Surrogacy For Ex's Uncle Professor

Robin

I remember the first time I set foot on Henderson Supernatural Academy. The acceptance letter had been shocking because I didn't even know I was capable of magic! They claimed they had done some digging and called me the Red Moon Witch, a powerful witch of legend who would one day bring all covens together.

When I spoke to my Grandmother, or Abuela as I called her, she said that they were right. I did have magic. Magic ran in our family, but I was a late bloomer. Whether I was the Red Moon Witch was not something she could say.

She encouraged me to go to the school and accept the offer. I did. Soon after joining, I was able to harness my magic for the first time, and it was the strangest thing! For so long, I thought I was a typical mortal, but not.

Magic seemed to come to me easily-more easily than I ever thought it would. I truly never thought it would come to me this easily.

Some of the other students weren't very accepting, viewing me as a try-hard. When I met my best friend, Kathryn, she said they were just jealous assholes. I just had to ignore them. Kathryn Laurent was a half-witch and half-vampire who had been going to the school for over two years now.

We hit it right off, and I was blessed to have met her.

The other person I met was Victor Volkov, a werewolf at the school. He was the typical boy next door who was the star of the basketball team.

But as of three days ago, I regret ever meeting that guy.

I remembered it like it was yesterday. Or three days ago.

With a sigh, I turned and headed to my boyfriend's dorm room. I heard his voice inside and lifted my hand to knock, but then I froze.

"Oh my god, Victor more!"

I paled.

Victor was... sleeping with someone?

I pushed open the door and saw my boyfriend lying on the bed. His sandy blond hair was sticking up in every direction his brown eyes full of pleasure.

But I wasn't the one causing him this pleasure.

The woman bouncing on his lap was a stranger. She had cat-shaped ears that were out, her tail swishing back and forth.

In times of pleasure and fear, animal features could make themselves known.

I stood there for a while, in shock. It took some time for Victor to notice me, but when he did, he shoved the girl off his lap, causing her to hit the floor.

Could this be happening? I didn't know if I could say that I was in love with Victor, but I enjoyed his company. Being around him was fun, and I could see myself caring for him more seriously one day.

"Fuck Robin, it isn't what it looks like!"

This was always the dumbest excuse in the world. How the hell could he sit there after fucking another woman and say it wasn't what it looks like? The man must be crazy because it was exactly what it looked like.

I almost wanted to bitterly joke about him falling into the cat shifter's dick first.

I blinked back tears. "Are you saying it doesn't look like you were screwing some other woman?"

"I-"

"Fuck off, Victor," I hissed, my anger growing. "The two of us are over."

I spun around and left the room. Victor was shouting for me to stop, but I ignored him.

"Robin, please, just let me explain!" he yelled.

He sounded desperate, like he almost wanted to start crying or something. Why did he have any right to cry after what he did to me? I wanted to scream, run over to him, and punch him in the face, but no violence was going to do anything.

Or I could set him on fire. I was a witch, but that could get me kicked out of class. I didn't want to be kicked out of class.

I heard him scramble after me, his footsteps heavy, but I refused to look back. Hope he remembered to at least put clothes on.

"Robin, I love you!" he shouted, his voice desperate now, cracking on the last word.

I reached for the door, my hand shaking as I turned the knob.

"You love me?" I laughed bitterly, the sound harsh. "If you loved me, Victor, you wouldn't be on top of some other woman, would you?"

I could feel him getting closer, his breath sharp and panicked.

"Robin, don't do this. I made a mistake. I swear it was a mistake."

I flung the door open, stepping into the night air. "No, Victor. It wasn't a mistake. It's who you are."

His voice cracked. "Please, don't leave me. I-"

I slammed the door shut, cutting him off, and leaned against it for a second, gasping for breath.

He cheated on me with some cat shifter.

Then came more bad news.

My grandmother was sick. When I got the phone call, I was at my friend Kathryn's house trying to nurse my broken heart.

