Ned

A hard contraction rippled across my stomach and I felt my face scrunch in a pain that took so much concentration that I couldn’t even scream. Sweat dripped from my face.

“This better be fucking worth it,” I gasped, glaring at William, after the contraction passed.

“It will be. I promise,” William said, leaning in to brush the hair off my forehead.

“It’s time to move to the birthing chair,” Jolly said, his voice calm and soothing, as it had been through the entire sixteen hours of labor.

“I can’t believe you brought a birthing chair,” I gasped, shaking my head at Jolly.

He grinned, flipping his braids back behind him. “Better than being stuck in this birthing-berth.”

His pun surprised a huffing laugh out of me—something that had been lacking in the last hours.

“Oh, that’s terrible, Jolly,” William groaned.

“Indeed, it is a terrible place to strand a laboring omega. Bring him.”

William nodded, slipping his arm behind my back and helping me lean forward. I paused, gripping William’s shoulder. “Look at me. William. If something happens to me, I want you to—”

“Nothing’s going to happen to you,” William interrupted. “Everything’s going to be fine.”

“No. Listen.” I stopped, rocking with the pain of another contraction. When it passed, I gasped out, “If something happens to me, you must protect our baby. Keep him safe.”

William nodded, his face serious now. “I will,” he vowed. “I love you too much not to promise you anything. The world, if you want it.”

“Good. Your love is enough for the moment. Now, get me to that chair.”

The contractions were getting closer—I screamed in agony as they moved me up the stairs to the chair, my voice echoing throughout the entire ship.

I thought for a moment that the chair would allow me a little more dignity as I gave birth, but I was wrong.  Instead of sitting upright, like a normal person, the chair was lower to the ground, and a hole in the center pulled me down through it just enough so I was squatting—but up on a raised dais, so everyone in the room could get a good look up inside me just by walking by.

“Perfect,” Jolly said, tilting his head and peering exactly where I wouldn’t want my omega-father-in-law to examine.

But it did make me feel better when he climbed a few steps and put his hand against my belly, offering comfort. I didn’t know if it was magical, but it definitely helped reduce both my anxiety and my pain.

And the birthing chair might have helped, as the next contraction started the final phase of birth.

“Ah, yes,” said Jolly. “Push.”

William tried to talk me through the breathing exercises Jolly had taught us, but I slammed an arm out and caught him across the face. “Shut. Up. I’m working.”

He held two hands up. “I’ll be over here if you need me.”

“Laugh once, and I will run you through with your own cutlass and make you walk the fucking plank, you useless, scurvy bilge-rat.”

“Mm-hmm.” I decided it was a valiant effort not to laugh and ignored my alpha-mate as I got ready to push again.

With a fiery, tearing pain, I finally felt something whoosh out of me—and the next thing I knew, Jolly had rushed away with a tiny bundle.

“What’s going on?” I asked frantically. “Is everything all right? Is our baby well?”

A resounding, echoing squall of pure infant anger was my answer, and I burst into tears.

“No rest for you yet, laddie,” Jolly said, handing the warmly wrapped baby over to William. “You still have to expel the afterbirth.”

* * *

HOURS LATER, I LAY exhausted in our bed, William next to me, a well fed and much happier baby Arnold nestled in between us.

I called, “Enter,” after a quiet knock on the door.

“It’s the baby’s uncles George and Bailey,” I heard Bailey say. “We’ve come to meet our new nephew.”

They cooed over him for several minutes, until Arnold awoke and demanded to be fed. I held him up to my newly developed—and still achingly sore—breasts while he latched on.

“I’d like to speak to you two before you leave,” William said. “I’m going to call off the plan to capture Jeremiah and The Felicity. I know we’ve discussed you two being part of the second crew, so I don’t want you to be disappointed.”

They glanced at one another, and I noticed their fingers intertwining as they turned their gazes back to the captain. “Not a problem, Cap’n,” George said, his sailor’s brogue in full effect as he grinned. “As long as we’re together, makes no matter what ship we sail.”

When they left, I turned to William. “Why aren’t you going to try to capture The Felicity again?”

He gazed into my eyes seriously. “While you were in labor, all I could think about what how awful it would have been if I’d left you behind when I went out after The Felicity. I couldn’t help but feel sympathy for Jeremiah.”

“I understand,” I murmured, reaching out with the hand that wasn’t holding Arnold and taking my alpha’s fingers in mine.

“I’m going to put out the word that we’re not looking for them any longer. I hope they find the same happily-ever-after that we have.”

He leaned over to watch Arnold nursing.

As I watched William kiss the top of Arnold’s head, I finally understood, in a way I hadn’t until now—all that mattered was love. And this family William and I had created—me, and Arnold, and William, and Jolly, and even all the other pirates on the ship—it was pure love. Not Alpha, not Omega, not Beta.

Just love.

Perfect love.

And I would fight—forever, if necessary—to protect that love as we sailed out across the Seven Seas.

* * *

THE END.

* * *

Love this story? Be sure to !

Love MPreg? Sign up for the and never miss another release!

Also, be sure to check out .