Page 67 of Monster. Me.

I carefully palpate her abdomen. She remains relaxed throughout the examination, occasionally glancing back at me before returning her attention to Davos. I try again, slower this time, checking thoroughly. My alpha hearing doesn’t catch the super faint heartbeats that should already be there. Nothing. No obvious enlargement, no palpable fetuses, nothing that suggests a developing litter.

Davos notices my expression immediately.

"What is it?"

I don't answer right away. Instead, I continue the examination. Her mammary glands are slightly enlarged, though not as much as I'd expect at this stage. As I look around the room, I notice several stuffed animals gathered beside her bed. One of them is tucked beneath her paw almost possessively.

"Has she been carrying those around?"

Davos blinks. "The toys? Yes."

"Collecting them? Guarding them?"

"Yeah." His eyes widen slightly. "She even growled at me yesterday when I tried to move one!"

That confirms my suspicion.

I sit back on my heels and look at him.

"I don't think she's pregnant."

For several seconds he simply stares at me.

"But she was bred."

"That doesn't always result in pregnancy."

His mouth opens and closes again.

"But she's acting differently. She's nesting, she's eating differently, she's been doing exactly what she did before."

"I know." I gesture toward the pile of toys. "I think she's having a false pregnancy."

The confusion on his face deepens.

"A false pregnancy? Isn't that, like… an omega thing?"

"It's a hormonal response that can happen after a heat cycle. Her body behaves as if she's expecting puppies even though there aren't any. It's actually fairly common."

Davos slowly sinks into an armchair. Relief and disbelief battle across his features at the same time.

"So she isn't sick?"

"No."

"And she's not losing puppies?"

"No."

For the first time since I arrived, he relaxes. "Phew, thank goodness. I've been worried sick."

Peaches lifts her head at the sound of his voice, then goes right back to lounging on the rug.

I spend a few minutes explaining what to expect. More exercise can help. More distractions. Less encouragement of the nesting behavior. If she's producing milk, she shouldn't be allowed to lick her mammary glands excessively because it can stimulate further production. Most cases resolve on their own without intervention.

By the time I'm finished, Davos looks years younger than when he opened the door.

"You have no idea how much better I feel! Such a relief!"