noun ~ a young or newly born child

The next day, after a cosy night's sleep with my mate, I found myself in Kate's office.

Lying on the cool sheets of the hospital bed, I waited for her arrival. She had been busy lately, preparing for so many babies that were due the next few weeks, but I was glad that she could squeeze me in. It may seem like Phoenix was the only one worried, but I have noticed a rather sluggish feeling from the twins.

The door creaked open, Kate waddling her way into the room. She was not as large as Molly. Being half human, she would most likely have a smaller baby. She winced every time she turned, her hand resting on the side of her stomach.

"Morning, Alpha, Luna. Glad to see you back in one piece." Kate chimed, coming to adjust all the machinery.

Phoenix nodded, but I eyed her with concern. "Are you okay?"

She smiled tightly at me, nodding. "I am fine."

Phoenix, who was previously wandering the room aimlessly, came to sit beside me. His hand interlaced with my own as he sat in the armchair, autumn eyes settling on our Doctor. My eyes drifted to where she held her stomach and she caught the motion, sighing.

"Little miss has a bad habit of sitting on a particular nerve in my left leg." She admitted. "I get terrible cramp and lightning crotch, all of which you may experience yet."

I grimaced at her wide smile, crossing my arms. "Thanks for the reminder."

She laughed softly, shaking her head. "Let's see that bump then."

Releasing Phoenix's hand, I rolled my shirt up and tucked my leggings into my pant line. It was the easiest and best way to prevent the terribly sticky goo from going on my clothes.

"I see you have upgraded to maternity leggings." She chirped, rubbing her hands together. "Welcome to the club. You may never get out of it."

I laughed, my bare bump rocking with the motion. "They are very comfortable. The grandma pants too."

Kate snickered, shooting a glance to Phoenix as her hands came to rest on my stomach. I breathed softer as she cupped and moved her hands around my bump, wincing sometimes when it felt strange. She rocked a certain spot at one point, looking up at me with a wide grin.

"That is somebody's butt."

Phoenix chuckled from beside me as my face flushed. Kate moved on, moving further down the side of me until she located the other twin.

Pulling her hands away from me, she typed a few things into her computer. "So one twin is more toward the back than the other, and both are still butt down."

"Which means?" Phoenix wondered.

"No sign of getting into position yet." She smiled. "Did you find anything about pregnancy whilst you were... with family?"

I smiled softly at her awkward expression. So far, nobody had mentioned our time away so pointedly. Most feared what Phoenix would say or do, and I didn't blame them; the man didn't like to be seen as weak. Getting kidnapped definitely bruised his Alpha ego.

Celimene snorted with amusement, telling me how Phoenix was not that tough. It caused Phoenix's honey eyes to narrow as he shot me a glare at the comment.

"I was told my mother carried to twenty-six weeks, and my maternal aunt carried to thirty-six."

Kate's eyes widened. "Was your aunt carrying twins too?"

"No, only singular." I shrugged.

She exhaled lowly. "So we could expect them in as little as six weeks."

I swallowed nervously. "Could we?"

"By the sound of it, Lycan pregnancies are close to wolf and human, but with twins... Was your mother natural or..."

Shaking my head, I gripped the sheets nervously. "I think it was natural."

"She was under a lot of stress." Phoenix interrupted. "Things going on in the family. I spoke with some other family who said that she was on edge all day."

I stared at Phoenix with confusion, wondering when he even did that. Was that when he cornered Samson about Cors?

"Most likely stress induced, then." Kate muttered, jotting something down on a hand sized notepad. "I think we should try to prevent premature labour as much as possible. No stress, limit work load. How are your joints holding up so far?"

"Bit of an ache, but nothing too bad." I grimaced. "My cousin warned me I would need bed rest."

"Yes, you may need that nearer the end. Going by my calculations, you are going to grow... a lot." She smiled softly. "Let's get this scan over with and we can see what we are working with."

"Okay..." I mumbled, gripping onto Phoenix's hand again.

"You say there were fine, after the crash?" Kate's eyebrow rose as she brought up the right screen.

"Yeah... I can't explain it, but I was hardly injured."

"Sounds like someone out there was looking after you." She reassured me before squirting the gel onto my stomach. "You are so very lucky to have such a strong bond with them to know they were okay."

