Chapter Twenty
Wilder
After I shut the shop door and flipped the sign to closed, the first contraction hit. I’d never had a baby before, but no one needed to tell me what it meant as the pain gripped my lower back and radiated down my legs.
Panting, I closed my eyes and willed the strength to do what was needed. “This is it. Okay, baby, we’ve got to get home.”
I’d decided to have a water birth, and everything was ready. We needed only to fill the tub. We’d prepped the house. Told the healer. All of it.
I was ready for this. My body and my wolf knew what to do.
That was what I told myself, anyway.
Pulling out my phone, I made two calls before starting the car.
One to Lewis, of course. He was going to start the tub and, Goddess bless him, there wasn’t a whisper of nervousness in his tone.
He told me he loved me and to take care coming home.
He offered to come get me, but I needed him to prep things.
Our pup was coming. Soon.
The second call was to the healer. Quinn would meet us at the house when he could, but he was with another omega and didn’t know how long he would take.
That was okay. I could do this.
As long as I had my alpha by my side.
I breathed through the contractions on my way home, and Lewis came barreling out of the house and opened my door for me. “Are you sure it’s time?” His voice was steady, but the lines on his forehead were deep. He took such good care of me.
“It’s time, alpha. The contractions are getting closer. Is the tub filled?”
“Of course. I have everything ready for you. Come on. Let’s go have this baby.”
I undressed while Lewis put on the playlist I’d chosen. The warm water felt incredible on my back, but it did very little to relieve any of the pain.
The pressure on my bottom became so intense, my wolf crossed the consciousness barrier and took over a little. It relieved some of the pain and he knew exactly what to do.
I got on all fours and bore down on my hips. Lewis urged me on, but his voice seemed like a mile away.
A growl ripped out of me as the baby breached, and I experienced firsthand what the books called the ring of fire.
They were absolutely right.
“I see the head, baby. You’re almost there. Push. You can do this.”
I drifted in and out of thought. Every cell in my body focused on the pain and the instinct carrying me to do what I needed to.
Four more pushes, the last one taking every ounce of energy I had left, and our babe was born. “He’s here, omega. Our son is here.”
I hung on to the side of the tub to turn myself around. Lewis had our son in his hands as the healer came in. “Wilder, you did well. Here, let me help.”
The healer helped me expel the placenta and other things while Lewis cleaned up our son. The rest was a blur. Hours later, I was cleaned up and in bed, our son feeding from my body.
I couldn’t believe it.
“That was incredible to be a part of, mate. Look what you did.” He stroked our son’s hair. Tears had been shed by the both of us. He was a proud papa and mate.
“What we did. I wasn’t alone when this one was made.”
He stared at me. “Every day, you make me prouder to be your alpha.”
“Thank you. Now get in this bed and snuggle with me, Papa Bear. We’ve had a big day and we need cuddles. Lots of them.”