River snorted and tossed his hair over his shoulder. "If that was the case, it would still be fabulous."
"What if it has the head of a beaver and the tail of a fish? Or a fish head and a human body?"
River raised an eyebrow. "Okay, let's not get too crazy."
I laughed.
And then gasped.
A pulse of pain jolted me. I stared out across the water as I slowly realized where the pain came from and what it meant.
"Castor?" River asked, his face turning serious. "What's wrong?"
I glanced down at my belly. That was another explanation for him. He sucked in a breath. "Is the baby coming? Right now?"
I shifted my weight, trying to get more comfortable. "I think so," I murmured.
River bolted upright, crawling to my side with his tail dragging behind him. He held me behind the shoulders so I could lie against him. "Okay. Okay. We can do this."
I chuckled at his reaction, though I was a bit breathless from the pain. He sounded more like he was reassuring himself than me. Then again, I knew alphas could get this way during the birth. Frankly, most of the time they didn't know what to do. And why would they? It wasn't like they'd ever pushed a baby out of their body. I hadn't either, but nature would guide me. I had knowledge gleaned from other beaver omegas, too. This was not only normal for us, but almost sacred.
"Are you nervous?" River asked, his brows furrowing.
I smiled at him. "What for?"
River blinked. "Okay, for somebody about to give birth to a baby, you are insanely calm about this."
That made me laugh. "I'm a little nervous,” I admitted, "but only about the baby being born safe and healthy."
"You're not worried about the pain?"
"No. It's part of the process."
River smoothed his hand back through his hair. "You're hard-core, Castor. I love that about you." He kissed my forehead, which was already damp with sweat. "But I'm here for you. I know you're the one actually giving birth, but we’re in this together."
Happiness surged in my chest. I took his hand and clenched it tightly. "I know. Thank you."
As calm as I felt, River's presence beside me was something I desperately needed. It was unthinkable for an omega beaver shifter to give birth without his alpha mate with him.
The pain came in gradually faster waves. I shut my eyes and breathed in a practised rhythm.
"Do you need anything?" River asked. I could tell he wanted nothing more than to help. "I can go get my omega father if you need someone to guide you through this."
I smiled and shook my head, feeling the sweat trickle down my temples. "That's a very kind offer, but I'll be okay. Besides," I added, squeezing his hand, "I don't want you to leave. Stay with me."
River put his hands on my shoulders and began massaging me. "Okay. I won't go anywhere."
Another wave of pain crashed into me and I hissed through my teeth. The baby was coming.
"Actually," I breathed, "can you help me, River?"
"Anything," River said immediately.
"I need you… to push my legs apart."
Speaking was quickly becoming difficult. All my focus was on weathering the push and pull of agony that was wracking my whole body. I squeezed my eyes shut and breathed. Breathed again.
I felt River by my legs. He carefully parted them, then made a sound of surprise.
