Amari POV
I knocked on Tao's bedroom door softly, biting my lip as I waited for a reply from the older male. It was about two in the afternoon and he wasn't in his office so I hoped he was inside. Training had finished this morning so I knew he wasn't busy.
I rubbed my heavy belly which was bound in this pregnancy strap thing I didn't know the real name of. It was to help with the now unbearable weight of my huge stomach.
I was officially into month three, about a week over now and to be perfectly honest... I was tired. As terrified as I was, I didn't know how much longer my body could take the strain of carrying these growing pups, and I was ready to get them out.
I'd been bed bound for the longest time, but I really wanted to check on Tao, despite feeling like absolute shit. It took me twenty minutes of negotiating with Luka before he agreed to let me out of the little nesting situation we'd set up in our room. Even then he was still pissed off that I wanted to talk to Tao alone without him there.
I looked back down the corridor and my mate was standing there like a demon, his eyes narrowed on me, his cheeks tinted pink. He was mad but I didn't care. He'd get over himself. The over protective daddy bear had to let me breathe. I was with Tao, I was perfectly safe without him holding my hand.
Finally, after what seemed like an age locked in an intense staring competition with Luka, Tao's door finally opened. He was wearing a white shirt and black shorts that hugged his muscular body nicely, showing off his strong, lean, shape.
He frowned tightly down at me and I could tell he was stressed out. It made me feel even better about hauling myself out of bed to come see him. I didn't want him to feel like he was alone.
His mate was meant to be visiting the pack today finally. Everyone was looking forward to meeting the mysterious man Tao had kept hidden for weeks. But I knew this was going to be challenging as hell for him and I didn't want him to feel like he was alone.
"Amari?" He asked in confusion, tilting his head down at me. "Are you okay?"
"Fine thank you. My legs are about to give out though. Can I come in?" I asked hopefully. He nodded quickly, hopping to the side with a curse.
I smiled, limping inside, holding onto the door frame for support and then letting it go as I made my way over to his bed.
"Uhhh, Luka..." Tao stuck his head out the door with a frown.
"Ignore him," I waved his concern away. Luka could come get me later after he stopped crying.
"Right," Tao murmured, closing the door softly. "Are you comfortable enough? I have some more pillows..."
"I'm okay," I patted the spot next to me and he walked over, sitting beside me. I gripped my heavy stomach, rubbing the bullet shaped bump as my pups wriggled about inside me. There was always at least two of them moving at any one time.
"You know why I'm here. Talk to me," I encouraged gently, staring down at my pretty ring and not at him so he didn't feel uncomfortable.
Tao sort of slumped where he sat. He let out this defeated breath of air that made my heart ache for him. He really was having a tough time with this and I didn't know what to say to make it better.
"I messed up," he spoke after a while, his deep voice taking on this vulnerable tone I'd never heard before. I was so used to seeing him cool and collected that this Tao now was a shock to the system.
"What happened?" I reached out with one hand and rubbed his back to try and relax his tense body.
"I asked..." he clenched his fists. "I asked him not to touch me while we're here. I'm so confused Amari. I don't know if this is right or wrong but I'm just not ready for the stares and the questions. I don't want him to touch me like that while we're here. I don't want others to see what he does to me."
I nodded. That was completely understandable. This was new for him, it would be new to his friends, to the enforcers he manages and to his family too. He wasn't ready for everyone to know and that was fine.
"We got into an argument. He keeps accusing me of being ashamed of him. I don't know if I'm ashamed of him or ashamed of myself for allowing this to happen. But I just... It'll kill me if I hurt him because I'm the one who's scared. I don't want him to hate himself because he thinks I'm embarrassed," he muttered quietly.
"But you are embarrassed," I pointed out gently.
He gave a sharp nod. "Everyone here sees me as the head enforcer. I'm supposed to be strong. I'm supposed to be dominant and I am. But with him... he reduces me to this... this weak being and I can tolerate it when we're in private but not here. Not in front of everyone."
His words really hit home with my past. "I know Tao. That's how I used to feel about Luka. I used to think that he made me feel weak and vulnerable. I was embarrassed because of how I portrayed myself to the pack. But I realised that letting someone else take control doesn't reduce me to anything. I'm the same strong man, even when I'm being kissed and manhandled with love," I nudged his side. "You are too."
"But Caspian is my pup bearer. Luka is your alpha. Your relationship is natural. Mine is not."
"Do you like it when he exerts his control?" I asked, finally looking up at him. His jaw was clenched, his cheeks tinted pink. It would seem he was angry, but his eyes were sad... worried.
