Chapter 193

Kayla

“One more push!” the doctor’s voice barely registered through the haze of pain that had consumed me for the past sixteen hours. “I can see the head, Kayla. One more big push!”

Nicholas gripped my hand, his other arm supporting my back as I leaned forward. I was beyond exhaustion, beyond pain, beyond anything except the primal need to bring my child into the world…

And to get this fresh fucking hell over with!

“You can do this,” Nicholas murmured against my sweat-soaked hair. “You’re almost there.”

I gathered what little strength remained in my trembling body, bore down with everything I had, and let out a final, guttural cry that tore from somewhere deep inside of me. The pressure intensified, then suddenly released in a rush, followed by the most beautiful sound I’d ever heard—the indignant wail of a newborn taking his first breath.

“It’s a boy!” the doctor announced, lifting the squirming, red-faced infant for us to see. “A healthy baby boy.”

Time seemed to stop as I stared at him—our son—squishy and crying and covered in birth fluids, and objectively very ugly, but so utterly beautiful to me that my eyes immediately filled with tears.

He was tiny, perfect, with a shock of dark hair plastered to his head and little fists that punched angrily at the air, as if outraged at being evicted from his comfortable home of the past nine months.

“He’s perfect,” Nicholas whispered, his voice thick. “Kayla, he’s perfect.”

The nurses quickly placed him on my chest, still naked and slimy. But the moment he touched my skin, his cries quieted to whimpering hiccups, his unfocused eyes blinking up at me. I cradled him close, overwhelmed by a love so fierce and protective it took my breath away.

“Hi,” I whispered, running a gentle finger along his downy cheek. “Hi, baby. I’m your mom.”

Nicholas leaned in, one arm around my shoulders, the other hand reaching out to tentatively touch our son’s tiny fingers. Immediately, the baby latched onto his father’s index finger with surprising strength, earning a watery laugh from Nicholas.

“Strong grip,” he said, looking at me with wonder in his eyes. “He’s going to be a fighter, just like his mom.”

The next few hours passed in a blur of checks and tests, nurses coming and going, phones buzzing with messages from friends eager for news. Through it all, I kept our son close, marveling at every tiny detail—the perfect little fingernails, the cupid’s bow of his mouth, the faint birthmark on his shoulder shaped like a crescent moon.

When the room finally emptied, leaving just the three of us together, Nicholas settled on the edge of the hospital bed beside me. Our son slept peacefully in my arms, his chest rising and falling.

“We finally need to decide on a name,” Nicholas said softly, stroking the baby’s dark hair. “We can’t just keep calling him ‘the baby’.”

I smiled, remembering the months of back-and-forth debates we’d had over names. Nicholas had wanted something strong and traditional—James or William or Robert.

I’d argued for something more unique—Orion or Phoenix or Caspian. We’d gone back and forth so many times that even our friends had started refusing to offer opinions.

But looking down at our son’s face now, I suddenly knew with absolute certainty what his name should be.

“Michael,” I said, the name feeling right on my tongue. “His name is Michael.”

Nicholas studied the baby’s face for a long moment, then nodded slowly. “Michael,” he repeated, testing it out. It was a simple name, nothing flashy, but just felt… right. “Yeah. He feels like a Michael.”

“Michael Reynolds,” I murmured, tracing my finger along our son’s cheek again. “It’s perfect.”

I let out a soft sigh and looked up from our baby’s face to meet Nicholas’s eyes.

And that was when it happened.

A jolt shot through me, electric and powerful, like a current passing between us. Nicholas’s eyes widened in shock, his body going rigid beside me. I felt something inside me snap taut, a thread pulling us together.

It was the mate bond—the true, fated mate bond that connected a wolf to its destined partner. But this time, I felt it from both sides. The bond had always been there, formed when Nicholas and I chose each other, but now it was complete, sealed by the one thing I’d been missing.

My wolf.