The shrill ring of my phone shattered the quiet. I frowned at the unknown number but answered anyway. "Hello?"

"Miss Delgado?" The voice was calm, professional-too professional. "This is Dr. Lee. I'm calling about your grandmother."

My stomach twisted. "Is she okay?"

A brief pause. "I'm afraid her condition has worsened. The medication is no longer effective. If she doesn't undergo surgery soon, the outcome will be..." She hesitated, her voice softening. "It will be fatal."

I bolted upright, the breath catching in my throat. "Surgery? How much-how much is it going to cost?"

"It's a specialized procedure," she said gently. "I know it's expensive, but we can discuss a payment plan if that would help."

My heart pounded in my ears. Expensive. Of course, it was. "I... I'll figure something out. Can I call you back?"

"Of course," Dr. Lee said softly. "But please don't wait too long. Time is critical."

"Thank you," I whispered before ending the call, my hand trembling as I set the phone down beside me.

I stared at the wall, my mind spinning. How was I supposed to come up with that kind of money? I barely had enough to cover textbooks, let alone life-saving surgery. My throat burned as I tried to swallow the panic rising inside me.

I couldn't fix everything all at once. My grandma's surgery, the mess with Victor, the endless pressure of life-I needed to take it one thing at a time.

I rolled over, staring at the ceiling, my heart still tight with worry but less suffocated.

I scoured the internet later that night, looking for a way I could make money. It got to the point where I wasn't able to focus on anything other than the fact that I was going to have to come up with a lot of money. If I didn't come up with this money, then my grandmother could die.

But then I came across something called surrogacy and egg donation. Egg donation paid well, but surrogacy paid even more.

I knew exactly what surrogacy was. It wasn't something I ever considered, but the amount of money it would pay would be enough for me to pay for my grandmother's surgery.

What more could I want?

When I talked to Kathryn, she suggested that I apply but consider other options too, because carrying a baby for someone was going to be a lot. I understand where she came from, but the money was too tempting.

So I bit the bullet and applied. What could it hurt?

It didn't take too much effort to open up the questions, but some of the questions I had to ask made my cheeks burn.

Certainly, they didn't need to know this much, did they?

For one, they asked about how much body hair I have. I hesitated but answered as best I could. It was hard to see how knowing how much body hair I had was important to a surrogacy application.

Then came another question that I understood was important, but also made me blush harder.

I wanted to know when my last sexual encounter was.

I... never had sex before. Even though Victor and I had made out several times, I still wanted to wait until I felt I was ready. Bitterly, I wondered if perhaps because I didn't have sex with you, he decided he didn't want to have sex with me.

Shaking my head, I shoved all thoughts of my ex-boyfriend out of my mind and decided to just answer the questionnaire as best I could.

Robin

While I was waiting for it to be approved, I decided to go spend some time with Kathryn.

"So... how are you doing?"

It was one of those questions people always felt the need to ask when there was a stressful situation at hand. I didn't mind them but it also was annoying at the same time because I was shitty. How else would I be after my boyfriend cheated on me and I found out my grandmother was very sick? It was a situation no one wanted to deal with.

Kathryn was my best friend, though. I don't know what I would do without her since I came to campus a year ago, or through this breakup.

She knew about my grandmother, but I didn't tell her about the surrogacy. I felt like if I were to tell her, there might be some judgment on her part because it was a huge step to take.

Eventually, I would tell her but only once I was sure of everything. Once I was sure that I was going to be the one who would be carrying this man's baby or this couple's baby rather.

They might not be married, but I was sure they were either married, engaged, or a couple.

Kathryn might try to talk me out of it, so I'd tell her. Once it was all finalized, there was no going back. Then I would be sure that there was no way of talking me out of it because it would be done.

"You mean besides my grandmother being sick and my cheating ex-boyfriend still harassing me?"

Kathryn huffed. "Do you want me to beat him up? I can beat him up."

"No, Kathryn... even though the offer is tempting."

She huffed. "I mean it."

