Page 24 of Knot Your Baby

“Nope. Take me home. My alphas will take me.” She emphasizes the plural, and I feel a stab of disappointment. She’s pregnant, so of course someone like her would have a pack.

“Fine.” I help her into the passenger seat of her car, catching another wave of her intoxicating scent. The scent I noticed on her when I picked her up from underneath the table. “Address?”

She directs me to an apartment complex a few minutes away, gripping the door handle through another contraction.

“Call your alphas,” I instruct as I drive.

She glares at me, then pulls out her phone. “Hey...yes, it’s happening. The baby is coming. I’ll be home in minutes, just pulling round the corner now.” She pauses dramatically and turns to me and smiles. “Okay, see you soon!”

I raise an eyebrow as I kill the engine outside of her apartment block.

The phone screen is black.

“They’ll be here any minute,” she announces with forced cheerfulness. “You can go now.”

“You didn’t actually call anyone, did you?”

“I...um...” Another contraction hits, and she doubles over.

“Tell me,” I growl, surprising not only her, but myself.

She slams her hand on the dashboard. “Okay, fine! I don’t have any alphas. Happy now? But I can handle this myself. I’ve watched plenty of YouTube videos about home births and—”

“Hospital. Now.” I start the car again.

“It’s too late,” she whispers, gripping the dashboard. “I have to have the baby at home.”

I grip the steering wheel tighter, fighting my inner alpha’s urge to protect her. “Where’s the baby daddy?”

Her face flushes crimson. “I...mmm…there isn’t one.”

“There must be a father.”

She stares out the window, hands clasped over her swollen belly. “There’s no father. I went to a wellness center during my heat and...sort of...accidentally on purpose got pregnant.”

“That’s illegal.” My voice comes out harsher than intended, and she flinches.

“I know that.” Her words wobble. “Why do you think I’ve been torturing myself by watching YouTube videos about childbirth?I couldn’t exactly walk into a hospital and announce I broke the law.”

“Why would you do something so dangerous?”

She lifts her hand and gestures at her face, copper hair falling in her eyes. “It’s alright for you, looking like that.” She turns her hand and points her finger at her face. “But look at me. I even bleached my hair for my heat so I’d look more desirable.” Her voice cracks. “I had my eyelashes extended. My eyebrows were perfect. I wore these pretty blue contacts—well, at least I did for an hour, but I couldn’t get away with the scratchiness.” Her shoulders drop. “You know that I even went to a make-up artist beforehand, but it slid off my face with the heat and by the time I got to the alpha I looked—”

“Do you breathe?”

She glances at me and sighs. “I just talk when I’m nervous. And you make me nervous.”

“Me?”

“Yes you. You’re this perfect specimen and I—” She pants. “You could be a model. I mean…you are really gorgeous.” Her eyes widen as mine narrow. “Sorry, I’m just gonna shut up now. I’m just babbling to stop me from feeling the pain.” Her cheeks flush pink as she rambles, and something in my chest tightens. “Anyway, that’s why you make me nervous.”

My chest aches at the pain in her voice. How can she not see herself? “You’re beautiful.”

Her head snaps toward me, green eyes wide with disbelief. “I’m not beautiful—Am I?”

The vulnerability in her question hits me like a punch to the gut. Here’s this incredible omega, about to bring life into the world all on her own, and she can’t see her own worth. Before I can respond, another contraction doubles her over, and she lets out a sharp cry.

“Hospital,” I say firmly. “No arguments.”

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