Chapter Thirty-eight #2
I took a breath that hurt my ribs, then let the words spill out before I could second-guess them. “I'm pregnant. About three weeks. The doctor said the baby is fine, that it survived everything that happened.”
Silence fell over the room like a blanket, so complete I could hear the monitors beeping, could hear footsteps in the hallway, hear my heart hammering against my ribs. I watched their faces, trying to read their reactions, fear and hope warring in my chest.
Lucian moved first. His hand flew to his mouth, covering it, and his eyes filled with tears that spilled over almost immediately. He made a sound that was half laugh, half sob, and then he was leaning over me, his arms wrapping around my shoulders in a hug so gentle I barely felt the pressure.
“A baby,” he whispered against my hair, his voice breaking. “Jasmine, we're having a baby.”
His hand found my abdomen, placing it carefully beside mine over the bandages. His touch was delicate, as if he were afraid of breaking something precious. The tears kept coming, streaming down his face, and I felt wetness against my temple where his cheek pressed against mine.
“I'm so happy,” he said, pulling back just enough to look at my face. His eyes were bright with tears and joy. “So incredibly happy.”
Kade's grip on my hand had tightened, and when I turned to look at him, his expression stole what little breath I'd gathered. His face was transformed, every sharp line softened by wonder and something that looked like disbelief.
He leaned in slowly, giving me time to pull away if I needed to, then kissed me with a gentleness that made my chest ache.
His lips were soft against mine, careful of my split lip, conveying everything words couldn't. When he pulled back, his forehead rested against mine, and I felt his breath shaking.
“You're everything we ever dreamed of,” he whispered, his voice rough with emotion. “Everything and more. A family, Jasmine. We're going to be a family.”
His hand joined Lucians on my abdomen, both of them touching where our baby was growing. The gesture was possessive and protective and tender all at once.
Movement on my other side made me turn. Theo had abandoned his post by the door and was approaching the bed, his face split by a grin so wide it looked like it might hurt.
His dark eyes were bright, almost manic with joy, and before I could process what was happening, he let out a whoop that echoed through the room.
He jumped in the air, actually jumped, his fist pumping above his head like he'd just won something incredibly important. The sound that came out of him was pure exhilaration, uncomplicated joy that made me laugh despite the pain it caused.
“We're having a baby!” he shouted, not caring who in the hallway might hear. “A fucking baby!”
He rushed to the bed, leaning over to kiss my forehead, my cheek, anywhere he could reach without disturbing the others.
His hands joined theirs on my abdomen, all three of them touching the place where our child was growing, surrounding me with their warmth and their scents and their absolute happiness.
“This is amazing,” Theo said, his voice still loud with excitement. “You're amazing. God, Jasmine, you're incredible.”
The weight of their hands on my abdomen, the joy in their faces, the overwhelming love in their scents—it was too much and not enough simultaneously.
My tears were falling again, but these differed from before.
Not fear or pain, but pure emotion, the kind that came from being exactly where you belonged.
“You're ours now,” Kade said, his voice carrying absolute certainty. “Completely, permanently ours. And we're yours.”
“Forever,” Lucian added, his hand squeezing mine gently. “We'll protect you and our baby. Nothing will ever hurt you again as long as we're breathing.”
“You'll be safe,” Theo promised, his grin softening into something more tender. “Both of you. Whatever you need, whatever it takes. We've got you.”
Their words wrapped around me, filling spaces inside that had been empty for so long I'd forgotten they existed. This was what a pack felt like. Not the violence and control Bane had called family, but this... protection without possession, devotion without domination, love without conditions.
I turned my head to look at Theo, at his scarred face that had become so dear to me, at his dark eyes that held nothing but joy. My heart felt too big for my chest, too full of everything I'd been holding back.
“I have one question,” I said, and my voice came out stronger than it had since I'd woken up.
Theo's brow furrowed slightly, concern creeping into his expression. “What?”
I met his eyes, let him see everything I felt reflected in my gaze, and said the words I'd been too afraid to say before. The final three words that cemented our bond, our family, and our love.
“Will you mark me?”
Theo grinned, ran over, and kissed me. His hand came up to cup my face, his thumb stroking across my unbruised cheek with infinite gentleness.
“Yes,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “God, yes, Jasmine. When you're healed. When you're ready. I'll mark you so deep everyone will know you're ours.”
“We all will,” Kade added, his hand tightening on mine. “All three of us. You'll wear our marks and know you're protected, loved, and chosen.”
Lucian's tears had started again, but he was smiling through them. “Our Omega. Our mate. The mother of our child.”
I smiled, feeling as it pulled at my split lip but not caring. Pain was temporary. This was forever. My pack, my family, my future. Everything I'd survived had led me here, to this moment, to these three Alphas who'd seen past my damage to the person I could be.
“I love you,” I whispered, the words coming easier than I'd expected. “All of you. I choose you. I choose us.”
And surrounded by their warmth, their scents, their hands on my body and our baby, I finally let myself believe in happy endings.
The End.