Chapter 23
Sebastian
Gus carried me inside the small cabin in his strong arms, and while the scent of my alpha was comforting, I was still terrified.
When I realized I needed Gus with me for the birth, I hadn’t taken into account that I wouldn’t have my doctor there with me, or the comfort of my own bed.
All I had thought about was getting to Gus, and I would never regret finding him.
Just his presence alone was enough for me to feel settled, even with two babies coming.
I could deal with a less comfortable bed and questionable towels, as long as I had my alpha.
“Hal, can you pull the covers down on my bed? I think we’ll need them for the babies,” Gus asked, walking further into the warm cabin.
I knew it!
“So this is Hal?” I questioned and even managed a glare as I was still smushed against Gus’ chest. I’d thought Gus had called Hal’s name outside, but with the return of the heavy rain and my face hidden against his chest, it hadn’t been completely obvious if he’d called out hey or Hal.
Gus just sighed but ignored my question.
I was allowed to be petty. Hal was a handsome man and had apparently slept naked with my Gus in the same cabin for years.
At least I was the one with a bite mark on my ass.
Hopefully, it would show when I gave birth.
You could never truly mark your man enough, and I needed this Hal person to see I truly belonged to Gus, and that he’d better back off.
“Is a bucket of water enough?” Hal asked, placing a metal bucket into their fireplace.
Their cabin was small and simple, the only warmth in the room coming from the tiny fireplace.
“Maybe? I don’t know.” Gus looked at me questioningly, his eyes pooling with worry. His instinct to care for me had truly taken over, and protectiveness poured from his large body.
“We’ll start with one,” I said, hoping it would be enough. Another wave of pain hit, and I whimpered against Gus’ chest. “Please,” I pleaded, my eyes screwed shut in pain. I needed to lie down.
Gus seemed to understand my need, walking to his bed and gently placing me on the worn mattress. The pain subsided a few seconds later, giving me a brief pause before another wave hit.
“I need towels,” I ordered, needing everything ready before the pain returned.
“Fabric, preferably clean linen, to wrap the babies in. Cold and warm water. A knife to cut them free of me.” Gus paled at that, then started to look a little green.
“For the umbilical cords,” I assured him, and he nodded.
The pain started again, so I breathed out the last and most important part, “And a green root for me to gnaw on.”
“Yeah,” Hal drawled. “We don’t really have towels or green roots here. Guess you’ll have to just use our bed covers and work your way through the pain. Or chew on Gus’ thumb.”
“What?!” I shrieked in horror. “You don’t have green roots?!” They were used for pain relief, as biting into them numbed the body and helped omegas give birth with less pain and more focus.
“Check the saddle!” Gus demanded, his hands clasped around mine, urging me to settle on the bed. I gave in and lay back, focusing on my breathing.
Hal returned a moment later, my sack of supplies in hand.
“There were some in the bag. They smell awful. Here.” He handed me a green root with obvious disgust, and I hurried to grab it like a famished animal.
“I’ll just put your horse away in the stables with Lord Willoughby’s and give her some fresh hay. The weather’s dreadful outside.”
“Thank you,” I gritted through another wave of pain.
“Let’s get you out of your wet clothes,” Gus suggested, his hands gentle as he stripped me down.
Gus stripped out of his clothes too, his own having been drenched in rainwater as well. He kneeled next to the bed and placed his duvet over me, shielding me from view and offering me some warmth.
“How long does it normally take before you need to push?” Gus asked.
“It differs,” I panted, a new wave rolling over me. “C-could be hours.”
“Hours?!” Hal exclaimed, like he was the one in pain here. He’d just returned and stood in the doorway, soaked through, looking slightly defeated. “So I guess I won’t be getting any more sleep? That’s just great!”
“It might be sooner,” I said, scowling at Hal as I led Gus’ hand under the covers. “Feel how stretched I am.”
Gus did as he was told, his fingers carefully caressing my hole. It felt amazing. Not like it usually did, but in a way that lessened the pain.
“Keep going,” I pleaded. “It helps.”
Hal remained quiet as Gus’ hand moved under the covers, helping me through the pain.
“Gods!” I groaned, the pain now almost unbearable. I bit into the green root, no longer caring about saving it for later. This had to be as bad as it could get. I hoped.
“Um,” Gus swallowed, his eyes focused on the covers. “I think one of them is coming.”
“How do you know?” Hal asked, his tone oddly invested.
“I can almost fit my whole hand around his hole now, so a baby’s head would definitely fit,” Gus explained.
That was all I needed to hear. I started pushing. I hadn’t imagined the immense pressure, though. How it felt like my insides were being ripped from my body.
“No…No…No…” I pleaded. “Hurts too much.”
“You can do this,” Gus smiled, his free hand tightening around mine. “I’ve got you.”
“Stand between my legs,” I ordered, removing the covers and fisting the sheets at my sides, the green root all but forgotten. “Fetch the warm water.”
Hal hurried to follow my orders, bringing me the metal bucket, where a rag was placed on the side.
“And the cold. With a clean rag.”
“Why do you need both?” Hal muttered, but he still grabbed a smaller bucket of water, which I could only hope would be cold.
“Drench it in water and place it on my forehead.” I pushed again, Gus’ hands on my thighs as he watched my hole intently.
Hal placed the rag down on my head, and I groaned. “It’s not cold enough!”
