Song above is Love is Louder by Karmin.

Flowers that burn make beautiful ashes.

Korali's Pov.(Not edited)

When I finally opened my heavy eyelids, everything was bit bleary and for a moment I was confused on what was going on. When I opened my eyes and could see clearly I saw the bars that I was behind. My legs and hands had long thick rusty chains around them. I pulled a bit to see if I could break them but I only bruised my skin to the point where it was almost cut open.

I panicked and looked around to see if I could find Jordan. When I didn't see his body anywhere I worried that they may have killed him already. But I didn't feel it in my heart. I would have felt it. My wolf would have felt something. Our connection wasn't severed. Or perhaps it was just our baby blocking it.

I quickly scrubbed at my eyes to wipe the tears away, trying to shove away the tears. I was going to be alright. Jordan was fine. He'd be through that door any moment. That I'm sure of.

I tried to stand the wind being knocked out of me when a contraction hit. I gasped "Oh, now its not the time, sweetie." I wanted to cry and be curled up in Jordan's lap back home. I wanted to reconcile fully with my mom and dad. I wanted to meet Kaia. I wanted to see Kaliko, Peter, Max, Cailo, and Arion. I hope they were alright.

I tried on the bars, testing if any of them were weak. I didn't have that much energy myself, especially with the super heavy chains. I could scream but what would that do. With my heightened hearing, I could tell that these walls were either super thick or soundproof. Either way, I wasn't going to be heard.

When I heard a door open and someone clomping down the stairs and dragging something with them, I quickly placed myself back where I was and played as if I was asleep. I slowed my breathing, and although my heart was erratic, it could easily be mistaken as Zavier's.

I couldn't smell anything, but I felt the presence of two people. One female and another male.

The male's fingers bit into the soft flesh of my wrist. I opened my eyes squealing pain. My assailant was a random male, whom I've never seen before. "Get up!" I scrambled to my feet, his hands still on my wrist.

"Enough, Kalian. You may leave her alone." He nodded, and the proceeded to drag what looked like Jordan's form into the cell with except he seemed almost lifeless.

A cry escaped my throat as I scrambled to get close to my mate. Kalian slapped my face, actively pushing me away as he dropped Jordan's head onto the concrete ground of the cell.

I screamed from the force, my face feeling heated but I still didn't cry. When I hit the ground my face slid slightly across the floor, scratching open my cheek.

Kalian stood up and walked out of the cell and then Jordan's mother sauntered in, a cool smile onto her face. No remorse, no feelings. She let out a bark of laughter when he walked out, "I guess having one human sociopath around isn't so bad right?"

"Why?" I managed to cry out, slowly crawling my way to Jordan.

I gauged her reaction, she only rolled her eyes leaning against the bars. I placed my hands on his chest, feeling a small rise and fall. I breathed out, relieved a solitary tear dropping onto his body.

"I guess, I can be cliché and tell you my whole diabolical plan since you and my son are going to die here." She spoke carelessly, as if she was talking about a casual experience, not murder.

I choked back a fearing squeak and just lightly slid my hand up and down Jordan's mutilated arm.

"Well as I've warned countless times, I was coming for the new design. Which is your baby. Didn't think my chump of a son would ever impregnate you. But it happened and it's a boy! Saved me lots of waiting." She chuckled, casually filing her nails,

"Mahalia my little protégé took into the pack. I know Jordan's soft spot for his little sister. He actually saved her from death. When that stupid bitch Arion escaped the pack, I knew she'd tell you all she knew. That's why I made sure to keep her out of all the important things. She was never any good anyway. She was beaten black and blue for years. Never could get that peppy attitude out of her. The only thing she managed better than the others was mastering the trees." She pursed her lips angrily. "My mate was always the pro at that. He's not much use these days."

"I'm will never let you have my child. I will die protecting him from you." I spat, crossing my arm around my stomach.

"You're lucky that you're even alive right now and that I'm letting you have the kid in a regular birth. Really his far enough along where I can just cut him out of your lifeless corpse. But that would be too much blood than I'm willing to deal with. So be grateful."

