April

7 months later

It was the beginning of May and I was finally about to deliver. I was glad I hadn’t gone into labour early, as the on-running joke about ‘April delivering in April’ had been getting on my last nerve. Both Jude and Bastiaan had learnt the hard way to quit with that joke last month.

There were parts of being pregnant that I had loved such as eating all the time; that bit had just been delightful. The downside was I had become unnaturally grouchy during my last trimester and would burst into tears over the most stupid of things. While I was getting dressed to go to my 36 week scan at the clinic, I had become ridiculously angry at Ethan for helping me put my socks on, shouted at him that I could do it, struggled and then cried for 10 minutes that I had failed. Ethan had just laughed softly and held me till I stopped crying then proceeded to put my socks and shoes on for me. In short, he had been wonderful to me and had put up with so much.

The scan, though, hadn’t gone exactly as smooth as I would have liked. It had shown that both the twins were in a breech position and even with an external cephalic version or ECV, it hadn’t fixed it entirely. One pup was now facing the right way, while the other wasn’t and there was a chance I would need a caesarian, but my OBGYN, Dr. Tavard, said a normal birth was still best right now. Even though she had said it was fairly common in twins, it had still made me nervous for the birthing part, Ethan even more so. He still had nightmares that I would vanish, I knew when he had had one as his hands would search me out frantically in the middle of the night. But they were gradually becoming fewer and fewer as time went on.

I had gone into labour in the early hours of the morning and had been progressing a little quickly. Dr. Tavard had checked me a few minutes ago and was keeping an eye on the elevated heart rate of my pups. Ethan sat at my side, holding my hand, his anxiety practically vibrating through our bond. I was becoming increasingly aware that something was wrong, August could feel it in our bond with our pups. A sharp pain that wasn’t to do with the contractions was starting to intensify too.

“Ethan…I think you need to call the doctor back…something’s really not right,” I gasped between jabs.

No sooner had the words left my lips, Dr. Tavard came quickly but calmly. She had been a wonderful doctor all throughout, so warm, kind and caring. She came over to the machine I was attached to and frowned at the readings.

“Luna, I think we’re going to take you through for an emergency c-section. One of the pups is in complete breech and it’s putting pressure on the umbilical cord. Don’t worry, you’re in good hands and we’ll have the pups out quickly.”

“Ok,” I whispered, feeling more and more on edge that my pups could be in danger.

‘Ethan? Look at me,’ I commanded through our link. I could practically feel him and Ezra howling in panic. This was quickly becoming his nightmare all over again.

‘I will be fine, all 3 of us will be ok. Trust your pack doctors, they’ll keep us safe,’ he nodded, his eyes glistening.

I was quickly wheeled into surgery and put under general anaesthesia…I prayed that when I next opened my eyes that I would be looking at my two little pups.

Ethan

I stared at the closing door, wanting with everything I possessed to go in there and hold my mate’s hand. But because this was an emergency operation, I couldn’t.

Goddess, don’t take her from me again…don’t give me the most precious treasure of a family and snatch that away. owns all © content.

Jude and Carrick, who had been in the waiting room, came out to stand with me, offering words of comfort that I could barely hear. My focus was on my bond with my mate and pups, willing it to stay intact. After a tense 30 minute wait, the door opened and my heart soared at what lay in the arms of the doctor and nurse, babbling away gently and wrapped in green and blue blankets.

“I think your dad and uncles have been waiting patiently for you two,” the doctor spoke gently to the newborn in her arms.

She handed the little green bundle over to me, my daughter. She had a little patch of dark hair and though I couldn’t see her eyes, I prayed that she’d have her mother’s beautiful icy blue irises.

“She was born first. And quite eagerly I might add,” Dr. Tavard added with a laugh as the nurse handed me the next blue bundle, my son.

He also had a patch of dark hair like his sister. While my little boy was instantly dozing, looking calm and serene, my little girl wiggled and fussed in my arms. I could already tell how strong she was and I just knew she would be a handful as she grew.

“You just gonna hog them both then or what?” Jude said, looking eager to hold one of them from next to me.

I handed my son over to Jude and my daughter to Carrick, watching as they gently fussed over the newborns.

“The Luna has just been moved back to her room, she’s coming round nicely if you want to go in?” The doctor called.

Ezra practically howled in our mind at hearing that our mate was ok. I could already feel him trying to link August as they were coming round from the sedative. Jude and Carrick followed, carrying in my pups. April lay in her large hospital bed, starting to stir but looking healthy and full of colour. There was a large armchair pulled up next to the bed, so I quickly removed my shirt as Jude and Carrick handed over my pups, removing their blankets too so I could hold them to my skin. This form of contact was incredibly important between newborn pups and their parents as it strengthened our bond and scent marked our infant.

Jude and Carrick excused themselves, saying they’d spread the word for the pack waiting with bated breath about their future heirs.

My mate began to come round, wanting to try to sit up. Holding both my pups securely in one arm, I adjusted her bed so she could hold our pups if she was up to it.

“You think you’re ready to hold one or both, sweet?”

