Page 40 of Labor of Love

“I am telling you for the last time,” the woman with the clipboard said. “You have no fucking choice. Unless an alpha is gonna magically walk in here and claim you and the baby, and we all know that’s never going to happen for someone like you, you have to give that baby up the second it is born. You cannot be allowed to possibly impede the bond genuine and decent parents might want with that newborn.”

Corbyn snarled as the bigotry and hatred from the woman’s voice rang around the room. Both women immediately looked up. The omega looked up, too, but then he winced, and Corbyn realized he was having another contraction.

“What’s going on here?” Corbyn tried to use a soothing voice. He understood, although he hadn’t had much experience with it, that for an omega, an alpha’s calm strength helped an omega in distress to regulate their own heart rate and breathing patterns. “Why hasn’t this man been offered a blanket, some water, or any pain relief?”

“Mr. Stone, sir, there’s honestly nothing for you to worry about.” The woman with the clipboard turned.Janice.Corbyn remembered meeting her when he’d first arrived. “We’re just having a bit of trouble with this omega. He’s one of the rescues, and I’m afraid he doesn’t understand how important it is for his baby’s future to sign these papers.”

“Doesn’t an omega have a legal right to make that choice for themselves regardless of their circumstances?” Corbyn said, moving further into the room, trying not to get distracted by the omega’s huffing and puffing. He fought not to show surprise as he saw the beginnings of a head starting to appear from between the omega’s legs.

“We take the care of the babies born here very seriously,” Janice said, lifting her chin. “Our facility has a strict policy that any newborn is not allowed to be taken from here by an omega. It is not safe for the child if an alpha is not present to ensure the baby’s care and well-being.”

Spoken by someone who thinks omegas are nothing more than baby making machines.

“Get away from the bed,” Corbyn said firmly. “Unless you’re going to tell me I’m not an alpha? Get out of this room, Janice. Something I am sure I heard this omega say from down the hall. Out.” He pointed at the door, and with a sullen look at Blair, Janice scuttled out the door.

“As for you,” Corbyn looked at the other woman. Her name tag said Mary. “Are you prepared to offer full assistance to this omega giving birth?”

“Yes, sir,” Mary said quickly. “But I’m afraid Janice is right, and I’m sure Mr. Peters will confirm it, sir. As much as I don’t like it, this young man is not going to be allowed to keep his child unless…”

“Yes, yes, yes I know, I heard. This omega won’t be allowed to leave this facility with their child unless an alpha claims him while he’s in the middle of giving birth. From memory and what I learned during sex-ed classes, that could be logistically impossible. But one good thing about an alpha is that they know how to improvise.”

Corbyn reached up and felt for the catch of the necklace that he had been given by his cherished omega mother. She had given it to him when he presented as an alpha for the first time, a gift to give to his intended omega. It was a tradition among alphas, especially those with an omega parent, to wear the necklace themselves until they passed it on to the one they would claim.

Unsnapping it from his neck, Corbyn moved closer to the bed, looking down at the omega. The man was slim to the pointof emaciation, but his determination to keep his child shone through his pale blue eyes.

“Will you let me put this on you?” he asked quietly, holding up the chain. “I assume you know what it means?”

The omega’s eyes widened. “You can’t do that,” he rasped. “I’m ruined. You heard them. I’m a rescue. The only thing I have in my life is my baby. I won’t let you do that to yourself.”

“Get some drinking water, Mary, would you please?” Corbyn half-turned, asking the nurse who was watching them closely.

“I’ll be two minutes,” she said, hurrying from the room. Corbyn noticed that Blair had already left.

“I know you’ve got a lot going on right now,” Corbyn winced as the omega hunched over his belly, his shoulder’s shaking with the strain of the push. “But my wolf tells me you’re mine.”

“What about my baby?” The omega was rocking, and Corbyn longed to help, but until the omega agreed he would not presume to even touch the man’s shoulder.

“Our baby, if you’ll agree.”

“I won’t have another one.” The omega’s head was flung back, his jaw so tight, Corbyn was surprised he didn’t hear teeth break. “If you want another child, you’re shit out of luck with me. I’m not doing this again.”

“We’ll discuss our future when you’re not giving birth, all right? Let me help you… please? Let me put this on you.”

There was a long moment where Corbyn thought he’d be rejected – but where his words might be lacking, his wolf was communing with the omega’s animal side. When it came, the nod was short and sharp. Quickly fastening the necklace around his omega’s neck, Corbyn felt a flash of pride, seeing the gold against the pale skin.

“Thank you,” he said sincerely. “I’m Corbyn, you are?”

“Shiloh. Oh, my gods.” Shiloh started panting again.

“I need you to breathe,” Corbyn said softly, putting his hand on Shiloh’s shoulder and deliberately slowing his own breathing. “Nice and calm. Breathe through the pain.”

“You’re doing good, omega,” Mary said coming back into the room with a bottle of water that she gave to Corbyn.

“His name is Shiloh,” Corbyn said.

“Shiloh.” Mary smiled. “What a lovely name. But come on, you’re at the last bit. You can do this. The head is almost free. Come on. You can do this.”

“I can do it. I can do it.” Shiloh had tears pouring down his face. “I can do this, I can do this. Don’t touch, I can do this.”

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