AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She decided to sit and wait for him, knowing she wouldn’t be able to sleep until they got the conversation over with.
Almost half an hour later, Reika was dozing with her head back on the couch and heard the keys jingling in the lock. Owen came in, absent-mindedly closing the door behind him.
“Late night for you,” Reika said.
He jumped backward, then grasped his chest. “Damn, Reika,” he said, smiling. “You scared the shit out of me. Why aren’t you in bed?”
His feigned obliviousness had touched her very last nerve. Reika crossed her arms and stared at him, hoping her glare was like knives stabbing in the dark.
“What have you been up to?” she said. “You go out every night for hours on end, and you don’t tell me anything that’s going on. But I need to know, Owen.”
Owen let out a long sigh through pursed lips. Reika knew she had the tendency to imagine the worst, so it was always best just to dive headfirst into the problem and deal with it.
He came over and sat beside her on the couch. His energy did not look afraid, so Reika assumed that what he had been hiding wasn’t altogether damaging.
“I’ve been noticing some odd ships lately,” he began. “Ones on the other side of the island. To be honest, I wanted to check them out and make sure it wasn’t Connor or any of the family.”
Reika felt a wash of relief but raised an eyebrow anyway. “And you wanted to keep this from me, to ‘protect my feelings’?” she said, using air quotes.
Owen snorted with laughter. “I suppose I’m not too different from the average male, am I?”
Reika smiled back, but her stomach had begun to tighten. It felt like an electric shock moved through her body, beginning at the bottom of her abdomen and shooting up through her torso.
“Oh fuck,” she groaned.
Reika placed both hands over her globe-shaped belly, then leaned forward, wincing in pain.
Owen placed his hands on her back, rubbing it and speaking frantically. “Do you need to get to the hospital?” he said, eyes darting around like a mosquito.
Reika shook her head. “We can’t go to a normal hospital,” she said, still groaning. “I’m part wolf, remember?”
She tried to laugh, but the contractions returned with the power of a hundred thunderstorms inside her belly firing off at once. “FUCK!” she roared.
Owen got up from the couch and fetched her water. She drank, trying to focus on it rather than the agony.
“I think it's preterm labor,” Reika grunted. “The contractions will stop. I think I’m okay for now.”
Owen nodded, then took the glass from her hand. He helped her lie down on her side on the couch, moving his hand around her belly in soft circles.
“You’re basically at your due date, hun,” Owen said. “It wouldn't be insane to suppose that you are going into full labor?”
The truth was Reika didn’t want to think about it. They needed the healer Holo to deliver a half-human, half-shifter baby. Anything else would not only risk exposure but would put the health of both her and the child at risk too.
She shook her head, and she felt the contractions subside. She breathed deeply, letting out a calming sigh. “I’m okay, Owen. I promise you,” she said.
Reika knew that Owen didn’t believe her. It was not only the nature of a woman to downplay her pain and needs but the nature of a female shifter too. Pride came into play too much, and she knew he would have to take the reins and steer this birthing ship.
“I can make you some tea,” he said.
He got up from the couch and put the kettle on. While he was in the kitchen, Reika tried to sit up again, but another contraction went through her body like a sword had cut her in half.
“Fucking hell!”
Owen darted back into the room with a knowing expression. He encouraged her to lie down again, then went to grab his coat. “I’m going for help,” he said sternly.
Owen
Owen had never dealtwith a pregnant woman before in his life. He never had any time to imagine it or wonder what that experience was going to be like, but he certainly would have never guessed that he would have to navigate it through a family feud.
