Pull the throttle back! You’re going to crash the damn plane!” Charlie screamed.

Daren pulled back on the throttle with all his might. The snowy ground was getting closer and closer. I closed my eyes and held onto the metal door. “We’re going down,” Daren muttered, grinding his teeth.

The alarms inside of the plane started ringing loudly. The red lights blinked on and off. I couldn’t hold back. I puked onto the floor and gasped for air. Charlie pressed a few buttons and grabbed the throttle from Daren. “We are not going down. We can’t go down! We have a pregnant omega with us,” Charlie said.

The plane waxed back and forth, oscillating against the strong wind current. Hail knocked against the plane loudly. My heart was beating painfully at the prospect of crashing into the ground and losing everything we had already won. Sandoval Lewis had to be dead and the power grid was completely destroyed.

“Here we go,” Charlie muttered.

The plane stabilized and hit the ground. We hydroplaned and, of course, I puked some more. The plane came to a halt at the end of the smooth expanse. When we finally stopped, I wondered if I hadn’t died.

“What… happened?” I asked.

I opened my eyes and saw Carter, Ori, and… the omega twins?! No, it wasn’t a mirage. I saw the omega twins running toward the plane. Carter was smiling, covered in soot and mud. He honestly looked sexy as fuck.

I opened the door and Carter ran to kiss me. “Liam!” he shouted. “We did it. We really did it.”

He held out his palm. I hovered my palm over his. Our fingers slowly interlocked, one by one. We both closed our eyes and felt the deep connection we shared. I was a part of him and our bond had finally solidified.

“Everything feels so good now,” I whispered.

Carter nodded and gently nuzzled his forehead against mine. “It feels incredible. I can feel you flowing through me. No matter what happens, we’re together now. Forever,” Carter said.

Meanwhile, Charlie had jumped into the back of the plane. He was crying and holding both of his omegas tightly. “I thought I lost you. Oh, my beautiful omegas. I have missed you for too long,” he wept.

Daren started the plane and let the engines run. Outside, the sounds of soldiers were dissipating. The field was clearing. Everyone was going back to the military base.

Ori never jumped inside the plane. Instead, he saluted us, saying, “I need to walk with the troops in solidarity. You did good out there, Carter Thompson. Today is a day that will go down in history forever.”

“I’ll see you in the Sanctuary,” Carter said, saluting him back.

Ori tapped on the metal outside of the plane. We all watched as he walked to the other soldiers. I felt bittersweet about the success. There was a lot of healing to be done and I wasn’t sure how we could ever dial things back.

Before taking off, Daren turned around and took Carter in his arms. “My boy. I’m so proud of you,” he said.

I choked up, feeling emotional over their father and son bond. I loved that they were so close. Daren was quickly becoming a father to me as well.

“Dad, I owe you everything,” Carter said. “I bonded with Liam. I actually felt it.”

Daren smiled, but lowered his eyes and shed a few tears of grief. “We never got to discuss everything. I’m sorry I never told you about your father,” Daren said.

“Dad, it’s okay. We don’t need to dwell on that now,” Carter said, smearing the mud around his eyes with the back of his hand.

“I know you don’t like to talk about it, but I want you to know that I always loved you as my own. I tried to raise you in the best way I could. You were a blessing to your father and I,” Daren cried. Carter choked on the stale air, trying not to cry. “Dammit, I let you down. I should have told you everything from the start. About Sandoval, the Alliance… I just didn’t think you could handle it. I thought you might despise your old man.”

Carter grabbed his father and hugged him tightly. As tears fell down his cheeks, he whispered into his shoulder, “I could never hate you, dad. Never. I understand how much pressure you’ve been put under.”

Then, Carter looked at me and pulled me into a three-way hug. “We’re family. All of us,” Carter said. He put his hands around me belly and looked at me in awe. “And in just a few days, this baby is going to be lead the next generation of grey wolves.”

The omega twins leaned against Charlie lovingly. I smiled at the sight. Even if we hadn’t always gotten along, we were connected in all of this. “You’re our family too, Charlie. When we get to this Sanctuary, I’m looking forward to big family dinners and movie nights,” I said.

