Chapter Twenty-Five
Ches
The ballroom was so packed, I could barely make my way through it. Not made easier by my gigantic, rotund belly, but I was doing my best.
Grant was across the room laughing at something one of the VIP guests said. His laugh could draw me from any bad mood.
It was only an hour ago that he coaxed me from where I sat on the edge of the tub, complaining about pregnancy, my belly, my wolf, my body, my clothes, and everything else in between.
He called me beautiful—nothing new. Told me I would look fantastic in anything I wore.
And the best part? Told me I was sexy in all my forms, and then proceeded to show me.
The place looked great. Everything polished and new.
The guests and the employees mingled with each other.
Even the employees were off tonight to celebrate the grand opening.
We’d catered the affair and hired a cleanup crew.
They deserved to party right along with us after all the hard work they’d done.
I greeted everyone and made my way to Grant who was speaking to one of the owners of Cuffed. They were speaking about someone dying of all things.
“Hey, that’s not really party talk,” I joked, leaning into my alpha.
Grant paled. “My love, we were talking about…let’s talk about it later, I think.”
Strange.
We talked to the other owners and their mates and then danced until my already-aching feet became unbearable. Grant brought me to a chair and sat next to me.
“It’s later, alpha. Tell me what was going on before.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “I was hoping you’d forget. It’s weird how things turn out.”
“Okay, now you have to tell me.”
Instead of immediately speaking, Grant reached over and held my hands in his. My stomach flip-flopped with anticipation. “The night you were kidnapped. That alpha, the one in charge.”
The blood trickled from my face while a cold sweat broke out along my brow. “What about him?”
“He followed an omega home from Cuffed. He tried to take him and pulled him into an alleyway. They struggled, but the omega was some kind of MMA fighter. He knocked him out cold and then left him there, in the dark alleyway. He reported the man to Cuffed so they could pull footage and let security know who he was.”
“Okay. That’s good.”
Grant gave my hands a squeeze. “There’s more.
The next day on the news, a murder was reported.
Apparently someone got to the alpha after he was knocked out.
They…whoever it was castrated him right next to a dumpster, and he bled out from his injuries.
It wasn’t the omega who he attacked, but someone else. ”
“What?” I said, leaning in. “He’s dead?”
“He is. And the person hasn’t been caught. No murder weapon. No suspects.”
“He’s dead,” I repeated.
“He is.”
I had to admit, there was still a bit of fear lurking even though I had Grant who would never let anything happen to me. “I don’t wish death on anyone but…I’m not sad about it.” I gasped and grabbed my belly.
Maybe it was all the dancing.
Or the spicy hors d'oeuvres I’d eaten.
Perhaps the news that the person responsible for my trauma was now dead.
Either way, my water broke.
“Grant,” I said and noted the panic in my own voice.
“Everything is okay. Let’s get you out of here. Our baby is coming, omega.”
The next hour was a flurry of pain and pressure and activity. We had a healer at the resort now. On call all the time. Avery met us in the villa, and my wolf told me this baby was coming soon. And by soon, he meant minutes. Maybe seconds.
“That’s it. Growl. Let it out. The baby has crowned, so all you have to do is push.”
I didn’t even realize I’d growled at the healer. I would have to apologize for that later.
I pushed while Grant coaxed me on. At some point, as the pain intensified, I let my wolf take over, mentally. His power and magic healing surged through me and while I was somewhere between our consciousnesses, our baby was born.
She cried almost immediately. So did Grant. So did I.
“You did it, omega. You are so strong. Look at our daughter, love. She’s beautiful.”