Sage hung back and waited until the others finished. He and his twin shared a glance before Reece sauntered away.
“I’m glad you’re staying,” Sage told him. “It means a lot to Rina.”
“To me as well.” He and Rina had been close since she’d been born. The year where they’d lost contact had been the worst of his life. He enjoyed being close to her and would have hated to see that jeopardized.
“You’re a good mate,” he told Sage. “I’m glad Rina has you.”
Sage nodded and jerked his head toward the house. “Let’s go. You know the women won’t settle until they see us.”
Mikhail was eager to see his mate. He savored the word. Deep satisfaction filled him. He had everything he’d ever wanted and more.
There was a tremendous look of relief in Elise’s eyes when he entered with Sage right behind him. She was wearing her hair in a braid that hung down the front of her dress. He’d enjoy unwrapping it when they were alone.
She was looking a little pale. He strode to her side and hunkered down beside her. “You feeling okay, baby?” He kept his voice low but knew everyone was listening. Privacy was nonexistent when they were together like this.
She nodded and then touched his jaw. “Is everything settled?”
He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “Yes.” That was all that needed to be said until they were home alone. “Are you going to be able to eat?” Now that they were mated and the pack had accepted him, there was nothing for him to worry about but Elise’s health.
Her throat rippled as she swallowed. “I think so.”
“Is there anything special you’d like?” Gator didn’t even pretend he wasn’t listening to their conversation. “Just name it, and I’ll make it.”
Her smile turned her from lovely to absolutely stunning. “Thank you, Gator. I’m sure whatever you’re making will be fine.”
“Roast beef, potatoes, green beans, carrots, and dinner rolls.”
She swallowed again. “On second thought, maybe I’ll stick with the dinner rolls.”
“Would you like some soup,” Gwen offered. “I found chicken noodle soup good when I was pregnant with the boys.”
“Tomato soup,” she announced. “That was my go-to meal when I was carrying Jacque and Louis. And crackers, if you have any.”
“I’m on it.” Gator was digging through the cupboard and produced a box of saltines with a flourish. He poured some into a bowl and brought them to the table.
Mikhail slid into his chair beside Elise and watched as the rest of the pack saw to her needs. Flustered by all the attention, she looked to him for help. He smiled, took her hand in his, and gently squeezed to remind her she was no longer alone.
She smiled that soft smile he loved so well, the one she only used for him. He could see the love and acceptance in her eyes, along with the joy that she was carrying their child.
He wasn’t quite as worried any longer. Elise was healthy and strong. And there was an entire pack who loved her and would help him take care of her over the next few months.
Elise nibbled on a saltine. “What are you smiling at? Whatever it is, you look quite pleased with yourself.”
“I am.” He ignored the rest of the pack and kissed her. “I got the girl, didn’t I?” he reminded her.
She nuzzled her nose against his. “And I got a wolf of my very own.”
Everyone laughed, including him. Mikhail leaned over and proceeded to kiss her senseless.
Epilogue
“Why is it taking so long?” Mikhail glared at Corrine as if it were somehow her fault the baby hadn’t arrived yet.
Elise patted his hand and breathed through another contraction. “It hasn’t been all that long,” she told him.
He looked at her as though she’d lost her mind. “It’s been eight hours since your water broke.”
She rested during the slight reprieve. Sweat rolled down her face. She was glad she was naked under the sheet draped over her. “I was in labor for fifteen hours with Jacque. Thirteen for Louis.”
Mikhail looked appalled. “How could they do that to you?”
In spite of her fatigue and the beginnings of another contraction, Elise couldn’t help but laugh. “It wasn’t intentional.”
The look he shot her said he wasn’t fully convinced. She’d come to know and love her mate more than she’d ever thought possible over the past seven months.
“Breathe,” Corrine ordered.
Elise panted as the pain rippled across her distended stomach. Mikhail clenched her hand so tightly she flinched. He growled and immediately eased up on the pressure.
