Chapter Twenty-Two

Alex

I was downstairs at home, finishing up some ordering for Cuffed when my wolf stirred inside me. He was well aware of our mate’s movements upstairs. West had been restless lately, at the very time his body needed him to rest. And I was working at the house as much as possible.

The healer wanted him to take it easy, but my omega had no plans to do so. Lately, he would often get up in the middle of the night to pace the house, claiming he was achy or couldn’t get comfortable.

It was times like these that I wished I could be pregnant in his place. To carry the weight of our child. To endure the changes and fluctuations. Take all the discomfort away from him.

And that part had only just begun.

If I was honest with myself, I didn’t know how I was going to be able to handle seeing him endure the pain of labor.

My mate in excruciating pain? Even if it was going to end with the arrival of our child.

I shut my laptop and went upstairs with some red raspberry leaf tea the healer said would help West bring in his milk supply and have it be plenty once it was time to chest feed. Plus, West loved the taste of it, and it seemed to soothe him a bit.

“I brought hot tea,” I said, walking into our bedroom. How I ever thought this place was home without him was beyond me. We could live in a box, and it would be home because of his presence.

“And you brought me a hot alpha. Yummy.”

West paused near the bed, his hands resting on his lower back. “Are you hurting?” I asked.

“A little. Bit of a backache. Nothing to fret over.”

I chuckled, setting his tea on the night table. “Fretting is my favorite. How can I help?”

“Let’s watch our show.”

“That I can do. Come on, I’ll rub your back while we watch.”

Our show was House of the Dragon . West was obsessed. It was mostly his show, but I would watch just about anything if it meant more time with him.

He sat in front of me, commenting about some dragon while I rubbed his lower back, kneading and stretching his muscles. It must’ve been tough for him to carry this load alone, so I did what I could to lift some of it. He drank all of his tea and lay next to me but before his head rested against my chest, he groaned.

“Ugh, gods, I have to pee.”

“Let me help you.”

I went around to his side of the bed, and he held on to me while standing up.

“Oh…” He gripped my arms tighter.

“What is it?” I asked, looking for something broken.

“I’m so embarrassed. I think… Mate, I think I peed myself.”

A puddle surrounded his feet but had no odor of ammonia. “I don’t think that’s urine, West. Did you feel a big whoosh? Like the healer said?”

His eyes widened. “My water broke.”

“Yes. Your water broke. Stay put. I’m going to grab a towel and then we’ll get you into the shower.” I demanded my voice be steady and solid. He needed me to be.

“Shower. Yes. Then we start the plan.”

I nodded. “That’s right. We have the plan. You’ll shower. I’ll be right on the other side of the door making calls. We have a plan. We are going to be calm and have this baby.”

West smiled. “We’re about to be a family.”

“No,” I said, kissing his lips briefly. “You and I have always been a family. Now we’re adding a little one. You’ve got this.”

“I do. You and me. We’ve got this.”