"Now, hurry up and go into labor. I don't have all day. I—being a nice mother-in-law decided that I'd leave Jordan at least at an inch of death so you can have him with you during labor. He's not going to last till the end of the day, so you might want to hurry that along or you'll be all alone."

"Someone's going to stop you!"

"Are they?" She asked her face twisting into a condescending frown of disbelief. "I sent out enough warriors to keep your pack pretty busy for a while. No one is coming for you." She straightened and left the cell, closing it behind her and locking it. "I'll be back whenever."

I felt the sob wrack my body but I stopped it. Now was not the time to cry. I had to figure out what was going on with Jordan.

I sniffled and froze when I heard the door open and close again, signaling that someone was coming down the stairs again. I just hoped it wasn't Kalian to do more damage. When Mahalia's form materialized by the cell door I reigned in my flinch. She pushed a bottle of water and packet of dried fruit through the bottom of the cell, a small prideful smirk on her young face.

"I told you I was going to be there for my nephew."

"We tried to—"

"But what you guys failed to see is that my loyalty lies with my mom. Arion's a fucking idiot. And Jordan's a terrible Alpha. You need to see the vision. Jordan's baby will be the best alpha there is. Almost a dictatorship of all the wolves. We can see it now."

That little girl was just as fucking sick as her mother.

I felt a sharp pain in my lower abdomen that caused me to gasp harshly. As the pain ran its course I could see Mahalia's smile at it. She quickly ran off, I'm sure to tell her mother I was going into labor.

Oh shit, oh shit. I took panted for a second, letting the wave pass me. I looked down at Jordan whose eye was swollen shut and who's body laid like a dead weight on the floor.

"Jordan," I cried. I sniffled dragging myself towards the door, my back was starting to hurt.

How could someone do this to their own child? Their flesh and blood. Jordan was right. He was fucked. And they did it to him.

He was slumped on the ground in this dirty cell. My hand reached out and grazed his face, and he twitched. That let me know he was okay.

My cheek wound was healing slowly, but the bruises at my wrists and ankles were getting worse, starting slice open from the rusted metal.

I'm sure they refused to hurt me a lot because they didn't want to damage the baby but that didn't mean they weren't going to inflict any pain.

I rubbed my stomach in small soothing circles. "Its going to be okay. Your daddy is strong. We'll make it through this." I wasn't sure how. But I wasn't going to let her get my baby. Jordan and I's.

Jordan finally came into consciousness about two hours later. I hadn't had another contraction since then and I was thankful.

He opened the eye that he could and focused on where he was. When alarm shot through his face and his eye finally found mine he tried to move too quickly causing, I'm sure, agonizing pain. He groaned loudly, little grunts coming from him.

When he opened his eye again he dragged a hand to me. I picked it up and placed it on my stomach, setting my hand on top of his. His eye closed again and when his breathing stop being so troubled I knew he must have passed out again from the pain.

Jordan was a strong being. A strong alpha. So whatever they did to him was brutal. Then I realized. Wolfsbane. They used it to leave a message before. It would be the only way to get a wolf like Jordan down. He might have turned his back on his sister, but he'd never allow his mom to beat him again. So I'm guessing they started to beat him and he woke up, but got him with the flower somehow.

Not removing his hand, I scooted closer. I swallowed, forcing to take his hand off of me and using all of my strength that I had saved up to roll him onto his stomach. I grunted at the effort, breathing hard when I finally had him over.

I sat down again and began peeling up a piece of his shirt that wasn't covered in blood I looked at his back to see splotchy pieces of skin and bandages.

"I'm so sorry, baby. But I have to do this." I ripped the first bandage away causing him to roar in pain. A dry cry emitting from his throat.

He still hadn't opened his eyes and he was curling his body into a ball. Looking at the back of the bandage I saw exactly what I expected. They had put the flower petals soaked onto bandages and placed them on his body to stop the healing process that wolves came with.