"As satisfying as that sounds, I don't think violence is the answer."

"Okay, but let me know if he does anything else," Kathryn warned and she didn't sound playful at all.

"I'll keep that in mind," I muttered. "I just want him to leave me alone."

Kathryn pulled me into a tight hug. "Hey, you're not dealing with all of this alone, you know that, right? I'm here."

"I know," I whispered. "It just feels like one shit storm after another."

"Don't worry, I am not going anywhere," Kathrin said with a grin.

It was good to have such a good friend who was ready to throw hands for me. I didn't want Kathryn to beat my ex up, but if it did come to that, I was going to choose her side in a heartbeat.

That earned a quiet laugh. "Thanks, Kathryn. Seriously."

"Also, I'm serious," she insisted, pointing her half-eaten cookie at me. "I may be small, but I'm scrappy. Plus, I took that self-defense class last semester, remember? I know things now."

I laughed softly, shaking my head. "I think you missed the part where they said not to go looking for fights."

"Details." She shrugged, taking another bite. "But, if he texts you again, I can come up with some creative responses. The man deserves to be haunted."

"You already sent him that creepy clown GIF."

"Which was a masterpiece," she said proudly. "If he doesn't back off soon, I'm escalating to the one with the doll that blinks in slow motion."

I smiled despite the knot of anxiety still twisting in my stomach. Kathryn always had a way of making things feel less heavy. "You're the best."

"I know," she said with a wink, then her smile softened. "But seriously, how are you doing?"

I hesitated, torn between brushing it off and being honest. "It's... a lot," I admitted. "I'm trying to stay positive, but between my grandmother, Victor being a pain, and waiting for this application to go through, it just feels like everything is piling up."

Kathryn's expression softened. "Hey, you don't have to carry all that alone. Whatever happens, I've got you."

"I know." I took a deep breath, feeling a bit lighter just saying it out loud. "Thanks, Kathryn."

"Anytime. Now, let's do something to distract you before you spiral. Movie marathon? We could rewatch that terrible vampire series and mock the special effects again."

I laughed, already feeling a little better. "You know what? That sounds perfect."

***

It was after class that Monday when I got a notice that my application to become a surrogate had been accepted. I had sent in something two weeks ago and by this point wasn't expecting a response so this took me by surprise!

With trembling hands, I read the email.

Then I got another email from the man for whom I was supposed to be the surrogate. He sent me an advance payment and then asked if I could come to his house to discuss further.

His name, Micah Volkov, sounded very powerful. Briefly, I thought of my ex, Victor, and the fact that Volkov was also his last name, but it could've simply been a common Russian last name and nothing more.

I knocked at his door and he answered it right away. He had whiteish blonde hair that curled around the ends of his ears. His black shirt was tight, showing off his muscular frame. And then there were those blue eyes. It seemed like they were staring straight through me.

"Ms. Delgado?"

"Yes, that's me, Mr. Volkov."

He chuckled, moving to allow me inside. "Please call me Micah. Mr. Volkov is my father, and I would rather not have any more ties to him than I do."

"All right, Hello, Micah."

Micah smiled almost dangerously, moving out of the way to let me in.

"I know this is strange but I thank you for coming to meet me. Do you have any questions, or can we get straight to the point?"

I sat down on the couch. "No, I don't have any questions. You were pretty clear in your email that you sent."

"Good. Then let's get straight to it," he said, looking directly at me. "I need to ask about your relationship history. Have you ever been in a serious relationship? This also includes knowing about your sexual history."

My mind flashed back to all the questions I had to ask on the application. I expected ot be asked those questions on the application, but not by Micah himself.

It didn't take long for my cheeks to start burning, my gaze unable to find his. He was staring at me so intensely that I wanted to start squirming. No, that was a bad idea. This would make me seem like a child, and I wanted to come off as a mature woman who could do this.

"I've only been in two serious relationships over the past few years. My most recent one was for six months, and we just broke up," I explained, my cheeks heating up even more when I realized I had to tell him about my sexual history. "And I am a virgin."

