It had been several months since the wedding and Kyle and I were currently living in wedded bliss together, loving and embracing every moment of love spent in each other’s arms.

There was one teeny, tiny catch.

Well, maybe not so small, but profoundly, epically enormous.

Kyle was on the brink of giving birth. His due date was any day now, and we were anxiously awaiting the arrival of our new little bundle of joy.

I couldn’t speak for Kyle, but I could admit that even I have had a few bursts of anxious energy as I anticipated becoming a father after the birth.

“I don’t know if I’m ready to do this.” I ran a shaky hand through my hair and paced the outdoor decking area of Kyle’s packs house.

We were in the area, visiting his family before things got really crazy with the new pup. We thought we’d enjoy the company of friends and family before we had to devote most of our time to adapting to the new parent lifestyle.

“You are going to totally nail it.” Henry, Kyle’s best friend and pack member nodded in approval.

I gave him a sarcastic stare. “I’m not as good as you think I am.”

Henry shrugged as if he wasn’t worried in the slightest. Meanwhile, my nerves were fraying by the second.

“I’ve seen you interacting with some of the pup’s in our pack and you have a way with them. Your paternal streak will show itself once you lay eyes on your own child’s face…just you wait.”

I heaved a sigh of relief. “I hope you are right,” I said and gave him a friendly slap on the back.

“Of course, I’m right,” Henry scoffed boldly. He was a pistol, as an Alpha.

“Hey guys.”

I turned to watch as Kyle waddled into the room. I couldn’t lie, he looked absolutely pitiful.

“Having fun yet?” Henry laughed with amusement.

“That joke’s not getting old,” Kyle hissed and rolled his eyes, puffing and out of breath with red cheeks.

He dramatically wedged himself into one of the rocking chairs on the porch, grunting and carrying on as if he were carrying a boulder inside of his belly.

“Whew,” he said when he finally became comfortably nestled in the chair.

I grinned. His white, naked belly was exposed, protruding over the shirt that was immensely too snug to conform to the vastness of his giant stomach.

To me, he was still acutely handsome, and he was my Omega prince, soul bonded forever.

“I remember when Alex was pregnant with our first,” Henry said and nostalgically glanced out at the woods in front of us on the porch.

“That’s a beautiful story,” Kyle panted with sarcasm. “Can you tell it to me while you bring me a bottle of water? Ice cold please?”

“I’ll get it,” I swooped in to be the gallant receiver of Kyle’s demands. I understood where he was coming from.

Granted, I had never carried a baby before and I never would, but I had empathy pains for his struggle because the burden was hard on me too listening to him gripe about everything.

I walked inside and shoved my head into the refreshing and cool fridge. In Kyle’s defense, it was sweltering outside. We were under some sort of powerful and rare stream of tropical air even though fall was right around the corner.

I wasn’t even bursting at the seams pregnant like Kyle, so I knew he was miserable. Then again, I didn’t have to assume that fact because Kyle loved to verbally spew his discomfort at any round of opportunity he could.

“How are things going with Kyle?”

I closed the fridge door as I pulled out a crystal clear bottle of water for him. I spun around to see Rodney standing there looking unseasonably fretful for his nature.

I inhaled a deep breath and scratched the back of my neck. “Things are…good.” I smiled.

Rodney’s eyes gleamed and he gave me a smirk, seeing right through me. “You are a noble Alpha, aren’t you?”

I laughed with heartfelt enthusiasm. “I try.”

“Kyle is supremely lucky to have you,” he offered stoically.

“Thank you,” I said humbly, not used to receiving compliments from Rodney. “Tell me that while I’m squirming and trying not to pass out when the baby is being delivered,” I joked.

“You’ll do fine. It will be over before you know it.”

I glanced outside at Kyle who was grimacing and crouching over in what appeared to be visible pain. From inside the house and through the windows, it was impossible to tell if he was just being overly dramatic and hot again, or seriously uncomfortable.

I pointed to him on the rocking chair. “Well, your highness out there requested this water, so I better bring it to him.” I chuckled as I departed.

“Let me know if I can do anything to help,” Rodney called out behind me.

When I pushed open the screened door to head back outside to Kyle, he was groaning and moaning.

I stared up at Henry. “What the hell happened? Has he been shot by a hunter or something? He looks like he’s in agony.”

Henry was normally very charismatic, charming and full of surprises. He was the class clown of Kyle’s pack and nobody ever took him seriously because of how often he joked around.

But now, Henry’s brow was furrowed with concern and his eyes had dark etchings of dread and worry splashed across his dilated pupils.

“He just started screaming and whelping in pain,” Henry stated absentmindedly as if his mind had erased to blankness in pure shock of seeing Kyle in this condition.

I untwisted the bottle cap and crouched down to become eye level with Kyle who still sat in the chair, nearly stuck because of his profound size.