She burst forth from wherever she’d been slumbering these past months, a bolt of bright light that filled every cell of my body. I could feel her stretching, awakening, claiming her rightful place within me.

The sensation was indescribable—like finding a piece of myself I hadn’t known was missing, like coming home after a lifetime of wandering.

I grinned up at Nicholas, feeling almost impish with the secret I’d kept for so long.

His mouth hung open, shock written across his features. “You knew,” he said, realization dawning in his eyes. “You fucking knew.”

I nodded, unable to contain my smile. “She told me. That night when I nearly died. She said Nicholas is our mate. She went dormant to save us both, and promised she’d emerge once the baby was born.”

Nicholas stared at me, processing this information. Then, slowly, a grin spread across his face, matching my own. “You sneaky little...” He shook his head, laughing in disbelief. “You kept this from me all this time?”

“I wanted it to be a surprise,” I said, reaching up to touch his face. “Was it worth the wait?”

In answer, Nicholas leaned down and captured my lips in a kiss that sent tingles all the way to my toes. When he pulled back, his eyes glowed with happiness and something more—the recognition of his wolf for his true mate.

“I always knew,” he murmured against my lips. “Somewhere deep down, I always knew we were meant to be.” He hesitated, then added a bit more seriously, “But Kayla, I hope you know you were whole before this moment. If she never emerged, it would be fine with me.”

My eyes filled with tears, but I nodded. “I know,” I whispered. “Thanks to you, I know.”

Carefully, mindful of our sleeping son between us, Nicholas wrapped his arms around both of us, holding us close. I felt his lips brush against my neck, right over the spot where the mate mark that he’d given me all those months ago rested. My wolf preened at the contact, a rumble of contentment vibrating in my chest.

“My mate,” Nicholas whispered. “My true, fated mate.”

Michael stirred between us then, his tiny face scrunching up before relaxing back into sleep. Nicholas laughed softly, looking down at our son with such love it made my heart ache.

“Your mommy is a sneaky little firecracker, you know that?” he said to the baby, his finger gently stroking Michael’s cheek. “You’d better turn out just like her.”

As if on cue, Michael’s eyes fluttered open. He stared up at his father for a moment, then let out an enormous, squeaky yawn before his tiny hand shot up and grabbed onto Nicholas’s nose with surprising strength.

“Ow!” Nicholas yelped, trying to extricate himself.

I threw my head back in laughter, the sound bubbling up from some deep well of joy inside me. “Looks like he plans on it,” I gasped between giggles.

Nicholas finally freed his nose, rubbing it ruefully but laughing along with me. “Great. Another stubborn, strong-willed Sterling to deal with.”

“You wouldn’t have it any other way,” I teased.

“No,” he agreed, his expression softening as he looked at us. “No, I wouldn’t.”

He leaned in to kiss me again, and I melted into him, my wolf humming with contentment. When we pulled apart, we both looked down at our son, nestled securely between us—the perfect symbol of our love, our bond, our future together.

My life had changed so dramatically in the past year and a half. I’d gone from a lonely, wolfless outcast to Luna of two packs, mate to an Alpha who was also a guild chairman, mother to a beautiful baby boy.

I’d discovered a heritage I never knew I had, uncovered secrets that had been buried for generations, and found the wolf that had been with me all along.

But more than that, I’d found home. Not in Nightshade or Bluemoon or any physical place, but in the arms of the man beside me, in the friends who had become our family, in the tiny child we’d created together.

Nicholas nuzzled against me, his happiness radiating through our newly strengthened bond. “I love you,” he whispered. “Both of you. More than anything.”

I smiled, leaning my head against his shoulder as Michael’s tiny fingers wrapped around mine. “We love you too.”

Outside the window, the moon hung full and bright in the night sky, bathing the room in silver light. My wolf stretched contentedly within me, finally home where she belonged.

And as I held my son and leaned against my mate, I knew with absolute certainty that no matter what challenges lay ahead, we would face them together—as a pack, as a family, as one.

As wolves.