I blushed, dropping my gaze to my pronounced stomach as she glided the probe over my skin. The twins warmed my heart in many ways, my connection to them growing with each passing moment. The past twenty weeks have been rather breezy, with only morning sickness. I couldn't complain much. But I feared, with their father's natural size, I may be in for some trouble.

Another click of a key and the black screen flickered to life. Kate roamed around the front of me first, seeking the 'butt' she found earlier. She grinned as she came across it, showing us the healthy limbs and organs of the baby. My heart fluttered, tears burning in my eyes as she said that they were fine. The same happened for baby two, laughter tumbling out of my mouth as she immediately found their butt.

"Still don't want to know the sex?" Kate smirked.

I shook my head rapidly, clutching onto Phoenix's hand for dear life. "I want it to be a surprise. Only you know, so far."

Kate beamed. "Then I shall keep my lips sealed."

The room fell silent after Kate said she was going to take some measurements. I had watched the screen for a while before my gaze drifted elsewhere. I locked my sights on Phoenix, admiring the way he was gazing at the screen. He furrowed his eyebrows as he tried to read the tiny numbers on the monitor, lips pursed as he grimaced.

I couldn't help but smile, that same warm feeling in my chest feeling like it was going to explode. He must've felt something through the bond, because his eyes snapped to mine in an instant. His eyebrows furrowed further, searching my face for whatever reason. It wasn't until his spare hand came to wipe the tears that had collected on my lower lashes I realised my emotions had spilled out of me.

'Oh, Nova.' He soothed me, caressing my cheek.

It's all going so fast.

'I know, my love. But they will be here before you know it.'

But I enjoy being pregnant. I pouted.

He chuckled. 'I fear you won't be saying that for long.'

"Sorry to interrupt, but I have the measurements all here." Kate's voice was soft.

Turning our attention to her, I gladly took the blue roll she offered me and wiped my stomach.

"Give me the news then. How big of a bowling ball am I going to push out?" I joked.

"Well..." She began and my face dropped at the tone of her voice. "Twin A is the one at the front. They are still larger than B, but both are doing exceptionally well given the circumstance."

"What else..." I narrowed my eyes as she ran her finger along her computer desk.

She sighed. "Twin A is around forty centimetres from crown to rump, so head to bum. Twin B is about thirty-seven and a half."

"And that is..."

"Big." Kate giggled. "Twin A is about two weeks ahead. Twin B is right on track."

"That's... good, though, right?" I cocked my head.

"It is a little concerning-the two-week difference between the two, but twin B is growing consistently." She smiled, reassuring me.

"So, good?" Phoenix cocked his head.

She nodded, smiling. "Yes, they're good."

"Can you work out their weight yet?" He asked.

Her eyebrow rose, but she nodded. "I have done that, yes..."

"You can guess the weight?"

"In the third trimester, it can be a good guess." She nodded, clicking through a few things on the screen. "Twin A is one point five kilograms, and Twin B is one point...one. That's about two and three pounds."

My eyes widened. "That is tiny."

She laughed, turning off the machine and passing us some paper. "Feel free to have a look at the pictures whilst I just print off and fill in the paperwork. You want copies again, Alpha?"

Phoenix nodded, and she beamed, excusing herself to her office. Once the door shut behind her, I turned my gaze to Phoenix. Together, we stared down at the pictures together. Kate had thankfully named them A and B, so it was easy to compare the two.

"Look, they have your lips." I giggled, tracing my finger over the facial picture.

"Hmm, I don't know about that." Phoenix chuckled. "They have your rounder cheeks."

"That's just baby cheeks." I teased.

Kate came in not long after, handing us the paperwork. "I have placed a sticker over the sex checklist, so don't remove it."

Phoenix grumbled at her pointed gaze but took them gratefully. "Thank you. Hopefully, they come once you are healed enough from your own labour."

Her lips pursed as she tried to hide her smirk. "The rate they are growing, who knows!"

I could only hope that they stayed in there another two months. I wasn't ready yet.

***

The next evening, I was preparing for our trip in the morning to Alessea's trial when the panic started.

