by Aspen Grey
And now there’s only one thing left, I thought as I placed a hand over my stomach and felt the innocent little bump that had been steadily growing for the last four months. It was hard to believe that I was making a baby. “The Baby Factory”—that’s what Sawyer jokingly called me, even though I was still working on our first one. But I kind of liked the name, and it wasn’t as though I was opposed to having more.
As I sat there dreaming, a horrible stench invaded my nose, beating away my future dreams and sending a surge of adrenaline through my body. I shook and leapt to my feet, feeling a sense of dread like someone had just thrust a rapier into my guts.
“Ahhhh!” I yelped, clutching my stomach as I doubled over in pain. My hands grabbed the railing in front of me as that horrible, horrible smell twisted through my nostrils like a vortex of pure evil and disgust. It wasn’t hard to recognize, and I felt a cold sweat break out all over my body as I did.
The guys from our apartment! The ones that Elijah owed money!
But he paid them! Didn’t he? Sawyer came home with the ten thousand dollars and they took care of it. They told me they did! And there was no way they’d lie to me about that. But as I sniffed the air, feeling the second contraction ripple through my body like an internal flame, I knew there was no disputing it. It was them, and for some strange reason, they were back.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Sawyer
I’d smelled them before they came into view, rounding the corner in a brand new black Benz, definitely stolen, and slid up beside the curb two houses down. For some reason, they’d been arrogant enough to leave one of the windows down, and that had been all I needed to catch a whiff of their horrific stenches.
I’d shifted immediately, and before they even made it up the block to me, I was on one of the betas. I caught him around the ankle and tore as much flesh from the bone as I could with one single bite. He yelped and fell to the ground, snapping erratically at the air in a desperate attempt to get a piece of me.
I leapt back as the other two shifted and sprang into action. The alpha’s eyes were filled with rage, and I knew now why they were back; revenge.
We’d paid them off, of course, as I said we would, but that hadn’t been enough. I’d suspected they were the kind of assholes that didn’t know how to put past squabbles behind them, but as the months went by, I figured they were over it. I guess I was wrong.
I snarled and yelped as the alpha sank his teeth into my shoulder. His teeth just missed sinking straight into my flesh and catching hold, and I was able to wriggle away but not without doing serious damage. Blood spilled down my arm as I snarled at him, his mangy fur mirroring the hideous nature of his soul.
The beta snapped and darted towards me, gnashing his sharp teeth at my haunch, the silvery-white daggers gleaming beneath the light of the street lamps. I managed to jump to the side and avoid them, but the alpha was readying his next jump. I only had a second at most to get out of the way, but with my shoulder bleeding and pain flooding my system, I knew I wouldn’t be able to make it.
But that was when help arrived like a train barreling down the tracks.
Elijah came streaking out of the darkness, a righteous snarl erupting from his lips as he sprang forward like a missile and slammed his head into the alpha’s chest like a battering ram. I heard the expulsion of all of the alpha’s breath as the blow knocked him back and slammed him into the hood of the stolen Mercedes.
I felt like laughing as he yelped in pain, but instead threw myself at the beta, finding a gap between his teeth-gnashing to rake my claws across the front of his left leg, tearing away at his fur. The attack was superficial, but enough to cause him to leap back, his top lip curled in rage.
He growled a deep, angry, guttural roar as Elijah took my side. The alpha righted himself, but his legs were wobbly and as he stared us down I thought for a moment that he might collapse. But somehow he managed to right himself, summoning that last bit of strength inside him that he needed to continue the battle.
The pain in my shoulder was like a white-hot flame threatening to overwhelm me, but what was even greater was my internal resolve as a protector, an alpha, a future father and a mate to two incredible men, and there was no way I was going to let these assholes get in the way of our future.
The alpha threw himself towards me, and at the same time, the beta dove in alongside him.
Their teeth were like gleaming knives.
The snarls raged in my ears.
Their scents invaded my nostrils, threatening to overwhelm me with disgust.
But I thought about Elijah by my side and Max upstairs carrying my child, and I leapt towards them.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Max
Another contraction hit me as I took the last step down from the upstairs, causing my muscles to spasm and almost taking me off my feet. I cried out and stumbled forward, catching myself on the corner of the wall, a protective hand over the bump that held my future child. I know what Sawyer would have said to me if he’d seen me coming down to them, and I know I was being an absolute fool by doing it, but I couldn’t just stay upstairs while they were in danger. Even if I was able to distract the attackers to give my mates an upper hand, that would be enough.
What if the fight was over and they needed my help? What then? There were just too many things that could go wrong, and if I cowered upstairs waiting for them to come back to me, and they didn’t, I’d never forgive myself.
I felt my water break. My feet slipped and I caught myself on the counter as I pressed through the kitchen. I could hear the sounds of battle outside. Someone yelped and I prayed to God it wasn’t one of my mates. I could see the door, and fought through another contraction that seized my muscles, my heart about to force its way out of my throat, fueled by a mixture of fear and adrenaline, with an underlying sense of elation in knowing that the baby was on its way.
