Page 9 of Pretty Kitten

He listened to the person on the other end for a few seconds, and then his face morphed into a mask of untold horror, becoming gray, green, and purple.

“Understood.”

He hung up, and stared into the void, lost.

“What? What is it?” Niamh asked, concerned.

His lip quivered a little, before he pushed the words out of his mouth.

“Ace.”

They both got on their feet, ready to run for it. Something happening to Ace was nothing short of inconceivable. She was so strong, larger than life, and there was an entire army of dominant shifters protecting her - not to mention her frightening mate.

Daunte held his hands up, gesturing them to slow down.

“No need to panic,” he said, somewhat hypocritically. “But Ace is having the baby. Her water broke.”

Chapter 7

Just a Scratch

Stop hogging him. I want my turn.”

Daunte growled low, baring his teeth. No way was he relinquishing the small creature holding onto his finger. Blood of his blood. His perfect, perfect little nephew. He wasn’t giving him up for anything, anyone. Not even her.

Clari meant business, arms crossed over her chest, glaring as menacingly as any human could, and his animal did acknowledge her, nodding his respect. But she wasn’t taking Zackary from him. No one was.

“Oh, for Christ’s sake, give her the baby, brother,” Aisling growled.

Dammit. The one authority he couldn’t actually ignore; his Alpha female - not to mention, the mother of the child. He sighed, walking closer to Clarissa; so close, in fact, that he could smell her intoxicating scent more clearly than he ever had.

“Be careful to hold the head,” he told her softly, half expecting her to snap at him.

She just nodded and slowly, reverently, took the newborn from his arms.

He owed her, big time. She’d been his lifeline during the last ten hours. They’d closed the bakery and rushed to the pride house as soon as they’d heard the news, but there was no doubt that without her, he would have run for the hills within seconds.

Ace was screaming; long, agonizing screams loud enough to raise the dead. Hearing the first one, he’d practically vomited on the spot; at the second, he was ready to take a plane to the other side of the universe, but, just then, Clari had taken his hand, and Niamh’s, too, before walking towards the entrance.

They’d waited in the living room with the rest of the pride, except for Rye and Ola. The Alpha and the Healer were in the room with Ace’s doctors. She’d opted to have her child at home, like so many shifters did - particularly cats.

At each gut-wrenching scream, he damned her for it, wishing she’d gone to a hospital. Those yells would forever haunt the house; he was certain of it.

But finally, a high-pitched cry resounded, and the screaming stopped, replaced by tears and exclamations. Rye burst out of the infirmary, yelling, “A boy! We have a boy!” and there he was. Little Zack.

It was only at the end that he’d realized he was still holding on to Clari’s hand, squeezing it hard.

“He’s so precious,” she breathed softly, smiling at the baby who grabbed a fistful of her silky hair.

The kid had good taste.

“I want one of these,” Daunte said, suddenly finding himself foolish for even thinking that he wouldn’t have a child. Of course he would. “Actually, make that a full litter.”

“I pity the poor girl you choose as your incubator,” Ace grumbled, before pointing her finger at Rye. “We’re done. One perfectly nice baby is more than enough. Consider my ovaries retired.”

“Hey, I don’t want to seem rude, but is that normal?”

Everyone turned to Clari, and most of the pride stared open-mouthed. Ace laughed softly.

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