“What do you mean it’s not cold enough?! It’s the coldest it’s gonna get!”
“Well, then grab some fresh water from outside!”
“You do that!”
Another wave hit, and I pushed while gritting out, “Kind of busy here!”
“Then accept the cold water I brought you!” Hal snapped.
“You’re doing so well,” Gus soothed, running his hands up and down my thighs. “I can see the hair; he’s got your hair color.”
“R-really?” I panted, the not-cold water all but forgotten.
“Yeah, one more push, Little Omega.”
“I need the warm water ready.” I had to test it to make sure Hal hadn’t failed me on that, too.
“If you need warmer water than this, it will take time,” Hal complained.
“Ugh, can’t you just stop talking?” I begged, then pushed with all I had.
A wailing baby, seconds later, was the sweetest sound ever.
“Oh, gods. That’s a lot of…” Hal drawled, as his eyes rolled up into his head and he passed out on the floor.
“Thank the gods,” I grinned. Maybe now the rest of the delivery would happen without any further complaining.
“He’s beautiful,” Gus whispered in awe, wrapping our baby up in a clean sheet, then handing him over to me. Our baby definitely had my hair, his eyes a deep blue that hopefully would turn a lighter blue like his alpha father’s.
“The other one is coming,” I warned, placing our son next to me as I got ready to push again. It only took five pushes, and then our other son was born too, his hair a dark blond shade, a mix between Gus’ hair and mine, his eyes green.
“They’re so beautiful,” I sniffled, as I held out my hands for the other baby.
“They are,” Gus agreed with tears in his eyes, his smile proud and happy as he watched me lie there with both of our sons. “I’ll clean you up while you rest and snuggle.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, looking fondly at our sons. They truly were perfect. The future heirs. Perfect for a new world.
After Gus had cleaned me up, he dressed me in some of his old clothes before dressing himself. He then helped Hal into his bed, the poor alpha still half-passed out, mumbling something about being traumatized for life.
We were now snuggled together in Gus’ bed, and our babies were safely between us as we waited for morning to come.
“Will you tell me about the magic?” Gus whispered, our sons sound asleep.
I nodded. “My grandfather’s magic was real, or at least I think it was, but my father never learned to use the same magic. Instead, he faked it. He wanted to prove to everyone that the magic was a lie and that alphas aren’t dangerous, but he died before he got the chance.”
“But how do you know that?”
“I found his journal in the library. He’d written about what his life was like and how he figured out the magic was a lie.”
“How many know the truth?”
“I told Elias and Briar before I left, and I figure the rest of the staff know by now. Briar is the son of Clive and one of my closest friends.”
Gus only nodded at that, his eyes glassy. “I knew I wasn’t dangerous. I’ve never felt dangerous. Not once.”
My heart broke hearing those words.
“I know that too. I never would’ve fallen for you if you were.”
Gus’ smile was a mix of sadness and happiness. “My king.”
“My alpha.”
“What do we do now?” he asked, glancing fondly at our sons.
It was a good question, one I dreaded answering. I could stay here forever with my little family in this safe cocoon. At the same time, I was aware of my responsibility. The future of all alphas and omegas depended on me.
Sighing, I answered. “We ride back to the palace tomorrow, and then I’ll fire my advisors and announce to the people that they’ve been lied to for decades.”
“Okay.”
His simple reply and obvious faith in me made me laugh. “Gods, I’ve missed you.”
A blinding smile took over his handsome face. “I’ve missed you, too, my king. I longed to hold you every minute we were apart. I ached for you to be with me again.”
I nodded, tears falling freely as I recalled my own anguish these past few months. How often I’d longed to be held. To be comforted.
“We’ll never part again,” I vowed, then smiled. “You did mark me, after all.”
His eyes widened. “I did?”
I bit my bottom lip and nodded.
“Your butt?” he guessed, and I laughed.
“So you did know?”
“I might’ve been a tad fond of that mark,” he blushed, making me shake with laughter.
One of the babies, the dark-haired one, smacked his lips, then frowned in his sleep. I was happy that they were so different. They would be easy to tell apart.
“Awww, he’s just like you,” Gus cooed. “Grumpy even in his sleep.”
“I’m not grumpy,” I scowled. “I’m serious.”
“Whatever you say, my love.”
Silence stretched out between us as I found myself deep in thought. I hadn’t even thought of names. Everything had been so rushed.
“What should we call the babies?” I swept a lock of hair off the blond one’s forehead, and he blinked his eyes open and drooled. So like his alpha daddy.
“You decide, Little Omega. After all, you did all the hard work. It was all fun on my end.” My big, silly alpha waggled his eyebrows suggestively, and my hole ached.
“Don’t you dare think about breeding me again anytime soon!”
“Of course not, my love.” Gus attempted to look serious, but his face soon cracked into a breathtaking smile. Who was I even kidding? I’d be begging him to fuck me as soon as I had healed.
“Good. What about Ember and Lumi?” I had no idea where the names came from. Perhaps because the babies were light and dark, like night and day, fire and light.
“Ember and Lumi?”
“If you don’t like it, we can call them something else.”
“No, I love it. Ember and Lumi. It’s perfect.” Gus stared at me, all love-drunk. “Like their perfect omega father.”
“Awww,” I cooed, my heart spilling over with happiness at last. “And their wonderful alpha father.”
“Ugh, my head hurts,” Hal groaned from his bed.
Guess family time was over.