The room went silent as all heads turned to look at the four-year-old. Titus continued playing, apparently oblivious to his shocked audience. Jacque turned to look at Jen. Her blonde best friend chewed on her lips, eyes narrowed as she stared at Titus. Everyone seemed to hold their breath, waiting to see what would happen.
Finally, Jen threw her hands in the air. “All right, I admit it. Your hunting skills have improved, Timber. I’ve only ever whined about those things when it’s been me, myself, and a mirro…” Jen paused as something appeared to dawn on her. Jacque’s eyes widened as well. “Dude, I was not fully clothed,” Jen growled.
Titus shrugged. “Yeah, you need to remember to lock your doors, Aunt Jen.” He didn’t miss a beat as he added, “You never know when there’s a big, bad wolf standing just outside.”
“Gavril!” Jen snapped at the same time that Bethany finally disengaged her mate’s hands and pushed herself up.
“Finally,” the pregnant wolf huffed.
She took one step and then froze.
Titus’s back straightened, and he went still. Then he slowly looked over his shoulder and down at something Jacque couldn’t see. “Aunt Bethany, I think you just peed on me.”
Bethany’s feet squelched in saturated carpet. She heard Titus say something about peeing, but the only thing she could process was that her water couldn’t possibly be breaking. It was much too soon, which she promptly voiced out loud. “It’s too soon!” Her head whipped around to look at Drake. His eyes were locked on her bare calves. She could still feel water running down them.
“Okay, nobody panic.” Jacque jumped to her feet. “This isn’t our first rodeo.”
“And it certainly isn’t our most dangerous birthing situation,” Jen added. “I gave birth in a—”
“Cave,” Sally, Peri, and Jacque all said at the same time.
“We know, Jen,” Peri said. “You won’t let us forget it.”
“Crina, get towels,” Jacque commanded. “Rachel and Sally, get ready to do whatever it is you healers do in these circumstances. Elle, blankets and pillows. Zara, warm water and washcloths.”
Bethany stood petrified while everyone hopped into action around her, though the males seemed frozen in their spots, too, staring at her as if she’d suddenly become Medusa and turned them all to stone. “It’s too soon,” she whispered this time, and then doubled over when her stomach tried to twist itself into a knot.
Drake jumped up, released from his frozen stupor by the look of pain on Bethany’s face. “Is this a Brix Hackston?” His voice was guttural with worry and his wolf.
“Okay, first, that’s not a thing.” Jen began laying down the blankets and then towels that Crina and Elle delivered. “Second, once the water breaks, the contractions are as real as it gets. No more fakies.”
“So, the baby is coming?” Drake asked. Bethany growled in pain and barely kept herself from snapping at him, “What was your first clue?” Labor Bethany wasn’t any nicer than pregnant Bethany.
“Yes, Drake.” Jacque looked him squarely in the eyes. “That baby is coming, and your mate needs you.”
This seemed to jolt him out of his momentary lapse in badassery. He swept Bethany up into his arms and laid her down where Jacque directed.
“Drake, get behind her. Bethany, lie back against his chest. In a minute, you will need to help hold her thighs up and apart.”
“And that’s my cue.” Wadim stood and practically jumped over a couch to scramble out of the room. Bethany would have found it funny if she wasn’t sweating profusely and experiencing blinding white pain.
“I’m with you.” Adam was on his feet next. “I’m pretty sure when another male is instructed to hold his mate’s thighs up and apart that it’s time to make like a fae and flash.”
Jen snorted. “Good one, fairy boy.”
“I think it would be a good idea if all the males except Drake got out of here,” Fane said. He and Decebel started to grab kids and shuffle them toward the door.
Costin tossed Titus over his shoulder and walked from the room. “I’m not mad that you peed on me,” the boy called out to Bethany. “Your baby is going to be very pretty, and I’m going to love her. The angel told me so.”
Bethany smiled, though it probably looked like a grimace. Apparently, they were having a girl.
“Wait.” Jen stopped stacking towels. “Did he just say the angel said he was going to love this chick?” She motioned toward Bethany’s spread legs. Awkward much? “Does that mean they’re true mates?”
“Jen, it’s really not important right now,” Jacque pointed out. Sally and Rachel knelt down on either side of Bethany.
“What’s wrong with my girl? Why can’t he be her true mate? I mean, yes, he has horrible taste in sweaters and is a peeping Tom, but he’s a genius and it would make me and Sally in-laws. We’d be family.” Jen got down beside Jacque at Bethany’s feet.
“We’re already family, you obsessive compulsive, narcissistic she-wolf,” Sally practically snarled. “This isn’t about you, or Titus, or Thia, or anything other than Bethany and this amazing miracle that’s about to happen.”
Jen looked up at Bethany and smiled. For all of Jen’s quirks, she was a rock in the midst of chaos. “You got this, Beth,” Jen said, her voice firm. “And you know I’m just kidding. I would be absolutely thrilled if Titus and your awesome chickadee were true mates. Humor and self-pity are the ways I cope with stress.”
“And everything else,” Jacque muttered.
Another contraction hit, and Bethany couldn’t continue to focus on what the girls were saying. She felt both of her ankles being pushed so that her knees were bent further up and out. The nightgown she wore had been folded up until her stomach was exposed, and one minute her underwear was there and the next ir was gone.
“Okay, that was weird.” Bethany heard Jacque’s voice.
“But much easier than trying to pull them down and safer than Jen wielding scissors to cut them off.” Peri’s words caught Bethany’s attention.
“Definitely no scissors,” she gritted out through clenched teeth.
“Don’t worry, Bethany, Jen will not be allowed to have any sharp objects,” Jacque assured her. Bethany liked the fact that with Jacque as the alpha female, if she said Jen couldn’t do something, then she actually had the power to control the blonde. That was quite comforting.
“How are you, beloved?” Drake’s voice was soft as he leaned his mouth down next to her ear.
“Scared.” Bethany panted. “I don’t want anything to happen to her.” Sally and Rachel put their hands on her bare stomach, and both healers closed their eyes. Warmth spread all over her abdomen as their hands emitted a soft, golden glow.
“We’re not going to let anything happen to this little pack member,” Sally told her, though her eyes remained closed, and she seemed intently focused on whatever it was she and Rachel were doing.
Bethany’s stomach tightened, and she braced for another contraction, but the pain was much less this time. Then Drake tensed behind her and cursed under his breath. She looked inward toward their bond and realized he was taking some of her pain into himself.