The Alpha

Chapter 18

*Nine Months Later*

With a swollen belly, I took a step towards Luca and leveled a challenging brow while scowling at him. "Rae...." He warned, but I was no longer listening. "You know you shouldn't be shifting.... Not when you're so close to giving birth, Anima mae."
"I know, I know. I just have the urge to..."
"It is instinctual, my love. In time, you will be able to."
"I don't want to wait!"
    I hated that I sounded pouty, but I just couldn't help it. "This is the last time, I swear."
'Okay... I might be lying.' He snickered with amusement before shaking his head and I smiled and rubbed my stomach. "I heard that."
'Shit, I always forget that.' I eyed the field behind him, and my hardened expression softened as the wolf in me began to whine. "My Rae, I want to run with you through the trees too, but you cannot."
"I'll be fine... I really don't feel like the baby will come for a few more weeks anyways." He rolled his eyes. "Nice try." He stepped towards me, and I clenched my jaw, before darting around him. The transition was fast. My body was familiar with the rising sting of shifting bones, so with little effort, I changed into the form that was one with the earth. A wolf. 'Run. I want to run.'
My feet pounded against the earth. Dirt, twigs, rocks, and grass moved between my toes as my paws moved me quickly through the trees. A howl pierced the air, shifting the tension in the forest and I knew my Alpha was coming. The night sky was glowing with moonlight as I passed through the trees. 'Luca changed.' His voice was in my head, angered. 'You don't listen!'
'That's what made you fall in love with me.'
'Rae! Don't make me chase you.'
'Try and keep up.'
'Rae!' His growl echoed in my head, and I laughed inwardly. 'You are uptight! I will be fine!' I howled, and moved easily through the trees. I could feel the position of what was grown in the forest. The wind moved me and guided me through the trees. I enjoyed the feel of the breeze through my fur. 'I don't know how I ever lived without this.'
I felt Luca's presence near as I heard the branches snapping beneath the weight of thick alpha paws. My alpha. The thought made me howl loudly. He howled in response but it was a sound of annoyance. 'I cannot help who I am.'
'You can't follow directions.'
'One quick little run. You can't even keep up.'
'Ever considered I'm letting you win?'
'Letting me win?' If I could scoff I would have, but instead I settled for a growl.
'No one's letting me win.'
'Is that so? You don't think I can keep up with my pregnant wife?' The mention of me being his wife made me push myself harder and faster through the woods. I loved knowing I was his, but his cockiness fueled my need to disobey. 'I am sparing your soft heart, my Rae.'
'Don't. I don't need you to.'
'Are you sure?'
'You're bluffing. I am positive.'
A piercing howl distracted me for a moment, and without warning, Luca had jumped into my back. I hissed and bucked him off, watching as he stumbled sideways before righting himself and charging as quick and hard as possible. He shot past me, and howled with victory. 'You caught me off guard.'
'Anima mea, don't be a sore loser.'
'I am not!'
'Now come back to the house, and give me my prize.'
'Your prize? I think you're mistaken.'
'You know what I want.' His husky words made my body quiver, and I whined as I neared the house. 'You. Now come!'
'When I'm ready.'
I slowed my speed, coming to a gentle stroll through the woods. My eyes scrolled the trees as I heard twigs snapping. I smelt fresh meat as the sound of a heartbeat filled my ears and I knew there was prey nearby. "Rae, don't! You've defied me long enough. It is not good for the baby."
You're just saying that.' I let out a drawn out breath before I made a beeline for the smell and sound. I heard the sound of footsteps scrambling, before I was face to face with a mountain lion. It pounced, it's teeth digging into my leg as I scrambled for an attack. "Rae!" I went for its neck, howling when claws dug into my fur. I felt the slickness of blood coating my side. "Rae! Goddammit!" I knew he had changed by the sound of his howl. It was a warning sign to other predators that could have been lurking. He was there before I could even process his arrival. It took seconds for him to tear out the mountain lion's throat before a victorious growl broke through his teeth. 'What were you thinking? I told you to come.'
'I'm sorry.'
Pain made its way through my body. I began whimpering, and felt myself beginning to slip back through the change into human form. A minute later and I was curled in on my side, naked as Luca changed back into human form beside me, and scooped me up in his arms. "My Rae. My sweet Rae. You are a stubborn girl."
"Your stubborn girl."
"Yes, mine. Forever." I cried out when I felt pressure in my stomach. A strange hardening pressure. "Luca. Something's wrong."
     I clung to him, scared. My wounds had already started to heal, but the pain inside of me began to explode until I was panting and crying out desperately for relief. "Christ. Anima mae. You will be okay." He tightened his hold on me possessively. "I think its the–"
"Baby." He finished my sentence, and there was worry in his tone. He hurried me to the house quickly, kicking open the front door, the sound of it banging against the wall gathered attention. Soon the pack surrounded us. "Is everything okay?"
"She's in labor."
Audible gasps echoed as he climbed the stairs and brought me to our bedroom. He laid me down on the bed, and began inspecting my wounds, before he nodded contently when he realized they healed. "I will be right back." He moved to go. "Don't leave me!"
"Anima mae, I was only going to get your mother." I reached out for him and shook my head as sweat began to bead my forehead. My pulse quickened as pain lanced inside of me once again. "P-please don't leave me."
     When I began to shake, he signed and snapped his head to the hallway at Elijah. "Get Cora." Elijah nodded and left quickly, before Luca kneeled beside the bed, and took my hand in his. He stroked the top of my hand gently, speaking softly to me. "It's going to be alright, my love. My soul. You will get through this strongly. You are alpha just as I am."
