Chapter 131

Alyson

The pain is insurmountable. I fight through it, thinking of the pups that need me, that are clinging to the hope that I will always fight for them, and I won't disappoint them now. I turn over, laid out on the floor of the bathroom, the healer working at the cramps in my spine. I grab the towels, grab my own shirt, desperate to get through this sooner than later.

My wolf whines and my heart hurts.

"RYAN!"

I need him, I want him, and I fear I can't do this ordeal without him beside me. I lay out, exhausted from the agony, crying inconsolably until I hear heavy steps parading through the bedroom. Soon, they find the healer and I in the bathroom, my eyes dizzy as I spot Ryan, naked and drenched in rainwater.

My breath catches, curious if I am dreaming.

"Right here, Alpha, come help me with this," the healer grunts.

I feel my mate hold my head, pushing deep into my spine as I straighten my back out in reflex, feeling the gaping pain of my pups finally breaking into the world. I scream a noise unmatched, releasing every ounce of pent-up pain I have left inside of me, and I let it go.

"Perfect, Alyson, you're perfect," Ryan sobs, holding me in his lap.

There's a new noise, a new crying, and I look over to see the healer working feverishly fast to tend to the two, tiny babies on the towels nearby. I collapse, exhausted by relieved, hearing both of them cry in unison.

"They're—they're okay?" I pant.

"Yes, darling," Ryan hums. "They are perfect. You did perfect, darling."

I sit up slightly, ignoring the pain as the healer brings me a pup, handing the other to Ryan who waits expectantly. We both pause, curiosity foaming through us both but I can't help and see the pain in Ryan's eyes.

"Where is Olivera?" I breathe, seeing as the rogue went out to get Ryan, but here my mate is returned home without him.

Ryan looks aside, then with his free hand pulls me up closer to his lap, our pups sat out together in our arms. "He didn't make it, darling. He helped me get back here. He said you needed me and I guess to him, it was more important than I would have ever imagined."

I swallow hard, overwhelmed with guilt but as our pups calm down and begin to coo, I know I have two souls that need me here for them. I won't deny them that, either.

"What do you have?"

I look down at my small, early pup and shift the towel aside. A smile spreads through my features at once. "A—a boy—"

"I have a boy?" Ryan gasps, his eyes wet. He looks down and pulls his pup closer, shifting the towel as well until I see his eyes pour with more love. "It's a boy, too," he breathes, practically sobbing.

I do the same, just happy that they are okay, that through this whole ordeal, my pups made it and came out perfectly healthy, and undeniably adorable. I hold my pup, Ryan holding all three of us, as the world seems to slow down for just us.

"I love you, Alyson Alexander," Ryan breathes.

"I love you too, Alpha. Thank you."

"Thank you for what? You did all the work here," he adds with a charming grin.

"Thank you for giving me a reason to fight," I hum, endlessly in love with my family.

Olivera

I sit up, coughing the water out of my lungs and hating the sharp sting of a bite that flows through me. I gag, begging for air, for an end to my coughing fit, but when I settle down and straighten out my nerves, I look up and gasp.

In a field not far is a young pup with beautiful, blonde hair. She plays in the wheat, the vegetation almost as tall as she is, and she laughs so beautifully it's got to be that of an angel.

I sit up, watching the young pup play, a woman dancing in the field as the pup circlers her tirelessly. My heart shatters at the scene, so precious and beautiful, it almost feels disrespectful to watch.

"You should go join them," a light, wispy voice mutters from behind me. I feel a jolt of something rush through me, like euphoria, the pain in my body finally eased. "Come on, Olviera James. Go join them."

I turn quick. "How do you know my name?"

The woman before me is hardly a woman, but a goddess in her own right.

"You—You're not the—are you?"

She smiles beautifully, nudging me to stand and as I do, I realize that every pain I had moments ago is shed, including the ache of my lungs that gasped for air. It's missing from existence and now replaced with a scene so surreal, so perfect, that I can't help but turn to watch the pair in the meadow.

"Who are they?"

"You don't recognize?"

Swallowing hard, I steady my glare toward the pair, my heart breaking straight from my chest as I see that face I have seen a million times over in my dreams. I stammer, finding my feet after a few failed tries, bringing myself to a run as I embrace my mate.

She gasps, alive with joyous, loving tears.

She fails to her knees and I do the same, glancing to our side to see a churlish, cherubic pup watching our embrace with curiosity.

"This can't be—"

"Her name is Louise," Beth says, her voice the same as I remembered it.

I choke slightly, needing to cry but not finding the tears as I grab for my pup, grab for my mate, and surrender to the world I once knew, for the love I knew I'd hold again. For some reason, every nightmare, every pain I ever held is washed away and I relax for the first time since I lost my mate, finally free to live the life we were destined to live.

Together, forever.

• The End -

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