“Yeah,” Remington said.
“Have your contractions started?” Len chimed in.
“I—I think I had one. I don’t know if—” Remington hissed in pain. “Fuck.”
A wave of sympathy crashed into me. “Are you okay?”
“I didn’t think it would happen so fast,” Remington muttered through gritted teeth. Sweat glistened on his forehead. I grasped his hand so he had something to clamp down on.
“Another one already?” Len said, surprised.
Remington nodded stiffly. The pleasured expression on his face was gone, replaced by pain. I wished I could ease it somehow.
“Wow, he’s already dilated so much!” Sage exclaimed.
For a second, I really thought Remington might literally kick him out of the den. But he seemed to be straining too hard to be too annoyed.
“What’s happening?” Remington moaned.
Morgan turned to me. Despite the apparently unusual situation, he didn’t seem perturbed. “Nero, how quickly do sharks usually give birth?”
Memories of my research project came flooding back to me. “It happens fast, I think. Within minutes.”
“I don’t know what species the baby will be, but Remington’s body might be reacting to the possibility of it being as simple as birthing a shark underwater,” Morgan said.
“Wait, did you sayminutes?” Sage said, his jaw hanging open. “Man, I wish my labor was that short.”
Digging his fingers into the grass, Remington screeched, “NOT. HELPING.”
Sage ducked his head. “Sorry! Think of it this way. At least it’ll be over soon. Look, the baby’s already crowning!”
My eyes snapped to Remington’s lower half. My heart skipped a beat. Our baby was there, emerging headfirst with a dark mop of hair. I couldn’t believe it. Remington’s contractions had only just started. Had my contribution of shark genes really helped out that much? I suddenly felt sorry for the mammal shifters who had to go through much longer labors, though I knew Remington’s pain wasn’t insignificant either. Did I cause this much trouble for Mom, too? Man, omegas and mothers were brave as hell.
I went to my mate’s side. “I’m here, Remmy. Tell me what you need.”
He exhaled sharply and squeezed my hand hard. “I need to get this baby out of me!”
“You’re doing great. The baby’s coming out. Can you keep trying for me?”
“Iamtrying!” he snapped.
Remington threw his head back against the ground and growled, his wolf’s voice lacing with his own. His muscles tensed with strain, then a visible shiver rippled down his body accompanied by a wet sound. Remington gasped.
The other three omegas were quiet for a moment. The whole den seemed to go still. Then, a small cry filled the air.
My heart raced like it might explode. I sat up, looking to the others urgently. “Well? Is my baby okay?”
Morgan was the closest. The older man smiled as he retrieved the newborn. “Healthy.” He chuckled as the baby began to cry. “And loud. That’s a good sign. He’s got a nice pair of lungs on him.”
“He?” Remington asked breathlessly. “You mean…?”
“Congratulations, you two. You’ve got a beautiful baby boy,” Morgan said, handing him to his omega dad. Remington accepted him with wide, teary eyes.
“Oh… He’s gorgeous,” Remington murmured. He sounded like he was about to cry. “Nero, look at him.”
“I am looking,” I promised.
There was nothing in the world that could draw my attention away from my baby right now. His features were a mix of his dads’. He had dark hair, like both of us, with an odd silver streak down the center. His fussy expression reminded me of Remington. After Morgan handed him over, he calmed down in his dad’s arms, even though both his fists were still clenched.
