The ringing phone pulled Ben Gray out of a deep sleep and he groaned as he rolled over and away from Risa's warm body. Who the heck was calling at this hour? He glanced at the number. Tyler. Jenna must be in labor.
"Tyler?" He said, answering the phone. Ben glanced at Risa, who was still sleeping. "Is Jenna in labor?"
"It's happening really fast. We don't have time to make it to the clinic," Tyler said, his voice edging on panic.
"Tyler, calm down. You have to stay calm for Jenna. You know what to do. You've done this before. I'll be right there. What's your address?" Ben asked, keeping his own voice calm.
Tyler rattled off the address.
"Okay, I'll be there soon," Ben said and ended the call. He swung his legs over the side of the bed.
"Where are you going?" His mate, Risa, asked sleepily.
"I have to go deliver a baby. You remember me telling you that someone in town is having a baby that's half werewolf?" Ben tossed on a pair of old sweats and a t-shirt. He had a feeling this baby would be born before he got there.
"Mmmm," she murmured, rolling on to her back.
"Well she's in labor," Ben headed into the bathroom.
He exited a moment later and was surprised that Risa was now standing beside the bed, stretching her arms.
His gaze flickered appreciatively over her naked body as images from the night before ran through his mind.
"I'm going with you," she stated, grabbing a bra.
He nodded. "I need to run down to my clinic and grab some stuff first. Meet me down there when you're ready"
Ten minutes later, they were in the SUV flying down the drive to leave the pack territory.
"Does she know her baby is half werewolf?" Risa asked with a yawn
"I don't know," Ben said, his eyes scanning the sides of the road, watching for deer. He'd never found the opportunity to talk to Jenna about it, though he knew he still had time.
"You think she should know?" Risa asked.
"Yes. I know what I went through when I changed. I was so scared, and no one was there for me" Ben reflected, then smiled at his mate when she pulled his hand in hers and squeezed it.
"Of course I would speak to Alpha first, but I think I want to wait a bit. Tyler and Jenna's mother is dying of cancer."
Risa looked at him and frowned. "Oh that's sad."
Ben nodded. "She had it before and it just came back. She doesn't want to go through the treatment anymore."
Risa looked at him in surprise. "Why not?"
"Chemo is hard on you, especially the type Caroline would need. She has a very aggressive type of cancer and it may not even work," Ben said softly. "Even if the cancer didn't kill her, the chemo might."
Risa leaned her head back against the seat, staring out the window, her heart breaking for these people she had yet to meet.
***
Tyler sat in the middle of the bed, counting down the seconds til Dr. Gray got there. Delivering Jenna's baby was the last thing he wanted to do. He was annoyed with her for not telling him she was in labor. He could have gotten her to the clinic and under Dr. Ben's direct supervision.
He could already see the baby's head crowning and knew it wouldn't be much longer until he would be holding his niece in his arms. Tyler had delivered babies before, but this was different. He was home, surrounded by people he knew and loved. What if something went wrong? Jenna's labor had happened fast. He hoped Dr. Gray got there soon. He looked at his sister, who was sweating profusely and had tears streaming down her cheeks.
His father had brought his mother up. She had been woken by Jenna's screams and insisted Mitch bring her to Jenna so she could be present for the birth of her first grandchild and to support her daughter. She sat on Jenna's right, holding her hand.
Mitch was pacing the hallway.
"I need to push," Jenna yelled, her face contorted in pain.
"Not yet," Tyler said.
"Why NOT?" she screamed.
Tyler glanced up as Dr. Gray hurried in along with a beautiful blond woman.
He breathed a sigh of relief and got out of Dr. Gray's way.
"Okay Jenna, next contraction, we're going to push," the doctor said, pulling on some gloves from his bag.
A few minutes later, the sounds of a baby's cries filled the room.
Tyler along with the blond woman cleaned the crying baby and weighed her, then he wrapped her up and gave her to Jenna.
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she cuddled the newborn, surrounded by her loved ones, the pain and misery of the last hour forgotten. Love warmed her as she stared at her little one, her heart full.
Everyone stood around for several long moments before Risa finally spoke up. "Everyone out. We need to get Jenna in a clean bed for some much needed sleep. You can all visit with her and the new baby in the morning."
Ben smiled at his mate. Leave it to Risa to take charge.
The brothers all filed out. Mitch moved over to Caroline but she waved him away. "I'm going to stay up here and help," she said.
He nodded, and kissed her forehead, his gaze lingering on the newest member of the family. "Jenna, have you picked a name yet?"
