Things have been eerily calm lately, no signs of the mutated hybrids and nothing out of the ordinary. It makes a feeling of unease settle down on me, since I know that something big is about to happen. What that big event will be, I have no idea, but I can feel the build up.

It is nearing the end of the summer, meaning that my examination for my doctor's license is in a couple days, and if I pass that exam, I will be able to participate in the Initiation Ceremony. It is nerve wracking, but I feel like I am ready for the test. I have spent all of my free time studying, making me feel prepared.

Sighing, I push myself up from the couch, needing to use the restroom again. My books are scattered on the coffee table in front of me, my notebooks flipped open as I read over my notes. There are so many of them that it takes me hours just to get through them.

Once I relieve myself, I walk into my bedroom, deciding that I need a break from studying, which means it is time to do some shopping for the baby. Braeden and I haven't really done too much to prepare for the baby, only checking out some pregnancy books from the library. But, today I am actually going to get some clothes and other essentials. There is actually some money in our account since my paycheck was deposited last night.

As quickly as a tired, pregnant person can, I change out of my sweats and a loose t-shirt that I had been wearing, and instead put on a pair of black paternity jeans, the kind that stretch over my belly, so that they aren't too uncomfortable. The only thing I do not really care for is that I have gained some weight with the pregnancy, which I was expecting. But I didn't expect for that weight to be around my hips. So now, my ass is more full, making my pants tighter than I usually like to wear them.

Braeden has been loving the changes in my body though, which makes a certain part of me preen. He likes to be the one who rubs my lotion on my belly to prevent stretch marks, and always takes his time, pressing kisses against my bump and whispering to the baby.

His love and excitement for our baby always make heat run through my body. As soon as he is done, I practically pounce on him, usually pushing him down on the bed so that I can ride him. It is the most comfortable way for us to have sex now, and I am definitely not complaining, and neither is Braeden, who seems to have taken a liking to holding onto my ass whenever he can.

Shaking my head, I try to clear my head of those thoughts, knowing that I can't do anything about the horniness building inside me since Braeden is still at work.

Oh well.

It doesn't take me too long to finish getting dressed, grabbing a random t-shirt from my dresser and slipping on a pair of converse. Grabbing my wallet, I slip it into my back pocket before walking out of my bedroom.

Quinn is just climbing up the stairs when he sees me, eyes squinted as he looks me over.

"Are you going somewhere?" he asks, hand running through his dark hair.

Rolling my eyes, I go to stand next to him, my hand pushing his away in order to fix his hair in a way where it doesn't look like it got hit by a windstorm.

"Don't get pissy," I say, looking over him to make sure he is properly dressed. He looks good, a tight gray shirt that emphasizes his bump and light blue jeans. "I was going to get some shopping for the baby done, and you should come with me."

Quinn seems to be mulling it over before finally nodding his head in agreement. "Alright, I need to get some things anyway." He walks beside me as we make our way to the front door. "You just want me to go with you so I can't eat the ice cream in the freezer."

"I don't know how many times I have to warn you to stay away from my ice cream," I say in exasperation. Quinn just cracks a smile while slipping on his shoes, grabbing his bag from the small table.

It is just the two of us at home today. Everyone else is at work, and Alex is outside in the woods. He spends a good deal of time out there, and I never bother to question what he is doing out there, especially since he always comes back looking so much calmer.

"What are you planning on getting?" Quinn asks me as I drive us to the shops on Main Street. There are a couple of baby shops down there, and it is nearly impossible to find what we need anywhere else.

"I am not quite sure yet," I say, turning the wheel. "Some clothes and maybe some of the essentials."

Quinn nods his head. "Yeah, I'm probably going to get the same."

Luckily, there is a parking spot right in front of the store, so I quickly maneuver the car into the spot. Together, we walk into the store, which is mostly empty, seeing as it around ten o'clock in the morning.

The sales lady greets us when we walk past her, giving each of us a basket to put our stuff inside. The clothes are located at the back of the store, and immediately I am drawn towards the little girl clothes. Quinn goes to look at the more gender neutral clothing since he still has a couple weeks until he finds out the gender of his baby.

It is almost peaceful looking at the small little clothes, even though it is hard to believe that my baby is going to be so small when she comes into the world.

My eyes skip over the overly pink clothes, instead choosing some onesies that are light pastel colors. I don't realize how long I am standing there until Quinn comes back over to me, his basket containing a few tiny onesies and a pair of crib shoes.

"Oh, that's adorable," he says, smiling at the lavender colored pants that I am looking at.

"Aren't they?" I say, my fingers rubbing over the materials. It is extremely soft, and I can't help but put it into my basket.

"Did you see the little shoes they have over there," Quinn asks, leading me over to where he was standing before. "Because they are adorable." He lets out a long sigh, stopping in front of the shelf and rubbing his hand over his belly. "I just want to know if this little one is a boy or girl so I can do some real shopping."

"Well, you find out soon, don't you?" I ask, picking out a pair of light pink moccasins and white booties.