To my surprise, Charlie embraced me. “You and me both, kid,” he said.

* * *

The plane was surrounded by the military police at the base. One by one, we filtered out of the jet. We were greeted with rifles pointed at us. Carter was eagerly ready to greet them with a cocky smile on his face.

“Good morning, boys!” Carter announced, clapping his hands with enthusiasm. “Did you hear the news?”

“Hands in the air!” a soldier shouted.

Carter kept his hands to his side. He embraced the soldier. “We took control of the power grid. It’s over,” he declared.

One of the soldiers, a very meaty guy, ran to the front. “We just received confirmation from Ori. He’s telling the truth, sir,” he said.

The soldiers put their guns down, blankly gazing at one another. “We… won?” one soldier asked.

Carter nodded triumphantly. “We won,” he said.

The soldiers threw their helmets onto the ground. They ran and hugged each of us. One of the guys pulled out a flask to celebrate.

I couldn’t celebrate too much, especially because I was about two seconds away from giving birth. My cramps were killing me now. They started to grow in intensity before the plane landed, but when we touched down at the base, I could barely take in any breaths. I knew I was close to giving birth to this child, but right now, I was stuck in such an uncomfortable place that I couldn’t even think about what the doctor told me to do.

Carter knew immediately that something was up. “What’s going on with you? Are you alright?” he asked.

Somehow, I wasn’t as panicked as I thought I would be. I merely smiled and kissed his cheek. “Everything is fine,” I said, holding the center of my belly firmly. But the pain increased and he knew I was being weird.

“Liam, I’m taking you to the hospital,” Carter said.

Then, almost like a sign, my water just popped. “Ohhh… shit,” I said like a deflated balloon.

I was exhausted and emotionally spent. What we went through yesterday was too much. Daren ran to my aid, holding my big body up. I knew how awkward I looked, but I got to a point where I didn’t really give two shits about my appearance. My pants were wet and my belly looked like an overgrown watermelon, but we were starting a family together. It was a beautiful thing, soaked and all.

“I’m going to run and get a car!” Carter yelled.

I closed my eyes and waited for him to come back to my aid. Slowly, the pain increased. “I’m going to need some pain pills soon, Daren,” I said.

“There he is with the car. Don’t worry, darlin’. We’re here for you, okay?” Daren asked with a heartwarming smile.

I deflated against his body. “Thank you, grandpa,” I said, winking.

“Heck. I’m a grandpa. That just sunk in.” He laughed and jerked his head off to the side.

“Does it scare you?” I asked. “Because becoming a dad is scaring the hell out of me right now.”

“Actually, I’m excited. I don’t like that I’m getting older, but I’ll tell you something. I never got more joy out of anything than raising Carter with his dad. When Garreon passed away, there was a void in our home, but I still loved every second of it. This is the next step in that journey. I’m proud to have you both in my life and I’m proud to be recognized as an old fart now,” Daren said.

An ambulance swerved in front of us. Carter ran out and opened the back doors. They both lifted me into the vehicle. The medical technician told me to breathe. Just breathe. Apparently that was all I had to do, but it wasn’t doing crap! I wasn’t trained for this. I had no idea what the hell I was doing.

The pressure was building inside of my belly. The pinching feeling increased, pulling my breath away from me. “Carter, I’m going to explode!” I screamed.

The EMT gently took my arm into his hand. “We’re going to give you an IV so that you don’t feel the pain, okay?” he asked.

I pulled my arm back into my bosom. “Like hell you are!” I yelled irrationally.

“Then the pain will only increase with time. This is standard procedure,” he said.

“Listen, if you poke me with anything, I’m going to rip your head off!” The words came out much faster than I could think about them.

I glanced over at Carter who burst out laughing. “You have to listen to him. He’s the boss,” Carter said to the EMT.

The EMT sighed and threw away his IV kit. We pulled into the hospital and Carter helped me into a wheelchair. “I can’t believe this is happening,” I groaned. “This is it, Carter. Our lives are going too change forever now. Are you ready, papa?”

He eagerly kissed my neck. “Hell fucking yes, I am!” he exclaimed.

His excitement was way too much for me now, but I felt so grateful for him being here. We had gone through hell this year. I knew we could take on anything.

