Growing Pains Novels & Stories

“I'm your Aunt Sophia. I have been waiting to meet you.” “Baby awake!” James announces unnecessarily. “I can see that, sweetheart.” Grace makes tiny newborn sounds, and Killian immediately reaches into the crib. “She's probably hungry again,” he says, lifting her with practiced care. “She just ate an hour ago.” “Growth spurts require frequent feeding.” “She's two days old. How can she be having a growth spurt?” “Rapid development phase. Completely normal according to the literature.” I take Grace from him and settle into the rocking chair for another feeding session. She latches immediately, confirming that Killian's assessment of her hunger was accurate.

There was no waking the dead. I explained to her patiently, "Find your father. Then, your bedroom will be bigger than this entire house. No one will dare bully you anymore, and no one will tease you for having no dad." Lumi cried for the longest time, but she finally gave in after much coaxing.

She says more to Axel than to anyone else. “It’s time to push.” Cain says softly. I nod, gripping Aeron’s hand so tightly I fear I might break it, and then, as the next wave hits me, I act on instinct, my body thankfully taking over so I don’t have to even think about it. I let out a growl, pushing as hard as I can. I know the baby will be small, smaller than a human because a lot of his growing will be done after, but by God does it still hurt.

Our days were filled with discussions about names, the future, and the type of parents we wanted to become. It was a silent joy we had; a mutual expectation of the future that awaited us in the living we were building together. However, they arrived with the hue of problems. It felt like my body was developing in quite a way that I had not really prepared myself for. The kicks earlier were gentle, but they started growing in force, and at times, even caused me to wake up during the night. I began to realize that I required some amount of breaks as I was not feeling energetic and charged up all the time.

How was it? "Amazing. Productive. Validating." "Good. You needed that." "I did. But I also missed this. Them. You. All of it." "You're allowed to love both. Your work and your family." "I'm learning that." The twins experienced a growth surge around the age of sixteen months. Eating constantly. Growing visibly. Outgrowing clothes weekly. "They are so big already," I exclaimed in amazement."They'll be five feet taller than you," Kael jokingly said.

Then picked it back up again almost immediately. Opened the tracker. Looked. Closed it. Opened it again. Still moving. Still alive. Still safe. Still with Dave. I sighed heavily. Growth was such an annoying concept. Because growth constantly demanded things nobody actually wanted to do. Growth said trust. Growth said boundaries. Growth said healthy co parenting. Growth said your children deserve relationships outside of your fear. Very irritating. Because if I had my way? My babies would simply remain beside me forever. Safely.

And inside me, the eighteenth child — the one Elara had branded the ultimate Apex Heir — grew at an impossible rate. I stood in the central nursery at dawn, rocking little Jax while Damien watched from the doorway. He crossed to me in long strides and pulled me against his chest, one hand splaying possessively over my heavily swollen belly. The forced proximity of the monitoring station wrapped us in quiet intensity. His breath brushed my ear as the baby kicked with unnatural strength. “Eighteen,” he murmured, voice rough with awe and unyielding determination. “Our family keeps growing no matter how hard they try to break us.”

“Selin: nine and a half kilos, seventy-eight centimeters. Kael: ten point two, seventy-nine. Head circumference for both up by two centimeters since last month.” “Muscle tone?” I ask. “Above two, below three,” she looks up. “Excellent for their age. Nervous system signs: longer wake times, variable sleep blocks.” She puts the chart down. “What’s concerning: the long bones. During rapid growth, the growth plates are under strain. It matters where they run, how they bear weight. No stone. They need flexible ground. The wolf line can take a lot, but the acceleration increases margin for error.”

My body felt like it was on fire. What is happening to me? We, am I developing a fever already? My heart was pounding at an erratic rate, and the next minute, a jolt of pain shot through me. My breathing quickened, and a low growl rumbled in my throat. No. Not here. Not now. I clenched my fists, trying to suppress it, but the pain only grew, spreading through my limbs like wildfire. How the hell could I have forgotten that today was my eighteenth birthday? But then again when you have so much work to do and little energy to even breathe, it is expected.

“That’s growth, babe. Real growth.” Fiona laughed under her breath. “Took me long enough.” Raina reached over and gently touched Fiona’s bump. “And look at these little troublemakers. Growing like weeds. They’re already making you glow.” Fiona’s expression softened. “They’re active. One of them, probably the feisty one, likes to kick right when I’m trying to sleep. The other one’s calmer, more of a roller. Maverick swears he can tell them apart already.”