"Jordan," I muttered. "I have to get these off of you." I scooted even closer to his trembling form, ripping a third and fourth bandage.

At this point Jordan's cries were continuous and he was gripping at my thigh. I hated to do this when his back was burning but I made him turn over to see if he had any more. So I placed his tattered shirt onto the floor and pushed him over again. He almost screamed, gritting his teeth instead to keep in the pain of laying on his back injuries. But he trusted me. Even in too much pain to open his eyes.

He had one more over his chest close to his heart. My heart nearly stopped beating. I ripped it off so quickly that a piece of the flower touched my finger burning me. "Ow." I whimpered and that was enough for Jordan's eye to open again.

"Kor—" his voice was rough and dry and he couldn't speak. I was going to grab the water, but I heard speaking at the top of the stairs.

"Shh." I hushed him. "Its going to be okay."

"Ba-b" I out a hand to his hair rubbing my hand on some of the matted locks.

"The baby's fine. Its okay. We're okay. Just rest."

"Ne-eed to"

"I know. But you're in no condition. I can stall for a couple more hours while you heal. And if you let me. I'll lick some of your wounds."

His eyes closed as he thought that over. He was worried that by touching my mouth on any part of him that had the Wolfsbane would go into my blood stream and hurt our child.

When I heard a door close I hurried picked up the discarded bandages and put them in the bucket they told me was my toilet. I hurried practically falling onto Jordan's chest to cover that I had ripped the bandages away. I felt his abdomen tighten, and I knew that I was causing him pain but this was to save our lives.

Jordan shut his eyes and I brought my attention to the front of the room.

"Mom said to make sure you weren't giving birth already. She said some people get contractions quickly. But you don't seem to have them anymore hmm. That's not good. That will make it seem like I lied. How do we induce contractions?" She frowned, crossing her arms of her chest and staggering closer to the cell.

"No!" I said too quickly. "Your mom will understand. She's had two children. Contractions take time."

She eyed my suspiciously then looked at her brother. "With the amount of Wolfsbane we dosed him with and the continued treatment of it. He'll be dead by the morning. Worthless Alpha." She snorted. "Although I guess he gave us that kid in you. Mom says that you weren't lying and that it really is a boy. Which is perfect."

"What's going to happen to me, after?" I only asked, so that she wouldn't step any closer the the cell. It seemed to be a good distraction.

"I don't know." She shrugged. "Mom said I can kill you after we get enough breast milk to at least start him off on, or till another pack member gets pregnant. Mom says mothers' milk is the best to grow healthy and strong. And that all you two had were powder milk. Terrible."

Mahalia skipped up the stairs and I quickly got off of Jordan's body to help him lift himself onto the wall. He didn't have enough energy and he wasn't healing that fast. We needed more time. I picked the shirt off the floor and slipped it back onto his body, before helping him lie back down. I clutched my head, the sweat forming tears down my face. I swiped at my forehead.

When I heard another set of feet coming down the stairs I gripped Jordan's hand knowing he was still up. He was healing. His breathing easing. When his mom came into view another contraction shot through me.

"Oooh." I clenched tightening up. I tried to hide my grunting but the pain was a bit too much to not show any discomfort.

"How far apart?" Her voice sliced through the room.

"At least an hour or so." Mahalia stated sullenly.

"Oh, that's plenty of time for her to say goodbye to her dear Jordan. Ya know he had such potential. Such dreams. Such bullshit. I knew at the end of the day I would need another boy to get it right. But his stupid Father was so hurt after her death and the fact that I was "cruel" to our children that he refused to give me more." She said bitterly, squeezing her fists. "But I've decided I'm going to be nice for once. I'll let the kid keep the name you picked for him. What is it again?"

My stomach clenched in sickness. "Oh yeah, Zavier. Cute. I let their Father name Jordan after a basketball player and her after something in "Hebrew" his friend once said. Such an idiot." She rolled her eyes. I remember Jordan telling me about this. Or she did, at the moment I was focusing on waiting for the contraction to fully pass. She started to approach us and I growled.