The doctor came out from the two automatic doors. He held a clipboard to his face, and when he saw us, he looked surprised. “It says here that we have an omega?” he asked.

“Right here!” Carter said, pointing at me.

“Yep. Right here. The guy with the swollen fucking belly!” I yelled. A few of the people in the lobby glanced over at me, but I couldn’t be bothered to care right now.

“Well, this is the first in a long time,” he said, in awe.

I groaned loudly, feeling the contractions start to come in harder. “Please, don’t scare me, doctor. You know how to do this, right?” I asked.

“There’s no need to worry. I’m doctor Gracewall and I’m fully trained. You’re safe here,” the doctor said.

It was impossible to focus on any word or phrase. At this point, my back ached like hell and I kept cycling from feeling dizzy to getting hot flashes every ten seconds. Not to mention, the contractions barely seemed to rest.

I let out a loud roar of pain to let everyone know just how dire the situation was. “Okay, we have to get you in the room now,” the doctor said.

Doctor Gracewall quickly handed the clipboard to the nurse beside him. Daren sat down in the waiting room and shouted, “Keep me updated!”

“AHHH!” was my response.

I was wheeled into the small room and I was going through the worst hell I had ever experienced before. But in these moments of intense pain and worry, I kept cycling through the complex images in my life. I thought of who I used to be and what I’ve become in just one year.

As the doctor checked my dilation, I kept looking at my mate, Carter Thompson, the guy who I was sent to capture. I thought about how funny it was that he ended up capturing me instead.

The light reflected off of his face and time seemed to shift from fast to slow. He looked handsome and beautiful. Somehow, it felt like I was meeting him again for the first time.

I came to terms with the fact that the contractions were just not going to end anytime soon. But just when I felt like I had to give up and throw in the towel, Carter gave me both of his hands for support. His warm lips grazed my cheek and he told me that he was proud of me.

I clutched onto him as hard as I could, not only because I was going through torture. It was also the fact that he saved my life. If we never met, I’d still be in the barracks with that traitor Hansel. I never wanted to lose that connection with anyone ever again.

I wasn’t sure what was going to happen with the Northern Pack Alliance, Ori, or the state of the world. I didn’t care about Walter’s future in prison, or the news of Sandoval’s death. What I wanted to hold onto instead was the bright future we were privileged enough to attain.

We were going to raise a family together and the legendary Sanctuary was just around the corner. That image is what I focused on.

I felt a second wind enter my body and I tried to drive through the pain. “Push, darling,” Carter said, squeezing my fingers.

“I’m trying, but it’s hard,” I moaned. I’d get these waves of energy, but it quickly gave way to pain and intense emotional sadness. I was worried.

The doctor looked calm and collected behind the curtain. “You’re crowning,” he said. “Come on. Almost there!”

I pushed with all my might, growling low, guttural noises. I sounded like the singer of a death metal band, only more intense. If I disturbed Carter, I wouldn’t have blamed him for running away, but he was so supportive throughout the whole procedure. I noticed there were tears of affection in his eyes.

“Oh my God,” he cried. The small tears turned into extreme waterworks. I looked at him and giggled. Then, I heard the sound that rocked me to the core.

My baby’s cries shot through me like a loaded gun, packed with every single emotion known to man. I didn’t know what it was like for other omegas, but for me, it changed me. In the first moments of my omega’s life, I became a totally different person.

Carter nearly melted onto the floor as he walked to cut the chord. The nurse cleaned my little babe’s head and body. Carter took him in his hands and started bawling, “I can’t… believe this… is my son!”

He held the baby near his heart and gave me the goofiest dad smile in the world. Yep. He was going to be a really good father. I saw it instantly.

The doctor extended his gloves and flicked them into the hazardous waste bin. “And… voila!” he shouted. “I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but you’re the first grey wolf parents this year. Congratulations, you two.”

It was a monumental moment for us, but also for the world. I couldn’t help but regard our new baby son as the future seed to something absolutely wonderful.

“Thank you so much, doctor,” I said. “You’ve given me a reason to keep going.”

