"Push, Raelyn. It's not much longer." Arabella squeezes my hand, her smile encouraging.

I want to claw her eyes out. This pain, I didn't sign up for. Arabella's assistant wipes my face with a cold cloth and supports my head while I sip the herbal tea. It doesn't do shit for the ache that's slicing its claws through my lower abdomen.

Kendrick growls from behind the door. The wood aches under a loud thump.

"Chill, Alpha. You don't want the roof to collapse onto your mate while she's giving birth." Olivia's words are calm, but the slight pitch at the end of her sentence is a warning that she's losing her patience.

"Fuck, I want to be with Raelyn."

"But you know you can't. Come on, let's walk over there, so you can punch and kick a few trees. They won't mind that much."

If my insides weren't threatening to tear apart, I'd be laughing. Olivia has been a good choice for Beta; hers and Kendrick's energies balance like Yin and Yang.

Another contraction hits and I grit my teeth.

"I see the head. Just one more push."

Tears run down my face as I push as hard as I can.

A little whimper has me raise my upper body; I'm desperate to glimpse over the blue paper sheet Arabella used to cover my stomach and my knees.

"It's a little male."

I drop back into the birthing chair. The exhaustion I just felt moments ago has been replaced by hot flashes and trembles flooding my muscles. "I want to see him."

"Just a second. Just need to get this . . ."

Scissors snap and I bite hard on my lower lip. What is taking so long?

Arabella appears from behind the blue sheet. A little pup wrapped in a blanket wiggles in her arms. I stretch out my hands for him.

"Here we go." The warm newborn squirms on my chest. Our eyes meet. His are as dark as Kendrick's. My heart swells with love. I'll never allow for anything bad to happen to him. He'll always be my little pup.

Arabella nods at her assistant. "You can get the Alpha now."

I'm scared to move or to breathe. What if I break him? He looks so fragile.

Kendrick lowers himself on his knees next to us. "Wow, that's him." He reaches out and strokes the newborn over his fuzzy hair with his fingertips. His knuckles bleed and most of the inside of his hands are torn up, but he manages not to smear blood on our son.

"What do you want to call him?" My mate's eyes dare me to pick out one of the crazier names on our list. We decided to break once again with tradition and avoid family names.

"Cullen."

Kendrick smiles; it has been his top choice. "Thank you. I think it's a great name."

"Mom and pup need to rest, so we need to move them over to a bed and—"

Arabella doesn't get the chance to finish her sentence. Kendrick is already to his feet and slides his arm under my back. The other arm supports my bend knees and he lifts me up as if our son and I were no heavier than a feather. He carries us across the healer's cabin and lays us down in a bed.

"Pull up a chair and feed her this." Arabella sets a bowl with mush and a cup with tea onto the nightstand.

"You know, this reminds me of when we first met," I say between bites. Come to think of it, he even placed me on the same bed.

"I hope that doesn't trigger you."

"No, no more triggers." I hold his wrist and find his gaze. "We are parents now. No more thoughts about the past. The future will be challenging enough."

"I agree." Kendrick looks down on our son with awe. "One day, he's going to be the Alpha of the Northern Light pack."

It's not a day I want to think about. "Is he going to have to challenge you or will you step down?"

"That'll depend on whether I feel he's ready." He strokes my hair. "But don't worry. He still has a lot of growing to do before he can call for Trials."

"I suppose."

He leans in and brushes a kiss on my lips. "Have I told you that you are the most amazing mom and that our son is the cutest pup."

"You have not."

"Then I'm doing that now." During our next kiss, our lips part and only Cullen's little whimper forces me to get my priorities straight.

"When do you want to introduce Cullen to the pack?"

"In a week. Until then, I'm intending to have both of you all to myself."

Somehow, he manages to squeeze into the bed without crushing the three of us. Exhausted, I close my eyes. The future is bright, but deep down, I know that a piece of my past will always stick to the days ahead.

Lurking in the shadows.

Biding its time.

And when I least expect it, it'll leap out and grab me.

Don't worry, child, the earth will circle the sun many times before the dark army rises.