Page 78 of His Rejected Alpha Mate
“Blake? Is everything okay?” I wondered if Dakota was earning an extra sensory gift. He’d started picking up on moods before they could be expressed.
“You need to bring Jasper. Kade’s shifted and he can’t shift back. He spent the entire night making a nest.” Blake sounded absolutely terrified.
Dakota was calm. “Have you called my dad?”
“Can you? Kota, I’m freaking out here. It’s too soon.”
“I’ll call him, but you shouldn’t worry. It might be days or even a week yet before he gives birth. We’ll be there soon.” He ended the call, and we shared a look.
“Twenty-one weeks is early, but with multiple births, it isn’t unexpected. The babies might be small.”
“Small, maybe. Strong? For sure.” He made a quick call to his parents, who were thankfully on the compound in the clinic with Ívarr going over yet more blood samples.
We rushed towards the main house, leaving our things behind and shouting greetings to pack mates as we passed. It was sorely tempting to shift and run, since moving was increasingly difficult with how large my stomach was getting.
While the pack was mostly back to normal, there was still an air of expectation. The beta sickness had left the pack worried and scared. Our casualties had been few in the scheme of things, an elderly beta close to the end of their life, four betas in varying ages and worst of all, a baby. The mother had miscarried, leaving us all distraught. The pack had held a memorial for the lost betas.
All the betas had been changed by the experience somehow. Chase was quieter and spent more time alone. Axel would vanish for hours at a time rather than follow his alpha like a shadow. Others, like Melody, saw the sickness as an opportunity to show how necessary betas were to the pack, asking for more responsibility and better conditions.
The notion that he didn’t appreciate the betas had sickened Blake, and he had put into place many of the changes that they had asked for. Dakota still had his old co-workers in the factory and they were now a permanent fixture and considered as pack. I had help in the school, which was useful with the amount of children coming to it from Sweetwater and even Northarbor.
The Sweetwater pack had a disproportionate amount of young compared to other packs, prompting jealousy and attacks from the other packs. The pride was our closest ally, yet they still kept us at a distance. They sent their young to the school but under guard. At least they had stopped sending alphas after the first day when they were made to wait outside the gate to the omega center.
At the bottom of the stairs, I had to pause and pant for breath. “Gimme a minute,” I huffed out. Dakota didn’t hesitate. He swooped down and picked me up into his muscular arms bridal style. Pecking a kiss on his cheek, I let myself be carried up the stairs while I got my breath back.
The rooms were busy when we entered. Dakota’s parents were already there, equipment being set out as Chase, Axel and Blake looked on worriedly.
Kade was in his nest of blankets in the center of the room, lying on his left side. They had cleared away the furniture to the edges of the room and the lights turned low, the curtains closed, making the space secured to prying eyes. His breaths were heavy with pain, his amber eyes glassy.
I got to my knees at the edge of his nest asking quietly, “you doing okay?” He shuffled closer, allowing me to touch his snout. “You are an omega. You’re made for this. Feel your wolf, how it is both male and female? Let the female inside guide you.” My son had helped me have a better relationship with my alter, helping me accept their duality. It was my turn to help him remember just how easily they could do this.
Omega males were unusual in that, while in their alter forms, they were both male and female, having both sets of sex organs. We didn’t know why, just that it had always been like that. We had lost much of our history over the years, including the reason male omegas were made differently.
“Are you sure it’s safe?” Axel asked.
“Like I told Blake—“ Aldrin began in a short tone. James put a quelling hand on his arm.
“As Aldrin said to Blake, all evidence says that the babies will be fine. They might be smaller, but at this stage their lungs are ready. They will thrive from having the extra space.”
“So it’s happening today?” I couldn’t help but ask.
Kade let out a little whine and got up, moved in a circle, and shifted to his right side before lying down again. Blake ran a hand down his flank and whispered words of comfort.
“It’s happening now. Unfortunately, we can’t wait for Michaella to arrive. Alpha, I think you should shift and help with the sacs as the pups emerge. Jasper, I’d like you to come sit and hold Kade’s head in your lap. Dakota behind you for support.”
“What should we do?” I could feel the anxiety coming off Axel in waves. There were traces of a vision trying to push forth from my consciousness, but I threw up a mental wall to keep it at bay. I needed to be there in the moment with my son and his mate.
This was a blessing like no other. To be with them as they welcomed their babies into the world. Months ago, I would have never believed that this was possible for us. For Kade, it nearly wasn’t.
“Come settle down next to Blake and use your touch to keep him calm. Your worry will put his wolf on edge. He’ll need to use his alpha power over Kade to control the pain.”
Aldrin and James expertly moved us all into a position where they could still assist with the birth while they gave each of us a role, preventing us from freaking out or getting in the way. I was grateful to them for their quiet and calm manner.
Blake lay in wolf form, eye to eye with Kade’s wolf. His eyes glowed with his alpha power as he used their bond to lessen the pain from the contractions. He kept his focus on Kade as an hour passed and then two.
I petted my son’s wolf form, grateful to be there with him and to share the experience even with my butt going numb and cramping in my leg. Dakota rubbed it, trying to get the blood flow back into it, and I sent him a grateful smile. Having his support meant so much to me. I could never have imagined Rincoln here in his place. He wouldn’t have loved and cherished our children how Dakota did.
Aldrin examined Kade and muttered, “won’t be long now.”
