Laura could feel both Ceva and her baby relax; Laura wanted this to be as easy a delivery as possible. “Now when you have your next contraction, Ceva, I need you to push while I talk to your baby.”
Ceva nodded her agreement as she relaxed back into Lothar. “Thank you, Laura, I feel much more comfortable now. With all my powers I’m still not able to control what’s happening.”
“You concentrate on pushing her out and I’ll keep your daughter safe,” Laura assured with a smile to both expectant parents. She couldn’t imagine the stress they were going through worrying about their baby.
She could feel Ceva’s muscles tightening under Laura’s hands into another contraction. “Here we go, little one. It’s time for you to come out and meet your parents. They love you very much and can’t wait to meet you,” Laura continued to talk as Ceva pushed. The baby remained calm and allowed the contractions to move her through the birth canal and out into the world.
Laura had no idea how long it took; she’d been concentrating hard on the baby girl that was now crying and was very much alive. The doctor cleaned the baby, swaddled her and handed her over to Ceva who was also crying. Laura attempted to stand to give the new family some privacy but she fell back on her butt instead. Her legs were numb from kneeling.
Dedric quickly picked her up and cuddled her to his chest. “You saved her. You are indeed a miracle, my mate.”
“I’m the fortunate one being given this gift to help as many people as we can,” Laura said. “Gods, Dedric, it felt like the baby understood me and that I could feel her emotions.”
“Your legacy tattoo glowed these breathtaking blues while you were working. It filled the room with light, and that’s when I knew the baby was going to make it. We will send out word of your legacy so that other packs can contact us if they need our help. But right now you need to rest,” Dedric insisted as he carried her over to Lothar, Ceva and their beautiful new addition.
Lothar went to his knees in front of her and Dedric. “I owe you my life for saving our daughter.”
“You owe me nothing.” There was no way anyone would owe her a debt for a legacy that belonged to all the packs. “I’m so happy for all of you.” Lothar nodded and rejoined his family on the bed.
“Thank you, Laura,” Ceva said softly as she brushed her fingers through her daughter’s dark hair, which matched her own. “I knew you could do it. Your family is proud of you.”
“It was an honor to help. You have a beautiful little girl,” Laura replied before yawning wide.
“Time for rest, mate. We’ll be back to visit later in the day when you’ve had time to recuperate. Congratulations on your daughter,” Dedric called out before turning to leave the room.
Word must have spread quickly because the mood among the pack was now joyful. Smiles greeted them as they emerged from the house, making Laura smile in return as she laid her head on her mate’s chest.
“How are you feeling, Laura?” Dedric asked as he ran his stubbled jaw over the top of her head.
“Tired. It took a bit out of me, but I’ll be just fine after a nap. Promise.”
Dedric face darkened before he asked, “Does it hurt you at all?”
Laura understood his worry and loved him for it. “In truth, there’s no pain at all. Which is odd considering what happens when I heal people. Believe me, I’m thankful for that.”
“Good. I don’t know what I’d do if you suffered every time you helped someone give birth.”
Laura knew what she’d do. “I’d still help them, pain or not.”
Dedric shook his head. “Of course you would. I’m going to have to keep an eye on you to make sure you stay healthy.”
“I promise to be mindful of how I’m feeling.” Laura acquiesced, knowing how much he worried over her.
“You will need an assistant to help you.”
Dedric was right; between her responsibilities to the pack and the visitors that would be arriving for help, her calendar was going to fill up fast. “I think Jennifer would be perfect, if she doesn’t mind.”
“I don’t think she’ll mind being your assistant,” Dedric said. “We’ll ask her later today after you rest.”
They reached the Mallory house to find it lit up and the sound of people inside. So much for the nap. Dedric growled slightly as he walked up the stairs and into the house. The sound must have carried because they found Gabi, Lily and a few other pack members frozen to where they stood. It was obvious by the trays of food they had been setting out what they were doing there.
Laura lightly slapped her mate on his chest and asked, “Is this for me?”
“Yes, Omega Laura,” Jennifer answered.
“We thought you might be hungry after exerting so much energy,” Gabi threw in.
At that moment, her stomach decided to let everyone know what it thought of the offerings by growling loudly. “I am suddenly starving. Thank you all so much for thinking of me.”
Dedric’s scowl vanished as he thanked everyone as well and they all began moving around again. As soon as her mate put her down, the smell of bacon, sausage and ham called Laura forward, and she snatch a piece of bacon and popped it into her mouth.
“That is soooo good,” she moaned as she turned to him. “I can go back to bed after we eat.”
Dedric leaned down and kissed her gently. “Whatever you want, my mate.”
She couldn’t help but smile up at him. What they’d been through over the past week would worry even the bravest of hearts, but they’d made it to the other side. Mated, and through the gift of her legacy, the first of many babies had been born healthy. What more could she want?
“That was amazing to witness, Laura,” Lily whispered. “We left once she was safely born.”
“Now I know what Willow meant when she remembered the blue light. At some points that was all you could see,” Jennifer added. “This will be where I start the next chapter of our pack’s written history.”
