Page 37 of Matched in Mayhem

“I know that,” Midwife Wane said slowly. “But…”

“What’s wrong?” I asked, sliding my hand from baby to baby to ensure they all pressed back or moved around. They all did.

“Big Boy is really low,” Midwife Wane said.

“Is that bad?” I asked.

“No, he thinks you’re closer to labor than we predicted you would be by this point.”

“Tigers take longer than wolves!” I said, holding my belly like Midwife Wane planned to snatch my babies out whether they were ready or not.

“Yes and multiples can come a bit earlier in general,” Bennie said.

My wolf growled and I was glad that Bennie was the one who said it.

“Let’s just do the ultrasound and see what’s going on,” Raziel said, walking in still in his butchering gloves with a chunk of raw meat on a plate for me. “No need to get everyone worked up.”

“Don’t you eat him!” I shook a playful finger at Raziel, but I meant what I said.

“He’s right,” Midwife Wane said. “Let’s see what’s going on before we jump to any conclusions.”

“I got you a snack for afterwards,” Raziel said, setting the plate down on the coffee table and perching just over the midwife’s shoulder. If it bothered Wane, he didn’t mention it. So I left Raziel be. Bennie was more relaxed with him around and guys like Raziel needed someone to protect. It was almost like he needed to do something he considered honorable all the time like he was making up for some secret past sin.

“You said the pain was achy in your back and hips?” Midwife Wane asked, pressing the wand of the machine to my belly. Big Boy kicked hard with all four paws like he was pouncing while he was upside down. One landed on my bladder and for a single mortifying second, I thought I was going to piss my pants. I knocked the wand away and grabbed Bennie’s arm. He helped me upright. Thankfully, our mating link meant he knew what was going on as I ‘hopped’ off the couch and waddled to the bathroom as fast as I could to pee. Fortunately, I was the only one who laughed at myself.

When I was back, I laid down and we tried it again. Big Boy did kick at the wand again, but thankfully he missed my bladder this time. It took us a bit, and we didn’t see their bottoms because they were moving too much.

“He caught your bladder because he’s head down,” Bennie announced before the midwife had a chance to.

“Are we ready for babies, though?” I asked, gripping Bennie’s arm as my wolf’s claws started to morph out of my fingernails.

“Yes,” he said without missing a beat. “We’ve been ready. The nursery. The diapers and stuff.”

Raziel crossed his arms and leaned over the midwife for a better view of the monitor.

“They have wings,” he announced and I grabbed the screen for a better look, muttering an apology to the midwife.

“Feathers?” I blinked. “Are those… Feathers?” The dream I had of flying on the back of the giant crow who told me my kids would fly flashed through my mind.”

“Well, if we’re counting birds into the equation,” Bennie said, tapping the fingers of his free hand against the sofa as he did math. “They’re probably coming soon.”

“How soon?” I ask.

“Within the week, I’d say, if I had to guess,” Midwife Wane said.

The back door swung open and Bennie and Raziel almost headed that way until Grandpa Clyde’s scent hit our noses. Bennie hadn’t called him, but it was hard to keep big news away from Grandpa on the family link. He was a nosy old wolf, but at that moment he was a welcome sight.

“I’ve been waiting out there for about ten minutes. It just felt like the sort of days unborn babies want to surprise everyone on,” he said. “I was walking up as you came inside,” Grandpa added to Raziel. He took the monitor in his hands and stared at it for a long time. A smile curled at the corners of his mouth. “Those are feathered wings. We’ve seen a lot of babies with them back home.”

“They all look and sound healthy,” Midwife Wane said. “Just bigger and more developed than we expected at this point of gestation.”

“Yeah, I say today,” he nods. “Big Boy is really low.”

“Do you think his claws will break my water?” I cringed.

“No,” Grandpa shook his head. “That’s not how it works. Raziel and me will clear out so that Wane can see if you’re dilated at all yet.”

“When can I eat my flesh?” I asked, eyeing the table.