Kaden POV
I knew something was wrong the moment Luna Mae and Raven showed up at our door with mates and babies in tow. I had never seen the Luna from the North Pack before, but now was not the time for introductions. She barged into the pack house and straight up the stairs like she had been here a thousand times before.
Now, things have taken a terrible turn. Luna Mae woke from their nap and rushed downstairs, covered in blood. Her eyes were wide and brimming with tears. I don't have to sniff the air to know that the blood covering her body belongs to Tish.
"I thought you said we had more time," I say urgently.
"Visions are subjective," she tries to speak through her tears. "There is no time to get her to the hospital. She will have to deliver here. Mind link the doctor."
So, I do. On my way up the stairs, I mind link the pack doctor and tell him to get to the pack house as fast as he can. He claims he is on his way but not before offering a long winded lecture about how she should have been in the hospital weeks ago.
As I step to the door of my room, the smell of iron is thick in the air, and I am afraid. I cut the mind link with the doctor and ease my way to her bedside. Kai is already there. His hand gently stroking her naked belly. Our eyes meet, and his blue eyes mirror mine. He is putting on a brave face. That's what he is good at, but he cannot fool me. He is scared.
Tish is in a fitful sleep. There is sweat on her brow, and she is attempting to toss from side to side, but her massive belly is making it difficult. She groans in pain, and her eyes flutter open. She tries to push herself up on her elbows to look around the room, but she is weak.
"What is going?" She whimpers.
Kai doesn't allow anyone the time to answer her. He is taking advantage of what could be his last moment with her. His lips capture hers, and she reciprocates. They break apart, and despite her current condition, her eyes are darkened with lust.
It is my turn. I tilt her chin in my direction, and she kisses me with vigor. Our tongues tangle together, and she moans deeply into my mouth. Time stands still until another wave of pain causes her brow to wrinkle as we pull away from the kiss.
She raises the sheet and spots the blood all over the bed. She lowers the sheet and glances in Mae's direction. "That is a lot of blood."
Mae just nods.
"What do I do?" She asks her friend in desperation. "I don't want to die."
"You aren't going to die," Mae tells her, but I am not sure if she is lying or not. "But this won't be easy. It will be the hardest thing you have ever done, but you are stronger than this."
The doctor comes barging into the bedroom with his medical bag in his hand. He surveys the room, and his eyes land on the Luna Queen. "Are you going to be a problem?"
Raven glares back at him. "Just do your job."
"There are too many people in this room," the doctor states. "Ladies, you will have to leave. Mates only."
"The fuck I am," Luna Mae shouts at him. "I am her person."
"I am not leaving either," Raven says confidently.
Mae is trying to breathe through a contraction, but she is beginning to look pale. "They all stay," she says weakly.
The doctor mumbles grumpily under his breath. He prefers to get his way. Still, he doesn't speak on it another moment. He carefully pulls back the sheet and hides his concern. It is a lot of blood.
"I told you it was dangerous to carry a werewolf pup as a human," he begins to chastise her, but Raven growls in his direction and shuts him up.
"I can do this without you," Mae hisses at him. "I have delivered more than one baby in my day, and this would not be my last. Then you explain to your Elder Council why you could not only deliver the Luna Queen's twins but your pack Luna's baby as well. Now cut the attitude and get to work."
The doctor stares at her with his mouth gaping open. "And just who are you?"
"Luna Mae," she replies shortly. "Of the North Pack."
The doctor smartly chooses to keep his mouth shut, and I find myself wishing that I had half the confidence and authority as the three women in this room. I should be the one defending my mate, and they are doing it for me.
Tish lets out a groan of discomfort and throws her head back on the bed. "Can we please get this baby out of me, before I bleed out?"
The doctor settles between her legs and gently wipes the blood from around her. "The baby is crowning. You can push."
Mae and Raven silently instruct Kai and me on what to do. He holds one leg, and I hold the other. I am not brave enough to look between Tish's legs, but Kai's eyes are glued to the work that the doctor is doing. His blue eyes grow wider by the second, and I decide to turn all of my attention to Tish.
There is a look of determination on her face, and I can hear her teeth grinding together as she bares down. She doesn't scream, and she doesn't cry. Her resilience is a thing of beauty, and I know why the Moon Goddess gave her to us. She is strong when we can't be and kind when we need it.
I once thought that my brother and I completed each other. He was funny and strong, and I followed the rules and studied hard. We were two sides of the same coin, but I was wrong. I need more than Kai to be complete.
Her green eyes are growing heavy as she pushes. Sweat is beaded on her forehead, and her hair is soaked. I have to look away from her. This is not how I want to remember her. I want to remember her as the spitfire who showed up to the South Pack with my father. The Tish that gave herself over to us in a moment, and then we held on tight.
I look over Kai's shoulder, and Raven is crying. I can't help but feel like the end is near.
Then, the silence in the room is broken by the sounds of a baby crying. I had been so caught up in my thoughts that I missed the delivery completely. My eyes dart to the doctor, and he is holding a baby in his arms with a head of dark curly hair.
She is feisty. Her legs are kicking, and her arms are waving wildly in the air while she screams. It is now that I realize. I have no idea what to do now.
The doctor lies the baby on Tish's chest, and Mae helps her friend hold the baby close to her chest. Tish's eyes flutter open and shut, and a small smile tugs at her lips. "I did it."
"You did," I whisper as I kiss her on the forehead.
"What is her name?" Kai asks from the other side of the bed. His jaw is tense and I know he is fighting back tears.
"Macy," Tish responds hoarsely.
The doctor clears his throat. "I hate to break up this moment, but the ambulance is outside. We need to get the Luna to the hospital. She needs blood."
"Take her," Tish sighs weakly to me.
I still have no idea what I am doing, but emergency personnel are rushing into the room, so I take our baby. Cradling her carefully in my arms, I step out of the way so Tish can be removed from the room.
Everyone is crying, but I cannot take my eyes off the bundle in my arms. She is the perfect mix of the three of us: dark curls and blue eyes. Macy stops wailing, and her tiny hand wraps around my finger. I look up to see if anyone sees what I am seeing, but the room is empty.