20. Epilogue

Epilogue

Aydan

"Okay, so you understand what to do and how to prioritize the to-do list each morning?" I held my pen, going over my notes with my Betas. Did everything have to be done the way I did it? Of course not. These guys had other jobs. They didn't have the time for that. I still laid it out there for them in detail, though. It made me feel like I was doing all I needed to now, allowing me to not need to worry about it later.

At least that was the plan. I had no idea if it would work or not. We'd find out soon enough. It was almost go time.

In addition to Zane and Patrick, I now had Olen joining the ranks. The den had grown considerably in the past few months, and we needed more Betas—more of everything, really. We currently had three houses in the middle of being built, as well as one multi-unit complex.

I wasn't just letting everyone in who requested. Being a gatekeeper wasn't my goal, but it was important to pick people who would fit in here. More than one person went through the process and realized we didn't have what they needed. It wasn't simply a matter of what we wanted.

"Yes, Alpha, we all understand how to prioritize and get things done. This isn't our first rodeo." Zane meant his words, but there was no disguising his amusement at my nerves.

I grimaced. "I know, but I just want to make sure you have everything you need and that you won't need to reach out to me. Not that I won't be available, of course. I'll be available. I'm not officially stepping down or anything like that—"

Patrick let out a growl and clamped a hand over his mouth. "Apologies, Alpha. It's just… we've been talking for two hours, and we know what we're doing, right?"

He was right. I was overdoing it. And not by a little, either. I was overdoing it by a lot. I needed to pull back and let things fall where they may. These alphas were just as invested in this pack as I was. They'd do fine. Better than.

"You're just worried about Jayce and the baby. I get that—but we can do this." Zane grabbed my shoulder. "Once you leave this office, try not to think about it again. Family comes first… always. How many times did you tell me that when my son was born."

Stupid best friend going around being right… again.

The plan was for me to take at least two weeks off, where I could focus on just Jayce and our child. It was important bonding time with our baby and the time when Jayce could use the most help. Unlike with humans, he'd heal quickly. But there was so much more to it than that. He was learning about his new role as dad and what our baby needed. We both were.

After those two weeks, I'd start taking back some of my Alpha responsibilities little by little. I wasn't going to be there for Jayce every step of the day and then stop just like that. It wouldn't be good for either of us.

After a month or so, I'd return to work full-time. At least that was the plan as of now. It could and probably would change. Of course, there would be a redistributing of tasks, given that I'd have a child now. I wasn't going to pawn off all the work, but late-night tasks might get picked up by a Beta and things like that. We hadn't gotten that far and partly because I wanted them to see all what I did so when we sat down to have that conversation, we'd be able to have an informed conversation and not just me telling them what I thought.

Best of all, I had an additional Beta to delegate to. But still, I didn't want the den to feel like I'd abandoned them simply because I had a child. And I didn't want my child to think I was putting the den first. It was all so complicated, and I had a feeling that wasn't going to change any time soon.

"Dude, bears have done this since the beginning of time. You're not the first alpha to have a child. Stop worrying, all right?" Zane wasn't trying to be pushy, and I tried not to take it as such.

My mate had said almost those exact words to me just yesterday when I had gone over the plan with him for the hundredth time. That didn't stop me from going over it again. It was my way.

"How is Jayce doing, by the way?" Patrick asked.

"Fine. Last week, he had to be put on bed rest, so now he's in the bedroom, lying down." It sucked. Not only because it added a new layer of worry, even though Rissa insisted there was no reason to have any, but because my mate was not a fan.

"I'm not fine!" Jayce shouted from across the hall. Why did he have to have superpowered hearing. I hadn't even known that was a thing, but my mate could hear a conversation three miles away now, so it must be.

Three miles, three rooms… same thing.

I grimaced. "It's been a struggle." Jayce still didn't enjoy being on bed rest. I didn't blame him, and he was a champ, enduring it for the benefit of our child. He tried very hard not to get too restless, but it had been a week. Rissa had agreed that today would be the day we induced his labor. His blood pressure was not where they wanted it to be. Hence, the reason I needed my Betas completely brought up to speed. After this meeting, I wasn't going to be available unless something was on fire.

"Aydan, I need you—" Something in his words set my bear on edge.

"All right, meeting's over. Zane, please send Rissa over." I was halfway out the door when I finished speaking.

"On it. I'll send Corey too. I know he wanted to be here with his bestie."

"Right. Of course." Corey had been studying with Rissa to assist with childbirth. There weren't many omegas in the pack, so we didn't need a full-time person helping Rissa, but an additional hand during labor would be helpful, especially since he was so close with Jayce.

"All right. Duties are officially yours. I am on leave."

Just like that, the worry of how the den would fare without me washed away. I trusted these three—they were my Betas for a reason. My den was a good one. They would do just fine.

As I reached Jayce's bed, his nose was wrinkled up, and he was breathing shallowly.

"Tell me what's wrong. What's wrong?" I felt so helpless.

He didn't answer. Instead, he held up a finger for me to wait. It sucked waiting and not knowing. I was grateful that only a few seconds later, he began to speak.

