Chapter Thirty-Three
Iopened the door to…chaos. Wendy was hovering at the side, while my mother was between Alannah’s legs. Alannah, the sweet girl, was screaming her head off. “Fuck this, it hurts.” She sobbed at the ceiling while my mother patted the outside of her thigh.
“You are doing great, Momma. Just breathe.” My mother soothed, and I felt her push her soothing aura out, but Alannah wasn’t settling. She reared up, a contraction hitting her, and she screamed as she clutched the blankets at her sides.
“Fuck you. Fuck you Ternen. How could he leave me tonight?” She screamed to the ceiling, to the sky. If she could, she would be screaming it at him. “Fuck you too, Moon Goddess…how could you do this to me and my babies.”
“Hush love. The Goddess is kind, but there are lines.” My mother rubbed her knee trying to calm her down before she crossed it, but Alannah still cried.
“No!” She shook her head in anger. “This isn’t fair.
” She sobbed as the contraction broke and she dropped back down onto the bed, panting through her tears.
“It’s not fair. My mate should be here.” She turned her head towards me.
“He should be here with me.” Her pain was raw, and still so fresh.
She had just lost him, and now their babies were coming early.
I felt my heart break for her. I crouched down at the side.
I felt a tear hit my cheek. “Lan, I’m so sorry.” I gripped her hand as she closed her eyes and cried harder.
I watched as a figure took shape behind her.
“I am, Anwyl.” His eyes only on her face.
“I hate that I can’t hold your hand. But I am here.
” His voice was soft at first, and at first Alannah was crying too loudly to notice.
But by the end, he had settled onto the bed with her, and her eyes popped open, like she felt her other half was there. She turned, and her eyes found him.
“Anwyl?” I looked at Ternen confusion evident on my face.
“It means Beloved. My father was Welsh.” He inched closer to Alannah.
“You came.” She reached for him but hesitated. “But you’re not here.”
He shook his head. “I’m not.” He raised a hand to hover over hers. The pain on his face was heart-wrenching. He shook his head as a silver tear trailed down his face. “But I will stay with you the entire time.”
“But it’s not the same.” Alannah cried. “I can’t feel you.
You can’t hold me, you can’t hold them.” She struggled to breathe.
“I can’t do this.” She shook her head as she pushed herself up in the bed.
She pulled her legs back, and my mother tried to grab them, but she shook her off. “I refuse to do this.”
“Anwyl…” Ternen tried to hold her hand, but she whirled on him.
“No dammit. You can call me beloved all you fucking want, but I refuse to do this alone. You can go back to the Moon Goddess. No one is being born today.” She leaned against the headboard and then screamed as another contraction hit.
My mother looked a little lost. She turned to me and Ternen. “Talk to her.” She shook her head as she pushed herself up. “Or else we will lose four souls today instead of one.”
“What do we do?” Wendy looked a little lost.
My mom just grabbed her hand and pulled her into the bathroom. “We get prepared to deliver two babies. Whether or not she wants it, these babies are coming.” They closed the door, and I heard running water. They were doing their best to give us some space.
Alannah shuddered as the contraction settled. She cut me a withering look before she held up her hand. “There isn’t anything you can say to convince me.”
I grabbed her hand and felt her resist, but I held tight. She finally relented, and I intertwined my fingers with hers. “I understand.” She tried to pull away again. “I understand because I have been exactly where you are.”
“No, you haven’t.” She shrieked as she fought me, but my other hand snapped out, and I rubbed circles on her arms.
“You are right…in a way.” I sighed as I settled onto my knees.
“In my first life, the baby wasn’t big enough to survive.
But I was forced to bring him into this world alone.
While my mate stood just beyond the door calling for my death.
But I know what it feels like not to want my baby to come into the world. ” She stilled.
She took a haggard breath as she looked at me. “I can’t do this alone.”
“And you won’t be. Ternen is here. My mom and Wendy are here.” I gave her a sad smile. “I wish I could stay with you.”
She just looked away. “Ternen isn’t here though.
His soul is, but not him. Not the man who held me through everything.
Not the mate I prayed for and found on my birthday.
Not the savior who gave his all for his children.
The Moon Goddess took that away from me.
” She looked back at me. “She can take all of us. Because I refuse to do this without him.”
“And you won’t have to.”
