VESPER

 

One month later…

 

Rudy’s belly had swollen to the point that it looked like it might burst. An Omega pregnancy only lasted one month. Rudy’s body was just so fertile that the child was ready to come.

It was late in the evening. Most of the snowstorms had passed but there was still a cold that lingered in the air. The sky was dark but the clouds were gone. The stars and the moon shined bright down upon all of us.

Rudy laid in his spot. Surrounded by linens and cloths, he was completely bare. His muscles tensed. His body was covered in sweat.

“It’s all right,” I whispered. “You’re doing just fine.”

He remained there with his eyes closed. I wiped some of the sweat from his brow to try and comfort him. Anything I could do to make him feel better, I had to do it.

He didn’t respond to me. He just kept exhaling sharp breaths as if trying to steady himself.

One of the herd elders sat between Rudy’s legs and urged him on.

“Keep going, Rudy… I can almost see your child…”

The rest of the herd was gathered around. They were silent as they watched my Omega push out the life that was inside of him.

There had been many pregnancies in the herd but none were like this. Rudy was the first who had ever mated with an outsider. The men and women crowded around Rudy looked on with curious eyes, wondering what the child of two different kinds of men would look like.

“Rudy…”

I reached for his hand with both of mine. Despite how much smaller his hand was, he squeezed my hand so tightly that I thought my fingers would break.

“Brace yourself,” I whispered. “Anything you need… Anything at all… I love you…”

He slowly peeked his eyes open. Despite the pain on his face, he smiled back at me softly.

“Your child is coming,” the elder urged Rudy. “Push… Keep pushing…”

Rudy shut his eyes tight and followed the elder’s instructions. His mouth hung open. The muscles all over his body tightened. His hand clenched around mine.

I held him tight, not wanting to let him go until this was all over.

“Push, Omega… Push…”

Rudy’s mouth opened even wider. A loud cry finally escaped from his throat and echoed toward the sky.

The herd gasped in wonder. I turned and saw the elder pulling away from between Rudy’s legs. A small child writhed in his hands as it cried.

“A girl,” the elder said.

I stared in even more amazement than the rest of the herd. The little baby was covered in fluids, squirming with life.

The elder brought the child to Rudy and rested her down on his chest. Rudy sighed a deep breath and smiled in relief. The sight of Rudy and our daughter made me swallow to keep down all of the emotions I felt.

“She’s beautiful,” Rudy whispered.

He was hypnotized by her the same as me. I’d never seen such a beautiful sight as this moment.

I turned when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

“Congratulations,” Knox said with a smirk on his face.

“Thank you,” I said, nodding.

“Your child will be a part of this herd. I vow that I will watch over her. She will be treated with the ultimate respect.”

I looked back at the baby and smiled softly.

“Thank you,” I repeated. “I want anything and everything for her.”

Knox patted me on the shoulder and backed away. The rest of the crowd continued to disperse. The elder was the last person to leave, giving the baby one last glance before stepping away.

“I can’t believe it,” Rudy whispered. “All my life… I wondered if I would ever be able to father a child. I wondered if I would ever find an Alpha.”

“Finding an Omega was something that never crossed my mind.”

Rudy turned toward me, a sly look in his eyes.

“Now I don’t know what I would ever do without you,” I said.

I leaned forward and kissed Rudy softly on his forehead.

Rudy rested peacefully underneath the stars with his daughter in his arms. I sat right next to them, observing them in silence.