Accidental Surrogate

Ella

Slowly, I breathe through my contractions, taking deep breaths in through my nose and huffing them out of my mouth. The pain is…well, I suppose I can’t say like anything I’ve felt before, can I? Not after all I’ve been through in the past five months. But it’s incredible, the way it radiates through my body, making me grit my teeth against it.

I can feel my body moving, changing along with the contractions. The pain in my pelvis, particularly, is insane, as the bones shift to make room for the baby to pass through. My eyes flash open during one particularly difficult contraction and I hear myself cry out against the pain. God, I would have thought that being a wolf made this easier – wolves seem to have a whole litter of pups without much trouble, by themselves out in the woods.

Passingly, I consider shifting into my wolf form to ease this

But then, suddenly, Sinclair bursts into my room, dashing for me.

“What,” he gasps, almost skidding to the side, looking me all over for what is wrong. “What is it, Ella – I heard you scream –”

“No,” I say, gasping a little as the contraction starts to come to its end. “No, it’s just the contraction – god, Dominic, these suck – ”

He shakes his head, still panicked, trying to put it all together as he kneels by the side of the bed and takes my hand. “Cora is coming, she’s close,” he murmurs. “She’ll be allowed in.”

“And Hank?” I ask, looking at my mate. “And Roger?”

“Roger?” Sinclair asks, confused.

“Yes, Dominic! Roger! I want him here as well!”

“Why?” Sinclair’s eyes are wide with wonder now.

“Because!” I smack his shoulder, frowning at him. “He’s the child’s uncle! And his godfather! He should be here! I can’t believe you didn’t call him!”

Sinclair sighs, reaching for the cell phone in his back pocket as I lean back on into the pillows, taking

for Rafe!” I snap, determined. “And if I have to give birth in a war zone with no epidural, then Roger can damn well get out

tapping on his phone and then he shifts. I watch him stand, leaning over me. Frowning, he leans over and grabs one of the pillows from the other side of the bed, quickly taking the pillowcase between his two hands and ripping off

don’t need to do the linens thing and boil water that’s just in the

leaning down and wiping the sweat from my brow with the little square of pillowcase folded in his hand. “How are you, love? How

against the pillows, the next contraction not starting yet. “I

the fingers of his big hand and gazing at

even though I’m scared and in pain. I am strong. For him, and for Rafe, and yes – for myself – I can

I say, pressing my eyes shut again, my

by my side again, steady and tense. Then, as I start to breathe in that special way Cora made me practice, he breathes along with me. He’s there with me, every

are coming closer and closer together. I’m moving through this birth process fast, and I don’t have any control over it. If I could wait, just hold him in while we

Rafe and my body have

softly to me throughout the process, helping me get ready in the moments between contractions. He helps me change into a cotton nightgown instead of the travel clothes I was wearing on the way here.

that, I can see on his face the worry and guilt that he’s done something horrible in not getting me to the hospital.

flies into the room, panting, a medical bag slung over her shoulder. I almost

me, almost bowling Sinclair over in her singular focus to be at

little frustrated, as he puts out a hand to balance himself so that he doesn’t go sprawling on the floor. Cora ignores

enture

her eyes sweeping