Chapter 41: Oh Baby

KOL

~Faster faster faster faster.~

I felt like my lungs were gonna explode as I tore through the forest, the ground beneath me coming loose from my claws. A crack behind me told me Diego mistimed his turn and skidded into a tree.

She’d just had to go fucking shopping. She couldn’t have waited until we got back! No! She’d insisted she would be fine! Now here I was racing against the clock to make it back to her.

~Faster faster faster faster.~

Gia had gone shopping with Liv and baby Milly. I had told her to wait until Diego and I had come back from our recon run up north, but no! She’d shoved us out the door and insisted.

~FUCK.~

~FASTER.~

When Liv had mind-linked Diego about Gia being rushed to the hospital, I’d thought I would die on the spot. They had been in a store when she slipped and fell down a flight of stairs.

Worst part was the humans had called an ambulance, and now Gia was in a human hospital instead of our pack one.

A pregnant wolf in a human hospital was a bad call under ordinary circumstances, but a wolf pregnant with a potentially magical baby was worse! How in the hell were we gonna cover that up!

I heard Diego growl behind me and dug my claws deeper into the ground

~Faster faster faster.~

We were nearing civilization now, and I realized I had no idea where the hospital was. Diego growled and took off to the left, so I followed him.

After a couple of minutes of running, I spotted the building coming into view. I growled and tore in front of Diego, not even caring if a human saw me.

Without pausing to think, I lunged through the doors, shattering the glass and shifting midair. I landed at the desk balls ass naked and snarled at the wide-eyed woman, “Where is my wife?”

She just stuttered then let out a scream. When Diego landed beside me after shifting, he grabbed her uniform and pulled her close. “My pregnant sister, Gianna Gray. Where the fuck is she, woman?”

“SECURITY! SECURITY!” a nurse close by screamed, and I growled at her menacingly. “My wife—where is she? She had an accident, and I need to get to her NOW,” I spat at her.

Diego tensed beside me and snarled deep in his chest, the faint crack of bones readying for a quick shift.

“Um, gentlemen, I don’t know what drugs you guys are on, but you are scaring the patients and the staff. Why don’t we get you some clothes and a doctor?”

~Great, that must be security.~ I snarled at him, curling my lip and baring my fangs. He stopped in his tracks.

The receptionist found her voice. “What the hell are you? ’Cause you can’t be human,” she whispered, pale as a ghost.

“WHERE THE FUCK IS MY WIFE?!” I roared at her, spit flying everywhere. Security unclipped their guns and now had them pointed at us. Diego let out a chilling howl.

“Sir, you need to calm down,” security number one warned.

“Alpha Kol, Prince Diego.” My gaze looked toward the voice and landed on a girl with mousy brown hair and brown doe eyes. In her hands she was holding hospital scrubs.

“You know who we are?”

She tilted her head. “Of course. My husband is a member of your council.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “You’re not a wolf.” I sniffed, taking the scrubs out of her hands and dressing myself, Diego following suit.

“It’s okay, officers. They are with me. I apologize for the disturbance. Everyone, as you were.” She waved her hands, and instantly everyone went about their business.

“You’re a witch,” Diego stated matter-of-factly, and I eyed her.

“Where is my wife?”

She smiled. “Right this way. I had her moved to a private suite and closed off the floor per the king’s demands. I can assure you she is perfectly comfortable.”

“Who is your husband?” I snapped at her, walking into the elevator.

She blushed slightly. “Your beta, Jordan,” she whispered.

I looked wide-eyed at her. “He never told me! I didn’t even know he had a mate!” I’d thought he told me everything.

She blushed again. “We didn’t tell anyone. He thought it wouldn’t be safe. It’s unheard of for a wolf and a witch to mate.

“Surely Princess Gianna told you about how hard it was for her parents,” she whispered, her eyes on the ground.

“Nothing to be ashamed of. Wolves can’t choose their mates. Only the goddess can, and you were chosen for Jordan. You should be proud, both of you.”

Diego patted her shoulder, causing her to blush deeper.

“Thank you, sir.”

