I grunted, wiping my paws across my damp face. “Iamgrateful. I’m just not a sap like the rest of you...”
“Says the guy crying tears of joy,” Taylor teased.
I huffed, readying a verbal comeback when a sudden pain jolted my midsection. My fur spiked along my back and I hissed through my teeth.
“Alaric,” Jade cried. “Does it hurt again?”
I nodded stiffly, in too much agony to speak.
The egg was coming.
Ripples of pain shimmied down my spine. I focused on breathing, since it was the only thing I could do. I felt my pelt bristling, but Jade smoothed it down with calming strokes.
“It’s all right,” he said softly. “Take it nice and slow.”
“Fuck that,” I hissed. “I want this egg out of menow.”
“Try lying with your legs spread out,” Taylor suggested. “It works better than curling into a ball.”
I exhaled hard through my nose, then followed his advice. Since he was the only person in this room who’d actually laid an egg before, I was grateful for it. Trembling, I stretched out my back legs, letting my belly brush against the quilt. Its pillowy softness was comforting despite the pain.
Another sharp pang made me hiss, but I noticed a difference in my body now. It felt open and stretched. Was I finally making progress?
“Tell me,” I asked Jade through my teeth.
He glanced at my lower half and said, “You’re not just dilated, but actively in labor now.”
I was both relieved and agitated from the pain. “Great.”
“Keep pushing,” Jade encouraged.
“If anyone can do this, it’s you, Alaric,” Taylor said.
A low, irritated yowl escaped me. “What’s that supposed to mean? That I’m loose? I’ll have you know I’m—fuck!”
A sharp contraction cut me off. I felt the egg moving inside me with each push. It was really coming out now. My omega instincts kicked into high gear. Determined to get the egg out, I gritted my teeth and pushed harder. Everything was tight andagonized until a moment came where I felt unburdened and the pain disappeared.
I lay there for a second, relishing the sensation ofnotpushing. As I caught my breath, I heard Jade and Taylor’s soft, awed noises behind me.
“It’s beautiful,” Taylor murmured. “Like it’s made of pure emerald.”
I whipped my head around. When I laid eyes on my egg, all the agony of labor was forgotten.
I drew closer to it with soft, rapid breaths. It wasmyegg, so it was obviously stunning, but I couldn’t wrap my mind around justhowstunning. With its smooth surface glittering from every angle, it resembled a perfectly oval geode. Each speck glowed like a kaleidoscope in a thousand shades of green.
Instinct urged me to touch the egg. When I tentatively placed my paw on its side, I sucked in a breath. The egg was warm to the touch.
It was alive.
I’d never laid an egg before—or given birth—but I somehow knew exactly what to do. My pelt bushed up, fluffing to full capacity, and I tucked the egg underneath my belly. It was as big as a grapefruit, but my long fur and thick tail were enough to cover the whole thing.
Once my egg was safely nestled against my body, I sighed, finally content. All the anxieties about laying vanished.
Now it just had to hatch.
21
Jade