“Hey, don’t give me so much credit. I just help out with the hard stuff.” He winked and opened the door.

The room was silent except for the curious sounds of our “oinking” baby. Carter carefully carried him to me. The physical pain was aching now, but none of that mattered. When Carter set our baby in my arms, I felt a holy pleasure only an omega could feel after giving birth.

“Alexander,” I said. Little Alex.

I looked into our yawning baby’s eyes. “Look at him,” I said to Carter. His eyes were yellow with brown speckles, just like mine.

“He’s so unique,” Carter whispered. There was a knock on the door and Daren’s head peeked inside the room.

“Grandpa is here!” he said, carefully walking toward the baby. “My God. I have a grandson!”

I nuzzled up with Alexander, smelling and kissing the top of his warm head. He was so fragile and beautiful. I was already so protective of him that I didn’t want to hand him to any nurses. Daren knelt down next to Carter and kissed Alexander on the cheek.

“I missed this. Babies. Oh, look at his eyes!” he cried, placing his palm against his mouth in awe.

I laughed with tears of joy in my eyes. “You better get ready. You’re the designated babysitter now, Daren,” I said.

Daren smiled big. “Count me in! Whenever and wherever you need me, I’ll be there,” Daren said.

We spent the next hour together, hazily staring at our newborn. He was chubby cheeked and scrunched up against me. His breathing was so pure and innocent.

I felt like I could stay up forever, just looking at him. He smelled so good and every time he made a noise, our hearts collectively skipped a beat. Alexander was the answer I had been waiting for, the key to our Sanctuary.

As the day turned to night, I felt ready to go to sleep. Daren was hanging off of the hospital bed, snoring like a sleeping bear. Another knock on the door sent him flying up into the air. He knocked his head on the lamp and howled loudly.

“Dammit!” The baby hiccupped and started crying.

Carter ran to get the door while I soothed the baby. It was Ori, waiting with a bouquet of flowers and a large cigar. “I just wanted to say congratulations,” he said, humbly.

“Ori!” I exclaimed. “Come in here!”

Ori walked in and set the flowers on the table. He handed the cigar to Carter who eagerly smelled the outer wrapping. “It’s tradition in my family to give the alpha a cigar. I know, it’s a little outdated, but there is something I like about keeping old family traditions alive,” he said.

“Thanks, brother,” Carter said, hugging him tightly. “Come here. I want you to meet Alexander.”

Alexander instinctually reached out to Ori, aptly placing his tiny finger in Ori’s nose. “You found my nose, big guy,” Ori whispered. He gave Alexander his finger and our sweet babe wouldn’t let go.

In that moment, I looked at Carter. He nodded. “So, Ori. How would you like to be little Alex’s godfather?” I asked.

Carter smacked him on the back. Ori looked surprised. “Me? Godfather?”

Carter laughed. “Yeah, buddy. Godfather. The big kahuna,” he joked.

Ori bowed, low to the ground. He lowered his head. “I don’t know what to say. I’m truly humbled by this request,” he said, spoken like a true warrior.

Carter ruffled his hair and kissed his cheek platonically. “I knew you’d be game!” he exclaimed.

Ori blushed and hugged both of us. “I also came here to update you on everything. We have a plane coming into the hangar in a week. They’ve got the instructions to take you to the Sanctuary,” he said.

Carter wrapped his arms around me. “So we’re finally going, huh?”

Ori stood up. “You’re finally going to a safe place you can call home,” he said. “But I unfortunately can’t join you.”

“Why the heck not?” Daren asked, rubbing his sore head.

“The militia is striking back,” he said. “They’re weak and in hiding, but the media is still declaring war. There is more to be done and I’m needed here with my men.”

Carter looked frantically back at me. “Then we can’t go,” he said. “Not without you, Ori. We have to stay and fight.”

Ori placed his hands on Carter’s shoulders and massaged him. “Your omega had a child. Do you know how rare this is? Right now, you’re a beacon of hope. You took out Sandoval and their central power grid. You’ve lived out your service. We’ll be fine without you. It’s time to start your family,” Ori said.

“You’re right,” Carter said, looking down at Alexander and me.

“Damn right he is.” I scowled. “It’s time to go home.”