21. Warwick

Chapter 21

"You're distracted."

I looked over at Atticus. "I think Cecil is in labor, but he's not reached out to me yet," I told him. Everyone in the conference room stopped what they were doing and looked at us.

Atticus blinked at me before giving my shoulder a shove. "If your mate is in labor, why aren't you home with him?"

"Because I said I think he's in labor. He had said he would let me know if the contractions started."

The room was still quiet, aside from what Atticus and I were saying. Alpha Sergei approached us. "Warwick, if you believe your mate might be in labor, you should be with him. I speak from experience; things can go from next to nothing to him pushing in a matter of minutes. Despite Cecil not having reached out to you yet, if you have that feeling, you should go."

"Why didn't you say something?" Master Edison asked. He had his phone in his hand.

"Lev is with him. And I was told I would be on half days until Cecil went into labor. But he wasn't in labor when I came into work this morning."

Alpha Sergei shook his head as he came over to me. He pulled me from my seat and led me out of the conference room. "You should be home with your mate. Even if he's not in labor, at this point, I'd say it's safe to say you should be with him. You should be seeing to his needs, making him as comfortable as possible in any way you can."

"I do that when I'm home. Lev has started coming over in the mornings to be with Cecil. They spend a lot of time baking." I rubbed my stomach, thinking about the triple-layer brownies that Cecil and Lev had made yesterday. I had never had brownies like them before, but I knew I now had a favorite type of brownie. Between the two of us, we'd eaten the entire pan while watching My Big Fat Greek Wedding. It was one of my favorites, and Cecil had surprisingly never seen it. He now knew why I liked it so much.

"You're thinking about your mate."

I looked up at Alpha Sergei. "Yes. I do that a lot. Your mate helped me realize and understand what I'm feeling toward him is love."

"I would not be the man I am today without Chin. He is my rock, and I'm not too proud to admit that. He makes me a better person, and I cannot imagine going through life without him. I can see similarities between you and Cecil that I experienced when Chin and I first met."

We stopped in the main entrance of the council building. "I know I'm not overly approachable here at work, but I make sure I'm completely available to him. I don't want to mess things up like my pack thought I would."

Alpha Sergei shook his head. "They were a bit wrong to say that to Cecil. Some people are just not as open as others. That is all right. There is no requirement that every person is as boisterous as Benjamin and Sebastian. Can you imagine if every enforcer was like them?"

I shook my head. "Must be their family line. Rainier isn't much different."

Alpha Sergei laughed. "That is very true." He patted me on the shoulder. "Check out at the desk, then go home to your mate. You are officially on baby leave." I started to tell him that there was no baby yet, but Alpha Sergei shook his head. "You need to be with Cecil. This close to his due date, things can change in a blink."

"He was due three days ago," I said absently.

Alpha Sergei froze. "What?"

"His due date was moved, and Dr. King said he estimated November sixteenth."

Alpha Sergei sighed and shook his head. "Go home, Warwick. Your mate is overdue. Why did we not realize that?"

I shrugged. "It's an estimate. His omega line isn't even pink, so we're not sure when he'll go into labor. If his omega line had changed, I would not have come into work."

"Then why is it that you said you thought your mate was in labor?"

"My beast. He's anxious about the arrival of our babies, but more so today. I can't really explain it beyond that."

Alpha Sergei patted me on the shoulder again. "You should always trust your beast. If he's saying your babies are arriving soon, I'd listen to him. His intuition is probably better than yours and mine combined. I always listen to my dragon, and he's never once led me wrong."

I'd heard that before, and I'd always trusted my beast. But Cecil hadn't reached out to me. He had said he would, and he and Lev were just going to spend the day baking. Today was going to be bread.

"I thank you for the time off," I told Alpha Sergei. "I'll go spend the rest of the day with my mate."

"You do that. And please let us know when the twins arrive. I know it can be uncomfortable because of how invested everyone is, but Cecil is the first to have hellhound babies. This is something entirely new and has never happened before."

