Page 38 of Matched in Mayhem

“As soon as we find out, kiddo,” Grandpa Clyde said. “You want anything to go with it? A dessert maybe? Something with sugar to keep your energy up?”

“Can I have a decaf frappe?” I asked hopefully.

“Extra chocolate and extra whip cream,” he nodded. “We’ll run out and get it. Come on, Raz.”

Chapter 19

Bennie

The Hemlock Wolf Pack, Star’s Territory

It turned out that Alby was already dilated two centimeters. What he referred to as achy was actually early labor and his contractions could start at any time. When we first started talking about his birthing plan I had brought up the option of a water birth, but Alby didn’t like the idea. He wanted to den down. So, over the last few months, Raziel and I had carried in several large boulders and slabs of rocks to make a rock wall around the inside of the doorway of one of the guestrooms. It mimicked the mouth of a cave and made Alby feel safer. Then together, we all brought in everything babies might need for the first few weeks of their lives. We didn’t plan on living in the ‘den’ but that was going to be up to Alby. We even had a plan to enforce it. If someone bothered us about it, I’d keep Alby calm and Raziel would either calm down the other person or eat them.

I offered to carry my mate up the spiral staircase, but he wouldn’t hear of it. So, I walked behind him, trying to hide how nervous I was every time he walked up or down these particular steps. He was so front heavy that I always feared he’d tip over. He stopped halfway up the stairs and held his lower back. I was just about to make the offer to carry him again when the staircase that had been pissing me off for the last two weeks flooded. Alby’s eyes went huge as we both looked down at the fluid trickling down onto the next step.

“We’ll clean it up!” Clyde called as the back door opened, announcing that he and Raziel were back. “Don’t you worry about it!”

His voice was half gentle grandparent and half command. Alby gripped the handrail and we continued to climb.

“I’m glad I ate first. This is a fucking hike,” he panted, stopping to rest again. “No! I don’t want to be carried!” he said, holding out a palm before I even had the chance to offer again. “I have feet.”

I nodded at him and didn’t say anything because it felt like one of those life moments where the best thing you could do was shut the hell up until the other person told you what, if anything, they needed.

Eventually we made it upstairs and into the den. Alby lowered himself onto all fours on one of the fur and hide piles we made and ignored me for the next ten minutes. I stood in the doorway, watching him breathe. He didn’t shift but his scent changed. In anyone else, I would’ve known it was his mind shifting into the focus he needed for labor. With Alby, with my poor mate, he smelled like fear, agony, and rage.

“He’ll be fine, kiddo,” Clyde said, squeezing past me to take Alby his frappe. Clyde had thought ahead and brought a big, long straw with the coffee. Alby sipped it and then curled in on himself. His first contraction. The first contraction of so many.

Clyde stayed beside Alby until it passed and then walked over to me.

“Stop standing there like he’s dying. He’s probably feeling more alive than ever. He’s having your kids. So, get over there and be there for whatever he eventually needs. You’re not going to break him. Believe me, if anyone leaves here with battle wounds inflicted by another person, it’ll be you.”

“I…”

“Don’t waste breath talking to me. Go to your mate. I’ve already called your parents,” he said. “They’ll be here soon. If you faint on Alby, I’m going to bite your tail, hard.” He said and walked out.

I sat down near Alby and rubbed small circles on his back. He leaned into my touch and looked over at me.

“Don’t mind him. He thinks he was born owning every labor and delivery room,” Alby chuckled.

Clyde was right. Alby needed the sugar and I needed armor. At first, Alby said his contractions were manageable. Then as they progressed he paced between them. Every time one hit, he grabbed my arm for dear life, and squatted down snarling at everyone in the room. His fingernails shifted into his wolf’s claws and dug into me. I healed quickly because of the alpha gene, but fucking hell, it hurt! Only, I didn’t complain as the blood ran down my arm, because I wasn’t the one who still had to deliver three babies.

By dinner time, Alby was halfway dilated but his birthing plan was starting to go out of the window. Midwife Wane was no longer allowed close enough to him to check his progress. That job fell on me.

“And if you…” he growled, “don’t do it right, I will eat you! I will eat you and let the babies eat your bone marrow!”

“Okay,” I nodded. “You’re a little over five.”

“Good. Good boy. I love you. I really do but oh my Juda on a biscuit and the Crow King in a zoo! Why did you put so many fucking babies inside me, Benjamin?!” he snarled.

The whole house froze as he used my entire first name. I almost told him because he asked me to, but I knew he wasn’t looking for an actual answer. Plus, neither of us actually decided how many babies we’d have. That was all on nature.

“If you ever do this again, I’m going to pick up Raziel and beat you with him!” he snarled, slapping the floor as another contraction hit. “I will beat your heads together and you’ll have to feel bad for Raziel because he didn’t even get laid and he’s getting his head beaten against yours!”

After the contraction he got up onto his feet. I moved next to him because I thought he was pacing again but he started for the doorway. Clyde, Sylvan, and Raziel were hanging out in the hallway.

“Raz?” he asked, his voice so level. For a moment, my feelings were raw and wounded. Why was he gentle with Raz when he had just threatened to murder me?

“Yeah, Alby? Need me to grab something?” Raziel asked, starting to walk over.