"Oh shut it. I'm not going to hurt you yet. I'm seeing if Jordan's time is almost over." I growled at her with everything I had and she chuckled retreating. She shrugged "okay, whatever." She looked at her daughter. "Mahalia go to solitary." Mahalia nodded soldierly and left the room.

She turned to me and smiled. "Just continuously scream when the baby's coming. I'd hate to miss his birth. This is the birth of change. Amongst all wolves." Then with her gleeful laugh she exited the room.

When the door closed, Jordan waited for a few moments before struggling to slightly lift up. When he managed a sitting position against the wall he turned his head to me.

"We're fine." I reassured him softly. "I'm not going to have him here. He knows not to come yet. Contractions can last days." Although he and I knew, that my contractions were way too close to last that long. He was coming within the next couple of hours. I refused to have him in here though. I wasn't going down without a fight. Jordan and I had gotten too far to lose now.

I picked up the bottle of water they rolled me noticing that the seal hadn't been tampered with so I gave it to Jordan. I knew that he needed it.

"No." He rasped.

"Jordan, please drink it. Zavier needs you too." Jordan looked in my eyes before drinking most of the bottle and leaving some for me still. I smiled at him knowing he wouldn't let me not drink any.

I almost cried when I heard another set of footsteps. Could we just be here in peaceful misery? I didn't want to hear anymore plans.

An older man with grayed hair and a chubby set stood in front of the cell with keys in his hands. He looked familiar but so much older. He had dark bags underneath his eyes, his eyes that I'm sure were one a green like Jordan's had faded into a lifeless light coloring. Almost as if he was losing the color and sight.

"Dad," Jordan whispered in awe and I looked between the two in disbelief. His dad gave him a small smile.

"Jordan, I'm going to die soon." Jordan shook his head.

"I wont let her kill you." He vowed, struggling to move but exerting too much energy and having to give up.

"Listen," he commanded, "Once your mother dies. I will die too. I can't. I can't live without her." Tears streamed down his face, "I'm sorry. And I'm sorry I didn't protect you from her. I was a terrible and selfish parent and I don't deserve forgiveness." He sniffled dragging his sleeve across his eyes. "But you need to kill her. You have it in you. This will be all for the better."

My heart broke hearing this. So I interjected. "But, you're getting a grandchild." I rushed stepping forward to show my extended belly. "Perhaps—"

"And it'll probably haunt my corpse everyday, that I didn't get to see him. But she deserves to die. And my fate, for allowing this to happen, should be the same. I need you to do this son. You deserve to be happy and this will mark the end."

"Mahalia?" Jordan rasped not looking at him. He knew this was the truth and it hurt him.

"I'm afraid she's your mother too. No way of-" he choked up another stream of tears sliding down his cheek. "No way of bringing her back now. She'll have to go too." He shook his head, unlocking the cell and then bending over to help me with my chains. My eyes kept darting towards the door as if Jordan's mom was going to materialize.

"Some breach has her distracted. She'll be there for a while. We need to get you out of here before that baby comes though." Once the chains were off I rubbed lightly, the pain sliding into a numbness. I braced my hand on the wall, Jordan's dad helping me to stand. I wavered slightly before gaining my balance.

"She's a very strong girl Jordan." He smiled at me with a warm smile that I could tell he hasn't done in a long time. "You've done very well for yourself Jordan. I'm so very proud of you." And despite his pain, once we got Jordan standing he hugged his father.

When they let go he helped us up the stairs and into the fresh daylight. It was obvious that it was the next day because the sun was rising, so it was about 6 am.

I supported my stomach with my arm underneath, it helped with the pelvic heaviness.

I closed my eyes for only a second basking in the fact that we were out of the gross imprisonment.

Before Jordan's dad could speak Max's jeep sped through the territory pulling up to us in such a wild fashion that I thought he'd hit us.

Max didn't get me time to stare at him. All I could see is a cut lip and blood dripping from above his temple. He almost carried me to the passenger seat of the truck, nodding at Jordan's dad before helping Jordan into the back.

