EPILOGUE
WINDY
“Ahhh!”
The private wing is blinding. My scream ricochets off the sterile walls. The pain claws up my spine and tears a cry from my lips.
Wolf is at my right side, his hands wrapping around mine like he’s anchoring me to the earth, even as I try to float away.
Amos is at my left, thumb stroking the side of my neck in slow, steady circles that do absolutely nothing to calm the pain tearing through my abdomen.
Finian stands at the foot of the bed, his body tense, alert, and his eyes flickering between the monitors and me like he’s ready to fight everything.
Agony explodes again. Deep, savage, it rips a raw, desperate scream from my throat.
“I—I can’t—” I choke out, breathing shaky and uneven.
“Yes, you can,” Amos says, leaning close. His forehead nearly touches mine. His voice is steady, the kind of steady that talks someone off the edge. “You’re doing so well. Now, look at me.”
I do. Because I always do.
Amos squeezes my hand hard. “Breathe with me, sweet girl. In … out … Good. Good. There you go. Now, in … out …”
Finian’s voice cuts through the panic, softer than I’ve ever heard it. “You’re almost there. She’s almost here, baby girl.”
The contraction grows to a crescendo. I cry out, gripping both their hands like I’m trying to break them. They don’t flinch. Amos leans closer, whispering something I don’t have in me to process. Finian’s hands land on my ankle. His touch is grounding and warm.
When the contraction finally stops, I collapse back against the pillows, shaking from the flagging adrenaline.
“I hate you all,” I pant.
Amos laughs under his breath. “I’ll take that hatred.”
Wolf presses a kiss to my temple as his fingers wrap around my neck unthreateningly. “You can yell at us all you want, baby. Right now, we need you to push.”
The doctor steps forward. “Alright, Windy. Next contraction, we’re pushing.” She’s right there, ready to enter the world.”
Right there.
Our little baby girl.
The next contraction slams into me like a train. Everything becomes a matter of instinct. Curling forward, I grit my teeth as I put every ounce of strength into pushing.
Wolf’s voice is in my ear. “That’s it. Come on, baby, you’re doing wonderful.”
Amos wipes the sweat from my brow. He’s more focused on tending to me than anything else. I smile gratefully at him. His hand cups the side of my face. I lean into the gesture, loving the feel of him softly touching me.
“You have this.”
Finian’s voice breaks. “I can see her head! Windy, she’s right there, sweet girl. Push … Push!”
I scream.
I cry.
I push.
I cuss the guys out as I try to bring Daisy into this world. I’ve never felt such pain in my entire life. I’d much rather get pepper-sprayed in the face again than do this. It’s agonizing.
But then …
A sharp, shrill sound slices through the room.
A wail.
Daisy.
The doctor lifts her up, tiny, red, and outraged at existence. She screams like she’s announcing herself to the entire world. And to be honest, she is.
Tears run down my cheeks. “Oh my god,” I whisper, chest collapsing. “It’s her. Oh, god, it’s her.”
Wolf’s breath catches at the sight. Amos presses his face against my neck, and I feel him shaking. Finian’s eyes shine like he’s been punched in the face. The emotions are overwhelming, and I catch myself crying full force, gut-wrenching sobs.
“What’s wrong?” Wolf grows closer, wiping my tears away.
My chin quivers with emotion. I watch as Finian cuts the umbilical cord with tears in his eyes. “I’m so happy.”
They place her on my chest. She’s warm, slippery, and perfect. Her cries soften the second my hands cradle her to my naked chest.
“Hi, Daisy,” I whisper. “You’re finally here.”
Wolf leans over us, brushing a trembling finger along her cheek. “She’s so beautiful.”
Amos presses a kiss to the side of my neck. He removes his face, and I glance over at him to see that his eyes are red-rimmed and wet. My chin quivers harder before I can’t stop. The floodgates open. I start crying in earnest.
“Shh. Shh.” Amos wipes my tears, pressing a kiss to my cheek.
Finian rests his forehead against my knee, laughing through tears. “She’s got a set of lungs on her. She’s definitely ours.”
I laugh and hold Daisy closer as she settles against me. Her tiny fists curl, and her breath hiccups. In the quiet, sacred moment, I know one thing with absolute certainty.
She was worth every second.
Daisy’s tiny body rises and falls in frantic little breaths.
The room finally seems to exhale around us after holding its breath for so long.
Everything slows down. The lights dim as the nurse lowers them.
The monitors quiet down with only my heartbeat.
It’s like the world is playing catch-up, and it’s slowly becoming right again.
Daisy shifts, letting out a tiny, indignant whimper. All three men freeze, as if she’s a ticking time bomb waiting to go off.
“Relax,” I say, adjusting her so her cheek rests against my skin. “She’s just complaining.”
At that moment, the nurse came to me with her hands held out. I don’t want to give her up, but I know she needs to be looked over. Reluctantly, I hand her over to the nurse and lie back in bed.
Finian snorts. “She has your attitude already. We’re in trouble.”
“She learned from the best,” I mutter, laughing as Wolf presses kisses to the side of my head in agreement.
A wait from over in the corner greets our ears. All three of my alphas stand rock still and glare over in the direction of the nurse currently poking Daisy’s foot.
“Oh, relax,” I say with a smile. “She’s just complaining.”
“About what?” It’s clear he can’t see what the nurse is doing as he sounds genuinely baffled.
“The poke in her foot.” I raise my hand and run my fingers through Amos's hair as he presses a kiss to my cheek. All three men look up at once as the nurse brings our baby girl back to us.
“Does daddy want to hold her?” she asks.
All three men step forward, startling her. The nurse blinks. “Uh—whichever one wants to first.”
They look at each other, then at me, then at Daisy.
“Wolf,” I say softly.
He swallows hard and nods. He steps forward, hands steady and sure, but his breath isn’t. He takes her in his arms and holds her against his chest. A sense of awe and wonder glimmers in his eyes.
“You just did that,” Finian says quietly. “You brought her here to us.”
Wolf breaks his gaze away from Daisy. He looks at me, eyes shining, jaw tight with emotion he can’t hide from me.
“Windy … This is a promise to you. We’re going to spend the rest of our lives making up for our sins to you.
All of it. Every mistake. Every hurt. Every single thing. ” His voice breaks. “We love you.”
I look at her. Then at them. For the first time in a long time, something inside of me loosens, and I smile brightly, albeit a little exhausted.
“I love you, too. Forever.”