"I will," I said and nodded. I understood that. It was just as big of an event as Master Ambrosius giving birth to the first female dragon. It was a moment in history, and Cecil would be doing the exact same thing. Just as Chin was the only golden dragon, aside from their offspring. I knew they had at least one child who also had his omega father's gold-colored scales but was unsure if there were others.

I left Alpha Sergei at the entrance of the hallway we'd come from and crossed the large entryway. "Hey, Slater," I said as I stopped at the desk.

"Warwick. You seem like you're in a good mood."

I shrugged. "Just checking out. I'm going on leave."

"Yeah? Got vacation planned again or something?"

I shook my head. There was nothing about dealing with newborn twins that would ever be considered vacation. "No. Cecil is due to give birth. Alpha Sergei just put me on leave until after the babies are born."

Slater's face was comical. "How did I not know your mate was pregnant? I had heard that you had found your mate, but nobody mentioned who it was. I just assumed you had an alpha mate like the others."

"Nope. The fates thought Alpha Vitomir's great-grandson was perfect for me."

Slater's eyes widened more. "That Cecil is your mate?"

I chuckled and took my badge back. "Have a good afternoon," I told him. I left the council building to dark, heavy clouds in the sky. The air was humid, telling me that those clouds were going to dump snow on us soon. It wouldn't matter to anyone on the mountain. We could all get home without issue. Even those that didn't have magical powers, they were shifters and could shift and run home. But there were enough magic wielders that could get everyone home safely.

I happened to be one of those, and with a thought, I was standing in front of my house. Cecil had put a mat in front of the door and hung a wreath on it. It didn't look bad, but it wasn't something I would have ever thought about doing.

I opened the door and instantly smelled the wonderous scent of fresh-baked bread. "Cecil?" I called out, letting him know I was home. I heard a squeak, and moments later, my mate came toward me with his arms held out. I smiled, opened my arms for him, and closed them around his shoulders.

"You're home early. I didn't expect you until lunchtime."

"Alpha Sergei put me on leave until after the babies are born. We were just going over plans going forward with the Venice assignment. They also discussed having to drop in and check things out in a pack in Colorado. Other than that, I had a rather boring morning." Cecil stepped back. "How was your morning?"

"Good. We made bread. It's cooling."

"Is Lev still here?"

"I am," Lev said as he came around the corner.

"How's he doing?" I asked. "I'd ask him, but he doesn't necessarily tell me when he feels pains or anything of that sort."

Lev chuckled. "He's doing well. I did check his omega line about an hour ago. It's pink now but still very light."

My mate shrugged. "It's pink, Warwick. Not red. Not open. Pink. And barely pink."

He was right. I knew this. "Any contractions?"

"No. Nothing. The babies are moving a little, but they're out of room, I think." Cecil rubbed his stomach. It was stretched farther than I thought was possible, but he'd had a fairly easy pregnancy from what I'd heard.

"That's all good news, then," I said. "Did you wish to stay for a while longer?" I asked Lev.

"I'll go since you're home with him."

"You don't have to leave. You are more than welcome to stay," I said, trying to reassure Lev.

"I know, but the two of you have so little time left where it's just the two of you. I'm going to go."

I nodded. "Let me take you. It's about to snow, and from the looks of the clouds, I'd say it's not going to be light."

Lev shook his head. He grabbed his coat and was pulling it on as he opened the door. When he did, we were all met with a wall of white.

"Umm…" Cecil said.

Lev turned back around and gave me a stressed-looking smile.

I chuckled. "Where to? Your house or the council?"

"Home. Vitomir will be happier with me there despite him being at the council."

I nodded. Lev pulled Cecil in for a hug. "Be sure to call me and let me know when the babies are born."

"I will. We've been over this. I want you here when they're born. I'll send Warwick to get you."

Lev kissed Cecil on the side of his head. "You don't have to do that, but I'm happy to be here to help you in any way possible." He hugged Cecil again before he looked up at me. "I'm ready."