"It's strange. I want to fight it, but my body just submits to him, reacts to him... craves him. It's nice to have someone take care of me when I'm so used to being in control of everyone else," he admitted.
"You're happy with Caspian, right?" I asked even though I knew the answer. He may be confused and struggling to accept his fate with his mate. But he was happy.
"Yes. I don't want him to leave me. I don't want to be lonely anymore."
"Then fuck what everyone else thinks. I know its not that easy, but eventually, you'll see that your happiness and your relationship with your mate is more valuable than the opinions of the pack." I told him.
He sighed. "I live here. I have enforcers to lead. They won't take me seriously when they find out I let my submissive mate dominate me."
"That's none of their business. What happens between you and Caspian should not at all affect the respect you receive on the training fields. If it does then you show them that you're not fucking around," I growled firmly. "I care for all my pack mates, put I'll break jaws for you Tao."
He gave me a small, grateful smile. "Thanks Amari."
"No problem," I shrugged. "Don't take shit from anyone. Not even Luka." I'd personally hurt his dick if he so much as made one hurtful joke.
"We'll see what happens. What should I do about Caspian? He's pissed at me. I don't want him to come over here and we're not even on good terms," he asked me.
"You're not in the wrong and he shouldn't feel angry at you for wanting to set boundaries on his first introduction. As much as we'd love for this to be an 'accept all and whoever' kind of world, that's not the case in reality. People are going to have things to say about you as a dom and his actions towards you as a sub. You're entitled to setting boundaries between the two of you for your own mental safety Tao. However, make sure he knows that this isn't because you don't accept him, it's because you simply aren't ready. He's probrably angry because he's hurt."
Tao nodded in understanding. "I'll call him and make sure he understands. He should be on his way now anyway."
"I'm looking forward to meeting him," I smiled. "Hopefully we all make good impressions on each other. He'll be coming around more often I assume?"
"That's the plan if this goes well," he nodded, his brown locks flopping across his forehead. "It might take a while..."
"That's okay too. Don't rush this. Do it properly and do it at your own pace. I think as a wolf society, we do move way too fast and that does cause problems later on. Just... take your time," I consoled him.
He took a deep breath and nodded again. "Thank you Amari. Seriously I really appreciate your help."
"I am your friend. Hopefully you'll see me as such and not as the angry kid who used to raise your blood pressure during sparring," I teased and he chuckled.
"Of course. You're a lot older now and I do consider you my friend," he briefly hugged me and I smiled against his chest.
We'd gotten to know each other a lot more while he confided in me about Caspian. It turned out Tao did have a lot to say but was quiet by nature and you just had to talk to him to get his thoughts out. Everyone made the mistake of thinking he didn't have anything to say and then just didn't engage with him. I was guilty of that.
He was smart, a bit shy too but I was right about him being mellow. As much as he was confused as to what was happening with his mating, he had this 'it is what it is' attitude that I liked.
In conclusion, Tao was pretty cool. His personality balanced out Eugene's perfectly and I had two friends I could go to for different needs. When I wanted to laugh and have unserious fun, I went to Eugene. When I wanted to have a serious, relaxed conversation, I went to Tao.
"I should get you back to Luka before he tries to kill me," Tao finally muttered, releasing me from his hug.
"I would say that was a stupid thought but he's been ridiculously protective lately," I sighed, holding onto him as he helped me up.
"It's probably Izaak bugging him about keeping you and the pups safe. You're due right?" He asked and I paused, closing my eyes as I nodded.
My hips were screaming at me in pain and this tightening cramp in my lower belly made it almost impossible to move. I tightened my grip on the enforcer's muscular forearm and dropped my head with a groan of pain. I shouldn't have sat down.
"Are you okay?!" Tao seemed to panic as he stood rigid and held me. I was embarrassed to be clinging to him like this.
"J-just give me a second," I hummed through the pain, resisting the urge to groan. Fuck.
After about a minute, the cramp passed and my death grip on his arm lessened up. I let out a relieved breath, slowly straightening my back. "Sorry."
"Don't apologise," he frowned down at me. "You're in pain. I don't know what to do. Should I get you some painkillers? Are you even allowed painkillers?"
He gave me this confused puppy face that made me snicker at his cuteness. No wonder Caspian treated Tao like a baby. He was quite cute. In an edgy kinda way. Like cut-throat baby vibes.
"No painkillers, I just need to lie down. I really shouldn't be out of bed," I patted his chest.
"Do I have permission to carry you?"
"Sure," I nodded, surprised that he'd even asked. I was so used to just being grabbed and lifted by everyone else that his polite question made me blush. My mate could learn a few things.
