Titus (Aiden's Mountains Shifters Book 3)

Chapter 24

Runa suckedin a sharp breath through her nose and stood. “Little cub, I need your help. In my cabin, by the door, is a bag. I need it. It”s important. Go get it.” She pulled a rock out of her pocket, handing it to him when he approached. “This will get you past the wards. Don’t drop it. Come straight back here.” She pushed him out the door and turned back to Ethan. “Where is she?”

“Blackridge. We called the doc when the pains started, and Aiden sent the jet, but there’s a storm on the coast. He can’t move.”

Runa waved that away. “I don’t care about that. Go back to Blackridge. Prepare hot water, towels, and clear the room. And keep your wolf away from her. He’s not going to like hearing her pain.”

He grimaced and nodded once, shifting into a massive black wolf as he tore out the door again.

Runa looked over her shoulder at me. “Do you have a car?”

I shook my head quickly. “I don’t know how to drive.”

She pursed her lips with a frown. “Neither do I. Electronics don’t like me. My magic interferes.” She drew in a deep breath again. “I guess we’re running.” She shook her head, muttering under her breath about how they should’ve sent a car.

Leo came back, his body hunched over the heavy bag on his back. Runa took it from him and nudged him towards the door.

“We need to move. The fastest way to Blackridge is through the forest. What’s faster? Your cub or your legs?”

“I’m faster as a human,” Leo said. “But why are we going?”

“Because she needs her crew. And stubbornness doesn’t make you less part of that. Let’s go.”

She gave us no room to argue. She also was a lot faster than she looked. Once she started running, it took everything to keep up. Leo was fast, faster than me, but even he struggled to keep up with her. He tripped at one point, but I caught him and we held hands the rest of the way, following the path with Runa several paces ahead of us. I thought maybe we were going to lose her, and I’d never gone all the way to Blackridge outside of driving before, but we just managed to keep her in our sights.

When we burst through the trees, Runa didn’t give me a chance to get nervous. She paused long enough to wait for me and grabbed my wrist, pulling me with her through the crowded trailer park and into Malcolm’s trailer. She only released me once we were inside, pointing a finger at Leo.

“Go outside. This is no place for cubs. Talia, follow me.”

“Oh, but–”

She was gone before I could argue. Leo and I looked at each other, confused. After yesterday, I didn”t want to be away from him, but I got the feeling Runa would be angry if I ignored her. I grimaced.

“Are you okay waiting outside?”

He frowned. “What’s so wrong with me being in here?”

Carmen’s pain filled scream was his answer, and he jumped, wide eyed.

Kneeling in front of him, I took his hands in mine. “Having cubs hurts. But it”s normal, I promise. And once the baby is out, it won’t hurt anymore.” I tipped my head toward the door. “Javi is probably scared. His mom is in pain and his dad is in there with her. You’re a brave lion. Can you help him? I’ll be right in here. I won’t go anywhere without you.”

He looked torn, but when Carmen cried out again, he winced. “Okay. I’ll find Javi.”

I kissed his forehead, nudging him towards the door. After he went outside, I edged toward the bedroom where Runa was helping Carmen. She looked flushed, her dark curly hair stuck to her temples with sweat. Runa stood next to her, holding her hand, their palms glowing.

“Why can’t you take away her pain?” Malcolm demanded.

Runa glared at him. “Because then she won’t be able to listen to her body. I can ease it a little, to take the edge off, but I won’t take it away completely. This is natural. Stop whining.”

I grimaced. Runa didn’t have a good bedside manner, and Malcolm looked pissed. I gave birth without medication. I wasn’t allowed to have any. I pushed past the fear of speaking back to a male, coming to join them.

“She’s right. The contractions tell you when to push and for how long. If she can’t feel them, she won’t know when her body is ready. It hurts, but she was built for this. She can bear it.”

He still looked worried, and he was growling, his dominance heavy enough to make me want to curl in on myself. When I whimpered, Runa threw a towel at him.

“Knock it off. This stuff is why they wouldn’t let men in the birthing room in the past. You’re too emotional. Focus on your mate.”

Before he could snarl at Runa, Carmen grabbed Malcolm’s arm and pulled him closer, pressing their foreheads together. “Tranquilo, mi amor. Talia is right. I can bear it.” Her gaze shifted to me. “Right?”

She sounded like she believed it when she told Malcolm she could bear it. She was less certain when she asked me. She was scared. I recognized that. I knew all about pain and fear. Putting my hand on her ankle, I gave her a reassuring smile.

“You can. And Runa will keep you safe. Just breathe.”

Another contraction hit and she gritted her teeth, but I shook my head. “Don’t tense. Breathe. Listen to your body. You’re okay. You’re going to be okay.”

