Page 40 of Racing the Storm

She nodded, and I heard a faint grunt as the next one hit. She did as I said, and it took only a single push before the head was free. The next was only seconds away, and then came the shoulders, and with the third, the baby was in my arms. There was the faintest cry as I eased the baby down, assessing that she was okay. She was slightly blue and underweight, but that was no surprise considering what Mari had been through.

Kasher had done this to her, but this child was a miracle.

She blinked in the dark, bright blue eyes that I knew could change as she aged. She might flash fierce yellow of her father—for all the strength she possessed having survived through all of this.

Shaking myself out of the moment, I could hear Mari weeping softly as the afterbirth followed, and I quickly got scissors from the med kit and severed the cord, tying it up as best I could. Arturo had his sister after that, and Mikael sat back with a stunned expression, staring at me like he wasn’t sure this moment was real.

“I need towels and water,” I told him.

He let out a sigh of relief, like maybe he needed to be given orders. He snapped to attention, then returned a few moments later with the supplies. It helped me just the same to keep busy, to wipe the birth off the baby, to swaddle her gently in the last clean blanket we had.

The cave smelled like blood and life and fear as I looked over at Mari. Her eyes were fixed on the child for a long moment, then she looked up at her brother and spoke in low Spanish, though I couldn’t hope to understand. Her tone spoke volumes though—she was afraid, she was exhausted, she didn’t know where to go from here.

I had no idea how we were going to manage a newborn while trying to hide from Kasher’s men—assuming any of them survived or bothered to try and start a hunt for us. We were so out of touch with everyone, and I had no idea if Mikael had a way to reach anyone back in Corland.

“We’re going to need supplies,” Arturo said. “The baby’s going to need more than a filthy blanket from the floor of a cave.”

Mikael grunted softly as he sank to the ground and pressed his back to the wall. He was staring at me now—open and unashamed, and it made heat crawl up my neck. “You should go. You’re the only one of us who could pass through the town unnoticed. I think there’s a change of clothes somewhere in the bags.”

I became profoundly aware that we were all covered in blood. My wound had almost entirely healed, but we were all filthy. Even Arturo, who managed to avoid most of the bloodshed, looked like he’d just come from battle. “There’s also running water in the caves somewhere. Probably clean enough to bathe in.”

Arturo stared down at his sister, then nodded and pushed himself to his feet. “I’ll be back, mija. Will you be okay?”

She nodded and cuddled the baby closer to her chest before her gaze settled on me. “He’s taken care of me this far. I trust him.”

I could feel a pulse of disbelief coming from Arturo, but I didn’t blame him. Mari had been missing for the gods only knew how long. I couldn’t imagine what it must be like to have her back now. Hell, Zane had only been missing a few weeks, and I had been out of my mind with recklessness in hopes to bring him home.

I would never know what Arturo had gone through all this time.

“I’m going to walk with you to find the water,” Mikael said as the other Alpha started toward the mouth of our little cave. He didn’t wait for an agreement as he hopped to his feet, and Arturo awarded him a stiff nod before they both disappeared.

I listened to the sound of their feet fading as they began to explore, and only then did I sink back and let the pain of it all truly hit me. Mikael was here with me—he had come to find me, and yet, nothing had changed. He still looked at me as though I was nothing. Just another Omega to rescue.

I could only admit to myself—where no one else could hear—that when I saw his face, I believed he remembered. I believed he’d come for me because it was me who had gotten lost.

I felt like such a fool, and maybe even worse than that considering the situation we were in.

Shuffling along the floor, I settled myself down next to Mari and looked at the child in her arms. The baby had started to nurse and was now asleep with her little round mouth loosely over her mother’s nipple.

I tried to find Kor in her, but she was wrinkly and small—barely anything at all.

I knew he would love her, though, if he ever got to meet her.

“I can hear you thinking,” she said, a slight grin on her face.

I let out a small sigh and shrugged. “It’s a lot. And I keep thinking about her—” I stopped, not quite sure I should say father. After all, neither Mari nor my Alpha had any say in the matter of this child, and it had always felt cruel to bring new life into the world amidst chaos and war. “About Kor.”

Mari hummed and stroked her fingers over the baby’s tuft of black hair. “Will he want her?”

I wished I had an answer for that, but I didn’t. “He’s the Head Alpha of our resistance.” And there was more, though I wasn’t sure I was brave enough to say it. But she deserved the truth. “His mate is a human. Sort of.”

Her face dropped into a scowl. “One of that monster’s experiments?”

I wasn’t sure I should tell her that Misha was Kasher’s son after all this, though it felt wrong to lie. “He was. He survived what Kasher did. He presents as an Omega, but he’s not a shifter.”

She let out a bitter laugh, loud enough it startled the baby, and she bounced her gently until the little thing dropped back off. “It’s what that bastard wanted, isn’t it?”

I swallowed thickly and made my decision. “More so. Because it was his son.”

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