Chapter Sixteen

Kurt

This time, the pains did not stop.

Christmas Eve morning dawned bright and clear, and once again, soft moans emerged from my omega’s lips. “Alpha, I think this is it.” He rolled into a ball around his belly and panted. “I hope I’m not ruining your Christmas.”

“How could your getting ready to bring our baby into the world ruin Christmas? I seem to remember another baby being born on the same day—or at least that’s the day it’s celebrated. I think our child has chosen to share this special day.”

“Unless they resent having a Christmas birthday,” he said, panting. “Maybe I can hold out.”

“Omega, it’s Christmas Eve in the morning. If you try to ‘hold out’ until after Christmas, that would mean two days of pain for you, even if it’s possible for you to do that. Our baby is ready, and it’s entirely their call. Now, what can I do to make you feel better?”

“I don’t even know.” He straightened and sat up. “I think I’d like to take a shower.”

Darting into the bathroom, I got the water running and laid out fresh towels before guiding him in. “May I join you?”

“I think I might need the support.” He stepped to the side of the stall and made room for me. Grabbing a sponge, I squirted bath gel into it and squeezed it into lather before smoothing it over his skin. A private conversation with Zeus had armed me with what to do when Wade went into labor, if we chose to stay. If we’d gone home, he would have been there, but for all the reasons we’d decided to remain here. If there was any real trouble, Theo had the number of a healer we could call.

So there was that.

But for the moment, my job was to keep him relaxed and comfortable, something I felt competent to do. Washing him slowly, I cleansed every inch of his body and then rubbed shampoo into his hair. His eyes were half closed, a moan on his lips, a situation that changed fast when the next pain hit.

Supporting him with one arm, I rinsed his hair and helped him out of the shower and into a warm, soft towel. When the pain abated, I guided him into the bedroom and under the covers. “You good?”

“Can I have some water?”

And so we went on for hours while the short winter day gradually reached its end outside and he was still laboring. The pains were a few minutes apart, though, and that was encouraging. He alternated lying in bed and walking back and forth with my arm around him.

Then, just as darkness closed in around our little cabin, something changed and Wade stopped in mid stride. “I need to lie down.” He tugged free and stumbled to the bed. “I think…I think the baby is coming.”

“Let me look.” I eased him down and looked to see the head crowning. “There they are. The baby is right there.” I was so excited and so scared I’d do something wrong. But I couldn’t. It was just him and me, and my job was to bring them safely through.

Although why I’d thought I could do that?

I tried to keep in mind everything Zeus told me, taking my position, ready to catch the baby. “Time to push, omega,” I said, filling my voice with every bit of confidence I could manage. “Our baby is ready to be born.”

He nodded, drawing his knees up and bearing down with a long groan.

“Good job, now, when the next pain hits, push as hard as you can.”

It was a few minutes, and since it had been less, that worried me too, but when it hit, he grasped the bedding on either side of him and gave the mightiest shove. The baby’s head, dark hair wet and shiny, emerged from his body, followed by their shoulders. And then she was there. All the way out into the world.

“We have a daughter,” I said, reaching for one of the towels Zeus had instructed me to have handy. “And she’s beautiful. What are you going to call her?”

“Juniper.”

“That’s a beautiful name.”

Wade held out grabby hands, and I laid her on his chest for a moment while I cleaned him up before turning my attention to doing the same for our little girl. By the time I had her washed and diapered and swaddled, her papa was asleep, but I tucked her into his arms, finished getting everything sorted, then took her with me into the other room to call Zeus and make sure I’d done things correctly.

“Let me see the baby,” he said.

“Hello to you, too.” I shook my head but held the baby up to the camera. “Here she is. Miss Juniper, meet the pack healer who will make sure you grow up healthy.”

“She’s beautiful, alpha. Congratulations to you and your omega.”

He had me unwrap her so he could look her over but pronounced her a perfect little wolf. Then we went over the aftercare for her papa and he told me I was doing everything right then hung up.

I returned to the bedroom and crawled in beside my omega, breathing in his scent. His scent…which was now different. If I’d had the slightest doubt he was my fated, the scent that filled my senses showed me different. Fate had indeed sent this one omega to me. And me to him. This Christmas, I’d received the greatest gift of all. My mated mate and daughter…and our family.