My jaguar didn’t seem to mind letting anyone else into the den, thank gods, so Kedi curled up next to his bestie and started unloaded their supplies. Ice packs and foam rollers, books and cards and a few board games to play. They were in it for the long haul.
While the midwife did a quick examination, Mace crouched down beside us and said quietly for only our ears, “Don’t worry, bro, your mate’s in good hands. But, dude…” He grabbed our muzzle and gave it a shake, speaking directly to my jaguar. “Do not make him sit on the sidelines for the birth of his first child.” With a final tap, he went to join Joel and Kedi in a game of Go Fish.
Labor progressed slowly, but I swore I felt every single contraction myself. Watching Joel hunch over in pain, unable to hold his hand, was a special kind of torture. I wanted—needed—to go to him. Over the next 12 hours, the contractions got closer together, then more intense,until he was cradling his belly, panting hard, skin flushed. The midwife informed us that it was almost time to push.
He looked up at us from under sweat-damp hair, eyes glassy with tears. “Please… Please, I need my alpha,” he begged, and there was something desperate, pleading, in his voice that finally seemed to break through.
My jaguar lifted our head from where it had been resting on our paws. I could feel his indecision, his need to protect our mate and our child, but there was also regret… and apology. He padded over to our mate. He headbutted him in the shoulder, then lapped our tongue gently over his cheek, before he finally released his hold over our body.
Gasping, I took my skin and immediately took my mate into my arms. “Joel, oh gods, I’m so sorry I wasn’t here.” I kissed his shoulder, his neck, his cheek, and finally his lips, his skin salty with sweat and tears.
“You were always here,” he whispered, crying in relief.
As if the baby had been waiting for me to make an appearance, they suddenly seemed in a rush to get out. We all worked to help Joel find a comfortable position, and the midwife guided him through pushing.
It was such an absolute miracle, and I was in complete awe of how strong my mate was. I had no doubt he could’ve given birth even without all our support, as fiercely independent as he was, but I would never takebeing able to hold him for granted. The fact that he allowed me to help in the first place was a beautiful thing.
With a bellowing cry (and every one of my fingers crushed), Joel bore down and brought our son into the world. My mate collapsed back on the pillows with a tired laugh. “Zero stars. Do not recommend.”
With a full head of my dark hair and Joel’s blue eyes, our son was the perfect blend of us both. We took our time bonding, but I knew there was still one step I had to take. Eventually, I invited my beast to come out and welcome our kitten properly to the world. It was hard to trust him so soon after the stunt he’d pulled. There was still a tint of his shame simmering in our mind, but he set it aside for now, eager to meet our little one.
“No licking,” Joel warned him. “His skin is too delicate for your rough tongue.”
He was disappointed but settled for curling around them in the soft den he’d made. Even I could admit he’d done a good job with it, and his smugness said he knew it, too.
Whether our son would be a shifter or not, only time would tell, but I was happy either way. This was my family, and my heart had never been so full.
Epilogue
North
Todaywasanimportantevent for many reasons. It was the summer solstice, a day that held great power, but it was also paired with a full moon which made it even more so. The pack and pride were coming together for a run through the woods to celebrate, and a few members of a local coven had mentioned joining us. Something about siphoning the power to imbue their relics.
My parents had even come for a visit, with full intention to spoil their only grandchild to bits. Our mother had been nudging Mace, hinting that as the older brother, he should’ve been taking the search for his mate more seriously, so she could have even more grandchildren to spoil.
I hadn’t told either of them yet that the wait was almost over…
The clearing was full today, but I was already reminded of the first time I’d brought my mate here. Our hunt through the woods, his heat… and then claiming him again and again. My cock ached at the prospect of chasing him again tonight.
“I recognize that look,” Joel teased, bumping me with his shoulder. “You’ll have to be patient. Dinner first, then we’ll have to convince someone to entertain Wick for a while so we can go play.” There would be no shortage of babysitters, I was sure.
We were seated on a picnic blanket, trying to convince our son to eat a few more bites of his dinner, but he was infinitely distracted by all the chaos going on around us. He was over a year old and had conquered walking (and then running about ten seconds later) in record time, but as the sun began to sink, painting the sky a brilliant coral pink, shifters of various species began to peel off their clothes and drop to all fours—and Wick, wanting to join in on the fun, reverted to crawling, letting out the most adorable roar.
“Awww,” Joel gushed. “Look, he’s being a jaguar.”
My heart melted as I watched my mate. He was the very best omega father. It had been the biggest privilege of my life to witness his growth over the past two years. Andbefore I could second-guess the urge, I blurted out, “We could have another one, you know.”
At least one, my jaguar pointed out. He had his heart set on an even dozen kittens, though I wasn’t about to suggest any such number to Joel, and my beast knew better than to push. We both knew our mate would likely panic at the idea of that many kids.
Joel turned to me, his smile turning sly. “I was actually thinking the same thing.”
“Yeah?”
He shrugged, casual as could be, even as dropped this momentous news on me. “Besides, since Kedi found his mate on the last full moon, I figure he’ll be getting knocked up pretty soon. It would be fun to go through pregnancy with my bestie.”
Joel was practically glowing now that the decision had been made. And while he wouldn’t go into heat for another week or two, I also looked forward to practicing. I leaned in and kissed him, slowly deepening it. As tempting as it was to throw him down on the blanket and pin him there, it was neither the time nor the place. I could be patient.
I can’t, my jaguar huffed.