It was nine o'clock at night; the room lit up by the soft glow of the moon. It was a bright, starry night, so we left all the curtains open so we could watch the sun go down together. That was the only reason we even noticed something was going on at the pack house.

I caught sight of Sean running toward the house, his large form barrelling its way through the front door. I was hovering over the computer bag, staring at him with wide eyes as he straightened his spine. His grey eyes snapped to me and a sudden dread washed over me.

Something was wrong.

"What is it?"

"You are needed." He told me.

Phoenix entered the room, grimacing. They shared a look, silently communicating, before Phoenix's spine stiffened.

"Me? I am needed?" I cocked my head, setting the laptop on the counter. "Why didn't you just mind-link me?"

Sean blinked, his mouth parting for a moment of confusion.

Something was weird.

He blinked , dazed. "I didn't think."

I snorted, shaking my head. "What is so important that you ran all the way here?"

"Oh, it's Molly." His gaze widened. "She's gone into labour."

My entire body froze, my mind needing a moment to catch up with what my ears just heard. "Sorry, what?"

"She needs you. She wants nobody else but you and her mate."

"She's in labour? Right now?"

"Leo just took her to the hospital wing." He nodded. "She's cranky."

"Could you blame her?" I gasped, running out of the room.

I had prepared a bag in advance for this, filled with a few snacks and things that Leo may have forgotten in his rush. I knew my brother, though, and despite his twisted humour, he was always prepared.

With the bag in hand, I rushed back into the living area. "What are you standing here for? There's a baby coming!"

Phoenix's eyes narrowed. "Nova..."

I stopped on my way to the front door, crossing my arms when I recognised the tone of his voice. "Phoenix."

"Don't strain yourself, my love. It could be a long night. She is two weeks early."

"It could be." I shrugged. "But twenty-eight weeks is still full term in the wolf world!"

He sighed, nodding. "Okay. I will come with you."

"Oh, I wouldn't." Sean warned. "I cannot even go in. I doubt she will let you in, Alpha."

Phoenix grunted, casting a worried look over at me. "Where will you be?"

"I was going to go back to my room..."

"Who is in the delivery room?"

"Leo, Kate and one occasional nurse."

Phoenix grunted before walking over to me. "If anything goes wrong, you mind-link me right away."

"She is in a room full of medically trained wolves and equipment. She will be fine."

"I mean with you, or the twins." He shook his head. "Don't stay up too late without sleep."

"I will be careful, I promise." I vowed, kissing him.

He returned the gesture before pulling me into his embrace and planting another kiss on the top of my head. I breathed in his scent before pulling away with a large grin, grabbing my coat in the process.

It was after sunset; it was going to be cold out there.

"Okay! Time to witness my first birth!"

Phoenix winced. "Good luck with that."

Another peck on the lips and I was out of the door with Sean hot on my heels. He cursed at me, claiming he didn't know I could walk so fast whilst so round. It earned him a glare; we made our trip to the hospital in record time. He led me through the halls, the nurse at the front desk bowing before saying she would sign me in, giving me full clearance. It made me hold my head a little higher as I hurried my way down the halls.

Coming to a stop at room number 2, I wiped my sweaty hands on my trousers before pushing the door open. There was a loud growl that had the hair on the back of my neck stand up. It soon disappeared when dark blue eyes locked onto mine and Molly's chest sagged with relief.

"Thank God you are here." She breathed.

Setting down my bag, I made my way over to her side, running my eyes over everything. They hooked her up to a heart monitor around her middle, dressed in a hospital blue gown. Her hair was dishevelled on her head, but other than stress and annoyance, she seemed fine.

"Have you been checked?" I wondered.

"She's five centimetres." Leo told me.

My eyes widened. "Already? Have your waters gone?"

"Not yet." He shook his head. "Contractions aren't regular yet."

"Okay, so we still have time." I smiled, sitting on the chair to her right. "Let's have a baby!"

****

Hey guys, managed to get a chapter up!

As many of you have seen, me and my boys have covid - hence the update mix up.

Question of the day:
Do you have a favourite meal/snack when sick?
Or is there something you always had as a child when sick?

Wc: 2505

Always Luna © 2022 XDeafening_SilenceX on W a t t p a d