“Here,” I said and held the water out to him while I wiped the hair off his sweaty forehead. “Drink some water, it will help you feel better.”

“I think I’m…in…labor.” Kyle was spitting out each word as if it caused him intense pain to even expend the exhaustive energy to speak.

“You think you are what?” I cried and stood up, nearly spilling the full water bottle all over the wooden porch deck.

I thought I would be prepared for this moment when it finally happened, but sheer panic enveloped me and engulfed me in flames as I crashed and burned emotionally.

Staring up at Henry, I prayed to the gods he had answers, and a good variety of them. “You’ve been through this before,” I fired at him almost in an accusatory manner although I didn’t mean for it to come across that way. “What do we do?”

Henry looked as if he’d seen a ghost. He ran a hand nervously through his hair and began to pace. “We probably need to count his contractions. If they are far enough apart we have time to get him to the hospital where doctors can deliver the baby.”

I cradled Kyle’s head in my hands. I struggled to get him to look at me or make eye contact, but he was withering in enormous amounts of pain from the grueling beginning of labor. “Kyle,” I whispered in a nurturing voice to sooth and calm him. “Kyle…listen to me. It’s going to be okay. You are strong and brave, you are athletic, and you can do this.”

“I can’t,” Kyle sobbed and shook his head as fresh sweat formed on his brow.

“Yes, you can, damn it,” I told him assertively. “Hundreds, thousands of Omegas have been giving birth before you and they’ll do it after too.”

Kyle nodded and clinched his jaw. Apparently, I was getting through to him.

“Just breathe steadily,” I coaxed him.

At the same instant when Henry raced to get help, Alpha Post and his Omega partner Rodney burst from the living room onto the porch.

“Let’s get him inside,” Alpha Post waved with a frantic hand, gesturing toward the door.

I glanced up at Henry. “Will you help me get him up?”

“Yes.” Henry nodded although he still looked opaquely pale.

I grunted as I lifted Kyle, but as soon as I did, I felt a wet sensation hit my foot. There was a slurping pop sound and a splash.

Curiously, I looked down at the floor wondering if somebody from the upstairs porch had dumped a bucket of water downstairs or something.

My feet and jeans were soaked with what appeared to be water, but was a little more thick and gooey. Instinctively, I hurtled backwards repulsively.

“Ugh!” I shouted. “What the hell is that?” I glanced up at the deck above me, but there were no remnants of dripping liquid coming from up there.

“Kyle’s water broke!” Henry shouted.

The three Alphas stared at each other in horror along with Rodney who seemed to have ethereal composure wrapped around his aura.

“There’s no time to get him to a hospital, I’m afraid,” Rodney shook his head regretfully. “Once the water breaks, it could be a matter of minutes before the pup emerges.”

“I’m scared!” Kyle wailed as we got him inside and placed him gently on a blanket on the floor.

He was thrashing in pain and I felt helpless to come to his aid. “I’ll go grab a wet wash rag to put on his forehead,” I shouted as the idea came to me.

I didn’t know if it would do any good, but I felt like I needed to keep my hands busy.

While the others tended to Kyle in agony on the floor, I raced like a bullet down the hallway into the guest bathroom where I found a wash cloth and soaked it through, wringing it before bringing it back to Kyle.

I placed it on his forehead, leaning down and stroking his cheek.

“Get out of the way,” Rodney said and practically shoved me. “Sorry,” he said as we made eye contact. “The baby is coming now and we need to deliver.”

“Okay,” I said meekly with a loud gulp.

I was better to just stand in the background because I was in a panic and had no idea what I was doing…making me virtually useless in this situation.

Watching Kyle struggle through the throes of labor pain nearly ripped my heart to shreds, but as the new pup emerged from his womb, I was swallowed by pride and love.

“He’s coming!” Rodney shouted.

The tiny pup came bouncing out, screaming with a healthy set of lungs. His fists were balled up and clinched, waving about the room and he was covered in goop. He had a huge, full head of dark hair on his head and I cried he was so beautiful.

Immediately, I rushed to Kyle’s side on the floor and squeezed his hand, gently kissed his forehead. He was panting and gasping for breath.

“You did amazing, my brave soldier,” I whispered into his ear.

“Thank you.” Kyle grinned, elated and glowing as a proud new father.

Alpha Post dried the baby off with a clean towel and wrapped him up in a navy blue blanket. “Here is your son,” he said and extended his arms, presenting me and Kyle with our new bundle of joy.

The baby was gorgeous. “He has your eyes,” I whispered to Kyle.

“He looks just like you,” Kyle cried tears of pure joy.

“I think he’s a perfect blend of both of you,” Henry offered.

As I clung to my new pack, I was overcome with the magnitude of how lucky I was to now have a family of my own. I would love and protect them, for all of eternity.