Page 86 of His Rejected Alpha Mate
Needing prompting to join us, Dakota stood just outside the nest. My fox went to him and carefully took his fingers in our mouth and tugged him towards the middle. “Hold on, my fox. I need to shift and help with your pain.”
Honestly, our pain had eased now that our mate was with us. Fixing the blankets had helped with our general discomfort. We allowed Dakota to move back and watched as his shift came over him.
His bear was glorious. Every time that I saw it, it struck me how beautiful he was in that form. Our fox form sauntered over to him and wound all around him so our scents mixed properly. They butted their head into his side to push him towards the mound of blankets.Scent. On.The pain had increased, limiting our words.
Our bear followed our instructions and curled into the reconstructed nest. We settled into his side and he tilted his head so we were eye to eye. There was something primal about being like this with him. An experience that I wouldn’t have missed despite my fox’s independent nature.
We had no concept of time in this form. It passed as it did as the contractions got closer together. We panted and locked eyes with our mate as he used his alpha power to limit our pain.
Our parents arrived. Aldrin examined us as James praised our bear. They both petted the bear and the fox. The scent of family was soothing. If Angel was older, we would have liked her to experience her brother entering the world. We were sad that Kade missed it. Our grandbabies were too important to leave. Even in this form, we knew that.
“Time to push that baby out, Jasper.” Aldrin urged as he lifted our tail to check the progress.
Push.Dakota sent a surge of alpha power through me. My will became his. I pushed.
Within moments, they placed a bundle in front of our snouts. Together, Dakota and I washed our cub clean, and he took his first breath in the world.
Our son opened his violet eyes. His rich brown fur was threaded with white. He was flawless.
“Wow, I’ve never seen that shade on a bear before. It’s stunning!” James exclaimed.
“One of my great aunts had eyes that color. Fur too.” Aldrin mused. “She was a rare species of bear that had long lost its name. In her alter she dwarfed all the others. I wonder if the baby—“
“Hayden.” James interrupted.
“Yes, I wonder if Hayden’s bear will be like her, and it was a recessive trait.”
Our son looked at us both, and I saw the knowledge of the world reflected in his eyes. Babies were so wise. In a blink, he shifted and a perfect baby boy with a shock of brown hair wriggled in our nest.
“May I?” James asked before we attempted to pick up our son. We inclined our head and my alter ceded control. I pushed the shift and lay utterly exhausted in the frankly yucky mess. I needed to get away from there.
Dakota shifted, too. Grabbed a couple of clean towels and wiped us down. With the traces of sweat and other things gone, he picked me up and settled me on the bed, pulling a fresh blanket around me as I shivered.
Finished with his examination, Aldrin passed Hayden to James, who looked lovingly at our baby before handing him to me. “Hello my beautiful boy, welcome to the family.” I said to our baby.
James and Aldrin left the room with the excuse of making me some tea and toast, allowing us to bond. I held our baby skin to skin for a little while before handing our treasure over to his daddy.
“Here, Daddy. Hold your son.”
Dakota held our precious bundle cupped in his massive hands, and they stared at each other. “Welcome, little cub. We love you so much!” His eyes became misty, and I watched as a single tear trailed down his cheek. He cradled Hayden against his furry chest, Hayden grasping at the hairs. “I love you Jasper. Thank you for giving me our son.”
We enjoyed the moment until Aldrin and James came back with a tray laden full.
“Could I hold him?” James asked, longing apparent on his face. I could tell he wanted to properly hug him in grandpa mode, not nurse James mode. He wanted to pepper that sweet face with kisses.
Dakota looked at me for permission first. “Of course! Hayden, go to your grandpa.” James’s eyes welled with tears at the name.
“So you’re set on the name then?” James asked as he cuddled the little baby close.
“Angelica did name him,” said Dakota.
“Actually, I was thinking of a minor change to the name.” I said.
“Yeah?” Dakota looked at me, confused.
“I was thinking of Hayden Cooper Flemming, since Cooper will always be with us. I wanted to honor his memory. What do you think?”
Dakota stared at me, shocked for a second. “It’s perfect. You’re perfect.” Dakota crushed me to him. “Thank you.”
