𝐆𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐚́𝐧 || 𝐉𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐨𝐥

Chapter 32

A clap of thunder woke Jeonghan, and he sat up as a flash of lightning reflected across the walls.

“Just a storm,” Seungcheol murmured, his voice heavy with sleep. “It’s right overhead.”

The alpha rolled onto his side, his chest pressed against Jeonghan’s back, and he laid an arm across his belly. “We’ve only been in bed a couple of hours. Go back to sleep.”

Jeonghan felt a tightness across his stomach, like a band of pain.

“I don’t think we’re going to be getting much sleep tonight.”

Seungcheol pressed his hand against Jeonghan’s bump. “Oh yeah, that’s a contraction, huh? I’ll go wake the others.”

Soonyoung and Oliver had arrived at the orchard right before the full moon, so Jeonghan would have the help he needed when it was time. He just hadn’t expected it to be so soon.

“Can we just stay like this for a little while?” He knew there was no stopping what was coming, but he wanted a few more minutes being held in his mate’s arms, just the two of them.

Seungcheol kissed the back of his neck, and Jeonghan shuddered.

“Sure, there’s time. You just let me know when you’re ready.”

He dozed off and on, the pain building and easing off.

When it reached the point where he could no longer lie still, Seungcheol went to call the cavalry. While he was gone, Jeonghan got up and started pacing. It was a good way to take his mind off things as he padded back and forth across the nursery floor, his fingers trailing across the polished wood of the cribs and changing tables. In a few hours, this room would be full of new life. He steadfastly avoided looking at the incubator set up in the corner. Soonyoung had brought it, insisting it was just a precaution, but a necessary one with five cubs on the way.

Seungcheol soon returned with Soonyoung on his heels. The other alpha didn’t hang around, just confirmed the contractions, checked that there were five steady heartbeats, and then gave them some privacy.

“You’ve got quite a ways to go yet,” he told them. “Keep timing the contractions, just like we talked about, and we’ll know when you’ve reached the next stage.”

When the next contraction came, Seungcheol moved to Jeonghan’s side and helped him up off the bed. They walked the floors together, the alpha’s arm around his waist, thunder and lightning a constant backdrop as rain pattered across the roof.

“Minghao is making you some tea and toast,” Seungcheol told him. “You need to keep your strength up.”

The beta arrived a few minutes later, carrying enough drinks and food for all three of them. Jeonghan didn’t have much of an appetite, but he drank all his tea and managed to eat a slice of toast and jam. No sooner had he finished than he was pacing the room again, the pain in his back almost as bad as the one across his stomach.

“People really do this more than once?” he groused.

“Why do you think packs have litters?” Minghao joked. “One labor for five babies sounds like a good deal to me.”

“Me too. I’m never, ever doing this again.” He looked to Seungcheol and raised an eyebrow.

The alpha held his hands up in surrender. “No arguments from me.”

The storm finally eased off as Jeonghan’s contractions got closer and closer together. Junhui poked his head in the door, muttered something about watching the perimeter, and disappeared again. Soonyoung returned, a constant presence in the room though he kept his distance, and Oliver popped in and out, bringing drinks, cold compresses, anything they thought might help. The night passed slowly, and yet it seemed like no time at all before Soonyoung was telling them, “It’s time.”