Quinn nods his head. "The next appointment, but that is still two weeks away." He has a bit of a pout on his face when he says that and I just laugh, wrapping my arm around him as I pull him over to the swaddles and blankets.

By the time we go to check out, our baskets are both full. We have mostly the same things: clothes, blankets, crib shoes, swaddles, pacifiers, and a package of reusable diapers. It was a good shopping trip, but when I pick up one of the baby checklists sitting on the checkout counter, I realize that there are still so many things left to buy.

When the final price comes up on the screen in front of me, I cringe slightly. Who knew that items for a tiny person could be so expensive?

The tiger hybrid who had given us the baskets earlier places all of my products in a white paper bag before handing it to me with a smile. I give her a quick thank you before stepping to the side so that Quinn can pay for his own products.

All in all, I got most of the items I had come for. Now, it is time to start looking at the more expensive products, like a crib and a car seat. Just thinking about how much those items are going to cost makes me frown.

"Ready to go?" Quinn asks, interrupting my thoughts. He is carrying his own bag, putting his wallet away before coming to stand beside me.

"Yeah, let's head home. I'm ready for a nap," I say, making the both of us laugh.

"Same," Quinn says, leading the way to the car. "A nap sounds wonderful right now, especially since my stomach is starting to get unhappy again."

His face turns slightly, and I put my arm around him, guiding him to the bench placed in front of the store.

"Rest here for a minute," I tell him, brushing his hair out of his face. "I'm going to run the bags to the car really quick, and I'll be right back." Quinn gives a slow nod of his head, closing his eyes before resting his head in his hands.

His nausea has been coming and going all throughout his pregnancy. Luckily it has become less frequent, but every once in a while, he will get a sudden bout of nausea. It makes me worry, but he has also been seeing Dr. Greene, who has told all of us that it is perfectly normal.

Reaching the car, I unlock it before placing our bags in the back seat and grabbing one of the many bottles of water I like to keep in the car.

I am only gone for a grand total of five minutes, but when I get back, Quinn is no longer sitting on the bench where I left him. My brows scrunch in confusion, and immediately my heart starts to beat a bit faster in worry.

"Quinn?" I call out, turning around in a circle, eyes searching for my best friend. I get no response, and my slight worry starts to grow into something stronger. "Quinn, this isn't funny. Where the hell are you?"

A noise comes from the alley behind me, the one that stands in between the baby store and the hardware store to the left of it. Cautiously, I make my way over to the alley, my ears perked in curiosity.

"Quinn?" I whisper.

A movement comes from behind the dumpster, drawing my attention. Slowly, I walk over there, eyes wide and heart pounding.

All of a sudden, a hand snaps out and wraps around my arm, pulling me back.

"Stay away from her, Henley," he says, voice quivering, "she's sick."

Turning around, I see that Quinn is completely pale and he has an arm wrapped protectively around his bump.

"Her?" I ask, confused as to what is going on.

"Help me," a voice croaks, making my head snap back around. My eyes land on the dumpster, where a deformed body crawls from behind. My breath leaves my body when I take her in. Her body is twisted, and she looks more animal than hybrid. Her eyes are wild and she seems to be having a hard time pulling herself out from behind the dumpster.

"Oh god," I say, voice choked. "Quinn get to the car."

"I'm not leaving you with her," he whispers, fingers tightening around my arm.

"Help me," the woman croaks again, arms shaking with the effort of pulling herself forward.

"There's nothing I can do," I tell her, slowly backing me and Quinn out of the alley.

And that is when the metaphorical switch flips.

The woman's face twists and her body contorts, and all of a sudden she is up on all fours.

"Shit," I hiss. "Run, Quinn, run."

For once in his life, Quinn actually listens to me, and we both run out of the alley, the sun bright as we leave the shadows.

The woman- who is now more beast than hybrid- grunts behind us, making chase. Neither Quinn or I bother to look back, running as fast as two pregnant people can to the car. We both hop in, and I slam my hand on the lock once the doors are closed.

With shaky hands, I attempt to put the key in the ignition, my breaths harsh. After what seems like forever, the key finally slides home, and I quickly turn it, a sign of relief leaving my mouth when the engine starts up.

"Henley, look," Quinn whispers, his finger pointed in the direction of the alleyway that we had just fled.

My eyes follow where he is pointing, and instantly my curiosity is peaked. Because the hybrid woman turned beast is still in the alleyway, watching us with dark eyes. She looks aggravated as she paces the length of the alleyway, but she never attempts to approach us.

"What the hell?" I ask, but shake my head, tightening my hands on the wheel. "Let's get out of here, I don't want to think about this anymore."

"Good idea," Quinn says, clicking his seatbelt into place.

Thank god I had put our stuff in the car before going to get Quinn, or else we may have accidentally left it behind in our haste to get away.

We are almost home when Quinn finally breaks the silence, his green eyes wide as he looks over at me.

"What the hell is going on, Henley?" he asks, his voice small in the quiet car.

"I have no idea," I tell him, grabbing his hand with my own in order to get some comfort. "But I have a feeling it is only going to get worse."