"Be right back," I told Cecil.

My mate grinned. I touched Lev's shoulder, and seconds later, we were standing in front of his house. I helped Lev get the few steps to his door, and when he opened it, in we went. Lev pushed the door shut behind us, which was a bit of a surprise. I figured I'd leave immediately.

"Is something wrong?"

"No. He's fine. Tired, but that's to be expected. His parents were sentenced this morning. I don't know if you knew or not. That's why Vitomir is at the council."

I shook my head. "No, I'd not heard." I waited a moment. "And?"

"They're doing twenty years at the detainment facility." Lev sighed. "I love my children, grandchildren, and all of the greats that have come after. We've lost some, and it was heartbreaking. But having one purposely hurt their own child is a different kind of pain."

"I'm sorry." I didn't know what else to say.

"It's nothing you did. But I appreciate the sentiment. Take care of Cecil."

"I will. We have a movie marathon planned, and that's about it."

"That sounds like something he would love. And lo mein. He was craving it earlier."

I chuckled. "Then lo mein it is." I'd had more Chinese food in the short time I'd been mated to Cecil than I'd had in the previous decade. It truly was my mate's favorite, and he could and would eat it several times a week. I had no issues with that. There was a large variety of foods to be had, and I was happy to sample them all. "Anything else?"

"No. He's in a good mood. But he does seem to be slowing down a bit. He tires easily."

"I've noticed that over the last couple of days. But I would think having a pregnancy belly to carry around in your midsection would do that."

"Yes. Take care of him."

"I will. We'll call if anything changes."

Lev gave me a hug, something I was still getting used to. Before Cecil, I'd never had affection. Granted, Lev limited it to hugs, but that still was more than I'd ever had.

I went back home and spent the afternoon, evening, and night listening to the wind howl. I hadn't realized the storm was supposed to be this significant, but by the time we were ready to turn in for the night, there were easily eight or ten more inches on the ground.

Cecil was brushing his teeth when I heard him make an odd sound. I'd been turning the blankets back and went to check on my mate. I found him biting his toothbrush and holding his stomach with one hand and the counter with the other.

"What's wrong?" I asked. I came farther into the bathroom to help. That was when I noticed the very large puddle on the ground under my mate. "Oh."

Cecil looked at me with wide eyes. He pulled his toothbrush out and dropped it in the sink before spitting out the toothpaste. "You just checked my omega line during our shower."

I had. It was still pink not fifteen minutes ago. The fact that his waters had broken was a big surprise. "Have you felt any sort of pain? Contractions? Burning? Anything?"

Cecil reached for a cup to rinse his mouth. He spit out the water and then shook his head. "I still feel nothing. There's no pain, Warwick. Why did my waters break?"

I bent down in front of my mate to look at his omega line. He was wearing a pair of lightweight sleep pants that were now soaked, and add in the amount of fluid on the floor, it was obvious he had a lot of amnionic fluid. I carefully pulled down his pants, helping him out of them and cleaning up not only him but the mess on the floor with magic. I expected to see a fully open omega line, but still nothing.

"It's still closed," I said.

"What?" Cecil tried to look down, but when he did, that only moved his stomach down in front of his omega line.

I gently pushed it back up. "It's still completely closed, Cecil. It's still pink and not open even a little."

"I know I didn't pee myself, Warwick. That fluid came out the backside. Not my dick."

I chuckled. "Well, according to the book, the waters can come out of that side as well as the open omega line." I stood. "Let's get you settled in bed, and I'll give Dr. King a call."

I helped Cecil into the bedroom, and after getting him comfortable on the bed, I covered him with the sheet. I didn't think he would want the blanket, and if he was going to be in labor, well, shorts or new sleep pants weren't going to be necessary.

I picked up the phone, and after glancing at the time, I winced.

"What's wrong?"

"It's almost midnight."

Cecil snorted. "Dr. King is used to getting calls all hours of the day and night. He'll camp out in our living room when it's all said and done. He'll get sleep."

