by Nora Phoenix
“We felt you,” Palani said. “We felt your distress.”
Vieno wanted to answer him, but another wave hit him, and he had to concentrate on breathing through the pain.
“It’s progressing fast,” Enar said. “You’re in precipitous labor.”
Palani and Lidon reacted with equal looks of horror, but one menacing look from Enar had them pulling their faces into a more neutral position, for which Vieno was grateful. He didn’t need to see their shock. He was stressed enough as it was. Enar had told him precipitous labor was not uncommon with male omegas, and he’d walked him through every scenario possible and how they would tackle it.
Enar gently lifted his chin and made eye contact. “We’ve got this, little one. You and me, we’re gonna do this, right?”
“Yes. We got this.”
The last part of that statement sounded a little less confident than he’d wanted it to, but it was hard to talk through so much pain.
“Palani, tell Lucan to bring my bag and call Maz, in that order. Lidon, ask Sven to start the preparations, as I discussed with him. Then inform Grayson labor has started, and he’ll take over everything else. As soon as the two of you are done, I want you back in this room, and you need to stay here, no matter what happens. He needs you. Do you understand me?”
Enar’s calm orders helped Vieno relax as much as possible, even when wave after wave of pain hit him, each one a little more intense than before. Lidon and Palani hurried out of the room, and he felt their absence immediately. It only took minutes for them to come back, minutes in which Vieno sank more and more into himself.
It was a strange sensation, this kind of pain. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before, intense and so dominant it was hard to think of anything else. All he could do was breathe through it, grateful for the breathing instructions Enar had given him. Vieno had felt like an idiot huffing and puffing, but now he appreciated the experience he had with relaxing through his breathing. Not that it helped a lot, but at least it kept him relatively calm.
Enar undressed him, and Vieno allowed himself to be moved into various positions to prepare for the delivery. He’d closed his eyes by now, unable to even process visual stimulations anymore, too focused on breathing. His body felt like it was on fire, every sound, every touch more than he could bear.
People walked in and out of the room at various points, and he barely registered it. Fresh sheets were spread across the bed, probably with some kind of plastic underneath, he reasoned, then gave up that line of thought as it was too tiresome to even think about. All he could do was breathe.
“He’s going too fast for a pain block,” a strange voice said. “It’s a precipitous delivery.”
Maz, Vieno recognized belatedly.
“I know. We’ll do this the old-fashioned way. He’s got this.”
The pain intensified, making it hard to breathe.
“Lidon and Palani, I need you to strip and get on either side of him. He needs the skin-to-skin contact.”
Despite his agony, Vieno sighed with relief when his mates’ naked bodies touched his. “Alpha,” he forced out. Then again, “Alpha.”
“I’m right here, sweetheart. You’ve got this. You’re so beautiful, and I love you so much.”
His belly stabbed, the pain so sharp he cried out. The cry turned into a wail, and then another one, and another one. It was too much, too fast, his body feeling like it was being ripped apart.
Two strong but comforting hands held his face, forcing him to open his eyes. “Vieno, little one, listen to me. I know it hurts, but I need you to focus. Are you listening to me?”
He drew in a shaky breath, then managed to nod. Enar’s eyes were drilling into his, and somehow, it calmed him down.
“I need you to tap into Lidon’s powers. Feel him sitting right next to you, reach out for his strength. You can feel it humming, vibrating.”
At first, Vieno was too distracted by all the sensations in his body to even process what Enar was saying, but as the beta repeated his instructions, he somehow opened his mind. Lidon’s strong arm was wrapped around him, and their bodies were plastered against each other side to side. He was so powerful, his alpha. His mate.
He felt it then, a ripple that cruised through him, like a small wave on a quiet ocean. Then he caught a bigger wave, and he shuddered with the effort of capturing it. It hummed in his veins, this unfamiliar power. No, it wasn’t unfamiliar. He had felt it before, during the raid when he had told Grayson they were staying. It was Lidon’s alpha power, and he sensed it. It pushed back the pain a little bit, then more and more as he allowed it to fill him.