I stared at him. He looked at me and shrugged. “What?”

I shook my head and scoffed. “Never thought you’d go soft, Gray.”

“Wait till you hold your kid, man. You’ll see.”

“Right this way.” The nurse led us down the hall to a room. I heard Gianna groan inside and burst through the door.

“WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN? WHAT TOOK YOU SO FUCKING LONG?” I froze under Gia’s murderous glare. She spotted the nurse and smiled instantly. “Hayley, thank you so much for bringing him to me.”

“Sure, you’ll be nice to her.” I rolled my eyes.

“She has the drugs,” Gia spat at me viciously.

Diego had not warned me about this part of labor. I looked at him, and he just shrugged.

I cleared my throat. “You okay, baby? Do you need anything?”

She clutched my hand and squeezed. “No, baby. I’m just glad you made it in time.”

I ignored the fact that she had gone sweet despite being murderous only seconds before and kissed her gently on the forehead.

Her face scrunched up, and she groaned, wiggling on the bed, death grip on my hand! Death grip!

~Fuck fuck fuck.~

“Contractions are coming closer together now, darling. Are you ready?” I hadn’t even noticed Frieda was in the room; I had been too busy looking at Gia.

She nodded silently, her face still scrunched up in pain. “Aaaaahhhhh,” she breathed out, laying her head back on the bed.

I handed her the cup of ice chips and put a cool towel on her forehead. “Here, take this, Gia. It’ll help the pain.”

That Hayley girl handed Gia a mask thing. “It’s okay, Hayley. I don’t need it. I can do this.” She swatted it away and groaned again.

~Death grip.~

~Death grip.~

~Fuck!~

A crack rang out through the room, and I flinched, trying to hide the fact that she’d broken my fingers in her grip. “I’m sorry, baby,” she breathed out between groans.

I stroked her hair. “It’s okay, baby. Don’t worry about it.”

“Okay, everyone, it’s time! Out, out, out! Mom and Dad, you can stay. Everyone else? Out!” A doctor waved at everyone.

I looked at Frieda, asking the silent question. This doctor wasn’t a wolf. “I’m very much aware of who you are, Alpha Kol. I assure you, your secret is safe with me,” he said once everyone had left.

“As sweet and assuring as all this is, can we just get this baby out of me now, please?” Gia gasped from the bed. Doc chuckled and sat at the end of the bed.

I wasn’t sure how happy I was about another man being there, but he wasn’t really looking at her, so I let it pass.

“Okay, Gianna, when you feel the next contraction, I want you to tuck your chin to your chest and push as hard as you can into your bottom, okay?

“Mom and Alpha, grab a leg each, and hold it up high for me, please. Okay, good. Gianna? You ready?”

She tucked her chin down and her face went so red I thought she’d pop a vein.

I pecked her temple gently. “You’re doing so good,” I whispered when she paused for breath. She just nodded and pushed again.

“Good, Gianna, that’s it. Here comes the head.”

~Don’t look.~

~Don’t look.~

~Don’t look.~

I looked.

“Fuck, Gia, how’re you doing this?” I gasped at her. ~Why the fuck did I look? Diego told me not to fucking look! I should’ve listened to him!~

She scowled at me. “Not fucking helping right now, Kol,” she spat. I lifted her leg and she pushed again.

“Here come the shoulders.”

I saw her wince, but she took another quick breath and kept pushing. “That’s it, darling. You’re doing so well.”

Two more pushes and a cry filled the room. I thought my heart would burst out of my chest.

“Baby is definitely magical.” My head snapped from looking at Gia, and I looked at the doc holding the baby, who was glowing a bright white while Hayley wrapped it up in a blanket.

Gia laughed and looked up at me. “What is it?” Hayley handed the baby to Gia, and we peeked in the blanket. My heart swelled in my chest, and Gia looked at me, teary-eyed.

“I can’t believe we did it,” she whispered.

I kissed her gently. “Me neither, but here we are, and I couldn’t be happier.” We looked back down at our baby.

~Our baby boy. I am a father. We have a son.~