My body moved before my brain caught up. On my feet, across the room, hospital bag in my hand. Packed two weeks ago, repacked three times since because Andrea kept adding things, removing things, adding them back.
Phone. I called St. Clair’s first, the private wing on the fourth floor that the pack used. Separate entrance, separate staff, shifter doctors who understood wolf biology and wouldn’t panic if a laboring woman’s partner’s eyes went gold. I told them we were coming, got transferred once before Dr. Okafor’s night nurse picked up and confirmed a room was ready. Then Luca. “Alex is coming. I need you at the hospital.” He didn’t ask questions, just said he was on his way. Then Mary, who screamed so loud I had to hold the phone away from my ear. Then her grandmother.
“He’s coming?” Her voice was sharp, awake instantly. Seventy-three years old and the woman slept like a soldier.
“We’re heading to the hospital now.”
“I need to be there. When’s the next flight?”
“I’ll take care of it. Luca will book you on the first one out.”
“First class?”
“Whatever gets you here fastest.”
“I like you, Finneas. Don’t let my granddaughter down.”
She hung up before I could respond. I texted Luca:Book Andrea’s grandmother on the first flight from Whitebrook. First class. Send a car to her house.He replied in ten seconds:Done.
My voice had been calm on every call. Professional. Inside I was shitting myself. My son was coming. Holy shit, my son was actually coming right now. In a few hours I was going to hold my kid for the first time and I had no goddamn idea what I was doing. I built the bassinet backward. I got bitten by a cat. I couldn’t read a label that said “this side out.” How the hell was I supposed to raise a child?
Andrea screamed from the bed. Not frustration. Pain. Real, raw, guttural pain that went through me like a knife.
“Can you walk?”
“Does it look like I can walk?” she snapped, and honestly, fair point.
“I can carry you.”
“If you carry me to the car like a damsel I swear to God...”
“I’m carrying you.”
“I hate you. I hate you so much. This is your fault. Your sperm did this.”
“I’m aware.”
“Your sperm and your stupid wolf genetics and your ridiculous...” Another contraction. She doubled over on the bed, both hands on her belly, and the sound that came out of her wasn’t words. It was a moan that turned into a scream that turned into heavy panting. When it passed her eyes were wet. “Oh God, Finneas, it hurts. It really fucking hurts.”
“I know. I’m getting you to the hospital.”
“It feels like he’s trying to claw his way out.”
“He might be. He’s half wolf.”
“That’s not funny.”
“It’s a little funny.”
“Pick me up before I kill you.”
I picked her up. She grabbed onto my neck and pressed her face against my shoulder. Halfway down the stairs the next contraction hit and she screamed into my neck, her whole body clenching, her nails breaking skin on my shoulder. I didn’t slow down. She was in pain and I couldn’t fix it and the only thing Icould do was get her to a hospital as fast as my legs would carry her.
Buddy barked from the animal wing, upset about being left behind again.
“If that dog wakes up the whole neighborhood I’m blaming you,” Andrea muttered into my shoulder.
“We don’t have neighbors. We have a forest.”
