Page 104 of As The Shifter World Turns

Ryder raced to the door. “If they’re past the traffic jam, I’ll pick them up,” he shouted over his shoulder. “Tell Micah to send me their location.”

“Hurry,” I begged.

I rested my head on Neil’s chest while Ivor rubbed my back. They’d never given birth but instinctively knew what to do. But they weren’t Micah. “Help me to the bed, please.” The urge to push was overpowering. My baby wanted out whether his alpha dad was here or not.

Ivor removed my robe and he and Neil helped me get on all fours.

“I’m here.” Micah’s cool unicorn breath wafted over me and I blinked, unable to believe he’d made it. Our little one would have both his dads present when they came into the world.

I heard Ryder say, “They’ve got this Daire. Let's wait outside.”

Micah got on his hands and knees beside me while Neil wiped my face with a wet cloth. My mate placed one hand over mine as a contraction gripped me, and I pushed.

“Push, push, push,” he told me.

Push,said my wolf.

And when the cramp was over, Neil gushed, “I see the head. I see it, Archer. I see you baby!”

“Me too,” Ivor told me.

“Not long, babe,” Micah encouraged me.

“Here’s another one,” I panted. More pushes. And a short break and then more pushing.

“One more and the head will be out,” Ivor said. My friends had become birthing experts.

“Go,” I told Micah. “You be the one to bring our baby into the world.”

“It would be my greatest honor.” He kissed my brow and kneeled behind me.

I gathered my strength and pushed as the pain ripped through me.

And then a sense of relief like I’d never experienced before as I gave birth to our child. Glancing between my legs, my gaze rested on a tiny unicorn with sparkling skin and a tiny horn jutting out from the forehead.

And then the mythical animal was gone and a baby girl with her eyes wide open took the place of the beast. It would be years before our daughter could shift again.

Neil got me onto my back and Micah placed our daughter on my chest. My two friends hugged one another as they blew kisses, their eyes swimming with tears. They cleaned up before closing the door behind them and Micah took me in his arms.

“Hello, little girl.” I placed my lips on her skin enjoying her scent filling my nostrils.

Hello.That was my beast.

“Are we in agreement about her name?” Micah asked as he rested his head on mine, one protective hand on our daughter’s back.

I nodded. We hadn’t been able to agree on a boy’s name but had chosen one girl’s name. “Elune.” It suited her perfectly.

“My unicorn loves her and her name,” Micah said as I handed him the baby and he held her tight.

38

AND BABY MAKES FOR NO SLEEP

Micah

She was perfect. Absolutely perfect. I never thought I could love the way I did her. It was all encompassing. It was anI would die to make her life what she deservedkind of love. Archer felt it too. I could see it in his eyes every time he looked at her, spoke of her… even when he folded her little onesies.

Archer was born for the role of dad.

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