“That’s it, sweetheart,” Lidon said, his voice filled with wonder. “I can feel you connecting to me.”
“Send it to him,” Enar said. “I don’t know how it works, but try to send him whatever you have. Palani, you too. Connect with him and send him your energy.”
A shock went through Vieno as he felt Palani connect with him in the same way. It shouldn’t be possible, and yet it was, both their bodies connected with his. He breathed a little easier, his body able to work through the pain.
“He’s ready,” Maz said, his voice completely calm.
Vieno panicked. He was wrong. Maz was wrong. He wasn’t ready. Something was missing.
“Enar,” he cried out. “Enar, you need to connect as well. We are four.”
Enar’s eyes widened, but then he nodded, understanding dawning on his face. He pulled off the gloves he was wearing and quickly stripped out of his scrubs. Maz didn’t even blink an eye as Enar positioned himself on the bed. He took a spot behind Vieno, pushing his legs around him, allowing Vieno to lean against his chest.
They were a sweaty, naked jumble of arms and legs and body parts, and yet the moment Enar connected with them, the last bit of panic disappeared from Vieno’s system. He reached out for all of them, crying out when he felt them sync with each other.
“Now I’m ready,” he said.
It took six pushes that felt like he was being ripped in two, and then his son was born, wailing loudly as soon as he was out. Vieno sagged against his mates, completely exhausted. Tears filled his eyes as he watched Maz pat his son dry with a towel, the tall alpha handling the baby with gentle care. He wrapped him in a thin blanket, then handed him to Vieno with a smile so broad it made his face beam.
“Congratulations, Vieno Hayes. You have an alpha son.”
Four heads bent toward the baby as Vieno held his son for the first time. The baby stopped crying as soon as he had him, making adorable little smacking noises with his mouth. He was hungry, Vieno realized, ready to be fed. Well, he’d have to wait a minute or two until all his dads had held him.
There was no doubt whose son he was, as he had his alpha dad’s dark hair, and his eyes were too dark to remain blue as well. Vieno kissed his wrinkled, red forehead, the skin still somewhat greasy from his stay in Vieno’s belly. “Hi, precious,” he whispered. “Welcome to the world, my son.”
He kissed him again, inhaling his scent, which smelled like everything he had ever dreamed of, then held him out to Lidon, who took him with trembling hands.
“Alpha, meet your heir, Hakon Hayes.”
He had to clear his eyes from tears as he watched Lidon hold his son so tenderly, his face radiating love and amazement. He pressed a soft kiss on the baby’s head. “Welcome to the world, Hakon. We love you so much already. I promise we’ll keep you safe, me and your three dads. You’re lucky, my son, to be born out of so much love.”
Something stirred in the room, a hint of a breeze that shouldn’t be possible inside. Then the baby opened his eyes, looking straight at Lidon with a focus that was impossible for a baby who was minutes old.
“Alpha,” Vieno brought out in amazement. All the hairs on his body stood on end as a current sizzled through him. What was happening?
Lidon threw his head back, cradling the baby in his arms, as he let out a deafening alpha roar that Vieno felt in every fiber o
f his body. Maz sank to the floor on his knees as Lidon roared again. Then the roar transformed into a howl, and seconds before it happened, Vieno knew.
His son’s face broke open in a smile at the sight of his father, and a giggle rose from his small body. Vieno reached out for his son, pulling him close as a ripple of energy rushed through the room.
Where seconds before Lidon had sat on the bed next to him, there was now a wolf. A large, gray, beautiful wolf that lifted its head and howled again. With goose bumps all over, Vieno instinctively held the baby out to the wolf, and it licked it, its large tongue covering the baby’s head with two big swipes.
Hakon giggled again at the sensation, sending a joy to Vieno’s heart, unlike anything he’d felt before. He giggled with him, the sound carefree and rich. Seconds later, Palani and Enar joined in, and their laughter filled the room with waves of pure joy.
Lidon had shifted.
The wolf shifters had returned.
And this was only the beginning.
