Jade’s pov: I might not know what was going on, but I knew that whatever mom was going to say was big… I could feel that it would be some kind of earth shattering revelation, which might just wreck my world all over again. I wasn’t sure I could handle anything, considering I had just given birth, but I knew that there was no helping it. I wanted to know the truth more than I needed my next breath. “Your dad loved you dearly… and so do I. You know that, right?” Mom began, her eyes glassy, but refusing to stop or look me in the eyes. “We would have happily gone to hell for you.” “Mom, you’re scaring me,” I gulped down my dread and anxiety. “Just tell me what’s wrong please.” “Nothing’s wrong,” she shook her head negatively. “You’re just coming into your legacy, sweetheart.” What legacy? I was tempted to echo after her, but was too hurt, numb, and confused to speak up. What was she on about? I couldn’t bear the suspense, and yet I wasn’t sure I was ready for whatever she was about
Alex’s pov: Even though I was shaken up, and looking anxiously at the damned red circle every few seconds, I knew what needed to be done, and I had to act quickly. Jade appeared to be peacefully asleep to any onlooker, but not only did I trust Paulina’s assessment, but I also could tell that her heartbeat was growing weaker. “You’re not leaving me,” I mumbled, more to myself than anyone else, but that had the knack to make my parents look at me. Paulina told me I needed to give blood to my beloved Jade, and Anna had told me that I needed to kiss her. And it was therefore with no hesitation whatsoever that I let my beastly fangs protrude, to my parents’ horror. “What’s going on?” My dad rose to his feet, seemingly ready to intervene. Thankfully, Luc handled him well, and said simply, “Let’s trust Alpha Xander.” The looks mom was sending me were of abject worry. Lucille’s eyes, however, were tender and trusting. She even nodded at me for some reason. And then, I was sinking
Alex’s pov: Jade’s mom took it upon herself to feed our newborn baby, using a bottle, while my beloved mate remained blissfully unaware of the anguish she was putting me through. I remained seated by her side, my eyes trained on her peaceful face, refusing to budge, despite Luc’s urging and Trevor’s reassurances. I just ended up telling them once I was fed up with their senseless talk, “I intend to stay here until she wakes up.” Lucille Falls was sitting on the other side of Jade, our little Tyler crying softly in her arms, as if he was seeking his mother’s warmth, of which he was deprived. “But Alpha Xander,” Luc argued after a moment, and his use of my title made me look at him. He was addressing the Alpha, not his friend. “I have received word that it’s not just Paulina and Anna who are coming. Beta Marc has come along, and I would hate for something as minor as welcoming them into our pack to land us in some trouble.” “I trust you, Luc,” I said simply. “And I see you as the b
Jade’s pov: “I can see the head. Please push, Luna Jade,” the mid-wife told me in a soft albeit urgent tone of voice. I did as I was told, crying out, but maintaining a good flow of energy nonetheless. The effort to keep some sort of balance, while pushing at the same time, made me almost feverish. I could feel myself get sweaty, and it was all I could do not to faint. Despite the epidural, the pain had come back – which was to be expected because of my high metabolism as a wolf – but it had been somewhat bearable until she asked me to push. “You’re doing a great job, love,” Alex, who was rather pale and didn’t look too good, told me in a soothing tone of voice. I was squeezing his hand, as if my life depended on it, and he hadn’t complained, not even once. On the contrary, all I ever got from him were words of encouragement. He truly was the best mate one could ever hope for… and yet the pain was almost too much.I soon found myself threatening him in between two pushes, “You’
Alex’s pov: It seemed like Jade wasn’t quite focused on just getting a baby out of her. Indeed, it felt like she was more invested in not weakening the pack in any way. She wanted to prove herself worthy of the pack, not that I cared as much as she did, mind you. The pack did seem to still harbor some mixed feelings after the whole training fiasco… But it wasn’t something we had any control over. The pack members, however, had no clue of the amount of pressure these repeated issues had been having on her. Jade was not only young, just barely 18 years old, but also pregnant, and not quite the usual werewolf. Yes, she had a wolf, but she also was a healer – which in turn meant that she was partly a witch. And I had the chance to see her in action right then. “Give me your hand,” she told me, a moment after the doctor shot her with the epidural. “I am already holding your hand, love,” I retorted in a rather dumbfounded tone of voice. Jade sat up straighter in her bed, and raised an
Jade’s pov: Today, I had been training solo, under Trevor’s watchful eyes. Indeed, even though I missed Paulina’s soft and soothing voice as she taught me everything I needed to know, I didn’t fail to train. Admittedly, for the past couple of hours, small contractions had been hitting me wave after wave. I tried not to let any sign of discomfort show on my face though, because I wasn’t due for another 3 days. Trevor’s phone rang loudly, disrupting my focus for a split-second, but I got back right on track. “It’s time for lunch, Luna Jade,” he declared, a small smile stretching his lips. I nodded at him, but kept trying to get positive energy from the forest surrounding me, my bare feet planted in the soil. “Please, Luna Jade,” he pressed on after a moment. “Alpha Xander will have my head if we’re late to lunch one more time.” “You know he won’t,” I pouted, even as I put on my flip-flops. The moment I was no longer connected to the earth, the contractions turned harsher all of