Chapter 18
Konrad
Idid not feel well, and it woke me from a fitful nap. My dragon kept telling me to stay in bed, but I wanted to walk around because my back was hurting. What were the chances that Elias’s mate would find him and that he would be a warlock, then locate us all the way over here?
I looked around the room, still completely in awe. I had not expected to be in our own cottage until well after the weather had warmed up. But Claude had insisted on finishing the cottage for us, and when Aleric led me to it that first night, I was beyond grateful for the amazing gift.
A sharp pain in my back caused me to hold my breath for a moment, pulling a groan from me. I gave up trying to stay in bed. I needed to walk, so I tossed the covers back and sat up. My stomach was huge and hot to the touch. What did that mean? Dad’s stomach was never hot like this.
I took a few deep breaths and finally got the energy to stand beside the bed. I should have stayed in it. When I stood, a huge gush of fluid ran down my front and legs.
“Ow, ow, ow, ouch.”
I gasped and fell back onto the bed. My stomach was noticeably much smaller than it had been only moments ago.
“Aleric?” I called out but got no answer. I felt another tightening in my back, but this time, it wrapped around my sides and centered in my stomach. It was time. Where was everyone?
“Aleric?”
“Yes, my mate?”
“My waters broke. I need Da and Elias. Probably Wilhelm too.”
I heard a roar from outside and rolled my eyes. He did not need to be overly dramatic. Omegas had babies all of the time. This was nothing new.
“On second thought, probably not Elias. He is due in a couple of months. Let him rest. Just Da and Wilhelm.”
“Wilhelm is off flying somewhere. I am on my way. Da will have heard my call.”
I heard the door to our cottage open, and then my mate’s heavy footsteps came rushing toward the bedroom. The door there flung open just as another pain hit, and I grabbed my stomach and panted through the sharp pain.
“Konrad,” Aleric called out as he hurried across the room and reached for me. He laid me back on the bed, placing both pillows behind me. I sighed, more than ready to simply get this over with. Unfortunately, it had just started, and I knew this could take hours yet.
“Did you…where is the baby?”
“I have not given birth yet, Aleric.” I glared at my mate. What was he going on about?
“But your stomach.”
I looked down again. Yes, my stomach was easily half the size it had been. But there was still a very obvious bump in which our son remained.
“You bellowed?” Da said, entering the room. He had his arms full of small blankets that we would use for the birth, and I was so relieved and thankful to see him.
“Da, tell your son that the waters breaking does not mean the baby has been borrr…ow, ow, owww.” I grabbed my stomach and started breathing fast and heavy when another pain hit me. This one definitely hurt more than the last one.
“Aleric, lift him so I can get these blankets under him.”
My mate lifted me as if I weighed nothing, and when Da had everything situated under me, Aleric placed me back on the bed. I winced when another pain hit. More panting, and I couldn’t help but grab the front of Aleric’s shirt and hold on tightly.
“Did I ruin the bed?” I asked, concerned about the new bed. It had been another gift from Claude. It was like sleeping on a cloud, and it was the most comfortable thing I had lain on.
“Not to worry. We have Claude, remember?” Da said as he came to stand beside me. He brushed my hair back from my face, smiling down at me.
How could I forget? Ahh, yes, that’s right. I was in immense pain. He had gifted it to us; he could simply clean it for me.
“Let’s see how your omega line is doing. If the waters have broken though, I would imagine you are ready to push. Or close to it.”
“Yes. That. Can we do that now?” I asked. I leaned up a bit and started pushing. My dragon approved of that.
“Wait,” Da said as he moved down beside my stomach. “Aleric, help your mate.”
“How?”
“Hold his hand, help him sit up a bit. The head is right here. Next pain, you push like that again,” Da instructed me.
I did not have to be told twice. I simply sat up and pushed with all I had. Da reached down, I felt some movement near my stomach, and then Da pulled out our son.
“He’s here.”
I lay back on the bed, panting—my dragon finally relaxed, myself somehow exhausted. I could not figure out why though. I had only pushed a few times. When my own dad had given birth to the twins, it had taken hours of laboring and pushing.
“Is there another, Da?” Aleric asked.
I looked up at my mate, confused.
“Another what?” I asked just as our son let out a loud cry. That brought a smile to my face, and I lifted my head up a bit to look down the bed at Da as he wiped off our son.
“Aleric, what are you going on about?” Da asked. He sent his son a glare.
“Father said his dragon was sure Konrad was carrying twins. It was why his stomach was so large.”
Da and I both gasped at the same time. Aleric realized his blunder immediately and groaned. I would have reached out and whacked my mate if I wasn’t more focused on my baby. I would deal with my mate and his lack of brain cells at the moment later.
“How is he, Da?” I asked, wondering about our son, who was still crying but no longer quite as loudly as he had been.
“He is big and healthy. His lungs work for sure.” Da tossed the soiled towel on the floor, adding another one to collect the waters, then picked up another, wrapping our son in it.
Once he was finished, the baby had quieted, and Da handed him to Aleric.
“Say hello to your son while I take care of the rest of the delivery.”
Aleric was too wrapped up in our son to even realize what Da had said. I lay back down and turned my head toward my mate, watching as he held our son for the first time.
“Who does he look like?” I asked.
“Konrad, I need you to push just a little. Not a lot like last time. A gentle push,” Da said, pulling my attention from my mate and son.
I nodded and did as I was asked as Da dealt with the afterbirth. He wrapped it up in yet another towel. He quickly picked the others up from the floor after wiping it up, then took them over to the fire and tossed them in. The flames flared, then settled.
“Good, son. Using your dragon’s fire to heat the cottage.”
“Is there any other way?” Aleric asked from beside me. I turned back around and looked up at my mate. He had knelt down, bringing the baby right next to me. “He does not have your eyes,” Aleric told me sadly.
I couldn’t help it—I snorted. That was not a surprise at all.
I looked down at my stomach when I felt a touch.
Da was moving my stomach, and I knew he was bringing the omega line back together to help it heal.
It was something that my own dad had taught me when birthing babies.
It would take a bit of time, but our advanced healing would allow the line to close, and after some time, it would return to the silver line that it normally was.
“I wish to name him Reinhold,” Aleric said. I gasped this time, Da freezing and looking concerned.
“You do? Why would you wish to do that?”
“Because without your father, you would not be here. I think it is a fine name for a young alpha.” I nodded in agreement and opened my arms as Aleric held out our son.
When I got my first good look at him, I laughed through my tears.
He looked exactly like Aleric, who in turn looked just like Ferdinand. The genes were strong with that line.
“He looks just like you,” I managed to get out. I felt the blanket being placed over me, and it was not until then that I realized I had been completely naked this entire time. But it was Da, and he was…well, Da. We were shifters, and there was no shame in being naked in front of one another.
“You notice he looks just like Ferdinand, don’t you?” Egon asked.
I had. A slightly younger version.
“The alpha genes are strong with these two. I will be in the outer room, waiting for Ferdinand. While I am out there, I will make you something to eat,” Da told us.
“You don’t have to,” I started to argue but was cut off by a stern shake of his head from Da. “Thank you, Da. For everything,” I said instead.
“You are family, Konrad. I will always be here for you if I can. It is no issue making a meal for you. You need to spend time with your new son. Get to know him, form that bond with him.”
I watched the man that had brought my mate into this world leave our room.
He gently closed the door behind him, leaving me with Aleric and Reinhold.
I wondered if his hasty departure was because he had difficulties being around babies?
I still hadn’t asked outright, but I’d heard enough to know that not only had he lost the one that Aleric remembered but two others as well.
That had to be difficult, and it seemed unfair.
I’d learned that a lot in life was though.
“I wish to apologize for the comment asking if there was another. Your stomach was just…”
“Huge,” I said. I knew Aleric would not admit to such a thing because he did not wish to be sent to the outer room to sleep. My alpha was smart. That did not change the fact that my stomach had been incredibly large.
“There was a lot of fluid. Our son had plenty of cushion while in there,” I chuckled. I ran a finger down the side of his face, wondering how it was that someone so tiny could already hold such a large part of my heart.
“Oh, you should grab a cloth and a wool cover.” I knew there was not much chance that he would soil just yet, but I still needed to get him covered.
“Do you wish for a dressing gown for him as well?” Aleric asked as he walked over to the stacks of cloths on the shelf.
I thought about it and decided against it. For now, he would be wrapped up in a blanket, and most likely, someone would be holding him. We had not put the twins in their dressing gowns until they were taken out of the blankets.
“No. The blanket is good enough for now.”