"It's not that I'm in labor, I don't think, but there's this weird pull on my side and it hurts. It's nothing like the Braxton Hicks... I think we need—"

Before he could finish, Rissa was already standing in the doorway with Corey.

"That was fast. I just sent for you," I said, thrilled beyond belief that they were here. I had no idea what I was doing or how to help my mate. I needed them.

Rissa shook their head. "Yeah, we saw him on the way in."

"So you were already on your way here?" Sometimes I would swear that Rissa's abilities were more than just healing.

"Yeah, we were. It's a good thing Zane was just leaving too." Corey was speaking to me, but his eyes were on his friend. "We passed the baby off to my mate on our way in. We're ready to do this thing."

They might have been ready. I was not ready, especially when Rissa finished their exam and announced that the pull was not labor pain and that they were going to have to do a C-section. Now.

That was not normal with shifters. Sure, it happened, but nowhere near the rate it did with humans. I tried to think back—had anyone I known had one? I couldn't remember, but I didn't think so.

I wasn't even sure what it entailed. I knew it involved surgery, but… crap, we didn't have a surgery ward or anything like that. We didn't even have a hospital. Rissa had a medical bed, so maybe that was enough. It would have to be. There was no way I was allowing my mate near a human hospital. His temperature was too high, and they'd be sure something was seriously wrong with him on top of whatever was. And it wasn't exactly like I could tell them not to worry about it and bears were just like that.

"Rissa, I'm going to need you to talk us through this, because right now, my mate is squeezing my hand so hard it's probably going to break, and my stress is about as high as it can get."

They sat on the edge of the bed, and in a weird way, that helped.

"Okay, this is going to sound scarier than it is." Which I found impossible because it was terrifying. "We're going to have to do a C-section. But no, it's not like anything you heard in any of your dad-to-be groups."

I wasn't sure what those dad groups said, but I'd already hated them for the way they had my mate on edge about the weirdest things.

And before I could ask, Corey jumped in.

"No wonder you've been so freaked out when Rissa put you on bed rest. Those groups are toxic. They probably had you thinking that your cub had ten noses or some unusual disorder. Stay away from them. All they do is spread fear."

It was a little late for that warning, but I was too busy trying to figure out this whole surgery thing, trying to wrap my head around what was happening. I wasn't even focused on that, my bear begging me to take my mate's pain and worry, as if I wouldn't have already done that if I possessed the power to do so.

"Okay, so here's how it's going to go." They went through the plan in detail, beginning with a group of different tinctures my mate had to down, all in a row, followed by my mate falling into a deep sleep and Corey assisting as they got the baby out.

That was when it was my turn. I had to force my mate to shift. There were no stitches to be had, no IVs, none of that. There wasn't time, nor the facility to make that happen. Rissa said we didn't even have time to get to their office. It was up to me to use my power as his alpha and as Alpha of the pack—to force him to shift right there in the bed in order to help him heal up. I'd never been so scared in my entire life as I was then.

My mate drank down vial after vial and fell into what Rissa had called "sleep." It wasn't sleep. It was so very different. Had I not seen his chest move, I'd have thought my mate was dead. It was terrifying to see his still face, and I couldn't stop looking at him, my eyes welling with tears.

It was just as well, because as I was doing that, Rissa and Corey got the baby out. It couldn't have been even a minute later when her cries filled the room, and Rissa demanded, "Now! Now! Now!"

It took me a second to process everything that was happening between my mate, lying there like he was dead, the scent of blood filling the room, and the sound of my newborn child's cry. Once I did, I sprang into action.

I reached out for my beast, letting my bear fill me until it was the two of us together standing there, fur sprouting on my face but my hands still my own.

"Shift," I commanded, my voice barely human. "Shift!"

I wanted to cry. I wanted to beg, but that wasn't how this was going to work. I needed to force the shift using power I tried never to tap into, and on the third command, the floor beneath me shook.

My bear's roar filled the area, and next thing I knew, I wasn't looking down at my mate anymore—not in his skin, anyway. It was his bear, and his bear was breathing normally, his eyes open.

"Rissa, tell me what to do!"

"Have him shift back now."

This time, I barely said the word "shift" before he did. His arms instantly reached for our child as if nothing had happened, tears in his eyes as he said, "She's beautiful."

And she was. We named her Tia, and she somehow made my heart even fuller than it already was.

"I'm going to come back in a few minutes. There is a whole lot to clean up here." Corey kissed my mate's cheek. "Next time maybe let's not do it this way." His voice cracked. He'd been as scared as I was.

"Will do." He closed his eyes for a few seconds.

Corey and Rissa stepped out, giving my mate and I time to bond with our baby as she drank her first meal.

"I agree. Next time, let's not do it this way." I sat on the bed beside him.

"Next time? You want more than one cub?"

I nodded.

"Sounds like a plan, but no promises on the delivery. I don't have a history of doing things by the book."

I rested my head on his shoulder. "I'm aware, omega mine. And I love that about you, but maybe in this one thing you could be."

"I'll see what I can do, my love. I'll see what I can do."