Page 45 of Mating Mia
“No!” I protest, another contraction already building. That can’t be right. The contractions shouldn’t be this close together yet. “We’re so close. I can feel it. Please, just a little further.”
Suddenly, I’m hit by a contraction so intense it brings me to my knees. I cry out, unable to hide the pain any longer, my hands clutching at my belly as my body bears down with unstoppable force.
“Mia!” Kane is beside me instantly, his strong arms supporting me as I sink to the muddy ground.
“The baby’s coming,” I gasp between pants. “Now. Right now.”
“We should never have done this,” Jace says, panic clear in his voice. “Kane was right.”
Another contraction tears through me, and I scream, my fingers digging into Kane’s arm hard enough to leave marks. When it passes, I’m panting, sweat pouring down my face despite the cool mist from the waterfall.
“Well, it’s too late now,” I say through gritted teeth. I misjudged this, and I wish I hadn’t pushed myself.
The alphas are all talking at once, their voices rising in panic.
“We should never have come out here. It’s my fucking fault,” says Kane, visibly upset.
“Maybe we should carry her back to the car,” says Jace.
“It’ll take longer for that,” says Finn, calculating distances and times, his expression growing more grim with each conclusion.
I scream as another contraction builds.
They fall silent, staring at me with identical expressions of shock. It’s Finn who recovers first, dropping to his knees beside me.
“Let’s get her pants off," he says with calm urgency. “I need to see how far along she is.”
Kane and Jace help me lie back on the damp ground, propping me up against a smooth boulder. They work together to remove my soaked pants and underwear, exposing me to the cool forest air. The contrast of heat and cold sends shivers through my body.
Finn positions himself between my legs, his expression shifting from worried to alarmed as he investigates.
“I can see the head,” he announces. “He’s crowning.”
“Already?” I gasp, shock momentarily overriding the pain. “That’s not possible. First babies don't come this fast.”
“Not all births are the same,” growls Kane as he kneels beside me, also checking.
“On the next contraction, you need to push,” says Finn, and I nod, bracing myself as I feel the pressure building again. The waterfall’s spray cools my overheated skin, the roar of falling water matching the rush of blood in my ears.
Despite the pain, despite the panic, there’s something almost magical about this moment—giving birth in this hidden paradise, just as my mother once gave birth by the side of a road, both of us bringing new life into the world in the wild.
The contraction peaks, and I push with all my might, squeezing Kane’s hand. He doesn’t flinch, just murmurs encouragement against my sweat-soaked hair.
“You’re doing great, little omega,” Kane encourages. “Giving birth to my first child.”
“I’ll run back and get the baby clothes in the car,” says Jace, suddenly rushing off.
As the contraction eases, I collapse back against the rock, gasping for breath. Through the mist of the waterfall, a movement catches my eye—a figure approaching, emerging from behind the cascading water like a spirit materializing from another world.
At first, I think my pain-addled mind is playing tricks on me.
But as the figure draws closer, I can see it’s a woman. She’s wearing black skin-tight pants and a tank top, her body lithe and athletic despite what I estimate to be her mid-forties. Her long brown hair is pulled into a high bun, with loose strands framing a face that stops my heart mid-beat.
Her face. My face. The same high cheekbones, the same full lips, the same slightly upturned nose. And her eyes—hazel with flecks of gold, identical to the ones I see in the mirror every day.
Another contraction slams into me before I can process what I'm seeing, and I scream, the sound echoing off the rock walls surrounding us.
The woman rushes forward, dropping to her knees beside Finn.
