White Lightning

Chapter 78: Torn

Author's Note: I feel that it's only fair to provide you with a heads-up that the first half of this chapter still contains birth stuff, including some blood. If that's not your thing, I respect that, so please skip the first half of the chapter. Here's your summary: the pup is FINALLY born. :)

The Alpha was standing now, fear evident on his pale face as he ran a nervous hand up into his tousled locks, though he finally looked wide awake. "I don't know what happened. She was groaning into a push and then all of a sudden she was screaming like someone stabbed her." His eyes did not leave his mate's form as she continued to scream hysterically, as she rolled to her side and was trying to draw her legs up to her chest—but her massive pup bump made this a clear impossibility.

Rain, still trying to reorient herself, watched as the Alpha tried to calm Ophelia. But as she watched the pair she quickly realized something was very wrong: blood was staining the blankets beneath the Luna as she sobbed. "Shit. We have to call Rick," she yelled as she waddled as fast as she could for the phone.

Chris did his best to calm Ophelia, covering her face in kisses as he steadied her movements and managed to get her to roll onto her back. With her legs spread once again, Rain was easily able to see the issue: the Luna had torn. The pressure from her pup's large head had caused a large tear in her right labia, and she was bleeding heavily. Feeling a bit woozy from the sight, Rain glanced toward the door and prayed to the goddess for Rick's quick arrival.

As if in answer to this, the doctor swept into the room quickly as he tugged on a pair of surgical gloves. He wasted no time as he demanded, "What happened?"

"She's bleeding," the Alpha answered, face a pale mask of desperation. "Something's wrong with the pup."

Rain refuted this and shook her head slowly. "Actually, I think she tore."

Rick frowned at this information as he tried to gently force the Luna's legs back open. "That's not what we want," he sighed as he began trying to direct Ophelia to keep her legs spread and to stop moving around.

Trying to help, the Alpha crawled onto the bed beside his mate and held her tiny body the best that he could, directing her, in his most soothing voice, to listen to the pack's doctor. "He's going to help you, baby," he whispered to her softly. "I know. I know it hurts really bad and you're in pain, but Rick is going to help you, okay? You have to listen to him now so that you don't make it worse. You don't want to hurt the pup, do you?"

Ophelia was sweating heavily, her breathing coming in ragged gasps and through gritted teeth. "I don't care about it," she cried as she turned her face into the Alpha's muscular shoulder. "How could this possibly be worse? This hurts so fucking bad. Get it out!" She paused to sniffle and then tacked on: "I just want to die. Let me die."

"NO!" the Alpha nearly howled. "No one is going to die! Don't talk like that."

Realizing that the Luna had inadvertently triggered her mate and his past trauma, Rain felt a certain empathy for the poor Alpha. He looked on the verge of his own tears, and his entire body was shaking. She wondered if he was fighting the shift or simply panicking over his mate's suffering. Whatever the case, his face looked nearly as pained as his mate's right now.

Rick was working quickly and methodically, and Rain realized that he was holding a syringe in his hand when he calmly told Ophelia that she was going to feel a pinch. She screamed when he injected her with something right beside the tear. "That should help the pain from the tear," he promised her gently. "But your metabolism is going to wash that medication away very quickly, so we need to deliver your pup, Luna. " He spoke each word carefully and with great compassion. "If you can listen to me and do as I say, you will meet your little wolf in the next two pushes, okay?"