by Emma Knox
If he does what Whit says, I can't just take him by force.
“You’re worried now, aren’t you,” Whit gloated. When I turned back to him, he had this confident smirk on his face that made my blood boil, as if he was completely confident that Evan would be staying because he said so. “Why don’t you just get back in your car and go home, or however way you made it here, huh?”
“No way in hell,” I growled back.
There was no way I was going to leave my Omega and my baby here, especially when I didn’t even know how they would be treated.
A while passed as we waited, and still, there was no sign of Evan showing up. Give him a little more time, I thought to myself, even as I felt impatience growing I my chest.
What if he stays…
It was taking so long, and my confidence was crumbling. Just as I was beginning to doubt myself, Evan came out of the front door with a suitcase in hand. I looked at him in relief, walking forward in hurried steps to take the suitcase from him.
I practically dragged him all the way to the car, worried Whit might try to stop us, and we jumped into my car, with Evan’s luggage thrown in the backseat, and we drove away immediately.
Chapter 14
Max
It had been months since the first attack, and in the time since, the shifter community had seen a few more Beta attacks occur in Juneau. The council was still doing its best to make sure people didn’t go completely crazy, but it was impossible to control a group of angry Alphas, even for the council.
There were hunts going around for the Betas involved. In some unlucky cases, a lot of Betas were being caught and punished, whether they had a hand in the attacks or not.
I and my pack, however, stayed out of the conflict. I was sure it would only spark problems for us. I was pretty sure all our Betas were well behaved, and there weren’t that many, anyway. I had people on the lookout for anything suspicious, but there had been nothing yet, and I couldn’t help but feel relieved.
There were some Alphas that looked down on me over my ‘stay out of it’ attitude. But what other choice could I possibly have? With Evan being pregnant, I didn’t want to risk a counterstrike against my pack. I also had other Alphas patrolling through the woods occasionally just in case we were attacked as well, and the whole pack ready to defend itself.
Also, the best part? Was that I was in my home. Not the home of the Alpha, but mine, the house I built with my own hands—of course, with help from my pack members—and my late Alpha even chipping in. It was a little against protocol, but Dad had said it was okay. Besides, it was still really close to the main house, as long as I stepped out my front door I could see the mansion clearly. So if anything ever happened, I knew to rush Evan over there, because it would have better positions for a counter attack.
So far, though, as long as we stuck to ourselves, things remained peaceful, and I liked them that way.
As for my house, it was a wonderful surprise when Evan got to see it and said he loved it. Actually, he was the whole reason I even got to go back. I ended up talking it over a lot with Dad, and I would eventually have to move into the main house, but currently, it was like I’d acquired a nine to five job to go with my carpentry business. Every morning I would head into ‘work’, do whatever I needed to do, then ‘clock out’ when emergencies rose up, depending on the level of urgency, I carried them out even after work hours.
It was the weekend, and aside from a bunch of pack members coming to me to ask for help on some tasks, I had the day off, so I decided to relax. I was enjoying a lazy afternoon laying in my hammock to the back side of the house. A gentle breeze passed over me, and the sun shone down on me, though dimmed a little by the foliage.
When was the last time I had such a tranquil day? I couldn’t even remember.
It was shattered in the next moment when I heard howling coming from inside the house.
Evan.
My eyes snapped open as I jumped out of the hammock, almost stumbling as I ran inside the house. Evan was in the bedroom, lying on the bed in only a large shirt that he’d slept in. He’d been lazy that morning so I’d let him be, but this…
“Evan, what’s wrong?” I asked, hurrying to his side.
He just whimpered and grabbed onto my hand, so tightly that I winced. He brought that hand over to his stomach, and my eyes widened when I could feel the skin sort of ripple under my hand. Then he pressed that hand under him on the bed, and I realized it was wet.
Shit.
“You’re having the baby right now?”
He nodded his head rapidly, blinking his teary eyes up at me. And then he yelped, his whole body shuddering as he let out another howl.
“Evan!”
Dammit!
There was nothing I could do to help. As an Alpha, I’d never been around an Omega during the birthing, or I would have known at least some way to help out. I knew it would be better to head out to look for help, but I didn’t want to leave him this way.
Lucky for me, he was just loud enough to alarm some of my neighbors, and moments later I heard a harsh knock on my front door.
“Alpha! It’s Amelia, can I come in?”
Amelia was an Omega that lived in one of the houses close to mine. Before, when I was just a carpenter and in line for succession, she would have barged into my house. Right then, though, my status had changed, so she was being polite.
“Get in here!” I roared over my shoulder.
Amelia was one of the reasons I’d felt safe coming back to my house with Evan. If we’d stayed in the main house, getting help for him would have been quick. But living close to Amelia was just as good, because she’d helped Omegas, both male and female, to give birth plenty of times before, and I knew I could trust her.
Once she had my permission, she rushed into the house. When she got to the bedroom where Evan and I were, he’d already quieted down to whimpering.