Admitting it out loud made me feel like a child.

"For any particular reason?" he asked.

The question was so sudden that I froze. I smiled, but I was trembling. Hopefully, I wasn't visibly trembling.

I didn't expect him to say such a thing. It was making me turn as red as a tomato. Why couldn't I just stop blushing?

Blushing was something I always did rather easily. At least it wasn't always noticeable on my skin, but the light was very bright in here. He might end up seeing it!

"No. It just didn't feel right."

This was the huge reason for it. It just didn't feel right and now that I know Victor is a huge asshole, not sleeping with him had been such a good idea on my part. I am so grateful that I didn't debase myself to sleep with him.

He did try to get me to sleep with him, but after a while, it seemed like he was accepting of the fact that I didn't want to sleep with him. This was where Victor manipulated me. The whole time I'm thinking that he is understanding of me wanting to wait, he was fucking some woman behind my back. It's truly insane.

I tried not to let my expression change because I was going to get upset in front of him. This was to be a professional meeting where we discussed the potential that I was going to be carrying his baby.

"Thank you for being honest with me," he said, smiling. "I also want to know how you feel about carrying a child that you will have no legal ties to once it is born?"

Again, I nodded. "Yes, I understand."

He sighed, taking a sip of the wine he must've poured himself before I came over.

Though it had been some time, I did have wine before. Red wine was sometimes poured at our house during special occasions. Well, at least it was when my grandmother and I were still living together. Right now, she was still in the hospital.

"I also want you to understand I don't want a wife. All I want out of this is a child. Are you able to understand that?"

This was another shocking thing that Micah said. Why did he keep saying things that ended up shocking me to my very core?

A mix of shame and fascination stirred inside me, but I kept my voice steady. "I understand. I have no expectations beyond what we agreed upon."

He smiled. Whenever he smiled, I felt this warmth start to stir within me.

"Good. It pleases me to hear that because this can become a complicated situation if few don't approach this carefully."

Again, I nodded. He was being completely reasonable about this.

I also didn't want to screw this up because I needed the money. What if I didn't get the money to help my grandmother?

His smile widened, and the warmth started to grow.

It was obvious why I was feeling this way. Micah was very attractive. So attractive that I didn't know what I wanted to do with myself. He was unlike all the guys on campus who were little boys when you considered it.

I continued to squirm under the intensity of his gaze at times. He was such an attractive man-an attractive older man, come to find out.

It was difficult to pinpoint his age, but it was obvious that he was older, but I couldn't work up the nerve to ask him.

Robin

"Why don't you join me for dinner?" he asked after the two of us talked for a bit longer that night. "And if you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I'll be as transparent as you've been with me. It's the least I can do."

"Are you married or involved with anyone?" I asked, my voice steadier than I felt.

How I managed to get this question out without turning as red as a tomato was truly astounding right now.

He chuckled. "No. I am simply trying to get my family off my back by providing them with an heir. They are insistent on setting me up, deeming that I am getting to be too old to be single, so I think a baby will get them off my back."

Curiosity burned in my chest. "And you? How old are you?"

He smiled. "I'm 38."

He was much older than I was, something I wasn't that shocked by. It was expected that he was older than me, but it made me feel so young.

Now I was nervous about telling him that I was younger, because what if he held it against me?

He had to have seen my application, so he had to know my age, right?

"And how old are you?" he asked suddenly, his voice smooth and curious.

Maybe I was wrong. Perhaps he didn't see how old I was or he was just testing me. I flushed, unsure how I should answer this question.

"Twenty-one," I replied, tilting my head slightly. "Is that a problem?"

He let out a soft chuckle. "Not at all. I just wanted to be sure."

I nodded. "I see."

Micah sipped at his wine, regarding me carefully. "Once the child is born we are going our separate ways. Is that clear?"

I nodded. Why would it not be clear?

"I'd like to hear you say it, Robin. Could you please indulge me?"

