Page 192 of The Delta's Rogue
“You didn’t go to the pack hospital?” Sebastian takes a seat in an armchair and pulls me into his lap.
Wesley collapses into the other empty chair and shakes his head. “Not with Selene here. We figured it was better to keep that information a secret, otherwise…” He gestures vaguely, but we all understand. The kind of chaos the news of Selene’s presence would bring isn’t what they need right now. “Dr. Russo was on standby the whole time, but Selene talked Haven through most of it. I don’t think I helped much other than letting her use my hand as a stress ball while she pushed.”
“Any word from Reid and Taryn?” I ask.
“Not yet. I’m sure he’ll be bragging about it as soon as he’s able to, though.”
“Who wants to bet on how long it will be before she’s pregnant again this time?” Sebastian asks from behind me.
“Taryn said she’s never having two babies less than a year apart again,” Cassandra says. “I say…two years.”
“One and a half,” Sebastian counters.
“You’re on.”
Cassandra and Sebastian mimic a handshake in the air, and Nolan and Wesley groan.
“Where are Mom and Dad?” Sebastian asks Wesley, ignoring their sounds of annoyance. “Do they know they have a grandbaby?”
“Do they know you marked your mate?” Wesley quips back.
Sebastian rolls his eyes. “Considering it only happened a few hours ago, and all this other crazy shit happened afterwards, no. I haven’t had time to tell them yet.”
Through the bond, there is a flash of pride—of excitement—as he thinks of breaking the news of our marking to his parents. It’s the same pride and excitement he felt when he officially introduced me to them earlier this week, the same pride he felt when we broke the spell on their memories and they realized Sebastian would be the future king.
His fingers curl around my hip, and I send that same excitement right back to him down our wide-open mate bond.
It’s overwhelming how connected to him I feel, how all his emotions are also mine. Everything flows between us like the ocean, like the rise and fall of the tides or the crashing of the waves against the shore. It’s constant, it’s intense, and it’s unending.
I’ll never tire of it or wish it away. It’s everything I wanted, everything I dreamed of during our years apart.
Wesley laughs. “They know, yes. They’re helping Reid’s dad with Savannah and will visit in the morning. Mom wants to make us breakfast and stock up the fridge with meals and…” His eyes widen, his smile fades, and he leans forward, dropping his head into his hands. “Oh fuck. We’re supposed to attack the traffickers today.”
“I don’t think that’s going to happen.” I sigh. “With you and Reid out of commission, we’re down two of our best fighters.”
He shakes his head. “No. We’ll be there. We—”
“Micah will have to pivot, and rethink and postpone,” I interject. “I know I’m not the lead on this mission anymore, but I also know Micah won’t expect you or Reid to be in the right frame of mind to fight with us. None of us expected your babies to come early either, but we’ll deal with this hiccup and work out another plan.”
“Thank you,” Wesley says. “I know this mission is important to you. I’m sorry we messed it all up.”
“It will all be fine.”
My throat tightens as I reassure him, knowing that by postponing our attack, we put more girls in danger. But this is the right choice. Having Wesley and Reid with us during this attack could mean the difference between succeeding or failing, between coming out on top with only minor injuries or sustaining hard, long-lasting losses on our side.
Sebastian wraps his arms around my waist and hooks his chin over my shoulder, holding me as I threaten to break. I close my eyes, pushing all that aside for now.
Today, we’re celebrating life, love, and new beginnings. Tomorrow, we’ll focus on our next steps, our new plan.
A smile forms on Wesley’s face, and his joy washes away my worry and my guilt. “She’s ready for visitors.”
He jumps to his feet before he finishes his sentence. Wesley rushes up the stairs, and we all follow him. His giddy energy leaks into us, and by the time we reach the doors to their bedroom, all of us wear matching goofy grins.
He leads us inside and strides to the bed, brushing Haven’s hair out of her face as he bends to kiss her. Then he gazes at the tiny bundle wrapped in a purple blanket, embroidered with the moon and stars, that Haven holds against her chest. Selene stands off to the side, near the enormous windows, keeping her distance to give us a moment with the new family.
We crowd on the opposite side of the bed. Haven smiles with tired but proud eyes as she adjusts her position so we can all see the sleeping baby in her arms.
“Everyone, this is the future alpha of Crescent Lake—our son—Dylan.” She beams down at him as she says his name, her finger tracing over his tiny nose before she strokes the top of his head, which is dusted with the softest downy strands of red hair.