Everyone turned to find the Moon Goddess staring at us from the corner of the room. Even my mother and Wendy came out when they heard the voice. As soon as they stumbled out of the bathroom door, they dropped to their knees.
“Moon Goddess.” My mother bowed her head to the floor. “Please forgive Alannah’s earlier words.” A scent of fear drifted from her. “She is hormonal and emotional at the loss of her mate; she didn’t mean it.”
Wendy was next. “Please forgive her.” She bowed to the floor, and together they stayed there.
The Moon Goddess looked confused for a second. The emotion seemed foreign to her ethereal face. “Rise, Luna.” She stepped forward and reached down a hand to my confused mother. “I am not here to punish the new mother. I am here because I am paying a debt.”
My mother sat back on her heels, eyes growing wide when she saw the offered hand. “What do you mean?” She slipped her hand into the Goddess’s hand, and she stood. “A debt?”
The Goddess nodded. She turned to Wendy. “You too little, one. Rise.” Wendy slipped her hand into the Goddess’s and stood next to my mother.
The three of us near the bed stayed silent until they turned to us. “Hello Alannah. Your mate has told me lovely stories about your time together. He hasn’t stopped talking about you for years.”
“Years?” She turned to Ternen. “I just lost him…”
Ternen smiled a little sadly. “Time moves differently here.” He sighed as he put his back against the headboard with her.
The Goddess nodded as she came to the end of the bed.
“I slow time for souls. That way they have the time to process their loss, their death, so that when they come back to watch over their loved ones, even though it’s still fresh for you…
for them it’s not. And they can watch over you and help you through your grief. ”
“Why?” Alannah shook her head. “Why take him and then force him to watch over me?”
The Goddess came closer. Sitting next to where I was crouched, and reached for our hands.
“Silly daughter.” She smiled a soft smile.
“I don’t force anyone. I can tell you almost every soul that I pull home comes to me with a request already on their lips.
Before most even realize that they have died, their first and only concern is their loved ones.
Ternen here, came to me begging to come back.
His only concern was to watch over you and his pups.
He didn’t care if it wasn’t allowed; it was his only request. He gave up all his chances of reincarnation just to stay and watch over you. ”
Alannah gasped as she turned to her mate. “Ternen, no.” She went to reach for his face but froze. “I’m not worth it.” She opened her mouth to say more, and she screamed as another contraction hit.
He just gave her a sad smile. “You are worth everything.”
The Goddess turned her gaze to Ternen. “Take your mate’s hand.”
He turned to her. “We both know I can’t. I’m not here.”
The Goddess waved her hand. “Am I the Moon Goddess or are you?”
His mouth dropped open, but he lifted his hand to Alannah’s, and the moment their hands touched, a soft light filled the room. Alannah cried out and clung to him. “How?” He turned back to the Goddess as his hand was crushed by his mate.
“Because I promised you when you came to me I would not have you miss this moment. You deserved to be here with them. So this is my last gift to you. Also, I know Amy cannot stay here, and she would have worried about your mate too much.”
The contraction ended, and Alannah took in a deep breath. “Ternen…” She looked down at their hands. “I can feel you.”
He smiled. “Yes Anwyl. The Goddess…” He nodded towards the Goddess on the bed. “She gave us this last gift.”
Alannah turned to the Goddess, and her lips trembled. “Thank you.”
The Goddess just reached out her hand and cupped her cheek.
“Today has been the hardest day of your life, but I promise it will get better.” She turned to Ternen.
“You can be here the entire night. You can stay for one hour after the twins are born so you can hold them, and hold your mate. But then…” She trailed off.
“I’m sorry I can’t give you more. But your story has come to an end.
” The Goddess brushed a kiss over Alannah’s brow and then vanished.
Ternen nodded once before standing and gathering his mate in his arms. “Where do you need us?” He turned to my mother.
“Near the end of the bed.” She pointed about halfway down, and he nodded.
He stepped onto the bed and placed her between his legs, her back against his chest. “We got this, Anwyl.” Alannah nodded once as a new contraction hit. Her hands wavered, looking for something to ground her, and Ternen slid his hands into hers. “Breathe, baby.”
A shuddering breath came out of her lips before a scream ripped through the air. My mother dropped in between her legs, and I saw her pale a little, but she turned to me. “Go, sweet girl. I have them.”