The Broken Wolf
Chapter 155

I wake in the meadow and I can’t help but smile as I breathe in the crisp night air there. It has been quite some time since I’ve been here, a true rarity since I became pregnant. My wolf is overworked and I’ve truly missed her. I look around the meadow and replace her lying near the creek that runs through it and I smile again at the sight. She even looks tired, but then again, I probably do, too.

I rise and walk over to her, taking a seat next to her on the large rock and gently pet her head. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve been here,” she tells me. “I haven’t missed anything. I’m just so tired.”

“I know,” I tell her with a smile and continue to pet her, sitting there in companionable silence for a while.

Eventually, Sage lifts her head to look at me, moving a bit so she can nuzzle my stomach. “It’s almost time,” she tells me and while I’ve known this, it seems more real when my wolf is telling me.

“Do you know when?” I ask her, feeling nervous at the thought of them finally arriving.

“No,” she says simply. “That’s for the Goddess to decide.”

I lay down on the rock next to her, her face resting on my pups and, eventually, we both drift off to sleep.

“How do they know she’s here?!” I hear Benjamin say, outraged, and I feel more of the same pains in my stomach as earlier, but this time, I realize it’s not from the pups moving. This time, it’s more intense. I take a deep breath, hoping it’s nothing and it will just pass.

“I don’t know,” Michael replies quietly. “We moved fast. We’ve been here long enough that there shouldn’t have been a scent left to follow.”

“Alex,” I hear Seth say and his voice sounds furious. “I know you don’t want to think that he would truly betray you, Benjamin. He has though, and I think it goes deeper. He’s probably been working with my uncle the whole time.”

The tightening in my stomach happens again and this time, it really hurts. I take a deep breath, hoping it will pass quickly as Seth opens the door to the bedroom. Our eyes meet and the look in his can only be described as panic. I nod to him, realizing he had felt my pain and knows that it’s time.

He takes a deep breath and crosses the room, gently placing his hand on my stomach. “They know you’re here. They have been attempting to cross the border. This is probably the worst time”, he tells me with a small smile.

“Can Sofia get here?” I ask, feeling really scared and Seth just shakes his head.

“It will be alright, Love,” he tells me, leaning down to k**s my head. “We’ll figure something out. I’ll be right back. I’m going to get Lily.”

I nod as he stands and walks out, pulling the blankets up towards my face. We’re not safe here, but we never really were safe, were we? They had stopped, and it just seemed like it, but they were just waiting and planning. There’s nowhere left to go, though.

“I can’t fight when they arrive,” I hear Seth say. “I can feel her pain. I won’t be able to concentrate, not until after they’re born and it stops.”

“It could take hours, dear,” Lily tells him. “Let your men know to link someone else. You go take care of Molly and let the men you trained handle it. Everything in life has been hard for her. Don’t let this be, too. Just be with her and let someone else handle this problem.”

I can hear Seth sigh at her words. “The only other person here who can link outside of the territory is Molly.”

“Then I’ll call Randall,” Benjamin says. “It’s not the most convenient, but I’m sure we can come up with a way when I tell him the situation.”

I don’t hear anyone say anything else as the pain comes again, feeling more intense than the last one. The door opens and Seth and Lily walk in.

“We need to time them,” Lily says, looking down at her watch. “There’s a woman who has helped deliver some babies out here. I can call for her, if you’d like.”

Lily looks so sad for me, like she knows the situation is too dangerous, so I just shake my head. “Maybe it’ll all be over soon and Sofia can get here,” I say. Seth looks like he wants to protest, but he instead sits on the side of the bed next to me, placing his hand on my h*p.

“Would you like some tea? Or maybe some water?” she asks and I just nod as the pain finally passes. “Alright, Molly Dear. I’m going to get that and look around for some soft blankets to wrap these pups in. Yell when the next contraction starts so I can time it.”

Seth nods to her as she exits the room, leaving us alone. “I’m sorry, Love,” he says to me, his worry clearly painted on his face. “I shouldn’t have taken you into the woods. They backed off and we all just got too relaxed.”

I reach over and place my hand on his, rubbing my thumb across his knuckles. “It’s not your fault. This isn’t anyone’s fault. Maybe they’ll be stopped, or maybe they’ll just back off.”

He looks at me, a sad smile on his face. “You always hope for the best. It’s one of my favorite things about you. Dad will be reaching out the neighboring packs to request men to join the fight quickly. We are telling them that we think you are in labor. I know you’d like that to be private, but we need them to move as quickly as possible.”

I nod, understanding the need for them to move as quickly as another pain hits. Seth promptly calls out to Lily as he, also, takes a deep breath.

“I didn’t think about you being able to feel my pain,” I tell him with a sad smile after it passes. “I’m sorry.”

He chuckles a bit. “I didn’t think about it, either. It hurts so bad, and I know I’m only feeling it slightly compared to you.”

“Walking can help things move along more quickly,” I tell him. “I know it’s not exactly safe, but they haven’t crossed yet. Can I please go walk outside? We can send Alex to the border so he won’t be here.”

