TOAO | MW [✔]

Twenty-one.

Once Wonwoo got his alpha to finally let go and stop trying to protect him from sex, the omega was insatiable. His hormones made him long to be held and touched all the time. Mingyu still had his work, and he had a few clients that he jammed into those final months in preparation to be unavailable for a while after the birth of their pups. Whenever he wasn't busy though, Wonwoo would often wander over to the center and climb into his lap to be held. His alpha never complained about his clinginess, and he was always quick to drop whatever he was working on for him when he needed attention.

As he entered the final months of his pregnancy, he was enormous. His belly was huge and it seemed that his babies were more and more active each day. Wonwoo loved to feel them in there, wiggling and kicking around, but as they got bigger, they also got stronger, which meant little feet lodging against his ribcage and hips as they jostled for position. He ate and slept a lot, his little fighters sapping up all his energy as his body incubated them and gave them the nutrients that they needed. Oftentimes, he'd fall asleep in his little bowl chair, and wake up in bed with Mingyu next to him. Mingyu took to carrying him around whenever possible, and in the evenings when they danced and cooked, Wonwoo would giggle when he lifted him and set his bare feet on top of his booted ones and dance them around, holding onto him and supporting him as they moved to the music, the smell of cooking food surrounding them.

Piper remained his constant companion, even when Wonwoo didn't seem to go anywhere much anymore, his wolf was never far away. He often nosed at him, sniffing his belly and making little noises like soft, muted howls as he licked the big swell of his baby bump and Wonwoo thought he was copying Mingyu, who loved to get on his knees and talk to their pups. The voice of their father always seemed to soothe them because they got less agitated when the alpha's smooth voice was directed through the skin of his belly, at the little ones growing within. On nights when the babies were too restless and Wonwoo couldn't sleep, Mingyu would scoot down the bed and tell them stories as he tenderly smoothed a hand over the taut skin that housed them, and that always got them to settle.

On a rather unexceptional cold morning, Wonwoo was on the porch swing, drinking his single daily allotted cup of coffee. The cold nipped at his nose and cheeks and out in the yard, he could hear the familiar beloved sounds of his mate and his wolves running drills. He set aside his coffee and stretched his arms up over his head with a long yawn, considering whether he wanted to nap here or go home and nap in his chair, when a sudden and unexpected wetness drenched him between his legs and he gasped. Piper whined and then Wonwoo felt a nose pressing at him, the soft sounds of sniffing, and then his wolf let out a long, loud howl. Footsteps, one set of human, and many sets of tip-tapping claws rushed toward him and soon the smell of summer rain hit his nose. Wonwoo reached for his mate, receiving his warm hands into his with a slightly scared little laugh.

"Alpha...my water broke. The pups are coming."

Mingyu was more thankful for his training as a soldier in that moment than he'd ever been as he didn't panic. It was something that you learned, especially for those who served in combat. Stay calm, deep breaths, he'd pictured this exact moment a hundred thousand times and he was ready to respond. He had Wonwoo in his arms in a moment, still wrapped in his blankets. He could feel the wetness that had soaked into them, evidence of their arriving babies, and he kissed his mate's forehead. He was back in soldier mode. He had a mission and that was to get his mate to the hospital. He carried Wonwoo to the truck and settled him in there, buckling his seatbelt and turning it on to start getting the heater going before letting Piper into the back, the wolf was pacing and whining behind him, pawing at his leg to be let into the cab of the vehicle so he could get to his master.

"I'll be right back," Mingyu whispered to his mate and petted a hand over the side of his face as Piper's head appeared around the omega's other shoulder, to sniff at him more and lick his neck and face. "I love you."