"Yes, but that means it's almost two in the morning in Amherst."

"Yeah, well, if Constantine wants to be here for this birth, he's getting woken up at two in the morning. Such is the life of a doctor." His voice sounded strained.

"Are you feeling all right?"

Cecil sighed. "Honestly, I feel a lot of pressure. But that's it. Just like I really have to go to the bathroom."

I nodded. I needed to get Dr. King here as soon as possible. I touched his name on the contact list and brought my phone to my ear. It took several rings before he finally answered. He sounded out of breath, and I really hoped I'd not interrupted anything.

"Warwick. Is it Cecil?"

"Yes. His waters broke, but his omega line isn't open. Not even a little. And he's feeling pressure."

Dr. King said something that I couldn't quite make out before he was back on the line. "I'll call Costas. We'll be there in just a few moments. Is it all right to enter the house?"

"Of course. Thank you for coming. I'm not sure when he'll deliver. He's not experiencing any contractions."

"He won't at this point. That pressure is the babies ready to be delivered. His omega line didn't open. It happens. It's rare though, but we'll have to open it for him."

I looked at Cecil. He didn't appear to be in any pain. Maybe a little uncomfortable, but that was it.

"Are you still there, Warwick?"

"Yes, sorry. I was looking at Cecil. He's grinning at me, so I don't think there is any urgency. But I'm probably wrong."

Dr. King chuckled. "I'll see you in a few. Hang tight."

The call ended, and I was about to call Lev and Alpha Vitomir when there was noise in the doorway. My beast was immediately on edge. When I turned toward the doorway, the absolute last person I expected to see was the goddess standing there.

"Goddess," I said, lowering my head.

"Goddess? What!" Cecil grunted as he tried to sit up and look around me.

She laughed. "Hello, Cecil. I hope your pregnancy was a good one. No issues?" The goddess looked at me. "You seem more at peace, Warwick. I had hoped that your mate would do that for you. Your beast is less restless."

"Yes, Goddess." I had never spoken to her before. I had, of course, seen her before, but she had never come over and talked to me, nor had I ever dared to approach her before.

"That is good to hear. It is what I wish for all of you. To find happiness and peace." The goddess looked at Cecil. "I owe you an apology. There are many that I have failed. I did not protect you from your parents. That is unfair and should never have happened. I hope that one day you too will find peace with regards to that."

"I'm indifferent about my parents at this point. My mother is never going to be happy. Nothing anyone does will ever be good enough. That's just how she is. I'm not sure if she was always like that or if she changed after meeting Father. I really don't care." Cecil sighed. "But what I do care about is this six-week gestation. No. That's just not a good thing. That's not enough time for anything. You need to change that."

"Cecil." We all turned at the sound of Alpha Vitomir's voice.

"What, Grandfather? It's true. I've barely been mated. And having twins just six weeks later. That's overwhelming. Who does that?"

"Goddess, I apologize on behalf of my grandson."

The goddess laughed again. "There is no need. He is allowed to speak his mind. It is refreshing, to be honest." She looked over at Cecil. "And what would you suggest?"

"Why is it different? Bears have a five-month gestation. Make it the same. Is there a need to have it rapid?"

"The gift was so you wouldn't have to deal with months of pregnancy issues. Was it really such an inconvenience? I only meant to make it easier. I often forget that my sense of time is different than yours."

"I would never tell you how to do things, Goddess. But even foxes have two and a half months. That's four more weeks. But Warwick and I barely got to know each other, and now we're having babies. It's just really a short amount of time to wrap your head around it mentally." Cecil shook his head, then looked around the room. "Dr. King, is it time for the babies to be born? There's a lot of pressure."

"It is, yes," Dr. King said as he came into the room. Dr. Rothwell was with him. I was never so happy to see the doctors. "Are you ready?" Dr. King asked.

"Yes," Cecil said. I could only stand there and try to offer as much support as possible. I didn't know what I'd be able to do, but whatever the doctors said, I was going to do. Now was all about Cecil and the twins.