“He’s gone into labor,” Amelia stated.
I glared at her and snapped, “I know that.”
“You can't be in here, then.”
My eyes widened as I stared at her, dumbfounded. “What?”
Evan heard her and obviously didn’t agree either. He made a rough sound, his fingers digging into my hand.
Amelia looked sadly over the both of us.
“I know you’d rather stay, but Max, an Alpha can’t be around to see their Omega give birth. It’ll just make things worse for the both of you. In the state he’s in, you won’t be able to let others near him to help, even Omegas, and he’s going to need it.”
“I can control myself.”
She shook her head slowly. “No Omega gets near another Alpha’s Omega while in the throes of labor. Do you know, in the old times, the Omega would go into seclusion and give birth by themselves?” She held a hand up when I went to snap at her again. “No one still does that today because it’s too risky. Omegas might be resilient, but even we have our limits. Max, please just trust me. This process isn’t going to be an easy one, and it’ll get worse before it gets better. Evan will need help.”
I knew she was right, about everything, but my instincts were warning me not to leave my mate with this stranger. Even worse, more would probably be coming. I struggled with myself for a little, trying to find some sort of logic to cling to.
Evan will suffer in the end if I remain stubborn.
That was enough to snap me out of it, though I reluctantly moved back. Evan wailed and clutched onto me even tighter, and it broke my heart a little bit when I slipped away from his hold, and looked up to see him watching me with an intense look of betrayal.
Amelia didn’t get closer, either, watching me intently as I hesitated by Evan’s bedside.
“Alpha, I’ll need to trouble you for a few things. I need some towels and hot water. Also, I called a few more people to come and help, please allow them to come in.”
I nodded my head quickly, but didn’t move.
She sighed. “Why don’t you go o
ut and call your Omega father to come? He can help, too, even if it’s just with his presence. You trust him the most, don’t you?”
I nodded even faster, and forced my legs to move into the house. Dad and Evan had gotten to know each other over the past several months. He was the only person I didn’t have to be so guarded against around Evan, since the baby was his grandchild, after all. He was very interested in the progress of the pregnancy, and I was sure if I told him Evan was about to give birth, he could take my place to comfort him.
With a plan in mind, I went to the kitchen to start up some water. Then, I looked around the house for all the towels I had. The bedroom door had been locked, and I could hear Evan making unhappy noises from inside. I didn’t dare go in, just knocked on the door so Amelia would take the towels.
“The hot water will take some time,” I muttered, my fists tight at my sides so I would control myself.
Amelia nodded in satisfaction. “It’s fine. Look outside, there should be someone loitering. Have them go bring your Omega father.”
I nodded mechanically and slowly walked away. Staying away from Evan in his current state was testing the limits of my control, but I knew everything Amelia said was true. If I saw too many shifters, even if they were Omega, surrounding my Omega while he was in so much pain, I might just shift and attack them. If already realized how territorial I was about Evan and his pregnancy, since the biggest reason we moved out of the main house was because it was crawling with Alphas, and I didn’t like any of them being too near Evan.
It put everyone on edge, so when I went to my Omega father and asked if we could move back into my old house for the duration of his pregnancy, he’d agreed immediately and practically kicked me out, even though it was unheard of for the pack Alpha not to live in the main house.
When I opened the front door, sure enough, there were people standing around outside. They must have been attracted by the noise, though one group of Omegas stood separately from the rest. My eyes snapped on them, and they all took a step back in alarm.
I wondered just what look I had on my face.
“You four, are you all here because of Amelia?”
I got four quick nods of agreement.
“Then get inside. There’s water heating up in the kitchen, I’ll have to trouble one of you to get it to Amelia as soon as it boils.”
I didn’t think I could go near there again without losing control. I stepped out and to the side to give them room, and they practically flew inside to get away from me as fast as possible. A territorial Alpha was a dangerous thing to all shifters, even Omegas and Betas.
Then I looked through the crowd and pointed at an Alpha I knew. He was still just a kid, about as old as Evan, and he startled to be picked out of the crowd.
“You, run to the main house and get my father, tell him Evan is giving birth. Hurry.”
“Yes, Alpha!” he said immediately, then turned to run.
“The rest of you, keep your distance,” I told the ones remaining outside.
They all moved backwards and out of the way.
I went back into the living room and started pacing around as I waited for Dad to get there. I was feeling like a damn caged animal with nowhere to go, and it left me feeling so damn irritated. No Alpha would dare enter my territory the way things stood now, but I almost wished someone would dare so I could have something to focus my attention on.
Attacking my pack members for being curious, or caring about what was going on, though, would be inappropriate.
Thankfully, Dad didn’t take too long, appearing at my doorstep within minutes.
“Max!” he shouted, sounding frantic.
I turned to him in relief, pulling him into a hug, then almost immediately shoving him off.
“It’s Evan, Dad. He’s about to give birth. Can you please—?”