She laughed quietly, “I think I can handle both, if you give me a hand?”

I perched myself on the edge of her bed and after pulling her hospital gown down, I handed over each pup while I moved to sit behind her, laying her against my chest.

Peering down over her shoulder at my perfect three treasures, all my fears from the last hours, days and weeks melted away. In this moment, my memories turned to my dad; not just missing him and wishing he was here for his grandpups. It was more because now I understood him better. If the worst had happened, if I had lost April again today…I wouldn’t have lost her completely. A little, tiny part of her would have remained in our pups. And I realised now, that was how my dad saw me, his last piece of his mate, my mother. I always wondered if he ever blamed me silently for being the cause of my mom’s death but now, looking down at my beautiful pups, I knew that couldn’t be further from the truth.

“You still set on what we’re calling them?” I asked.

She nodded. April had become quite close to the wiccan Family and loved their theme for nature based names for their people. So she had decided to follow this tradition too.

“My little Magnolia and Rowan.”

———-

April

4 years later

The kids were laughing and playing through the late summer sun in the meadow a short walk from the pack house. Jude chased after them in his wolf form, with Bastiaan close behind. He and the other eight vampires had been overjoyed to be reunited with the others in their coven, none of them thought that this would have ever been a possibility. From what I had heard, Bastiaan still held many terrible memories from his imprisonment. The only person he had told most of it too was his brother, who hadn’t uttered a word to anyone. One thing Bastiaan had told me was of a she-wolf he had fallen in love with, held by the same people as him. Not just any she-wolf, a lycan she-wolf, from the Siberian packs of Russia that were almost legends as they had separated themselves off for centuries. But like those of us with painful memories and pasts, time could be a great healer.

I sat with Julia making thin flower crowns while she held two year old Niesha, who clapped her tiny hands in elation at the small blooms. I looked over to my mate as he and Carrick set up the picnic, catching his eye and earning that glorious smile with his beautiful dimples.

Christopher sat nearby taking a rare break from his duties, watching the children and resting by the trunk of the tree with his year old son, Kole, sleeping against his chest. He and his four year old sister, Tabatha, were from a collapsed pack in Alabama. Alpha Eden had gotten in contact a couple of months ago to say that there were two very adorable little pups that needed parents and knew we had two very adorable potential fathers that would fill that role well. It must have been fate because in just those few months, Tabatha and Carrick’s son, Tyriq, had become the best of friends; they were virtually inseparable. If they weren’t mates when they were older, I would be surprised.

The wiccan Family had grown a little too, with Juniper and Acacia each having their own children. Sparrow was currently having her first, with her husband Cowyn by her side and Maeryn helping in the delivery, while Rhian looked after their daughter Meredydd. So I knew who I would be visiting tomorrow!

With lunch set out and the childrens’ stomachs empty, it wasn’t long before they were hurtling towards us to dive into the food. The twins were such a perfect mix of both Ethan and I, both had Ethan’s dark hair and my pale blue eyes. Rowan was such a calm and serene little boy, nothing ever seemed to faze him…which was in contrast to his sister Magnolia. She was a natural leader if ever I saw one, she knew what she wanted and generally got it – within reason. But with that fire came such love and honesty, I was sure she would be the next Alpha of our pack. She came running over to me to grab up the flower crowns and placed one on the head of her dad, Carrick and Jude now that he was dressed after his wolf had finished playing. Bastiaan playfully pouted at not receiving a crown, so she threw a handful of petals over his head. Aaron was busy laughing at his cousin blowing milk through his nose, despite Julia desperately trying to get him to stop; we were looking after him today while Greer and his mate did some shopping for Aaron’s 6th birthday.

Jude held his hands up for Rowan to throw him an apple and with an amazing pitch for his age, putting all his effort into it, landed it perfectly into Jude’s outstretched hands.

“He’s learnt a thing or two from his mom!” Carrick laughed.

“Not quite, he would have aimed for his head otherwise,” Christopher smoothly jibed at his mate’s expense as he came over to sit with us, Kole still draped sleepily over his shoulder.

Towards the end of my pregnancy, we had invited Carrick, Julia, Jude, Chris and Bastiaan over for dinner one night. While I had been chopping up some vegetables, Jude and Bastiaan had been making that damned joke about ‘April delivering in April’ that provoked me into throwing an onion at them, which in turn pinballed between their heads…it was successful in a way because they had stopped with the damn joke.

“You’d think you’d be more concerned for your mate,” Jude playfully sulked.

“You would think, but you would be wrong,” Chris challenged back, but still pecked his mate on the lips.

Ethan sat behind me, circling his arm around my waist, holding me to his chest and still sporting the flower crown our daughter had made him wear. He was completely wrapped around her fingers, despite his protest that he wasn’t; she had inherited my tactic for using her doe-eyes which of course had her daddy caving faster than a chocolate dome on a hot day.

I never knew what miracle occurred to bring me back, but there was no prayer or thanks I could give to repay that debt. Or to Ethan either, for tracking me down, for bringing me here, for wanting me, for loving me.

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