Flip the page for the bonus chapters, where we see the wedding and alpha-claiming of these three. Then continue reading about the Hayes pack in Alpha’s Pride, where we see Kean butt heads with Bray, then fall for a new omega on the ranch…
Bonus Beta’s Surrender
These chapters takes place during Alpha’s Pride, just before the big attack on the ranch that brings Bray, Kean, and Ruari together. Please note this is unedited.
1
Sven was getting married. And as Lars watched him get ready, Sven’s round belly showing in the dress shirt he was putting on, his head spun with thoughts and emotions. Somehow, he’d always thought that if Sven were to get married, it would be to him, not to someone else, least of all an alpha.
Yet here they were, and Lars had no doubt the decision was the right one. When push came to shove, he couldn’t protect Sven. Grayson could. Even more now that Sven was carrying his child. It would protect Sven and his baby, and Lars would do anything to make sure Sven was taken care of.
And still… Somewhere deep inside him, sadness lingered. He would never get married. The government didn’t recognize poly marriages. Two people, that was it, and that left him on the sidelines. Knowing it was the right thing to do and getting his emotions on board with it were two completely different things.
“It’s too tight,” Sven said, rubbing his belly under the shirt, then turning sideways. “I should have gotten a size bigger.”
Lars shook off his mood. No matter how he felt, he would not ruin this day for Sven. He deserved it to be special and perfect. “You look amazing,” he said. His voice sounded so choked that he cleared his throat. “Absolutely gorgeous.”
Sven turned toward him, smiling. “Methinks you’re a tad biased.”
Lars’s mouth curled up in a smile and he held out his hand, his thumb and index finger less than an inch apart. “Only a little.” He rose to his feet, then took position next to Sven. “We look good together,” he said, winking at him in the mirror.
“Your bow tie is crooked.” Sven grabbed his shoulder to turn him sideways, then quickly fixed the bow tie. “There. Perfect.”
“The only perfect thing is you,” Lars said and boy, when had he become this sappy? Sven’s pregnancy had made him mellow and emotional, and the weirdest thing was that he didn’t even mind all that much.
Sven rolled his eyes at him, but his cheeks stained with a lovely blush. Lars stepped in and pulled him close. Sven crawled into his arms the way only he could, and Lars’s heart filled with tenderness and love.
“I mean it, baby. You’re perfect,” Lars said softly, holding him close and nuzzling his neck. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too,” Sven said on a sigh. “But baby, I mean it, you need to stop saying I’m perfect. I’m not, and you shouldn’t pretend I am. It makes me feel uncomfortable because it suggests that you’re not, that I’m somehow better than you…”
Lars fought to hold the words back, but they spilled out anyway. “He’s marrying you, not me…”
Sven stood frozen in his arms before he slowly let go and stepped back. “Lars…”
Lars held up his hand. “Forget I said that. I know it’s not true.”
“I hope you mean that,” Daddy said, his voice filled with concern as he stepped into the room. He was already fully dressed, looking more handsome than ever in his dark blue pinstriped suit, a white shirt, and a baby blue tie. A little sigh of admiration escaped Lars because Daddy just looked so hot. So perfect.
There was that word again. Perfect. What was up with his strange fascination with that word all of a sudden?
“Lars?” Daddy asked, and Lars realized he hadn’t acknowledged Daddy’s earlier statement.
He sighed, avoiding Daddy’s inquisitive gaze by staring at the floor. “You know how sometimes your mind and your heart are at war with each other? That’s me today. Of course I know why you’re marrying Sven.”
Daddy’s feet showed up in his line of sight, but he kept his eyes trained at the ground. “Oh, Lars, my sweet boy, that doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to feel whatever it is you’re feeling…”
An index finger under his chin made him lift his head, and Daddy’s eyes were warm and kind.
“I don’t even know what I’m feeling…” Lars whispered.
“I think you do, but you’re scared to say it because you think it will hurt Sven or me.”
Dammit, why could he never keep anything hidden from Daddy? The man was so fucking good at reading him that it wasn’t even fair. “Isn’t that a good reason to keep my feelings to myself?”