“Of course I’ll stay with him,” he said quickly, interrupting me. “I wouldn’t leave him alone in a time like this when you couldn’t be there. Is he alone?”
I shook my head. “Amelia and some other Omegas are in there helping him already.”
“That’s good,” he said with a nod. Then he rubbed my hair and shoulders, and I realized my body was trembling. “You need to relax, okay? I won’t let anything happen to him in there. As soon as the baby is born, I’ll come and let you know, okay?”
I nodded, feeling myself start to relax a bit. But then Dad left, and I could feel my anxiety growing again.
The birthing took hours. I kind of admired myself, that I’d been able to control myself for that long, actually. Evan kept howling, sounding in so much pain that I wanted to cut my heart out and give it to him if it would make him feel better. I didn’t dare get near the bedroom, though.
What felt like an eternity later, though, there was finally silence. At least, I thought there was, but I was just a bit jarred to hear Evan’s howling stopped. In place of him, was a different sound, a small, high pitched crying.
The baby.
I ran out to the bedroom, but stopped just at the door, because I wasn’t sure whether I was allowed in yet. I waited, and waited, and what felt like another eternity later, but was probably not even ten minutes, the door opened. Amelia and the other Omegas had retreated to one side of the room. She was the one that had opened the door, while the others had their head bowed in respect, holding themselves stiffly. I didn’t even care about them in that moment, though, looking toward the bed where Evan and my dad were looking down at something wrapped tightly in a bundle.
When I stepped into the room, they both looked up at me with a smile. The other Omegas were moving around, cleaning up the room and leaving, but I barely paid attention to them. Evan looked exhausted, but satisfied and even proud, and Dad was wearing the same expression, only with less exhaustion and more joy.
“You’re now the father of a healthy baby boy,” Dad said, handing the bundle over to Evan completely, then moving out of the way to leave room for me. “I’ll go give the news to everyone and leave the two of you alone.”
He clapped a hand on my arm on his way out. I walked woodenly over to Evan’s side and knelt beside the bed, too worried I’d bother them both if I sat beside him. Evan looked at me lovingly, then pushed aside the blankets so I could look at our baby.
“He’s perfect,” Evan whispered.
I didn’t say anything, but I totally agreed.
Epilogue
Evan
I woke up in the bedroom with my baby cuddled to my chest and Max nowhere to be found. I pursed my lips, feeling a bit sad, because it had been happening a lot ever since the baby was born.
Well, I’m partly to blame about that.
Just like Alphas were territorial with their mates, Omegas were territorial over their children, even when it came to their Alpha. It had been fine at first, because I was so exhausted I slept for most of the first two days, but then it started.
I knew Max wouldn’t try something with the baby, but it went against my instincts to let him near the baby for prolonged periods of time. I didn’t tell him, but his Dad must have let him know, because he’d been giving us space. He waited until I was asleep before joining us on the bed, holding the both of us close for warmth, but he’d be off the bed when I woke up.
“Good morning, sunshine.”
I looked over my shoulder at Max as he walked into the room with a tray, feeling relief flow through me, then happiness.
“Morning,” I answered back happily. “What’s for breakfast?”
“Something healthy and full of plenty of iron and protein, and other vitamins.”
I hadn't left the bed much since the birthing. Mostly because I had lost a lot of blood then, and my body was at its weakest so I wasn’t bouncing back so quickly. It happened a lot, or so I’d heard, especially with male Omegas with their first babies, which was why the old ways of dealing with things was no longer done. When I’d heard that if I’d been born a century or two earlier, or even half a century ago, I would ha
ve had to lock myself in my room and give birth on my own, I’d been trembling for hours in horror. It had taken Max laying down with me and the baby and holding us both to calm me down in the end.
Only, when I regained my senses again, I unconsciously growled at him, and he’d left.
I sat up against the headboard with some pillows supporting me behind my back. I held the baby in my arms, and Max sat beside me and fed me. This had happened before, too, and at least when I was eating, my instincts weren’t going wild around Max. I knew he gave me space entirely for my sake. I didn’t like that I couldn’t be relaxed with him around, so whether he was around or not, I was bothered, but I was slowly growing used to it, and he seemed to know when to give me space, and when to invade my space so I wasn’t left depressed.
This would go on for a month or so, and I couldn’t wait for the first month to be over.
“What are you doing today?” I asked once I’d eaten everything and Max had put the tray away.
“Well, today, I delegated some work to my people, and I’m going to look after you the whole day.”
I gave him a look. “Isn’t that what you’ve been doing the past two weeks?”
I wasn’t really annoyed, though, and while I was still relaxed, I leaned against his shoulder to savor his warmth.
“There isn’t anything too important that needs my attention at the moment, delegating it all is fine for now. Once it gets really busy, I’d be leaving you alone more.”
I sighed, because that wasn’t really what I wanted, either.
After a long moment of the two of us just enjoying each other’s company and watching over the baby as he slept, there was a knock on the door that made Max’s body jolt. I pulled away to look up at him.
