Chapter 7
Chapter seven
Mai
The pain was unlike anything I’d ever experienced—a vicious, twisting stab that seized my entire belly and had me arching off the bed. The scream ripped out of me before I could think, and even as the pain started to ebb, I could hear it echoing through the Alpha House.
“Fuck,” I gasped, palms braced over my stomach.
The mate bond was taut with Ryan’s alarm. He was coming. Fast.
Boots hammered the stairs. Ryan hit the doorway and then reached me—two strides and his hands were warm on my face. “Mai! Are you hurt? The babies?”
“I don’t—” A sour wave rose hard and fast. I turned and barely made the edge of the bed before I threw up.
“Fuck, Mai.” One of Ryan’s hands swept my hair back; the other rubbed my spine. Panic licked down the bond, but his touch stayed steady.
Shapes crowded the doorway. Derek, his eyes scanning the room, searching for threats.
Waylen, glasses askew, laptop clutched in one hand.
Thomas pushed past them with his medical bag as Wally and Sofia crowded in, both looking pale.
Wally’s hands clenched into fists; Sofia’s stance was wide and balanced, like she was prepared to tackle someone.
“Everyone out,” Thomas said firmly, already pulling on gloves. “I need space to examine her. Ryan can stay. Everyone else—kitchen. Now.”
“But—” Derek started.
“NOW!” Thomas barked with the authority of someone who’d been patching up werewolves for decades. “I’ll let you know what’s happening once I know myself.”
Derek looked at Ryan, but when he nodded, Derek moved, herding Waylen, Wally, and Sofia out, but I could hear them gathering just outside the door.
Another wave of nausea hit me, and I pressed my face into the pillow, trying to breathe through it.
Thomas set his bag on the dresser, efficient, all business. “Talk to me. What does the pain feel like?”
“Started like a… twist, right here.” I pointed to a spot just to the left of my right hip. “Then it spread. Full body. Then the nausea.”
He nodded, checking vitals with quick, gentle hands. “Could be the real thing. Could be false labor—Braxton Hicks contractions. They can be quite intense, especially with twins.”
I let out a shaky breath. “Intense is one word for it.”
Ryan’s thumb stroked my cheekbone. “Tell me what you need.”
“Less stabbing pain,” I muttered.
Thomas’s mouth twitched. “We’ll aim for that.”
“Oh, fuck,” I whispered, as warm liquid gushed between my thighs. My eyes went wide. “My waters just broke.”
Thomas’s expression sharpened instantly. “I need to examine you.”
I nodded, too focused on the lingering pain to be bothered about modesty. Ryan squeezed my hand as Thomas guided me. “Knees up. Then let them flop to the sides. Try to relax, Mai.”
Ryan’s voice was tight. “Well?”
“Four centimeters,” Thomas said, breaking into a grin. “Congratulations. You’re in labor. You’re going to meet your babies soon.”
“Really?”
“Really,” Thomas said with a smile.
A spark of joy shot through me, chased by a stampede of panic. “But… but that can’t be right.”
My heart started racing, and it had nothing to do with the contractions. Today. I was going to be a mother today. After months of wondering and worrying and trying to prepare, it was actually happening.
“I don’t think I’m ready,” I said, the words tumbling out before I could stop them. “I mean, the nursery isn’t finished. I still haven’t read the last three chapters of that parenting book, and what if I don’t know what to do? What if I’m terrible at this? What if I hurt them or—?”
“Hey.” Ryan’s free hand cupped my cheek. “Mai. Look at me.”
I met his eyes, seeing my own fears reflected there, but also something steady and sure.
“You’re going to be amazing,” he said. “You’ve been protecting these babies since the moment you knew about them. You’re already their mother.”
“But what if—?”
A contraction cut off my spiraling thoughts.
“Breathe, Mai,” Thomas ordered. “Just like we practiced.”
All my panic vanished as I concentrated solely on breathing through the pain. As it eased, I realized that it didn’t matter if I was ready or not; these babies were coming. We were just going to have to figure it out as we went.
“Okay,” I said, more to myself than anyone else. “Okay. Today, we become parents.”
Ryan’s answering smile was blinding as he repeated, “Today, we become parents.”
He was up and at the door in the same breath, yanking it open to where Derek, Waylen, Wally, and Sofia were still clustered in the hallway.
“THE BABIES ARE COMING TODAY!” he bellowed.
Sofia shrieked, Wally actually clapped, Waylen nearly dropped his laptop, and even Derek’s serious face split into a grin.
While Ryan shouted the news down the hall, Thomas slid to my side. His palms pressed and paused in deliberate passes, his hands methodical as he felt for the babies’ positions.
“Oh, my Goddess, finally!” Wally was practically bouncing as everyone piled back into the bedroom. “I have so much to do! The nursery needs—”
Thomas’s hands continued their examination, pressing carefully across different areas of my stomach. I watched his face as his smile thinned, focus sharpening as he shifted pressure to a new spot. I caught the subtle spike of anxiety in his scent.
“What is it?”
“Let me just confirm…” Thomas moved his hands to a different position. His frown deepened. “One of them is in a breech position,” he said calmly. “Bottom first instead of head down.”
“Is that dangerous?” Ryan was instantly at my shoulder.
“Not necessarily, but it does complicate things,” Thomas said. “Derek, Wally—I need you to go to the clinic and bring back the full emergency delivery kit and the portable ultrasound machine. Sofia, Waylen—towels, ice chips for Mai, and a bucket in case she gets sick again.”
“On it,” Derek said, already moving.
“Do you need anything else?” Wally asked as he followed Derek toward the door.
“Not yet,” Thomas said. “Let’s see what we’re working with first.”
As they scattered to gather supplies, I caught Ryan’s hand.
For a breath, he looked so young—jaw tight, fear pressing on our bond like a weight.
“Hey,” I said softly, squeezing his hand.
He met my eyes, and I saw my strong, unshakeable mate looking suddenly so lost and vulnerable.
“We’ve got this,” I said firmly. “You and me. We can survive anything the Goddesses throw at us. A couple of stubborn pups who want to come into the world feet-first? We can handle that too.”
Some of the tension bled from his shoulders. His grip tightened. “Since when did you become the calm one in this relationship?”
“Since two minutes ago. But I mean it, Ryan. We’re a team. These babies chose us as their parents for a reason.”
He leaned down and pressed his forehead against mine. “I love you, Mai Parker.”
“I love you too. Now stop looking terrified before Thomas decides you need medical attention as well.”
That earned me a small laugh, which was exactly what I’d been going for.