Seth pushes his free hand through his hair and looks at me with sad eyes. “Give me just a moment to check.” He gets up and walks out, leaving the door cracked. I can hear him talking, letting them know what I’d like. I hear the front door open and close as someone leaves and Seth reappears in the bedroom. “Benjamin is going to send Alex away. We can go out in just a few minutes, but we have to stay right in front of the house.”

I nod, giving him a pained smile as another contraction begins. Seth calls out to Lily again and moves over to me, kneeling beside the bed and taking my hand in his.

“They’re getting more painful,” I tell him through gritted teeth and he nods in agreement.

“Are you sure you want to stand up?” he asks me and I nod.

“Yes,” I tell him, my eyes wide. “We need these babies out as quickly as possible. We’re not safe while you’re feeling my pain.”

“Oh, Love,” he says, realization hitting him. “How much did you hear?”

“Enough to know that you can’t concentrate,” I say. “It’s only just started, too.”

Seth helps me out of bed and moves to put my shoes on for me, but I shake my head and take the socks from him, tossing them to the side as I stand up. We make it to the doorway before another contraction starts, causing me to stop and grab the wooden frame.

Quickly, Seth steps forward and hooks his arms under mine, allowing me to lean back into him as he holds me up. The pain feels so intense but I can vaguely feel his lips on my head.

“I seem to feel it less when I’m in contact with you,” I can hear him say softly. “I barely felt that, but it seemed worse for you.”

I nod and lean forward, standing up on my own and walking into the living room. I grab the sweatshirt that I stole from my mate and pull it over my head and walk to the front door. Michael jumps up and opens the door, blocking my path and walking out ahead of me. After a second, he moves to the side to let me pass and nods to Seth.

I grab Seth’s hand to steady myself as I step down the few steps on the front porch and walk over to the tree I love so much as another contraction hits. I grab the tree, leaning on it and I feel Seth rubbing my back.

When it passes, Lily offers me a mug of tea and I take it from her, taking a sip and starting to walk. We can’t go far, so I turn around and walk the exact same way I just did.

I can’t help but giggle as I look over as Seth who has remained right next to me, his hand never leaving my arm once. “Your nervous habit of pacing has trained you well for this.”

“I don’t pace,” he says, a disgusted look on his face.

I laugh at him, because he absolutely does. “OK.”

Another contraction hits and Seth takes the mug from me as I lean into him, grabbing his jacket in my fists. They are hurting more and more with each one, and I know it’s still early. There’s no chance of medicine to help, either, all the way out here without Sofia.

You can do this. You can do hard things. I hear the tiny voice of my wolf. The same words she told me the night I shifted. She’s right. I can do hard things.

Taking a deep breath, I stand up and take my tea back. We walk for a while, repeating our same ritual of Seth holding me up as a contraction comes, then walking more like nothing had happened. He hasn’t said a word about it, but I know he’s feeling the pain pretty badly.

I see Seth wave Oliver over and he takes hold of me as Seth had. “I need to go link Sofia. Figure out what to do when it’s time if she can’t get her.”

I nod, realizing that he’s accepting that we have to do this on our own. I hand him the now empty mug as he walks off.

“Will that help with the pain?” Oliver asks me and I stop for a second, thinking about his question.

“I’m really not sure,” I tell him as we turn to walk back the other direction. “I’m sure it won’t hurt, though.”

He nods, accepting that as an answer as a contraction comes. I grab onto his shirt and he holds me up as I whimper into his chest.

After it has passed, I right myself and begin to walk again. “I think they’re getting closer together.”

Oliver nods at me. “They are. They’re less than a minute apart now.”

I take a deep breath, knowing that it’s getting closer. “I’m so scared, Oli.”

“I know, Molls,” he says, wrapping an arm around me. “I swear to you, I’m not going to let anything happen to your pups.”

Michael approaches us from the place he had been standing in the line of trees. “Princess, you need to get inside now.”

Huh? He can’t link anyone from a different territory. “s**t,” I say breathlessly, knowing what this means. “They’re over the border now?”

He doesn’t say anything, just nods slowly and holds his arm out. I begin to walk towards the cabin when another contraction hits. I immediately stop and stumble just a bit, but Michael quickly catches me and holds me up. I try to stand, but the pain is too intense.

“It’s alright, Princess,” hear Michael say. “I’ve got you. Toby and Brian are on their way.”

After it passes I take a deep breath and look up to see Seth walking over to me. “Come on, Love,” he says as he offers me his hand. “Maybe you should lie down. We’ve been walking a few hours.”

We reach the cabin and I take a step up but when I do, I feel a pop and a gush of liquid. I gasp and Seth looks at me, clearly concerned. “My water broke,” I tell him, my eyes wide with fear. It’s becoming even more real now, and my hopes of Sofia making it here are quickly fading. I make a face and choke down the tears that are forming as I continue up the steps and into the bathroom.