What a time for this to happen! I thought as I reached the door.
“Sawyer!” I cried out as I tugged on the handle. It swung open and the horrible scent of the invaders hit me like a hockey stick to the nose, blunting my senses with its disgusting odor. “Elijah!”
On the ground, one of the betas lay motionless on the street, blood pouring from a wound in his neck. Sawyer and Elijah were fighting an alpha and a beta, and both of them were wounded. Blood coated Sawyer’s shoulder and Elijah was bleeding from somewhere as well, but not as badly.
“Sawyer!” I shouted, unable to contain myself. He whirled around and I saw a look of pure horror on his face and realized I’d made a mistake by coming outside. But I felt somehow propelled towards him and Elijah as the baby fought to break into the world. It was something I couldn’t control, like the feelings that had risen inside me when I’d stared into his beautiful blue eyes the first time we had sex and I knew that I wanted him to be the one to breed me and make me a father.
The attacking alpha leapt at Sawyer as his back was turned, but Elijah sprang at him and deflected him away, sending him tumbling across the street to slam into the sidewalk. The remaining beta jumped towards them, but together my mates dove on the alpha, and before he could right himself, snatched him in their jaws and ended him. Something cracked and he fell limp.
As they spun around to face the remaining attacker, I saw the fear in his eyes as he realized he was done for. He whirled around to retreat, but my mates were too fast for him. They were on him in a second and before he could cry out, he met the same fate as his friends.
“Elijah!” I blurted out as my legs gave out from under me and I fell to my knees.
I heard Sawyer shift back to human form. “Max! What are you doing?”
“It—it’s coming!” I stammered, clutching my stomach as the baby fought to make its way into the world. “What do we do? You’re hurt!”
He rushed over to me, blood still pouring from a substantial wound in his upper shoulder. I clasped one of my hands over it, doing my best to stop the bleeding.
&n
bsp; “We have to help you…”
“We have to help you,” he said firmly as Elijah shifted and took my side.
“Get him in the house!” Sawyer told him, lifting me under one arm, Elijah taking the other. “I’ll call Violet.”
Violet was the midwife Sawyer knew, and we’d planned to have her here when the contractions first started, but this all happened to suddenly—no doubt brought on by my fright when the guys showed up at the house—that of course we hadn’t called her yet. As the boys helped me back into the kitchen, and Sawyer picked up his phone, all I could do was pray that she’d show up in time.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Max
The cold towel was like pure heaven against my hot forehead as Violet pressed it there firmly, her other hand on my belly as a more violent contraction shook me.
“That’s it, babe,” she said soothingly, smelling of an incredible combination of orange and patchouli oil. I know it may sound gross to some, but it’s basically the Karma soap from Lush, and I absolutely adored it. “You’re on the home stretch now. Don’t even worry about it.”
“How is Sawyer?” I asked her. She lifted her eyes and looked behind me into the kitchen where Elijah was stitching him up. After they’d gotten me situated on the couch and let Violent in, they’d made their way there to get him sorted out and stop the bleeding. If they had waited any longer he’d have been in big trouble.
“I’m fine, baby,” he replied, his voice strong. “I’ll be right there.”
“Just one more stitch,” Elijah added. “It’s a good thing I watched a YouTube video on how to do this a long time ago.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t think it’s hospital quality,” Sawyer joked.
“Are you bleeding to death anymore?” Elijah replied. “No. You’re not. So don’t sass me.”
“Yes, sir,” Sawyer chuckled.
Violet had put on some kind of soothing harp music over Sawyer’s incredible sound system that was playing gently throughout the entire house, and I closed my eyes and focused on each note, doing my best to keep myself calm throughout everything going on around me. It wasn’t exactly the most optimal conditions to lead up to giving birth—an unexpected attack, a wounded mate, death, and a midwife who we weren’t even sure would show up in time.
But somehow, like the rest of our relationship, things had come together and I was sure it would all work out. At least, that’s what I kept telling myself.
“Okay, okay,” I told myself. “I’m going to focus on my breathing now.”
“That’s right,” Violet said warmly, propping my leg up on the extension of the couch that had been pulled out when I lay down. I kept letting my leg slip off to one side instead of keeping it where it needed to be, and Violet had to keep lifting it back where it belonged.
Despite the fact that there was only a towel covering me, I felt safe and secure. I’d only just met Violet, but she was soothing and warm, comforting with hazel eyes and jet black hair. She dressed like a bit of a hippy, and had a floral sleeve tattoo on one arm. I got the impression from the way she spoke and acted that she may have been a bit of a Hellraiser in her youth, but had grown up and become a loving, caring woman who’d found her purpose in life.
“There we go,” she told me, running her fingers down my shoulder. “This baby is coming. Are you excited?”
“I’m ready!” I told her. She tried not to laugh and resituated the damp towel on my forehead. I focused again on the music and counted my breaths, making sure I filled my lungs with air before expelling them again. Going into labor had my heart rate up and made me want to take quick, shallow breaths, but that only caused me to get even more fired up.
