Page 23 of Alpha Dragon's Wings of Love

I’ll see you in a minute,he rumbled, and I waddled back inside.

Once inside, I got to work on the rabbit, only for my mate to rejoin me and offer to take over when I’d barely begun. But, as messed up as it sounded, I liked doing this. It made me feel like I was providing for him, too.

“Rabbit stew for dinner it is,” I said. We still had hours before anything was supposed to happen. We hadn’t even eaten breakfast yet, the cold eggs on the stove a reminder.

I was thinking about starting over when a cramp hit. Not bad, not yet. But enough to make me wince.

I leaned against the counter, belly-first, trying to apply some pressure, my body no longer flexible enough to bend into the pain for relief.

“No—are you sick?” My mate was suddenly right there, fussing. It was his way.

“No,” I said through clenched teeth. “Not sick. But I think we should move this to the other room.”

His eyes widened with understanding. “Is it time?”

“Yes, my love. It’s time.” At least it better be because any other reason for this pain meant it might last for Goddess knew how long.

Once we reached my nest, Nolan helped me out of my robe, and I tried to remember what I was supposed to be doing. It hurt, but it wasn’t awful yet. Was this the part where I was supposed to rest? Or walk? Or bounce on that weird chair-ball-doohickey I bought on a whim?

I had no idea and, instead of picking one, I did none of those. Instead, I wrapped my arms around my mate and soaked in his warmth, his calm, his presence.

The pain increased steadily. The midwife had said I would know when it was time to push. At the time, I didn’t believe him. Thought there’d be second-guessing, confusion. But now? Now, there was no question about it. It was time.

“Help me into the nest,” I whispered.

My mate took both my hands and helped me climb in. I squatted, awkwardly, but it felt like the right position. The pressure built and shifted, and I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t think. I could only feel.

I pushed. And pushed. And pushed, my mate encouraging me the entire way.

Finally, our first egg was laid.

Then the second.

And the third.

And a fourth. Where did that one come from?

We both stared at it with awe.

“I guess one of them was hiding.” I shrugged. “One for each hand.” We were outnumbered, but at least we had enough hands to hold onto them when walking through town.

They were brown and resembled ridiculously oversized chicken eggs with one exception whose color matched my fur almost exactly.

“Is this what they’re supposed to look like?” I asked, breathless, wrapping myself protectively around them.

“Eggs usually resemble the omega parent,” he said. “And have you seen your adorable beagle self? These eggs are perfect.”

“Can you—can you join me?” I needed my mate’s touch, but leaving my eggs to get it wasn’t an option.

“There’s nothing I want more.” He climbed in and settled across from me, the four eggs warm between us.

“You did so good,” he said. “You’re amazing.”

“I only managed because I had you here with me,” I said. “But I’ve got bad news for you.”

“Oh?” He didn’t sound worried, but then again, I’d said it lightly, and he knew me pretty well by now.

“You’re gonna have to cook the rabbit tonight. Because I’m not leaving this nest unless I absolutely have to. As much as I love rabbit stew, I’d rather eat stale crackers than move away from our babies’ temporary homes.”

---