Some part of me thought that my mates were putting far too much stock in what sounded like ahunch, but I kept thosethoughts to myself. I did trust my alpha’s instincts, usually, and if he was comfortable not being here until tomorrow, I would be comfortable going on a pack run for the night. After all, I rarely ever turned down an opportunity to shift and to fly. After a century without the abilities, I still relished every chance I got.
“All right,” I agreed, “but I will remain close, and you must promise to reach out through the bond if you feel even slightly unwell.”
“You’re such a worrywart,” Sage complained out loud, but I felt his affection through the bond.
“About you? Always.”
“Still a mindfuck,” Damon muttered under his breath, turning his head away and hiding behind a curtain of long, dark hair to give us some semblance of privacy as I bent myself in half to press my lips to Sage’s.
“So bendy,” Sage murmured when we parted.
“I seem to recall you and our alpha enjoy how flexible I can be.”
A collective groan went up around us, much to my amusement.
“Is it too late to kick him out of the pack?” Eric joked.
Sage’s lips lifted in a goofy smile. “Oh, it’s way too late for that. We’re keeping him.”
My omega trilled inside me, reveling in the sense of family. Of pack.
It had only been a handful of months earlier that I had felt so out of place, but now I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.
“You can fuck all the way off,” Sage seethed and doubled over his belly, another contraction taking hold of him. They’d been going strong for hours by that stage, increasing in intensity once my omega mate’s birth canal had formed —amid a lot of screaming and swearing— and his water had broken. “Fuck all the way off and —oh my God— never fucking touch me again.”
I was not going to tell him that he sounded like a cliché.
“You only mean Serge, don’t you, darling?” I cooed, carding my fingers through his sweaty red locks. “Hedid this to you, not me.”
On Sage’s other side, Sergio shot me an exasperated glare. I winked back at him.
“No—owww!” Sage cried out, then glowered at me. “We all agreed that you played an integral part in this so you…ah! Mother of fuck!You don’t get to touch me, either.”
“This all seems like it would have been a smarter choice maybe nine-and-a-half months ago,” Eric offered cheerfully from his position at the foot of the bed, between Sage’s parted legs. “You’re fully effaced and completely dilated, by the way. You can start pushing on the next contraction.”
Sage’s eyes widened comically. “I’m not ready for that.”
Brandt, assisting Eric, snorted. “You will be.”
“Aren’t you two supposed to benicerthrough all this?” Sage hissed at his brothers. “This is supposed to be—oh God,Ihave to push.”
“Told you,” Brandt sounded smug. “Just follow your instincts, Sage. Andbreathe.”
I felt somewhat useless as my mate bent forward again, grunting and growling his way through this next contraction. He panted heavily, flopping back against me and Sergio once it had passed. This process repeated for a little while. I lost track of time, too concerned with my mate’s pain and my inability to help.
“Fuck you all,” Sage whined, “this istorture.”
“You’re doing so well, beautiful,” Sergio praised, rubbing his back. “We’re so proud of you.”
Sage shook his head. “No-no-no-no-no,” he babbled, grimacing and bending forward again, “Fuckit hurts!”
“Yeah, I can see baby’s head,” Eric confirmed. “He’ll be crowning soon, and that’s going to burn, okay?”
“No! Not okay!” Sage bore down through another contraction, then fought to catch his breath. “None of this is okay!”
“I know, darling,” I attempted to soothe him, “but just think; once it is over, our baby will be here.”
“I’mnaming him,” he snapped.
