Chapter 7 The Wait Is Over

Lyric POV

I look at both of my mates and smile. "You both get on my nerves, but I'm happy to have you both," I say, and they both grin. After everything we've survived, moments like this feel rare. No council meetings. No fighting. Just the three of us together.

"Where are the pups?" I ask, looking at Kairo.

"Javier said he would bring them home," he replies.

"I can't wait to have these pups. I'm so over being pregnant. After this, I'm staying far away from you two," I say, attempting to stand from Cole's lap.

Kairo stands and helps me to my feet.

"I liked it better when I could do simple tasks, like standing by myself. At this point, I don't even remember what it feels like to see my own feet."

"You know your mood swings are giving me whiplash," Cole says.

Kairo glares at him, and I already know he's cursing him out over the link.

"Well, Alpha, if you don't like my mood swings, maybe you and your mate should stop getting me pregnant," I say, walking out of the nursery.

"It's like you love pissing her off," Kairo says to him right before I walk out of the room.

I smile to myself. They really do bring it on themselves.

I step out into the hall and run straight into Winter and Iris.

"Hey, where are you two off to?" I ask.

"We were actually looking for you. I was hoping we could talk," Winter says.

I give her a look.

"Always, Winnie, but can we walk and talk? I want to check on the progress for Rhea's party."

I don't even get to take another step before my water breaks.

Warm liquid runs down my legs, and I immediately freeze.

"Well... okay, never mind. I guess we're going to the hospital," I say, laughing.

"Mates, the pups are coming," I say over the link.

"Now?" they both ask in unison.

"Yes. Now. I'm in the hall."

Less than a second later, they burst out of the nursery with identical looks of panic on their faces.

"This is priceless," Winter says, laughing.

Iris and I both laugh.

"This isn't funny. The pups are coming," Kairo says.

"Yeah, but her water just broke," Winter replies. "'Coming' doesn't mean they're going to slide out into the hallway. Relax."

Cole shoots her a look.

"Don't encourage him," he mutters.

We start down the hall toward the stairs when a contraction hits.

Pain tears through my abdomen, and I cry out, stopping just before the first step.

Kairo immediately scoops me into his arms.

"I will take some of the pain, Lyric, to make it more bearable," Nova says.

"I love you, you beautiful wolf," I tell her.

"Kairo, I don't need to be carried," I say, glaring at him.

"You almost fell down the stairs."

"Are we standing in the same hallway? I stopped."

"After almost falling," Cole says, earning himself a glare from me.

"You two are so dramatic. How is it the Moon Goddess gave you two dramatic mates, Ly?" Winter asks.

"I question it every day."

By the time we make it to the hospital, Lydia is already waiting in the hallway.

"You're early, Your Majesty," she says with a grin.

"Yeah, well, your niece and nephew decided they were tired of waiting."

"How far apart are your contractions?" she asks as she leads us toward the Luna Suite.

"I had one on the way here, but that was the only one. It was about eight minutes ago."

She nods.

"Okay. Get comfortable. You may be here for a while. Go ahead and change into a gown, and I'll come back to check you."

Another contraction rolls through me. It still hurts, but Nova dulls just enough of the pain to keep me from feeling like I'm being ripped in half.

"So... about ten to twelve minutes apart?" Lydia asks.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Perfect. I'll be right back."

As soon as she leaves, Cole and Kairo both move to help me change.

"Take off my panties, Kairo," I say.

He immediately stills.

"Oh, hell no. Take them off because she needs to check me. We are not going there."

Cole bursts out laughing.

I glare at him.

"I wasn't thinking anything," Kairo says.

"Lies."

His ears immediately turn pink, making Cole laugh even harder.

Kairo gently slips my panties down before stepping back.

Cole scoops me up and places me carefully in the bed.

"I'm so over you two carrying me everywhere," I say with a smile.

"It's not our fault Selene gave us a fun-sized mate," Cole says, laughing.

"I hate you both."

The girls pile into the room.

"Hey, ladies," I say, smiling.

"We're so happy you're about to have these babies. You're way less fun when you're pregnant," Winter teases.

"Says the girl who cried the entire last week of her pregnancy."

"That baby was huge. Not fair. Have you seen Dominic? No wolf should be that big."

We all slowly turn toward Kairo.

"Um... have you seen Lyric's other mate?" Mira asks.

"Yes, but he's a Lycan. They're always big," Winter replies.

"I'm not that big," Kairo says, sounding genuinely offended.

The entire room goes quiet.

Then everyone bursts into laughter.

"Dude, you're almost seven feet tall. Your mate is five feet. Cole isn't even that tall," Winter says.

"Hey, I'm six-four," Cole protests.

"Exactly, and you're still shorter than him. Dominic is built like James... like an actual bear."

Lydia walks back into the room.

"Oh, full house already," she says with a laugh.

"They're all excited for me to evict these beautiful demons of mine," I reply.

Baby A immediately kicks me hard in the ribs.

I grab my side and hiss.

"I don't think they appreciate being called demons," Kairo says with a chuckle.

"Okay, Luna. Let's check your cervix and see how long we're going to be here."

I lie back and place my feet in the stirrups.

Before Lydia can begin, Dominic pokes his head into the room with his eyes squeezed shut.

"Alphas... a word, please."

Both of my mates growl.

"Go," I tell them. "They're not coming right this second."

They both look at me like I've completely lost my mind.

"If this has something to do with the hunters, it's important. Go."

They both huff before kissing my forehead and walking out.

Lydia finishes the exam.

"Okay, Lyric. You're only four centimeters dilated, so get comfortable. You may be here for a while."

She removes her gloves before walking back out.

I link Rhea.

"Hey, Sissy. Your niece and nephew are coming. The party is still happening—everything's already set up. Winter and Iris will make sure everything goes according to plan."

"Ahh! I can't wait to meet them! I'll stop by the hospital before I head downstairs," she replies.

"I need you two to make sure our guests are taken care of," I say to Winter and Felicity.

"We got it."

"Has anyone seen Julie?" I ask.

"I haven't seen her since the other night when Javier came back from the West," Aria says.

A small smile tugs at my lips.

Hmmm... I wonder if Javier is her mate.

That's a mystery for another day.

Now all we could do was wait. Soon, we'd finally meet the two little troublemakers who'd been keeping all three of us on our toes.