"I hope that your lives all filled with the best things in the world." He spoke to all of us. And he graced us with another smile before stepping back.

I heard a scream bouncing off the forest and I watched men jumping from trees above us, but I knew that it was our pack. I could feel it. When I saw a wolf running alongside of the truck I knew it was Jordan's mother immediately from her coppery color and elegant style of running. When I saw another dark brown wolf, somehow something in me knew it was Jordan's father. He looked at me before he flexed his neck, pushing his mate in front of the truck.

Max couldn't slow down, so we ran her over causing us to spin out of control. But Max had skills with the truck, his arms moving fast maneuvering us right. We were lucky we didn't flip. My heart was beating entirely too fast and the tires of the truck were completely blown. We'd have to walk the rest of the way. We weren't far from the Jordan and I's home though.

Jordan's father just stared at his mate's lifeless mangled body and Jordan grabbed me turning my face in his chest and a sob escaped my chest.

I heard bones cracking so I turned my face slightly to see Jordan's dad grab his chest, fall to his knees and gasping for air. His last words were choked out. "Don't forget Mahal—"

After that I couldn't stop myself. Everything hit me all at once. I choked on my sob before my body shook with the force of grief. I could feel Jordan rest his head on top of mine.

When a contraction hit me, I shrunk away from Jordan, grasping my back while the pain eased through. Jordan placed his arm around me and we limped together towards the opening, a battered Kaliko standing in the open.

When we met her at the opening, I smiled, the tears flowing freely down my face. I was so glad that my best friend was okay. But I hoped everyone was okay. When I squinted I could see Arion and Cailo appearing out the other side of the forest.

"Max and Kaliko, go help Arion and Cailo get here faster. My contractions aren't that close. We can all go together." Max frowned but I pushed them along, my hand accidentally grazing against a cut that wasn't visible on Max's back.

When I heard a tilt in the wind I turned to see Mahalia standing at the entrance of the forest. Blood was smeared down her face and all over her body. She looked straight out of a horror movie.

"You killed them." She responded through gritted teeth. Technically Jordan didn't kill them.

"Mahalia, you don't have to have the same fate as mother. You can go to a nice rehabilitation center." Her face pulled into a snarl. She made a threatening step and Jordan made the mistake of turning his eye sight onto me for a second too long, to figure out where he could put me so that he could finish her, but it was too late.

"You are no brother of mine. He'd be just like mother. You have nothing but her looks. You're a waste of an alpha."

And my labor pains had gotten so bad that I couldn't walk I screamed but it was too late Mahalia's claws were extended and trying to attack Jordan's chest. But before she could I shoved Jordan out of the way her claw slicing into my shoulder and I took a tumble to the ground.

Mahalia body rolled across the floor, no expecting wasn't expecting the diversion and she landing a few feet away from me. Kaliko grabbed her arms restraining her while Jordan snapped her neck and both Kaliko and I flinched at the sound.

Kaliko dropped the girl's body, dropping to her knees in anguish over being that close to someone taking a life. We weren't from a warring pack. And even when we had altercations with other packs, usually our males or female fighters did these types of thing.

Jordan limped over to me cradling me in his arms. His eyes welled with unshed tears and my vision blurred slightly letting me know that I was about to cry again too.

The last of his family was gone. And although I was new addition, and so was our baby. Nothing replaces family you were born with or at least raised with. They are ever such a part of you. Especially for people who were abused. Jordan's emotional turnout was triggered by their deaths and it may even haunt him a bit. It was to be expect.

"OOOOW." I rushed out, bending over in pain, the blood rushed to my ears and I couldn't smell anymore. Right when one contraction was over another started up to the point where the pain seemed constant.

The rest was a blur. Jordan, Kaliko, Max, Cailo, and Arion's faces above mine saying words but I couldn't hear a thing. All I could hear was my heartbeat and my baby's heartbeat. It was beating fast letting me know that he was fine and he was ready. I knew I smiled because Jordan's face of worry deepened and one of his tears dropped on my cheek.

