“It is perfect, mate. You are perfect.” I rubbed circles in my belly. “All of this is perfect. It’s just a waiting game now.” I put my book down, marking the page with my bear bookmark Greg bought for me. It was handcrafted by a shifter in town. We’d encouraged him to open up a shop, but he was content to sell things online only. “I think I’m going to sit in the swing. I need some sunshine.”
Greg helped me get up but as soon as I did, pressure built in my abdomen, followed by a great whoosh of fluid.
My grip on my mate tightened. His eyes widened.
This was it.
“Your water broke,” he said.
“So it did.” We didn’t move. Didn’t budge. Hardly even breathed. “We have a plan. Let’s call Quinn and get to the birthing center. We’ve got this.”
Greg laughed. “Baby, you’ve got this. I’m just a bystander to you and your power. But I’ll be there all the way.”
“Let’s go have this baby, then.”
While I went to shower, Greg stayed with me and called Quinn. He sprinted to get the bag and helped me to get dressed. All the while, my contractions were not only getting closer together, but they were more intense and by the time we got into the car, I was letting out sounds of pain.
I didn’t even register the drive over to the birthing center. One moment, we were in the car and the next, we were walking into the birthing center, Greg on one side and Quinn on the other. They got me settled in a room with bright walls and open windows that overlooked a forest.
“Don’t worry. No one can see in but you can see out.” Quinn moved slowly and calmly around the room. His mate came in to help.
Greg stood beside me when my body clenched. My back tightened in anguish and I knew what I had to do.
“I need to push,” I said. “It’s time.”
I knew that Quinn and Greg and even Quinn’s mate helped me to the floor where I wanted to be. Lying down felt so unnatural.
I squatted and another grip of pain clasped my middle.
“Do what you feel,” Quinn said. “Your animal knows what to do.”
I pushed twice. Only twice and everyone rallied around me. Quinn got behind me, and in some haze of pain and burning, the baby was brought into this world. I heard their cries soon after, and Greg picked me up and put me back onto the bed.
“You did it, mate. Our cub is here.”
Quinn cleaned up our baby while his mate helped me with the afterbirth.
When our baby was put on my chest, I wept. We’d waited so long.
“Congratulations, you two. It’s a boy. Healthy. All the toes and fingers. He’s doing well and everything is fine.”
I looked down at our creation. He was perfect.
“What’s his name, omega?” Greg asked me.
“I think Ethan. We liked Ethan, didn’t we?”
Greg nodded and kissed our baby’s forehead and then mine. “We did. Ethan, welcome to our family. You are so loved.”
Epilogue
Greg
“Got any rooms available?”
I looked up from the desk to see Chelsea standing in front of me, looking particularly fierce.
“For today?” I’d been working on the books, and the question caught me off guard.