Daddy chuckled. “Still my stubborn boy. Of course you shouldn’t keep your feelings to yourself, boy. We’re one, you, me, and Sven. When you’re feeling conflicted or sad or jealous or whatever, we want to be there for you. Let us in, Lars.”
He shoved his hands into his pockets, taking a step back. Thinking was hard when Daddy was that close, when every cell in his body wanted to submit to him. “I don’t want to ruin this day.”
“You won’t. You know what would ruin this day? You retreating emotionally. You going into that scary place in your head where you put up those walls to keep us out, with that misguided sense of self-sacrifice, of being a martyr.”
Lars’s jaw tightened. “I’m not a martyr.”
Daddy crossed his arms. “Really? You could have fooled me.”
“It’s not being a martyr when my pain is real!” Lars snapped at him. “Of course I understand why you can only marry Sven. I get it, and I fully support it. But it still fucking hurts… We were together before you ever came into the picture, and yet you get to marry him. I loved him before you did, and yet you’re the father of his baby. I took care of him for years, but after today, I won’t have any legal right over him anymore whatsoever. So why the fuck can’t I be upset about that?”
His chest heaved when he was done, his heart storming as much as his head, his throat raw. Then it sunk in what he had said, how he had railed and yelled at Daddy, and his breath caught. “I’m s—”
Daddy put a hand on his mouth, effectively cutting him off. “Don’t you dare. That little speech you just gave? That was what I wanted to hear. Everything you said is valid, sweetheart. I can’t do anything about any of it, but that doesn’t mean it’s not horribly unfair to you. But you have to share your pain with us. You have to let us in so we can hurt with you…”
Instead of the anger he’d expected, Daddy’s eyes were full of love and understanding, and Lars’s eyes grew wet. “It hurts so much…” His voice broke. “I want to be a part of this, but I can’t.”
Daddy pulled him in his arms, his embrace so tight it hurt in the best way. “I know, my sweet boy. I know. But don’t you ever forget that you are a part of us. Maybe not legally, but you are where it matters most. You’re our mate, Lars. We need you. Without you, we’d be incomplete. Lost.”
He put his head against Daddy’s shoulder, the words flowing over him, soothing and affirming.<
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“You’re mine as much as Sven is, boy. Different, but the same. I don’t love him more than I love you, do you hear me? I couldn’t because what I feel for you is already so big, so all-encompassing.”
A tear rolled down his cheek, dropping onto Daddy’s suit. Lars breathed in deeply, the storm in his head calming down. “I love you, Daddy.”
“I know, my boy. I know you do.”
Daddy’s hand on his head was strong and comforting at the same time. “I’m sorry for not being honest…” Lars whispered. “It’s hard for me to feel that I matter, that my emotions matter.”
“Then let me remind you, boy. When we go to the courthouse today, you will know and feel that you matter.”
It only took a second for it to sink in, the implications of that statement. Then Daddy’s hands were already on his belt, deftly unbuckling it, sending his dress pants to the floor. His underwear came next, and for a moment, he felt so exposed. Naked, both physically and emotionally. But maybe that was exactly why Daddy did it?
His hold on Lars’s neck was strong as he all but dragged him toward the chair in the corner, where Daddy sat down and with an experienced move, placed Lars over his knee. He didn’t even have time to brace himself before the first slap came, sharp and stinging. Usually, Daddy started easy to give Lars the opportunity to settle, but this time, his hand came down hard, biting. But Lars embraced the pain, which somehow balanced the ache he felt in his heart.
And when the spanking turned him into a blubbering mess, he didn’t know if the tears were from the pain on his ass or the hurt inside, but letting it out felt cathartic either way.
“Better?” Daddy asked when he was done, his voice tender. He gently lifted Lars back to his feet. He winced at the sting on his ass cheeks.
“Yes, Daddy.”
“Pup, get me some tissues, would you?” Daddy asked Sven.
Once he had them, he wiped off Lars’s eyes, then his nose. “Blow,” he said, as if Lars were five years old again, but it felt so good to be able to surrender like this.