Everything around me seemed to be moving in slow motion while they were rushing me to the pack doctor's house. They were moving as fast as they could for a group of recently injured people, which was only a step faster than zombies. I leaned up slightly in Jordan's arms looking at the bodies strewn around our home. Mahalia's lifeless form, eyes still opened and staring in our direction. A life lost so young. And all because of a terrible mother that didn't get her mental illness controlled.

Once I was on the bed everything seemed to revert back to real time. "Kore, Korali, Korali," Jordan's thumbs wiped at my face and I looked up at him. My focus wasn't on him but on my protruding stomach.

When I finally made eye contact, I could his determination to stay up right and focused. Even though he was clearly exhausted, hurt, and his body was trying to start the healing process again. But he needed more rest. There was dirt and grime all over his face and I'm sure I looked close to the same.

"I'm fine Jordan and he's ready," I leaned back on the bed then Jordan helped the doctor by pulling down my pants and underwear.

"You're crowning. He's ready." The doctor spoke out loud causing the room who were already dead silent burst out with words of encouragement.

My eyes slid over my family. Kaliko's leg looked gruesome with a deep oozing cut, black and deep red blood splattered gorily around the opened wound. She was leaning slightly onto Max, who's arm seemed to be hanging oddly. As if it were broken. There was a purplish blue swelling at the inner part of his elbow, and random lacerations across his face.

Cailo had a couple of gashes littered across his chest, his shirt having a gaping hole down the front. Large scratches from werewolf nails were scraped down his chest and he seemed to have a limp.

Arion looked the best, but that wasn't a compliment. Her nose was bloodied and she had blood near her color bone but there was so much that I couldn't tell if there was a wound. Her stomach had a deep blue bruise spread across it.

"Her arm." Jordan panicked and the doctor told Kaliko to wrap it for him. He'd have to look at it after. He did what the Doctor said, even though the blood seemed to ooze right through. Jordan held my hand, everyone else standing around me. They were here for me, despite their injuries. If I had the ability to speak, I would have told them to go receive help first, but my tongue was made of cotton.

I didn't mind that they were in here. I was bringing a life into the room. I was bringing love.

"Push." I couldn't hear him, but I could read his lips. I used most of my energy in that first one. My eyes rolled back and I tried to regain the breath that I didn't have, knowing that I would have to push again. But it was so hard. Everything felt like too much. My head was pounding, my eyes felt dry, yet I wanted to cry, and my pelvis felt so heavy.

"Keep your eyes open, Kore." Jordan begged, and I swallowed pointlessly, nodding slightly.

"Come on Luna. One more." I gave it my all, gasping a bit once it was over. I heard the cry and I watched through clouded eyes my baby being lifted up covered in blood and so small.

Kaliko was laughing with tears in her eyes, Cailo and Max in awe and Arion was about to cry. I smiled and Jordan never took his eyes off of me, his face still worried. The world seemed to slow down again and I heard Jordan calling me name frantically. I smiled at him again and gave his hand one last squeeze with the strength I had left before I closed my eyes and I felt nothing.

Apparently I was flammable. A spark starts a fire. But these weren't just sparks they were flames. Loving Jordan was going to burn. I knew that going in. He exuded heat, friction. We rubbed the way of nothing but combustion. In loving him, I realized that I was capable of so much more, that my heart could take so much more than I thought. And I gave him love. What he needed the most of.

The petals were now ashes. His sun was too much for a delicate flower to take. But I'd already fertilized the soil. Beautiful things were bound to grow from there now. I even gave his sun another flower that would be even more capable of dealing with the blinding sunlight.

But even more I realized that I was never the flower in the sun, I was the tree from which the flower grew. And I could survive anything. Especially if the sun was near to help nurture me. Of course there'd be those moments when the sun had its own problems and was a little destructive. But my bark was thick. And it was enough.

We had started a fire and nothing, especially not the dark, would be able to extinguish it.