“There was something else we’d like to ask of you, Jennifer,” Dedric queried while pulling Laura’s chair closer to his, making his mate laugh.
“I was hoping to enlist you as my assistant, my right-hand woman,” Laura offered before pushing her plate away. She had no more room left after her sixth pancake. Shifters ate a lot of food.
“Me? You want me to help you? To be your assistant?” Jennifer’s face had drained of blood and Laura wondered if she’d made a mistake.
Laura looked at her mate to see if he might know what was happening to Jennifer, but he looked as confused as Laura felt. “If you can’t for some reason that’s okay—”
“No, no, I can. I want to be your assistant. I never thought I’d be given such an honor,” Jennifer was quick to say.
Laura didn’t know how much of an honor it would be, but if Jennifer was happy, it was all good. Now that Laura had a full belly, she fought to keep her eyes open.
“Looks as though somebody is ready for some sleep,” Gabi teased. “You go to bed and we’ll clean up in here.”
Laura was in no shape to disagree. “Thank you for this.”
The women looked at her with smiling faces. These were her friends, her new family. She felt fortunate to have them. Laura followed Dedric out of the room hand in hand, and moments later, she found herself tucked back in their bed.
“Rest, my love. I will go check on our pack. It’s been an eventful few days,” Dedric said before kissing her deeply and making other parts of her body wake up. Dedric noticed. “No, you need sleep.”
“You’re no fun,” she sighed.
“I’m all kinds of fun and I’ll be more than happy to show you how much once you’ve slept.”
“Fine, but I’m going to hold you to that.”
“Deal.”
“Deal,” Laura repeated. She couldn’t help but be happy; everything had finally started going her way. She was mated to the man she loved, her new pack had welcomed her with open arms, and she’d saved her first shifter baby.
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br /> Everything was perfect.
“She must die!” Ula screamed from the far side of their mountain home, high atop the dirty shifters below. She’d been pacing back and forth for over an hour already and didn’t see herself stopping anytime soon. She’d felt the new life enter the stream, a life that shouldn’t have survived.
Ethne, her sister, stood behind a table overflowing with glass tubes containing various colored liquids. Her milky white eyes truly saw none of it in a conventional way. Ula was impressed by her sister’s ability to mix potions and perform curses without the use of sight, but not enough to trade places with her. Besides, she’d given her own pound of flesh for their joint decision. She reached down to her right leg, metal and pins instead of warm flesh.
“I gave up my eyesight for that curse. I will not stand for this,” Ethne hissed. “Years spent in darkness only to have an omega come along and erase everything we’ve done.”
Ula waited for the inevitable, and sure enough her sister threw her arms open wide and cleared most of the table off. Ethne had always had the more violent of tempers between them. Losing her sight hadn’t changed that.
“That shifter baby is alive, and we both know only one thing could have caused that—or should I say one person,” Ethne growled while pulling a knife from her cloak.
“That family line was destroyed by our ogres, I made sure of it,” Ula swore. She had set the beasts on the family herself, heard their cries, saw what was left of their bodies.
“Well then you are as blind as I am, because she is most definitely alive, and her legacy has been released.” Ethne let the knife fly. It embedded itself into the wood two inches from Ula’s face. Moments like this she wondered if her sister was still sane.
Ula glared at Ethne and swore one day she would be free of her, but for now, they had to deal with more pressing concerns: destruction of the legacy.
Dedric had been on the phone all morning confirming arrangements for the arrival of two more pregnant wolf shifters and their families. Most of the town had been rebuilt, the businesses on Main Street had all reopened, and a few new ones had joined their ranks—a bakery and children’s store full of everything a baby might need, along with a toy store. As the new proprietors had hoped, the shops were doing well.
The extra help the town had received from the king had sped up all their timelines and now two months later almost all the pack houses and business were replaced, rebuilt or renovated. Also, in anticipation of an influx of visitors, they had built a number of guesthouses for people coming to Laura for help. At the moment one couple from Eagles Cove—Karli, Joseph and Rowl’s pack—was in residence. The soon-to-be mother was due any day.
So far, word had spread like wildfire. Five couples had already had their babies at the Newton pack, and Dedric prayed they remained on their healthy streak. The words Laura’s grandmother had said still rang in his ears—“All cannot be saved”—and he knew how hard that would be for his mate to accept.
Among the couples who had been helped by Laura, there was an alpha and omega pair who had arrived with their family and a retinue of guards. The pair had had a healthy baby boy. Typically, alphas didn’t like having another alpha on their lands, but Dedric understood he would have to get used to it—there would be omegas in need, and he would never turn them away.
One of the side effects of helping these couples deliver their healthy babies were the gifts. Though both he and Laura had told everyone nothing was required for their help, the couples and families seemed to need some way to show their appreciation. Dedric and Laura refused any personal gifts, preferring that if something was going to be given that it benefitted their pack. So far, Doc Mary had gotten herself a new X-ray machine, and the children’s playground had been expanded.
Now it was time for him to go find his mate. Dedric had woken early and been in his temporary office since. The main house where he and Laura would live with their children was almost complete. Laura had seen only the outside so far. The inside was to be a surprise to his mate.
