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I gasped in the next moment as I took a step and I felt a wet splash of liquid run between my thighs, the weight of the baby seeming to drop even further.
“Ok, I’m stopping,” I groaned, letting Zeke lower me to the floor.
“Thank fuck,” Noah murmured, setting Selena down beside a wide tree trunk and encouraging her to gather firewood.
A low moan of pain escaped me as I let Liam peel off my leggings, his lips brushing against my forehead as I grabbed his hand. Using him as leverage, I twisted around to kneel, the pressure intense as I reached down to feel between my legs.
“I’ll go find water,” Zeke murmured, but I reached out to grab his wrist with a shake of my head.
“No time,” I panted, the urge to push almost unbearable. “It’s coming now.”
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Liam murmured, snapping his mouth shut at my warning look.
When I had gone into labour with Selena, we had discovered the one thing that truly broke his solid Alpha control. Utter panic had consumed him, and when he had full on yelled at Liss as she had examined me, I had to banish him from the entire cabin until the very moment the baby had arrived.
“Noah!” he yelled, visibly centring himself as he pushed the sweaty hair off my neck and supported my top half. I gave him a grateful smile as he squeezed my hands, our eyes locking as pain rolled through me.
Zeke’s hand rubbed firm circles on my lower back as I instinctively began to push, his calm certainty thrumming down our bond to steady my focus.
“You’re about to miss it, dude,” he called softly to Noah as the wave briefly receded and I tried to calm my breathing.
Noah appeared within a few seconds, leaving our daughter happily drawing pictures in the dirt as he cupped my face and pressed a gentle kiss to my lips.
“You’ve got this, sweetheart,” he promised, his words giving me the sense of calm that I needed to push my baby into the world, knowing that I was surrounded by the never-ending support of my mates.
In what felt like no time at all, a dark-haired baby boy was snuggled up against my chest, wrapped in Liam’s still-warm shirt after Zeke had caught him as he slipped into the world. Leaning back against Noah’s chest, I let my body finally relax, my adrenalin levels dropping and leaving me feeling exhausted. Selena sat beside us, snuggled under Noah’s arm, her delicate fingers lightly stroking the baby’s face as she stared at him in fascination.
“He needs a name,” Liam said from where he and Zeke were lighting a small fire.
I breathed a laugh, making the baby startle a little. “Even knowing he’s a he, the list is still too long.”
Zeke winked at Selena. “Why doesn’t the mini princess decide?”
I raised my brow in surprise as I looked at her. “Have you picked a name, baby?”
She shook her head and grinned as he grabbed on tightly to her finger. “No, the lady told me.”
I glanced at the others, but they looked just as confused as me. “What lady?”
“With red hair,” she answered, eyes still firmly fixed on her brother. “In my dream.”
My eyes widened at her words, but I swallowed hard and tucked a loose curl gently behind her ear. “What did the lady say, Lena?”
“She said hi!” she chirped, her amber eyes finally meeting mine. “And that I had to tell you. His name is Hunter.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Briar
Seven years earlier
Sathelplesslyinhisarms, I clung to Hawk’s neck as I dug into my bag, selecting a shining portal token from the small but full purse of them that I had stashed in there weeks ago. Pushing it into Spencer’s expectant palm, I resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at him like a child.
As if sensing my internal battle, he quirked a challenging brow at me, but I looked away pointedly and folded my arms. The chest I was pressed into expanded as Hawk released a silent sigh, our gazes clashing as he silently reprimanded me for my attitude.
“Hush you,” I muttered, turning to watch as Spencer threw the token into the portal gateway.
Stunning, swirling light burst to life, making me squint for a second until it settled into a liquid pool of ever-changing colour.