She was so glad he was here. She’d borne her first two children with only the pack midwife to attend her, and the woman had hated Elise for being the alpha female. She’d done little to comfort Elise or ease her pain.
This time around was so different. She’d been pampered and cosseted the past seven months. Mikhail had read every book on the subject he could find. He might have practically raised Rina, but he’d been away during most of his mother’s pregnancy, coming home just before his sister had been born.
She could hear the others outside the bedroom. They’d gathered soon after she’d gone into labor. Delicious smells wafted into the room whenever the door was opened. She knew Gator and Anny were keeping everyone fed.
Another pain gripped her. This one the worst yet. She gritted her teeth and cried out.
Corrine had raised the sheet past Elise’s knees and was keeping a close watch on things. “We’re close to pushing. But not yet.”
Elise nodded and panted. She licked her lips, and Mikhail held a straw to her mouth to allow her a small sip of water before she even asked. He mopped the sweat from her brow with a towel and then pressed a cool compress against her skin.
He kissed her forehead and told her how well she was doing. She tried to smile, but it was getting harder to do. The urge to push grew overwhelming. This time, when a contraction hit, she pushed.
“That’s it,” Corrine encouraged. “Bear down, Elise.”
She gritted her teeth, groaned, and did as instructed. The pressure between her legs grew. There was no resting between contractions this time. The next one was on her as soon as the last one ended.
“Again,” Corrine ordered.
Elise tipped her head back and yelled. She knew Mikhail was holding her hand but couldn’t really feel it. Nothing else existed but the need to bring her baby into the world. Then the pressure finally released, and she heard Mikhail gasp.
“The baby?” she managed. Corrine was busy working, but Elise couldn’t see anything. Then Elise heard a small cry, and her heart swelled in her chest. “Give me my baby.”
“Almost there, Mama,” Corrine told her. A short time later, her friend stood with a bundle in her arms. “Say hello to your little girl.”
“A girl,” she breathed, thrilled to her toes. She turned to Mikhail to see how he was reacting to the news. Most men wanted sons. They hadn’t known the sex of the child because werewolves never went to human doctors.
A tear rolled down his face, but he was smiling from ear to ear. “A baby girl. I have a daughter.” He looked at Elise. “We have a daughter.” He sounded as dazed as she felt. He leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. “Thank you.”
Corrine held the baby out to her. “Want to meet your little girl?”
Elise held her arms out. “Give her to me.” She held her breath until Corrine put the child in her arms. A little face with unfocused blue eyes stared back at her. She had a shock of brown hair with a glint of red. “She looks just like you,” she told Mikhail.
He reached out and ran a finger down the side of the baby’s face. Their little girl turned her head toward him. “No, my love, she takes after her gorgeous mother.”
Corrine laughed and busied herself cleaning up. “Have you decided on a name?”
“Emma,” Elise told her friend. “We decided if it was a girl we’d call h
er Emmaline Mikhala.” Elise unfolded the blanket so she could inspect her baby. The little girl kicked her legs into the air. “Look, Mikhail. She’s perfect.”
“Just like her mother.” He kissed both her and the baby on the forehead. I’ll take good care of you both.”
“I know you will.” As much as she wanted to keep holding Emma, it was time for her to meet her father. “Do you want to hold her?”
Mikhail took the baby, exhibiting none of the fear or tentativeness that most new fathers did. She knew it was because of his experience with Rina when she was a baby. He cradled their child to his chest and cupped his big hand around the back of her head. “Daddy loves you,” he told her. “I have since the first moment I knew about you.”
“What’s going on?” Jacque banged on the door. “Is everything okay?”
Elise heard the fear in her son’s voice and looked at her mate. Emma still in his arms, he walked to the door and pulled it open. “Come in and meet your sister.”
A huge grin split Jacque’s face. “A little girl.” He stroked his hand over the baby’s head. “Welcome to the pack.”
The rest of their family and friends filed into the room, everyone stopping to greet the baby before making their way over to the bed to congratulate her. Exhaustion pulled at her, but she wasn’t giving in until she held Emma one more time.
