A Fox Among Wolves

Chapter Thirty-Three

"Almost there," he calls from the front, switching on his headlights. "We should be reaching the front gate in about ten minutes."

"Good, because I am not going to last much longer," I say through gritted teeth. Braeden brushes my sweaty hair out of my face, trying to offer me as much comfort as possible. But it is not working. Baby wants out and wants out now.

The contractions are barely stopping before another one is upon me, and I know that I am completely dilated. The pressure to push is getting strong, and I don't know how much longer I can restrain myself from giving into the pressure.

"I-I have to push," I moan, looking up at Braeden with wide eyes. "I can't hold it back any longer."

"Almost there!" Ranoe yells from the front seat.

"Just a little bit longer," Braeden soothes, pressing a kiss against my sweaty forehead.

Shaking my head, I try to push my sweats off my hips, but Braeden blocks my every attempt. The combination of the pain of the contractions, holding back against the need to push, and Braeden keeping me from slipping out of my sweats is too much. The tears start to spill over, and I don't even attempt to stop them.

"It's alright," Braeden soothes, trying to calm me down. "It's going to be alright."

"No, no, I need-"

"We're here!" Ranoe yells, stopping at a large black metal gate. Two people approach the car and seem happy to see the human. Once Ranoe tells them what is going on, they quickly open the gates, calling in the situation in the radio.

"We're going straight to the clinic," he says. "Don't worry about a thing, they will take great care of you."

The houses outside are dark, only a few windows lit up as we pass them by. It only takes us a minute to reach the destination, Ranoe slamming on the brakes and jumping out of the car. Braeden helps me to unbuckle, practically carrying me as we get out of the car.

Ranoe is chatting with someone, who immediately steps into action when she sees us. She walks down from the porch, taking my other side as she starts to walk us back to her small cabin.

"Come now, everything will be alright," she says, her voice deeper than I was expecting. She leads us inside, where it is warm from the fire in the woodstove. Ranoe leaves to go back to the car, where his children are. The others are following behind.

The woman quickly introduces her self as Althea as she leads me to a room in the back of the cabin. Inside is a soft looking bed, and a bookshelf, the bottom half filled with books while the top half holds supplies.

Althea is fast about getting everything set up, seeming to know and not be concerned about what is going on. Pretty soon, a waterproof pad is laid on the bed, along with towels.

"Help him out of his clothes," she tells Braeden, before turning back to the others. "And the rest of you, go wait out in the living room. He doesn't need an audience."

"Quinn," I cry out, wanting both my mate and best friend with me. He doesn't even hesitate, just starts helping Braeden strip me and set me on the bed while the others close the door behind them.

"Let's get this show on the road," Althea says, snapping on a pair of rubber gloves. It's uncomfortable when she feels around my birth canal, measuring my dilation, but I know it is necessary. "Alright, on the next contraction, I want you to push. Baby is just where we want her."

Nodding my head, I feel the aforementioned contraction come over me, this time allowing myself to give into the pressure to push. Braeden is behind me, allowing me to lean against his chest while Quinn holds my hand tightly with his own. He doesn't complain at all when I squeeze it tightly, even though I am sure that it is painful.

"Almost there," Althea says after a few more pushes. "Just one more good push and her head will be out."

The next push has me grunting in pain, trying to hold back the scream wanting to rip out of me. As soon as it passes, Althea is soothing me, telling me to push as hard as I can on my next contraction, and I do.

Then, all the pain is gone. A tiny cry fills the room, and Althea is quick to set my tiny baby on my chest. All my attention is turned to her, ignoring Althea as she helps my placenta to pass.

"Oh," I breathe, bringing my baby against my chest. She is so tiny, smaller than I was expecting, probably due to the fact that she came early, but she looks healthy. She squirms on my chest, clearly searching for something. "What's wrong, love?"

"She's probably hungry," Althea says from between my legs. "She has had a long day, after all."

She ends up being right, because little girl quickly latches on when I rub her lips against my nipple, little eyes peeking open as she eats. My fingers find their way to her dark hair, where her little ears are hidden. They are still pressed against her head, from her being so new, but I can still tell that they are wolf ears.

Quinn gives me quick congratulations, bending down to press a kiss against my cheek before quietly leaving the room.

"She's perfect," Braeden says, voice soft. "Looks exactly like you."

His words bring a smile to my face, and we are both silent as we watch her, mesmerized as she falls asleep, little hand pressed against my chest. Althea finishes quietly, cleaning up all the mess- including the towels and pad underneath me- before settling a heavy blanket over my legs. She gives me a smaller, softer one to settle over the baby.

"All of you should get some rest. I'll come check on you in the morning."

And with that, we are left alone, our new family.

"Willow Grace Brooks," Braeden says, his finger running over her dark locks. "What a beautiful girl."

With a smile on my face, I lean against my mate, reveling in our happiness. What a beautiful girl, indeed.