chapter 409 Protective

“Don’t tell Sebastian about my pregnancy. I’d like to give him the news as a surprise myself.” She said.

With the way Gilbert had been beaming, she could almost tell he’d try to contact her husband the moment she stepped out, to share news that should come from her, because she wanted to see his reaction for herself, the very first time he heard it.

Actually, that had been Gilbert’s exact plan, to give Sebastian the news immediately. But hearing her words, he smiled a little awkwardly and nodded. “I won’t.”

“Is there anything I shouldn’t do in this condition? Foods to avoid, or movements I should be careful of?” Viola asked, grabbing her purse and turning back to face the doctor.

Gilbert nodded, his expression immediately turning more serious as he slipped into his professional manner, already prepared with what he wanted to tell her even before she’d asked.

“For now, there are a few things I want you to be careful about. First, don’t skip meals. You need regular, balanced meals and plenty of fluids. Avoid raw or undercooked meat and eggs, unpasteurized dairy, and anything else you know could carry an infection, since you don’t have a wolf to heal you from that yet. And don’t take any medication, supplements, or herbal preparation without checking with me or another healer in Silver first. Your body is already undergoing changes, and we don’t want anything interfering with the pregnancy.”

Viola nodded, listening carefully.

“Don’t exhaust yourself either,” he continued. “Light activity is fine if you’re comfortable with it, but don’t push yourself until you’re completely drained. If your back starts aching or you feel unusually tired, rest. Your body is going to demand more from you now, whether you like it or not.”

Viola frowned slightly at that. “So I’m not allowed to work?” She couldn’t afford that in Sebastian’s absence, and there was still a lot of work waiting for her in his office.

“I didn’t say that.” Gilbert almost smiled. “You can work. Just don’t spend the entire day glued to a desk without getting up. Take regular breaks, stretch your legs, and make sure you’re sleeping enough. If you start feeling unwell, I want you to report anything unusual to me immediately.”

“Such as?”

“Bleeding, severe abdominal or pelvic pain, fainting, persistent vomiting, a high fever, difficulty breathing, or anything that feels dramatically different from what you’ve been experiencing. Don’t wait around to see if it passes. Come straight to me.”

Viola’s hand instinctively settled over her belly again, the fear rising in her chest.

“And one more thing,” Gilbert added. “Until I’ve had more time to study your condition, don’t take any unnecessary risks. No questionable remedies, and absolutely no attempts to force your wolf’s awakening yourself. Your body is already doing enough work growing a child.”

Viola’s eyes widened slightly. “I wasn’t planning to force anything.”

“Good.” Gilbert gave her a nod. “Keep it that way, Supreme Luna.”

She nodded, then asked, “Do you have flip-flops, or any kind of slippers? I think my heels are too high.” She said, worry creeping into her voice.

Gilbert glanced down at her heels, and though they were high, he didn’t think she was incapable of handling herself, he realized her wanting to change shoes likely came from the anxious instincts of a new mother-to-be.

“I do have flip-flops. But just so you know, don’t let fear push you into treating yourself like you’re made of glass. Pregnancy isn’t an illness. You can still live your life, work, walk around, and do most of the things you normally do. I simply want you to listen to your body and give it what it needs.”

Viola looked down at her belly again, her expression uncertain. “I think I need the flip-flops,” she said, not trusting herself to walk back on shaky legs without tripping, hitting her stomach somewhere, and harming the child before it was even born. If she was already willing to sacrifice her wolf-awakening injection for its sake, after all these years of that being the one thing that mattered most to her, Viola wasn’t about to let something as small as a fall put it at risk.

Doctor Gilbert went to retrieve a pair of flip-flops belonging to Zoe from his inner office, having thoughtfully kept them on hand in the past since she tended to wear heels but needed something more practical to walk around in for her checkups. He handed them to the Luna, and she kicked off her heels and slipped them on.

“And you’ll need regular checkups,” Gilbert added, stepping back. “Especially because of the suppressant, we wouldn’t want it affecting or suppressing the child as well, given how much of it is still in your system.”

“That can happen?” Viola’s eyes went wide. She didn’t want her child, or anyone, to come into this world without a wolf and end up in the lowest rank, especially an Alpha’s child.

“The chances are high. You should let the Alpha know as soon as possible, so we can start working on it. Until I know exactly how the cure will affect a pregnant she-wolf, I want to monitor both you and the baby closely.”

“All right,” Viola murmured. “I can do that. Thank you.”

Viola left Gilbert’s office with a whirlwind of emotions inside her, and even though the doctor had told her she didn’t need to walk as though she were made of glass, that was exactly what she was doing. She walked slowly, one hand pressed to her belly, moving at such a careful pace that even her bodyguards began glancing at her strangely.

She hadn’t even had time to fully process the discovery of her wolf before learning that she was pregnant. The news left her feeling drained and unmotivated to return to the office, but she was determined to finish her work, so she went back anyway.

But she couldn’t stop her overactive mind from wandering. There was also the fact that her suppressant could affect the child. If that happened, all the terrible things that had happened to her because she was wolfless could be passed on to her child.

Even though she knew she would protect it with her life, Viola was aware that she couldn’t be with her child twenty-four hours a day forever. As the child grew older, there would inevitably be moments when they were apart, and that was when bullies could get to it.

She pushed the thought aside for now, hoping that Doctor Gilbert would find a way to prevent that. If necessary, perhaps there would even be a way to administer the cure to the child after it was born, but Viola didn’t want to think that far ahead yet. She wanted to let everything happen as it was supposed to and deal with each problem when the time came.