He gently scooped me up and I pressed my face to his chest, closing my eyes and focusing on breathing through the pain in my hips. It was bad.
Tao easily carried me back to my room despite my heavy weight and he gently lay me down on the bed. He helped me get comfortable, pressing me onto my side and arranging the pillows around me. Walking down the corridor had me feeling exhausted. I was ready to sleep.
"Will you come fetch me when Caspian gets here? I don't want to miss out on anything," I mumbled up at him. He nodded quickly, patting my head.
"I'll bring him up here, just rest," he frowned down at me.
I nodded and closed my eyes, hearing the door open and close as he left. My breathing was harsh and I was finding it hard to concentrate on falling unconscious because of the intense throbbing.
"Raven? Are you okay? You've been quiet," I whispered at my wolf.
"Yeah Mari. You've been doing great by yourself that I didn't want to intervene. You're a professional now," he teased me and I giggled.
"Thanks Raven. I learned from the best. I love you."
"I love you too," he yipped happily. It was quiet for a while before he spoke again.
"I think it's time to go Mari. I can feel it our babies are coming soon. We have to go," he told me somewhat urgently.
I frowned, opening my eyes. "N-now?"
Luka and I were supposed to be travelling to another pack to deliver the babies. Eugene couldn't do it all by himself and he was worried since this was his first time dealing with quintuplets. He said it was safest if we travelled to another pack so that he had help and better equipment.
The pack wasn't too far away and the alpha was good friends with Luka. They'd made an agreement that I could deliver my pups there.
But I didn't want to go until as late as possible. It just felt wrong delivering my pups in a foreign environment surrounded by strangers and not my own pack. It just made me feel anxious as hell. I wasn't safe there, not while I was vulnerable and unable to protect myself in labour.
I couldn't help but think that if they decided to take my babies, they could and I wouldn't be able to stop them. My chest tightened painfully at the thought.
I liked it here, in my room, surrounded by Luka's comforting scent and all our belongings. I felt safe here. But in the end, the health of my pups was more important so I agreed to go just so that I could deliver all five of my babies well.
I was about to answer Raven but my stomach tightened painfully again and my back arched as I tried to get through it. The feeling was hard to explain. It was like my lower body went into intense cramping, someone squeezing the life out of my insides.
I gripped the pillows hard, whining in discomfort. It was stronger than the one that hit me in Tao's room.
"They're contractions Amari. Its time to go," Raven told me urgently and I nodded, my eyes clenched shut.
I was suddenly painfully aware that I was about to give birth to five pups and the realisation that I was going into labour made me want to sob. I'm not ready for this.
The cramp passed after a minute or two and my tense muscles relaxed into the sheets. The throbbing ache in my hips remained, however. I wiped my tears away, trying not to panic. Panicking wouldn't get me anywhere. I was prepared. We were prepared right?
"Call Luka Amari. We have to get going before-"
Something inside me popped. Then all of a sudden a gush of fluid left my behind and drenched the sheets beneath me. The hot liquid soaked my legs and ass. What the hell?!
Oh my god, my waters just broke.
"LUKA!" I shrieked my mate's name down the pack link, scared as hell. No way was this happening to me without him here. I needed him!
"WHAT'S WRONG?! WHAT HAPPENED?! ARE YOU HURT?!" Came his panicked reply instantly.
I was about to respond but of course... I groaned in pain, curling up and clutching my belly as another contraction slammed into me like a rough ocean wave. I bit at the sheets to muffle the pained cry I let out, trying to bare through the pain.
My bedroom door slammed open and a ruffled looking Luka appeared. His eyes widened at the sight of me writhing in pain. I watched the colour drain from his face. It would've been comical if I wasn't in so much discomfort.
"Time to go," I moaned weakly, my face contorting in agony.
A stream of disgusting curse words left his mouth and he rushed over to the bed, sitting beside me with panic. He pressed a quick, comforting kiss to my forehead. "Fuck. I'm so excited. But scared. Its okay," he stroked my hair before hopping up again and disappearing into the nursery like a bunny on crack.
He appeared with the bags I'd packed last week. They had everything I needed for the quintuplets and then clothes for myself and Luka.
My mate sat them down at the foot of the bed. "Eugene should be here soon. I need to get you dressed."
"Quickly," I whispered, helping him as he rolled me onto my back. My mate seemed intimidated by the sight of my wet clothes, huge stomach and quivering limbs. I scowled at him.
"Don't go regretting this now! You're the one who knocked me up!" I cursed at his hesitating body and he looked up at me.
