Anxious sweat poured down my temples. My heart pounded a mile a minute as the base of the birthing chamber swelled to the size of a football.
That was my baby in there.
My hormones kicked in at full force. A starburst of oxytocin told me to push, so I did. I clenched my teeth and my muscles andpushed.
I heard Linn’ar’s excited voice. “It’s coming.”
The tube quivered and oscillated, feeling tighter than ever.
Then all the vibrations stopped.
A huge breath was expelled from my lungs. I was flat on my back, too exhausted to sit up anymore. My ears rang from all the pushing and sweating. Through the ringing, I heard eager voices clamoring over each other.
I groaned. “What happened?”
My sweet mate appeared in my vision. His magenta eyes sparkled like fireworks. He radiated indescribable happiness.
Whenever I imagined our baby in my mind, it was dark green, just like Linn’ar. But maybe that was my lack of creativity at play again.
The fresh bundle in his arms wasn’t green at all. Our baby’s hide was a mix of gorgeous colors—deep pink and light blue.
Emotion washed over me as I stared at our child. Tears pricked my eyes. I reached out wordlessly, too overwhelmed to speak. Linn’ar carefully placed the little Maeleon in my grasp.
Before crashing on Eukaria and meeting Linn’ar, I never thought I’d be a parent. But now, holding my baby, I knew this was my destiny.
“You did wonderfully, my filum,” Linn’ar murmured, hugging us close. “Look what you brought into this world.”
As if on cue, our baby lifted their head and opened their eyes. They were black as night—just like mine.
My heart squeezed. I may not have been an artist, but I recognized something beautiful when I saw it.
Speaking of creativity...
“So, Linn’ar,” I said, glancing up at my mate. “What name did you choose?”
He tilted his head. “Kiir’an. It’s our word for purple rice plant flowers. Do you like it?”
It was music to my ears. “I love that. It’s perfect, Linn’ar.” I smiled at our baby. “Our sweet little Kiir’an.”
Kiir’an yawned and snuggled against my chest, using me as a pillow. My heart felt full.
“Nowthatis the cutest thing I have ever seen,” Paz said, sniffling and wiping away tears. “Along with newborn Dai’zee, of course.”
Levi nodded. “I’m pretty sure all newborn babies share the ‘cutest thing ever’ award.”
He was right.
But at the same time, I secretly thoughtmybaby was the cutest.
18 /Epilogue: Linn’ar
“I’ll try my best,but you have to promise not to make fun of me,” Jaeyoung warned. Today, we decided to paint together as a family. Kiir’an was growing every day, and they were finally old enough to hold a brush. Unlike Levi and Zat’tor, we chose to use gender neutral pronouns with Kii’ran the traditional Maeleon way. If our child wanted to change that when they grew up, that was their choice to make.
A blank piece of parchment lay in front of Jaeyoung on the table. Armed with a wooden brush dripping with pigment, he frowned at it gravely.
Kiir’an sat beside him, wriggling in the seat and clutching a brush. It was upside-down. I reached over to flip it the correct way.
“I would never make fun of you,” I promised, patting Jaeyoung’s head with my tentacle. I held a third brush in my hand, poised over the parchment. “This is for fun. You cannotfailat painting.”