"I understand what you are saying. Once the child is born, we are going our separate ways."

He smiled. "Good.

As we ate, I realized I had something else I wanted to ask him.

"Why me?"

He shrugged. "The application stood out to me the most. Imagine a power witch bearing my child? I like the idea of it."

Micah was being pragmatic. I had to give him that.

"What are you exactly?"

He smirked. "What do you mean?"

I winced, realizing how stupid that question sounded but it was already out now so there was nothing more I could do about it.

"I mean are you human?"

Micah chuckled. "I'm a werewolf."

I nodded.

Honestly, I wasn't surprised to learn that he was a werewolf. He kind of gave off the vibe that he was a werewolf.

I took another bite of my food, hoping to move past my stupid and awkward comment. It was best to just let it fade.

He didn't say anything else, gazing at me every now and then.

"How is the food?"

"Delicious," I said after awhile, smiling.

This was the best meal I had in a long time. It made me miss Abuela's cooking b ut she was in the hospital so there was no way she could cook right now.

The food was delicious. I wasn't sure if he had cooked it. Given how much money he seemed to have, I wouldn't be surprised if either he ordered out or had hired someone to cook for him.

***

Once home, I decided I had to talk to Kathryn and she picked up right away.

"I need to tell you something."

"Okay, what is it you need ot tell me?"

"Are you sitting down?"

"I don't want to sit down."

I sighed. "Please sit down."

I took a deep breath. "I... agreed to be a surrogate."

Dead silence.

"What?"

"I said I'm going ot be a surrogate."

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN YOUR GOING TO BE A SURROGATE? Are you for real?"

I winced. My eardrum felt like it was going to shatter now. "It's not a big deal."

"Like hell it isn't! Whose baby are you carrying? Why are you carrying a baby?!"

I exhaled. "Some rich guy."

Kathryn choked. "Some rich guy?! Are you serious right now? Robin, this is not, like, an impulse shopping decision! This is creating a human being level of commitment!"

"It's a business deal. No strings attached. He just wants an heir, and I... I need the money."

"Why, what is going on?"

I closed my eyes. "Enough to pay for Abuela's surgery."

Another long silence.

Then, softer this time, "Oh."

I swallowed hard. "Yeah."

She exhaled sharply. "Are you sure about this? This sounds like a huge mess."

"I'm not changing my mind," I told her firmly. "It's what I have to do because there is no other way for me to get the money in the first place."

"Damn it. I wanted to yell at you until you changed your mind."

I smiled despite myself. "But you won't?"

"Oh, I still might," she muttered. "But I also might be reading up on pregnancy symptoms so I can be ready when you start craving, like, chalk or whatever weird stuff pregnant people eat."

I laughed. "I appreciate that."

She huffed. "Well, you need a best friend in this situation and I am going to be the best friend you could ever get, understand?"

"I wish you wouldn't be so freaked out."

"Of course, I freaked out! I just found out my best friend is about to grow a tiny, rich, possibly judgmental baby inside her!"

"Judgmental?" I repeated, laughing.

"Robin, think about it. What if this baby comes out looking all sophisticated and superior, like it already has a trust fund and disapproves of our life choices?"

I snorted. "Kathryn-"

"No, I'm serious! What if its first word is 'unacceptable'? Or it just gives people the look whenever they do something it doesn't approve of?"

Tears pricked the corners of my eyes from laughing too hard. "Oh my god, Kat-"

"I need constant updates. Like, 'Hey, Kat, the baby just kicked, and I swear I felt an air of condescension.'"

"I promise to document all judgmental baby moments."

"You better." She sighed dramatically. "Alright. I'm in. We're doing this. I will be the best friend you ever need."

"Trust me, I know you will."

"Now, start from the beginning. I want every detail."

It was nice to talk to my best friend. I felt good after the conversation and just when I thought things couldn't go worse, I got a notice from the cheerleading squad that, despite my attempts to get out of the basketball game my ex was on, I had to go there.