“Keep breathing,” she told me as I heard Elijah’s and Sawyer’s feet coming over from the kitchen. I opened my eyes and looked up at their faces, which were filled with comforting smiles, as they came over to me and took a seat, one on either side of me.
Two for me…I thought, feeling more secure than ever as they each placed a hand on my shoulder. My two mates, side by side, there to support me as I gave birth to our first child.
It was tough to believe, but so incredible, that all of this had come together from the rut Elijah and I had been stuck in—from him falling asleep inside of me, the ultimate insult! I chuckled and looked up at him as he squeezed my shoulder.
“Isn’t it crazy?” I asked him, my body momentarily free of labor pains.
“Isn’t what crazy?” he replied.
“This,” I smiled. “All of this happened because of you falling asleep in—”
“Shhh!” he scolded me with a smile. “We don’t need to talk about that again! But, yes. Yes, it is crazy.”
“Violet, have you ever met people like us?” I asked. “Three people in one relationship?”
I don’t know exactly what compelled me to ask such a question at that moment. Maybe it was the hormones. Maybe it was just the feeling of such an enormous life change taking place. Or maybe it was just me being silly and selfish and wanting to hear some praise from her. It felt good to know that we’d come together and made such an impossible sounding relationship happen.
“I’ve met swingers,” she replied. “But never anyone like you. From what I’ve seen with you three, I have no doubt you’re all in it for the long haul. This whole house just feels so alive with love!”
“It is,” Sawyer replied firmly. I couldn’t believe the strength in him, to go from such a terrible event, a life-threatening attack, being wounded and recovering and now being by my side as a supportive mate. If he wasn’t the most perfect example of an alpha then my name wasn’t Max.
“Do you think your parents are going to make it, Elijah?”
Someone had called them a few minutes ago, and Pacific Beach was only a few minutes away, but based on the feelings inside me, the baby wasn’t going to wait on them. My mother was supposed to get in tonight, so even if she missed the actual birth, she’d be here to help me after.
“They should,” Elijah replied. “I don’t know what’s taking them so long.”
“San Diego traffic,” Violet grumbled. “How are you feeling, dear?”
“Like I’m about to pop,” I replied, managing to chuckle, but as I did, a contraction seized my body and forced a grunt out of my mouth.
“Oh, I think you are,” she smiled, putting pressure on my forehead with one hand. It made me feel secure, with all of them focused on me and what I was going through, and their grip on me was like a physical expression of the love I felt in the room. “Okay, you need to start pushing for me. Can you do that?”
“Yes,” I grimaced as a stomach spasm hit me and clenched my body like a giant’s grip closing around me.
“You can do this, baby,” Elijah told me.
“Walk in the park,” Sawyer added, his strong hand on my arm.
“I can feel it!” I stammered, closing my eyes and focusing on the sensations racing through my body. I was terrified, but also thrilled at experiencing something new and knowing what kind of joy it would bring to us.
We’re going to be a real family…
It would give Sawyer the chance to start again—to forge memories that weren’t tainted with abuse and neglect, and to bring all of us together in a way that we’d never been before—we’d be whole.
“Okay, it’s time to really push for me, dear,” Violet told me, her voice filled with a confidence that told me that no matter what happened next, I’d be okay. I summoned whatever strength I had inside of me, pictured our lives together, felt the love flowing through me like a stream of pure endorphins, clenched my teeth together and pushed.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Max
“They’re just so beautiful,” my mother said for the tenth time in the last five minutes, her voice waking me from the nap I’d managed to stumble into. She was doing her best to be quiet, but failing miserably. I also had a sneaking suspicion that she was so excited about sharing the moment with me that she didn’t really ca
re if she ended up waking me up.
I opened my tired mouth to speak, but Sawyer spoke for me. “They really are.”
They…I thought, smiling as I remembered Violet’s voice after the first one came out.
“Oh my God!” she’d cried out. “Max, there’s—there’s another one!”
And that hadn’t been it either. There’d been another another one after that. Three in all. Triplets. We hadn’t gone in for an ultrasound, of course, and I hadn’t grown any bigger than normal or anything, so there was no real reason to expect anything. But to me, it made perfect sense. It was fate.
One for each of us.
And that’s how we’d ended up after I’d given birth—each of us holding one of our children, grinning like idiots. Proud idiots.
“We’re going to have our hands full,” Elijah said, his arms full on the other side of the room.
“Would you like it any other way?” his father, John, asked from beside him. Elijah’s parents had arrived shortly after the fireworks, and had wasted no time doing their best to be as useful as possible. I’d been a little more than out of it when I met them, and felt bad that I hadn’t been able to be as polite to Suzanne, his mother, as I normally would have been. Of course she’d cut me some slack though.
“Of course not,” Sawyer said. “Everything happens for a reason.”
“That’s right,” I smiled, resituating myself beneath the blanket Elijah’s mother had brought for me. It was warm and heavy, like someone lying on me and cuddling.
“How long are we going to have to keep calling them ‘boy,’ though?” my mother asked. We hadn’t named the boys yet, as we’d been so shocked at how many of them had arrived, that we had gone back to square one.