"I'm not regretting anything," he frowned, his pink lips pouting down at me. He bent and began gently taking off my clothes. "This is our first labour together! I don't want to hurt you!"
I didn't even have the energy to tell him that our first labour was going to be our last.
He managed to pull my wet sweatpants off my legs. Then we struggled to get me to sit up so he could get rid of my shirt. All the moving was painful as hell and I was panting like a maniac by the time I was finally naked. I had to take a break, curling up again, allowing him to strip the bed sheets.
Another contraction hit me while I lay there and this time, I couldn't help but scream. It was bloody intense. Like extreme. Why? Why mother nature? Isn't carrying the damn babies freaking hard enough? Why did the delivery have to be worse? I sobbed.
Luka was beside me in seconds. His comforting touch was welcome and I clung to him, pressing my face to his chest, my nails biting into his skin. He didn't complain, trying to console me with soothing words. "Breathe baby," he whispered, kissing the top of my head.
There was a soft knock on the door and Luka grabbed a pillow, laying it across my lap to shield my nakedness as I whined.
The door opened slightly and Eugene popped his head found the door with a worried frown at the sight of me. "Can I come in?"
"Yeah, he's been having contractions for a while now," Luka waved him inside.
Eugene came in, closing the door. I could sense that there were a few more people outside, maybe they heard the news that the luna had gone into labour?
Eugene had his medical back with him. He was over in an instant, slapping gloves on his hands.
"Have you been timing them?" He asked seriously, rummaging around in his bag. He pulled out his stethoscope and some device to take my temperature.
While he did all his checks on my body, I closed my eyes and clung to Luka. After this... I'd be a father and I'd have five little babies to take care of. This was like the end of my current life and the start of a new one.
"Have your waters broke babe?" Eugene asked me softly and I felt myself get shifted more comfortably onto my back, my legs pushed open. The pillow was moved.
"Y-yeah," I whimpered.
"Both?"
"One," I hummed and Luka kissed me again. I pressed myself into his touch.
"Okay so... I don't think we can travel." Was the verdict when Eugene sat back.
"What?" Luka asked, his body tense.
"I didn't expect this to go so quickly. We can't risk moving him and then he gives birth in the car. It's too late now, he'll have to give birth here. I'll call and ask the other healer to come here. Hopefully she makes it in time," he used his forearm to wipe the sweat on his brow.
"The most we can do now is prepare. But I need help," Eugene looked stressed. "I can't... I can't risk not doing this correctly and losing one of the pups."
Luka looked down at me, stroking my face. "Who would you feel comfortable with coming in here babe? Just for the time being before help from the other pack comes?"
I didn't really want anyone else to see me like this, but I didn't have a choice. "Mom and would you be comfortable with Nick?" I asked. They were the only two I could think of. Jamison was too young and both Ray and Tao made me feel a bit... weird.
Luka nodded. "No problem with it."
"Okay. Just sit tight and we'll set up here. Keep breathing Amari. Make sure you try and stay calm okay?" Eugene ordered. I nodded softly, biting my lip.
I was scared. What if things went wrong? What if I did loose one of my babies? What would I even do if that happened?
Luka gripped my chin and tilted my head up. He brushed his lips against my own. "It's okay. We're strong. We can do this," he whispered.
'We.' Fuck. I was gonna cry. He kissed my lips and I let out a short sigh. "I love you."
"I love you too," he murmured.
I grabbed one of his big hands and pressed it to my hip. He started kneading me there without me even having to ask. It helped with the pain and I groaned, pressing my face against his neck.
I couldn't wait for this to be over.
A/N: A bit more insight into Tao's mating 🤭 The mysterious man is called Caspian. I know you guys reallllly want a story and I kinda brought that on myself lol but I'm fed up of werewolves - in the nicest way possible 😅
I want to do something different for my next book since I've been doing wolves for like three years now. So maybe I might do like a spin off book with all the characters so that you can read smut and fluff between EugenexRay, AmarixLuka and TaoxCaspian and then Jamison when he's older as well as the quintuplets. Would you like that instead?
I can't multi task for shit and writing two full blown stories at the same time is just a flop waiting to happen. I can't do Tao's story and then the other book that I want at the same time. I hope you understand 🥺💕
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Birth next chapter! Let's hope it goes well! 🤞🏽👶
⚠️DISCLAIMER!!!! Amari will be giving birth through his butt. He got pregnant up there, he can damn well get those babies out of there too! Skip it, do what you gotta do, but complaints will be deleted. My story - my Amari will give birth naturally (in gay fiction) the way I want!