It took a few hours,but eventually, a little boy was born. Healthy and pink and wailing. Malcolm cried when Runa put the baby in his arms. Carmen cried with him.

I’d forgotten that moment with Leo. I’d bared it alone, as the pride pariah wasn’t afforded a comforting presence during birth. The only other person in the room was the doctor, an old man who didn’t offer a word to help me understand. He stayed long enough to cut the cord and make sure Leo was healthy before leaving me alone. I didn”t mind so much. Because after it was over, and I had my baby in my arms, I felt okay. I felt strong. I got this perfect little boy to air on my own, and I kept him safe. He was fed with my body, kept warm with my skin. It was the first time in my life I felt strong. I’d forgotten that feeling over the years.

I left the couple alone to enjoy the moment when Runa asked me to get Javi. There wasn’t an ounce of hesitation as I stepped outside. Javi and Leo were sitting on the hammock together, talking low, and both boys looked up when I came out. Leo held Javi’s hand, supporting him. I smiled.

“She’s okay. You’ve got a new baby brother.”

Javi’s eyes lit up and a huge, beaming grin spread across his face. “Really? A brother? That’s awesome!” He jumped off the hammock, throwing a fist into the air in his excitement. I hummed, kneeling in front of him.

“I know you’re excited, but he’s still new. New and very fragile. You can go see him, but you have to be quiet and gentle. Older siblings protect the younger ones. You should watch over him.”

His face went serious, and he nodded once, his stance determined. “I will. I’ll protect ‘im. Can I go in now?”

“Go ahead. Be gentle with Carmen, too. Having babies is a lot of work.”

He nodded again and raced to the door before he paused and took a breath, creeping inside more carefully when he remembered what I said. I smiled, watching him go before turning back to Leo.

“She’s okay?” he asked, uncertainty in his gaze.

“She’s okay. It’s not easy having cubs, but it”s worth it.” I ran my fingers through his hair, smiling to myself. “I remember when you were born, you had no hair at all.”

His eyebrows flew up and his mouth fell open. “Really?”

“Really. You were bald and wrinkly like an old man. You looked smart from day one,” I teased quietly.

He snickered at the image, wrinkling his nose. When he sobered, I could see the pain he was trying to hide.

“They said Teddy left. He went home. He left because of me, didn’t he?”

Pushing to my feet, I moved to sit next to him on the hammock. He was stiff until my lioness let out the same purr as the night before, soothing him. “I… I don’t think it was your fault. You were upset. You’re allowed to have feelings. I’d rather you tell me if I was upsetting you than keep it bottled up inside.”

“But you do that. You always go blank when you’re upset. I did that to you last night. I didn’t mean to. I got scared…”

I looked down at my lap. I was a hypocrite. I wanted him to be open and honest with me, but whenever things got hard, I refused to do the same. Drawing in a breath, I let it out slowly.

“I did do that. I had to when we were in the pride. If I got emotional, they’d hurt you. I kept my emotions to myself to keep you safe. It’s… not an easy habit to break. I’m sorry. I’ll try to be better. I thought… I thought it’d be easier if things went back to the way they were. I never meant to make you so unhappy.”

He sniffled and climbed into my lap, burying his face against my shoulder. There were people outside, talking and waiting to meet the newest member of the crew, but they left me and Leo alone. And I wasn’t scared. I was okay here.

“I don’t want to go back. You smile now. And you don’t hide. I just… My lion gets so crazy about everything. He wants to protect you. Being away from you is scary.”

“It’ll fade. In time,” Runa said. I hadn’t even heard her come outside, but she stood in front of us now, wiping her hands on a towel. Squatting low to look Leo in the eye, she tipped her head and gave him a small smile. “You are still little. I know you want to be big and strong, and protect the people you love, but that’s not your job yet. Your job is to grow and thrive. Not for your mom, not to make her better. For you.” Her gaze shifted to me. “Sometimes we forget about ourselves when we’re part of a unit. We forgot that our personal growth is just as important as the people we love. It isn’t wrong to work on yourself. Even if it causes some bumps along the way. He was trying to tell you that. You were too stubborn to listen.”

“I…” I hadn’t seen it that way. I wasn’t trying to be stubborn. I just didn’t know what to do.

“I wish he hadn’t left,” Leo grumbled, frowning down at his lap.

“Your Teddy has been living for others his whole life. He lives alone in the city, trying to protect everyone. He’s lonely and sad, but he stays because he thinks that’s the only place that wants him. Eventually, someone will need to show him they care enough to put him first. The question is, do you think you love him enough to be the ones to do it?”