'He always thinks so highly of me... Sometimes I think he believes I'm stronger than I am.'
"You are. You will give birth to our child and they will be fierce."
For eight months, I had a recurring dream of a woman who explained I was having a girl. I didn't know how I knew, but it felt so true in my heart. Part of me wanted to tell Luca. 'I don't know for sure... Oh I feel another contraction.' I gripped his hand tightly when another contraction took over my body. It knocked the wind out of me, causing me to press my head hard into the pillow as I attempted to breathe through the pain. 'Breathe in Breath out. I can do this.'
"Yes you can."
My mother arrived quickly. I heard her footsteps and her gasp when she got to the doorway. "Rae! Oh my!" She hurried over to me, moving around Luca to lean over to me and place her cool hand against my forehead. "It's close, isn't it. You're doing so well." She tried to instruct me to lay on my back but the pain was too great and I growled at her. Luca laughed. "That's my girl." I shot him a pained smile, before I felt the pain ebbing away, and I managed to lay on my back. "Here comes another one."
"They're coming every few seconds now... Do you have the urge to push?" My eyes widened and I gritted my teeth as I shrugged. "I don't know. I don't know. There's a lot of pressure."
My fear always lessened when I looked at Luca. He was kneeled beside me still, a look of admiration on his face as he leaned forward to place a loss on my forehead right before I felt another contraction hit. "Come on, Rae. Breathe through it. My mate. My heart. You've got this."
"Sir, do you need anything?" He casted a glance at Elijah and shook his head. "I will let you know if we do." I reached out and placed a hand on Luca's shoulder. "I'm scared." I whined, and I felt my mom's reassuring hand on my arm, rubbing gently. "Every new mother feels scared during this part, sweetheart. You are doing amazing. The baby will be here in no time. And when you hold them in your arms, you will feel utter joy... I know I did with you."
"I will do this with you, Rae. I will be here every step of the way. You will not have to do this alone.
"You promise?"
Tears pricked my eyes, stinging as they welled up and spilled down my cheeks. "You have my word." The pressure in my core built up as well as the pain in my stomach, and I began to feel the urge to push. "I think I have to push."
"Okay." I began to position myself on my knees as it felt the most comfortable. "What do you need? Anything?" He began rubbing my back without me asking and I sniffled, overwhelmed with emotions. "My Rae. When you cry, I want to destroy things."
Those words made me laugh loudly before I inhaled a deep, strained breath and began to bear down. "Okay, okay. You can do this, Rae." I held my breath as I began to push, and my mother began to count all the way through the contraction until it subsided for a moment. "The next one will come fast." I cried out when I didn't have time to prepare for the next contraction before it was upon me. Luca tensed beside me but he continued to massage my lower back as I pushed, and fluid poured out of me onto the bed. "W-what–"
"It's normal. Keep pushing."
     I kept pushing, even as burning stung below my waist. "I can't do this!"
"Anima mea, you must. Think of our daughter."
"Daughter?" I shook my head, casting her a scowl that said don't have time to talk as I pushed. 'Getting pregnant was the easy part. This is horrendous.' I felt warm all over and with a few more deep pushes, she was out. Luca was the one that caught her. I collapsed on my side, rolling onto my back. He immediately put her on my chest, and I began to cry. "She is beautiful, my soul. Just as you are." I blinked through the blurriness of my tears. "She is perfect."
"So perfect."
I stared down at my daughter, recognizing her from one of the dreams I had before I realized something. 'These dreams... they are real.' I swallowed the saliva pooling in my mouth nervously. I frowned, blinking rapidly when contraction pain started again. "Must be the placenta." I began to breathe deeply and Luca moved towards my arms. "Let me take the baby, sweet heart."
"No." He halted, clenching his jaw as he frowned when I winced from the pain again. "Fine. Take her."
Luca took the baby from my arms as I began to push again, and my mother's gasp echoed around the room. "It's not the placenta." I arched my neck up and gave her a look filled with fear. "What is it?" Luca moved to look at what she was looking at and his face fell. "What? Someone tell me what it is!" I reached down and felt, before a shocked shriek let my lips and I yanked my hand back. "It's a baby. You're going to have to start pushing again."
"A baby? N-no, no, no, no." I shook my head rapidly. "There was only one. Only one. In my dream. I only saw one."
Luca ushered for my mother to come grab the child before he kneeled before me again, and consoled me. "It's okay, Rae. Just like before. Just push, anima mea. We will get through this." He caressed my cheek and I leaned into his touch. "Okay."
"We will have two children. Two beautiful children." He smiled at me softly and my fear didn't seem so prominent anymore. Instead, a strange sense of excitement began to replace it and I pushed. It felt like it lasted forever, when it was only a minute that went by until the baby was out. "It's a boy."
"A boy?" He nodded. "Oh my god..." I began crying heavily as he placed him on my chest. "A boy."
Luca said the words like he couldn't believe it himself, before he placed a kiss on my lips and my mother kissed the top of my head. He placed both babies atop the blanket beside me. "You did it, Rae. You did it and they are beautiful." I never thought I would feel complete. Especially after the broken family I grew up with, or the pain and loss I had endured since I first met Luca, but laying there, with my children, and my mate, I had never felt so complete.