“I’m not panicked.” She fixed us with a firm glare. “But you three…” Attempting to stand, she was presented with multiple efforts to help her and shrugged us off. “Guys, I’m fine. I’m— Oh.” She looked at the floor between her feet. “I’m all wet. When did you say Melissa would be here?”
Everything in my mind settled at that point, and Archer and Talon also came to a stop, their frantic motions ending. Our mate was the most important person in the world to us and was about to deliver a tiny person who would share that spot with her. She deserved the best of us. We looked at one another then at her.
“Let’s get you cleaned up and ready to have our baby, omega.” Archer took her arm and led her toward the bathroom.
“I’ll bring the gown you wanted to wear,” Talon said.
“And I’ll let Melissa in when she gets here and double-check the supplies she asked us to have ready.”
We were a team ready for action, each of us ready to help our mate through her labor. Any of us wouldhave borne it for her, but since that was impossible, we weren’t stupid enough to express that sentiment.
Instead, we got her as comfortable as we could then stepped back and let Melissa do her job. She was a calming presence, experienced in shifter births, and knew how to not only help the omega but make the rest of us feel useful without being condescending.
“Back labor sure can hurt,” she said, massaging our omega’s lower back after examining her. “But you’re almost fully effaced, and your little one will be here I’d say within the hour.”
“I sure hope so,” Sylvia said, smiling bravely, “because I can’t wait to meet them.”
With the three of us following orders and our mate pushing hard, the midwife’s prediction came true almost to the moment. Little Ben, named after his uncle who saved our omega, arrived, took a deep breath, and screamed his protest until Melissa set him at our mate’s breast and he latched on.
Smart boy knew who his mama was.
And I’m not ashamed to admit the three of us wept in joy and relief that our babe was here and our matehad made it through the pain she’d tried hard not to show us. Feeling like she’d been through enough for a lifetime, I startled when she whispered, “Maybe we’ll have a sister for you next.”
Our omega, the strongest person I’d ever met.
Epilogue
Sylvia
I knew from Lily that the first couple of months with a newborn were tiring and that interrupted sleep didn’t work the same way as a good solid night of rest would—but also, it was such a beautiful time. She’d been right about all of it.
Taking care of Ben and my mates being around all the time…I loved it.
We’d done a lot of things at home during this time as a family. Ben had met our wolves. We ate outside, did some gardening, finally planted those rose bushes. We finally rearranged the living room furniture. We read countless board books and learned a ton of lullabies. There was never a dull moment, not even the quiet ones.
As much as we did here on pack lands, we hadn’t done anything beyond them. Sure, one of us ran to the grocery store when needed, but that was it. Ben’s entire life had been on our property.
Then my brother called up and asked us to come over for lunch, saying that he had a surprise for me.
“Looks like you get to go on an adventure,” I singsonged then got Ben cleaned up and ready to go in his most adorable sleeper, one covered in wolves.
We packed up, bringing enough baby supplies for a week. I didn’t know what I thought was going to happen over the course of lunch, but apparently, twenty diapers were necessary. I had to laugh, because it wasn’t like they lived hours away…it was literally down the road. We could always run home and grab something we missed. But that knowledge didn’t stop any of us from overpacking.
We pulled into my brother’s drive and parked. Archer brought out the stroller, which still had the bassinet attachment on it, as I got Ben out of the carrier car seat and then put him in the baby wrap against my chest. The stroller hadn’t been used to actually hold the baby yet. Even when we were home, where we used it a great deal while outside, it had only been a glorified baby carrier.
I got him snug in my baby wrap, his very favorite place to sleep. He wasn’t picky about who was wearing him, as long as someone was.
“Mom! Dad!” Archer ran over to two people who I quickly recognized as his parents.
“Benji said he had a surprise for us, but I didn’t realize it was you!”
His mother smiled bright. “We were passing through the state, but we didn’t want to put too much pressure on you to have us over. And here we are.”
There had to be a whole lot more to that story.
I’d talked to them over the phone, including video chats, but this was the first time seeing them face-to-face. They were wearing clothes that probably cost as much as all my art supplies put together, but they didn’t have any airs about them. They were the epitome of grandparents.
When my mother-in-law held out grabby hands, I passed Ben right over, and he snuggled in close.
