Birthing their son

Lyra

The warm sunlight filtered through the window as I sat with Calista, sipping the tea she had prepared. Calista is the wife of Alpha Jaxon of the Crewwood pack, who had graciously accepted to accomodate me in their home. His wife has been a good friend since I arrived.

“Do you ever think about how different things could have been?” Calista asked, her voice soft as she stared out at the forest beyond the window.

I glanced at her, sensing the weight behind her question. 

“All the time,” I admitted. “Growing up, I used to dream about my mate — how he’d sweep me off my feet, and how we’d be so in love from the moment we met. I was naïve, I suppose.”

Calista smiled, but there was a hint of sadness in her eyes. “We all had those dreams at some point. It’s hard not to, with all the stories we hear as children.”

I nodded, my mind drifting back to those innocent days when I believed in fairy tales. 

“When I met Damian… I thought maybe, just maybe, those dreams could come true. But it was nothing like I imagined. He was cold, distant… He barely even looked at me, let alone swept me off my feet.”

“Did you ever ask him why?” Calista asked gently.

I shook my head. 

“No. I was too scared. My father arranged our marriage, saying it was the elders’ decision, so I understand why Damian never loved me. He never wanted me but he had to fulfill his duty. I tried to make it work, hoping that maybe one day, he’d see me, really see me, and maybe come to ….”

Suddenly, a sharp pain ripped through my abdomen, doubling me over. The words died in my throat as I gasped for breath, clutching my belly.

“Lyra?” Calista’s voice was filled with concern as she quickly moved to my side. “What’s wrong?”

“I—I don’t know,” I panted, the pain intensifying. “It hurts… Oh gods, it hurts!”

Calista’s face paled as realization dawned on her. “It’s the baby… He’s coming.”

Panic surged through me as another wave of pain hit, stronger this time. My vision blurred with tears, and I could barely think through the agony. I clutched Calista’s arm. “Ahhh!”

“Shh, it’s okay,” Calista said, her voice calm as she tried to soothe me. “We need to get you to Sable right away. She’ll know what to do.”

Calista called for Jaxon, who burst into the room moments later, his expression filled with worry. 

“What’s happening?” he demanded, his eyes flicking between us.

“She’s in labor,” Calista explained quickly. “We need to get her to Sable now.”

Without hesitation, Jaxon scooped me up in his arms, carrying me as if I weighed nothing to the car. Calista sat with me in the back and I clung to her, trying to focus on anything other than the pain that tore through me. But it was all-consuming, a fire in my belly that threatened to burn me alive.

As we drove through the pack house, everything became a blur— the roofs of the houses as we moved, the trees along the pack, the cold sweat that drenched my skin. All I could think about was my son, praying desperately that he would be okay.

Finally, we reached the pack hospital, and Jaxon laid me down on a soft bed. Sable was already there, her sharp eyes taking in everything as she immediately began preparing for the birth with a nurse that came to help her.

“Stay with me, Lyra,” Sable said firmly as she placed a reassuring hand on my forehead. “I know it hurts, but you have to be strong. For your son.”

“I—I can’t,” I sobbed, the pain so intense I could barely think. “It’s too much…”

“You can,” Calista said, her voice close to my ear as she knelt beside me, gripping my hand tightly. “You’re strong, Lyra. You can do this. We’re here with you.”

Their words washed over me, grounding me as I fought to hold on. Sable moved quickly, her hands skilled and sure as she guided me through each contraction. I was vaguely aware of her speaking to me, her voice a lifeline in the storm, but I was too far gone in the pain to make sense of it.

Time lost all meaning as I struggled to bring my son into the world. I screamed, I cried, and I thought I might die from the sheer agony of it all. But then, finally, after what felt like an eternity, there was a new sound—my baby’s first cry.

The room seemed to still, and for a moment, I forgot the pain, the fear, everything. All I could focus on was that tiny, perfect sound. My son was alive. He was here.

Sable placed him in my arms, and I looked down at him, tears streaming down my face. He was so small, so fragile, but so beautiful. I had never felt love like this before, a love so fierce it took my breath away.

“You did it, Lyra,” Calista whispered, her voice thick with emotion as she stroked my hair. “He’s perfect.”

I nodded, unable to speak as I gazed at my son, my heart swelling with a mixture of awe and disbelief. I had brought him into this world, despite everything. I had protected him, and now he was safe in my arms.

But as I held him close, something strange happened. I felt a new awareness, a connection I hadn’t noticed before. It was as if I could sense his thoughts, his feelings. And then, to my shock, I realized I could hear him in my mind.

Mommy…

My breath caught in my throat, and I noticed that I was hearing different noises in my head too. It was like a different world was in my head with many people who wouldn’t shut up. I tried to understand what was happening but Sable calmed me down. She told me I need to rest. 

Sable is not just a midwife in Crewwood pack hospital, she was also a healer. So when she told me to relax and sleep, I listened to her and soon I was drifting through dreamland.

***

The scent of antiseptic and cleaning agents filled my nostrils as I sat by the window, cradling my newborn son in my arms. His tiny, delicate fingers curled around my thumb, and I felt a surge of protectiveness so strong it brought tears to my eyes. 

He was perfect, with a head full of dark hair and the brightest blue eyes I had ever seen. He has his father’s eyes. My heart swelled with love, but also with fear. What kind of life could I give him, running from my father and a husband who never wanted me? I wondered how his father is feeling right now. Surely he will know his heir has been born?

A gentle knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts.