Betrayed

☾Chapter Thirty-Nine☽

Taking his phone out, he taps on the screen a few times before handing the phone to me.

Like expected, Titus doesn't pick up till the second to last ring. If I'd have called him on my phone, he would have picked up immediately.

"Titus, it's me. The baby's coming," I force out.

An audible gasp comes through the phone. "He's coming? You're all the way in Spain!" He frets.

I take my father's hand into my own and squeeze it as hard as I can when another contraction graces itself upon me.

The bones in my father's hand squeeze together, threatening to break, but all he does is coo sweet nothings to me as if the pain doesn't affect him.

"I know, but...-"

My father releases a sigh. "I'll use my magic to teleport him here."

••

The epidural put me out of my pain, but it didn't make me any less agitated with Titus.

I had smacked his hand away a few minutes after I started pushing and yelled, "this is all your fault!"

Now, I'm calmly pushing, my sweaty hand gripping my father's. I release a soft grunt occasionally.

"You're doing so good, Princess,"
He whispers in my ear, his blue eyes pointed towards the blanket covering my propped up legs.

A laugh comes from Daniella. "The head is almost out!" She cries.

Titus moves in closer, but I immediately growl at him, my eyes fixed in a glare. He backs away with his hands up.

With him away from me, I'm able to feel elation at the fact that my son is almost in this world.

My pushes get more urgent, more purposeful, and before I know it, Titus is cutting the umbilical cord, allowing a sharp cry to ring out in the room.

To others, the sound would have hurt their ears, but it's music to mine. It's a melody that tells me my child is here, safe and alive.

I don't pay attention to Titus, who looks petrified, or my father, who's looking at me worriedly. All I focus on is the bundle that Daniella is about to place in my arms.

"Look how beautiful he is, Dad!" I cry out when I see his bewildered eyes starring up at me, his fingers reaching for me.

He has breath-taking gray-blue eyes, a cute button nose, and dark wisps of brown hair on little head. His mouth opens and closes as he breathes.

Titus leans over me cautiously like my father is doing. "He looks so fragile," Titus states in awe, his eyes glued on his son.

A flash goes off and I look up to see Daniella taking a photo, a large smile on her face. "I'll have the nurses wash him up and vaccinate him when you're ready."

I find myself nodding but not agreeing with the action. My son is, at the moment, blind and deaf, just like newborn wolf pups, and it's my job to protect him when he's weak and vulnerable.

My father brushes my sweaty hair back and pulls me to his chest. "How are you feeling? Are you okay?" He asks quickly.

"Just fine," I answer nonchalantly.

Daniella looks me in the eyes. "You still have have to deliver the placenta. Do you want to do it naturally or drug-induced?"

I blow out a breath as I wave Titus over. "The latter."

She nods as Titus slides closer to me, but he backs away once I hold our swaddled son out to him.

Raising an eyebrow, I pull our son back into the warmth of my body. "Don't you want to hold him?"

He sucks in a breath, his hand running through his hair. "He's so tiny, Vlad. What if I hold him too tight? What if I drop him?" He frets, his eyes widening.

I laugh as I hold the baby out to him again. "You'll be fine." I place our son in his arms and watch as he struggles to hold him correctly.

"Support his head with one arm, support his body with the other," My father instructs suddenly.

Titus readjusts his arms slowly, but when he finally gets the hang of it, a smile lights up his face. "Hi there, Little Guy!" He coos to the red-faced baby.

Sighing, my father puts his hands on my shoulder. "What are you going to name him?" He asks.

The name Ulrik pollutes my mind along with the thought of Adam. I force the tears back that threaten to leave my eyes.

'We can't name our son Ulrik. We'll be reminded of Adam every time we look at him,' Greer tells me.

She's right. I have to let go of Adam eventually, and now's the time to start.

"How about the name you like, Titus?" I suggest.

Titus looks up, his eyes bright with hope and love."Aaron," He ponders, "that's a wonderful name," He agrees while smiling.

My father gives a simple nod.

"It's settled, then. His name is Aaron Volchinov-Sterling."