Just thinking about her made Dedric smile. They’d been mated for a couple of months and every morning when he woke up with Laura in his arms, he was thankful. His world had completely changed and he couldn’t have been happier. He felt a lightness to his life that he’d never felt before, and he knew his mate was solely responsible.
Dedric stepped outside into the sunlight and was almost mowed down by a giant bundle of white fur followed by a pack of children. Its curved tail swept the ground as it wagged in happiness and its long tongue hung out the side of its snout. It was hard to believe the small beast was a feared Hydra but here it was. The Hydra had been a gift from Ceva and Lothar in thanks for the healthy birth of their daughter.
When fully grown, the beast would stand five feet tall with rows of razor-sharp teeth and four-inch claws. Once bonded with the pack it would protect any member of them whenever it was necessary. At the moment though, its favorite pastime was herding the children in the playground. The beast seemed to enjoy the attention of the squealing, laughing sprites.
“Alpha,” the kids cheered in greeting and the Hydra rolled onto its back looking for some belly rubs, which Dedric was all too willing to give the big softy. The children had named it Fluffy because of all its excessive fur. Dedric imagined the day those same children would be leading around a full-grown Hydra—capable of disemboweling any threat—by its pink leash and a collar proclaiming him as Fluffy.
Dedric’s pack was certainly going through many changes, but not a one had complained or seemed concerned. The pack would prosper from having visitors staying with them, from purchases at the local stores to gifts given to their medical center and children’s programs. He understood people wanted to show their thanks no matter how many times he and Laura had said no, so they directed it towards the needs of the pack. All of which seemed to be working out well.
He played with the children for a few moments before heading to his mate’s scent. Since the mating he’d received a few powers of his own; one was the ability to sense where his mate was as well as an increased sense of smell. The heightened sight and strength all would come in handy protecting Laura.
He stopped inside the gardens when he heard his love’s lyrical voice coming from near the stream. Dedric followed her voice further into the gardens and found her sitting in the thick grass beside the stream surrounded by a troop of children as well as the couple from their friends’ pack. The soon-to-be mother lay with her back leaning against her mate enjoying the shade.
As Dedric approached, the only indication that Laura had sensed him was the even bigger smile on her face. She certainly did his ego good. He sat nearby on the ground and listened to the animated story his mate was telling. Before long, everyone noticed him, and one by one, the children came over and cuddled in around him. Wolves were social creatures, and naturally, they felt better being around the alpha pair. To have their omega reading to them as they snuggled with their alpha was heaven to a shifter pup.
Soon the story ended. Laura stood and spoke softly to Amirelle and Rion as the man pulled his mate up to her feet. The couple left with a wave to Dedric, and Laura came over and joined his pup pile, snuggling in close to him.
“How has your day been, mate?” Dedric asked in a low tone as a few of the children began to drift off to sleep.
“Wonderful. I spent some time with Gabi and Lily.”
Dedric noticed the change in her body from relaxed to worry. “What’s wrong?”
She looked unsure but answered anyway. “It’s about Lily, but she told me in confidence so I don’t know if I should tell you.”
“Has someone hurt her?” Because Dedric would put a stop to it and there’d be serious repercussions.
“Not physically.”
“Please, mate, tell me what it is. I will protect the little omega.”
Laura leaned in close and said, “I know, but I don’t think you can fix a broken heart.”
“Ah, unrequit
ed love?” Dedric guessed.
“Yes, unfortunately.”
“Who has she had her eye on and who would be dumb enough to say no? Lily is a wonderful woman and would make a fine pack omega.”
“That’s it, she won’t be. She doesn’t want to be a pack leader,” Laura explained. “It’s General Jensgar.”
That was a surprise. Not only was he not an alpha, but he’d been mated once before. Even though his mate had died tragically a long time ago, that didn’t mean the man was ready for another mate. Some people never were.
“What has she done to clue him in?”
“She’s flirted with him, talks to him every day, dresses to be noticed and invites him to dinner. She’s done everything other than ask him if he’d be her mate.”
“I’ll see if I can have a word with him. Maybe he’s oblivious. Many men are.”
“Would you? Thank you, sweetheart. We need to know what he’s thinking before Lily ends up devastated.” His mate squeezed his arm in excitement. He was about to kiss her when pack members began running into the gardens, the cries of a woman easy to hear over their chattering.
Jennifer ran up to Laura as other parents quickly collected their children. “Laura, it’s Amirelle, she’s gone into labor.”
Quickly, they stood as the male who had been relaxing in the gardens only moments ago came running through the crowds with his mate in his arms. Dedric could see the blood staining her sundress and immediately ordered for the doctor. A few pack members bolted out of the gardens to go in search of Mary.
Laura was already kneeling on the ground beside the woman in distress as Rion held her head.
“I need towels, blankets, water, a piece of string and scissors now. This baby is in a hurry.” More people scattered to collect the items and Dedric knelt down beside his mate to support her.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” he asked.
“Stay close by. I sense I’ll need your strength along with my own for this birthing.”
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