Jenna looked down at the tiny baby, her pup, she thought ruefully. "Is it after midnight yet?"
"It's 1:30 in the morning," Risa said, glancing at her watch. "Christmas morning."
"What a Christmas gift," Jenna murmured, gently stroking the baby's cheek. "Her name is Noelle Caroline Browning."
***
Christmas Eve
Regal Eclipse pack house
Daniel had barely left his room that day. It was Christmas Eve and he had no desire to spend any time with his family, or his pack. Jenna had seemed on edge all day, and that kept him on edge. The longer they were apart, the less he felt her emotions . The sadness had returned about a month ago, but today had probably been the worst.
'We still feel her, you have just grown accustomed to her emotions. I monitor them while you are doing human things,' Rafe said, sitting proudly, his tail swishing back and forth slowly, like a cat.
'So the bond is still strong?' Daniel asked with a bit of relief.
Rafe scoffed. 'Of course. Especially since mate is close by.'
'Wait, what did you just say?' Daniel stopped his pacing, paying very close attention to his wolf.
'Mate is close by,' Rafe repeatedly smugly.
'How close?' Daniel growled. How long had Rafe known she was close?
'Probably within a hundred miles or so. She always has been,' Rafe shrugged and stood, stretching nonchalantly, as if he hadn't just dropped a bomb on Daniel, shocking the Alpha into silence.
'Rafe, why did you never tell me this?' Daniel asked after a few moments. He was hurt. Jenna belonged to both of them, and this could have definitely aided in his search.
'I wasn't sure until recently. Then I thought back over the last several months, and how when we are here, I feel her very strongly. When we leave, I don't feel her emotions as strong. Usually we are busy with business, and I don't pay as much attention, though I am always monitoring Mate's emotions in the background. I did not want to get both of our hopes up for no reason. But now, I am sure,' Rafe said confidently.
Daniel sat down on the bed and rubbed at his face. 'So this entire time, she's been right here in Pennsylvania.'
The day passed slowly for Daniel, with Jenna seeming to grow more and more agitated, which in turn led to Daniel becoming more and more agitated. He'd blocked his family out from mind linking him, and had remained in his apartment, avoiding everyone. He spent most of the day pacing the floor of his bedroom on edge. In all of his years on the face of the earth, Daniel had never felt so helpless as he did right then.
Occasionally, Jenna would completely relax for about an hour or so, which put Daniel more on edge.
'Mate is sleeping,' Rafe explained.
Late that night, her agitation became overwhelming, with panic occasionally seeping in. 'Rafe, what is going on?' Daniel practically shouted at his wolf.
'Mate is in pain,' Rafe had been pacing too most of the day.
Daniel felt waves of her emotions roll over him, fear and panic being the two biggest ones. He flung open the doors to his balcony and walked out into the cool night, gripping the railing and staring out into the woods. He was sweating profusely, his own emotions swirling around as tears streamed down his cheeks. What was happening to her? Did someone have her? Were they torturing her? Did someone know she was his mate? Only a handful of people even knew about Jenna.
'Let me take over, Daniel. I can bear most of the emotion,' Rafe said suddenly. 'We can run for a bit.'
Daniel didn't answer but gave immediate control to Rafe. The wolf jumped off the balcony, shifting in midair and shredding Daniel's clothes. He ran deep into the woods as hard as he could as they were both hit by wave after wave of Jenna's emotions.
All of a sudden, they stopped, and Rafe came to a halt as well, as they both stood there, thinking the worst. But then, the most powerful emotion of the night hit them. Love. Rafe immediately gave control back to Daniel and he shifted back, standing there in the light of a full moon reveling in the feel of Jenna's love and happiness. Time passed, but Daniel never moved, until he finally felt Jenna completely relax, and he knew she was asleep.
He shifted back into his wolf, allowing Rafe to take control again to get them home. They were both completely mentally exhausted now, and Daniel wanted to get a few hours of sleep if he could.
He was still worried about Jenna's safety, but the overwhelming love that had hit him earlier let him know she was okay. He'd never experienced such a strong emotion from her since he'd marked her, but he knew, somehow, that she was alright.
They arrived back at the pack house, and Daniel grabbed his shredded clothes before heading back up to his room. He took a hot shower before climbing in bed. It was well after midnight, and he would be expected to attend tomorrow's festivities, whether he felt like it or not.
'You think she's okay?' he asked Rafe as he lay there, already half asleep.
'Yes. Go to sleep. I will monitor her throughout the night,' Rafe replied calmly.
'Wake me if anything changes. Night Rafe,' Daniel muttered and was out almost instantly.