So that's it! THE END! I hope you enjoyed it. Love you guys. Thanks for all the support.

I opened my tired eyes, adjusting to the tinted light of the room. I noticed my arm was tightly bandaged and that room was quiet. My body felt blissfully numb, my body felt like someone gave me a sponge bath, probably Jordan, and my hair was pulled out of my face.

I scanned the room, finding Jordan over in a chair obviously exhausted with a small being in his arms.

Zavier.

Jordan's eyes were shut but I could see his legs slightly moving in a rocking motion to soothe the newborn. Zavier's eyes were shut his tiny hand gripping his dad's finger tightly.

I closed my eyes, letting the peaceful image drift me back to sleep. The next time I woke up, it was the day time. Jordan was asleep right next to me, now. His hand clutching mine and his head lying side ways near my waist. I gave it a gentle squeeze and his eyes opened quickly snapping up to mine.

"Korali," he muttered his voice sounding raspy. He repeated my name again before slightly pulling me up into an embrace kissing my face all over before kissing my lips.

"He," he cleared his throat. "Doc said you were perfectly fine. That you just lost a large amount of blood and that you were in shock and distress so you needed a good rest. I was so worried. I-I told you that I'd-"

"But I'm alive." I reassured him squeezing his hand tighter. I didn't want to talk about hypotheticals. After witnessing Jordan's dad have a heart-attack after watching his mate die,  I knew why Jordan didn't think he'd have the ability to stay either. That was one thing, I'm sure was in his genes. "I'm fine. How's your body? Where's Zavier?"

"I'm healing fine. My back is fucked up, but Doc says it'll scar over and barely be noticeable. Zavier's here. I haven't let anyone besides the doctor and I touch him." His fierce protection brought a smile to my lips.

"Our family could have touched him Jordan," I laughed sitting myself up a bit. After fussing with the pillows and making sure I was in a comfortable position, Jordan rolled the baby's bed over to me. He cupped Zavier's head and then body handing him over to me.

I looked at my baby's small face, his eyes opening as if feeling who I was. "I woke up last night actually." I spoke making Jordan's eyes widen. He never took his eyes off of me. "I saw you holding him, and then I went back to sleep."

"He started to cry, and I didn't know what to do. He already was fed by the doctor. So I just held him."

"He's your son, Jordan. That's perfectly fine." I stared into our baby's small pudgy face taking note that it would be a little while before his features took absolute shape of ours. His dark eyes squinted up at me before realizing that I was a comfortable source and drifting back to sleep.

"He's just so small and he's us. And after everything--" Jordan started.

"He's our little bundle of good, after a day of bad," I finished while running my finger down his cheek.

Jordan smiled "Exactly."

As I continued to run my finger over Zavier's skin, I felt Jordan's lips on my forehead. "Thank you."

"For what? Having your baby? Who obviously took after your big head." I laughed and he joined me.

"Well that, although my head is not big. That's all you." I rolled my eyes. "Thank you for not giving up on me. For showing me that I'm not unlovable. And that I don't destroy everything good that comes to me. I love you, Korali."

"It was your mom who did. Not you. I love you too, Jordan." My eyebrows knitted together. "Where's everyone?"

"Max is had to get his arm snapped back into place, Arion caught a fever--she's fine now, Cailo has to get a cast for his leg, and Kaliko went to go check on the pack."

"And has she reported anything?"

"Everyone's fine. Except a couple of severe injuries--that are treatable, everyone is living and breathing."

"Kiss me so I know this is reality and that everything is truly okay," I whispered.

"You don't have to ask me twice," Jordan replied, being careful not to squash our baby, he leaned and kissed me.

Last set of questions: Do you really think i'd leave you like that? How do you feel about everything that just happen? Were you worried? 4 words to describe this story? How do you feel? I hope this chapter felt at least a little intense.

The next chapter will be the epilogue! Then the bonus/deleted scenes. TELL ME WHAT YOU THOUGHT! The Businessman's Surrogate has also been updated! Go COMMENT AND VOTE!