Jacque and Louis came to her and knelt on either side of the bed. They each took hold of one of her hands. “How are you feeling?” Jacque asked.
“Amazing.”
“You look tired.” Louis frowned.
“You would, too, if you’d just given birth.” Louis had the grace to look slightly abashed.
“I suppose I would.”
“What do you think of your sister?” She watched their expressions and began to worry when Louis scowled.
“She’s never dating,” her younger son announced.
Elise couldn’t help but laugh. “I think it’s too late for that.” She nodded toward the middle of the room. Mikhail had knelt on one knee so the children could meet the baby. Etienne looked positively enthralled.
“Etienne already told me he was going to mate with her if I had a girl,” she informed her sons.
Jacque simply shook his head. “That boy is as focused as his papa.” He kissed her on her forehead and then stood. “Time for you to rest.”
Louis kissed her and then they began the slow task of herding everyone else out of the room until it was only the three of them. Emma was starting to fuss, so Mikhail brought her over to the bed and placed her in Elise’s arms. “She needs her mother.”
Elise thought he might leave, but he sprawled out on the bed next to her, careful not to jolt her. Unlike human women, she would heal quickly from childbirth and be back on her feet tomorrow.
“Gator has soup and sandwiches ready whenever you’re hungry,” he told her.
She pushed aside the sheet and put the baby to her breast. Emma rooted around for a few seconds before latching on. Primal instincts welled up inside her. She loved her baby and would protect her with her life.
“You’re not sorry, are you?” She hated to ask, but she had to.
Mikhail shook his head. “How could I be sorry? I’m the luckiest man in the world. You not only gave me yourself, you also gave me a child. I’d given up believing I’d ever have either.”
He took Emma from her when it became obvious the baby had fallen asleep. He made sure she was wrapped securely in the blanket and placed her against his chest. “We have a lot of years ahead of us, my love. She’ll grow up before we know it.”
“I know.” She reached out and took his hand. “But you’ll always have me.”
“And that’s all that matters.”
Love enveloped her. Life was about as perfect as it could be. It was hard to remember it was less than a year ago that she’d sat out on her front porch on a snowy morning, much like this one, and watched Mikhail walk toward her. So much had changed since then.
For all of them.
The pack was safe, and all the couples were happy. Elise said a silent prayer of thanks for the day her sons and their friends had decided to leave Louisiana to start their own pack in North Carolina. The place had lived up to its name and become their salvation.
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Acknowledgments
As always, thank you to Heidi and to everyone at Entangled for all your hard work.
Thank you to my online community, to all the amazing authors and readers that I am privileged to call my friends. Your support and encouragement means so much.
About the Author
Once upon a time N.J. had the idea that she would like to quit her job at the bookstore, sell everything she owned, leave her hometown, and write romance novels in a place where no one knew her. And she did. Two years later, she went back to the bookstore and her hometown and settled in for another seven years. One day she gave notice at her job on a Friday morning. On Sunday afternoon, she received a tentative acceptance for her first erotic romance novel and life would never be the same. N.J. has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons, time-travelers, seductive handymen, and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks—all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.
Don’t miss the Salvation series…
Wolf at the Door
Wolf in Her Bed
Wolf on the Run
Wolf from the Past
Wolf on the Hunt
Wolf on a Mission
Wolf in His Heart
Wolf in Her Soul
Also by N.J. Walters…
Night of the Tiger
Mark of the Bear
Pride of the Lion
Howl of the Wolf
Heart of the Serpent
Flame of the Phoenix
Lure of the Jaguar
Alexandra’s Legacy
Isaiah’s Haven
Legacy Found
Quinn’s Quest
Finding Chrissten
Damek’s Redemption
Craig’s Heart
Drakon’s Promise
Drakon’s Prey
Drakon’s Plunder
Drakon’s Past
A Touch of Magick
Dreams of Seduction
Love in Flames
Discovering Dani
The Way Home
The Return of Patrick O’Rourke
The Seduction of Shamus O’Rourke
A Legal Affair
By the Book
Past Promises
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