The Claiming by Cooper Book 3
Layan’s Return by Cooper (Jara & Mason)
Chapter 8
Mason
Even though I know the doctor has to touch my mate, watching him put his head between her thighs has my body on the verge shifting and tearing him apart. That is, until he says it’s time to push.
Then, all of my anger washes away, replaced with fear and of anticipation. As the contractions had started coming stronger, I had tried to wrap my mind around Jara’s, tried to take on some of her pain. But holy frigging goddess, what the hell kind of pain is this? I think I’d rather be ripped to pieces in a pack war than suffer this pain.
It’s not even the contractions, oh no. That would have been enough to bring me to my knees. But once she starts pushing and I can feel the pain of our child moving through her birth canal, I start to feel like I might vomit, or black out or both.
“Alpha, why don’t you let our Luna do what the goddess has given her the strength to do, and you try to comfort her. It won’t help anyone if you end up passed out on the floor.” He says to me before turning back to Jara. “Push, Luna.”
Her hand grips mine and while I stay attached to her mind, taking some of the pain, I can’t take as much of it as I had planned. My mate is a trooper though. She fights through the pain, pushing when it’s time, breathing with me when she has a moment to relax.
The next time she leans her head back, I wipe the sweat from her face.
“You are so strong, my little Luna. So amazing and so strong. I love you so much.”
“No offense, but I’m hating you a lot right now.” She says.
I lean in, nipping her hear. “Then stop begging for my knot, love.” I thought it would be a nice tease, helping her to relax. Instead, I get a glare and if looks could kill, I’d be lying ma*s*sacred on the floor right now.
“Or not.” I say, moving outside her ability to actually bite me.
“Push, Luna. I can see the baby’s head, you’re almost there.”
I help Jara lift up as she pushes, crushing my hand in her grip as she bears down. When she leans back again, I make the mistake, of looking at the doctor. There, between Jara’s thighs is my baby’s head. Only the head. The rest of the body is still inside Jara. I begin to panic.
“I’m so tired, Mason. I don’t think I can do it.” She says.
I look at my child’s head and I know my eyes are wide as saucers.
“Calm your mate, Alpha. She can do this. Encourage her. I won’t let your pup die.” The doctor’s voice flits through my mind.
I look at him, he nods before turning back to Jara. “One more good push, Luna. You can do it.”
She looks at me. “I can’t Mason. I’m so tired. I can’t.”
I take her face in my hands. “You are the strongest woman I know. Hell, the strongest person I know. You can do this. I know you can.” I reach my arm around her shoulders, helping her to sit up.
“Push, Luna.” The doctor says and I push my strength into her, giving her as much of myself as I can to help her.
She screams, bearing down hard and I hear a gushing sound as the doctor sighs. Instantly, I smell the blood and body fluids and I turn, seeing our child in the doctor’s hands.
Jara falls on the bed, breathing heavily.
“Alpha, Luna, meet your daughter.”
Jara chuckles softly. “The first female heir.”
I don’t want to consider what my daughter being born first will mean in the long run, I’m just happy that she’s okay. A nurse comes and takes her from the doctor as he turns back to Jara.
“Okay, Luna. Now, it’s time to meet your son.”
She nods, as if birthing one has given her new strength. I come back over to her, taking her hand. “You’ve got this, love.”
I can still smell blood and I look at the doctor. “Why do I still smell fresh blood?” I mind link him.
“Luna tore delivering your daughter. She will heal but I’ll stitch her up to help her healing once we deliver your son.”
I nod, looking back a Jara.
As the next contraction hits her, the doctor looks at her. “Okay Luna, let’s do this.” This time, it all happens much faster. I don’t know why, and I don’t care, I’m just glad when the doctor finally lifts our son up to show him to us. As he does, the nurse comes over and takes him. A second nurse comes over, holding my daughter all wrapped up in a blanket like a baby burrito.
“Luna, would you like to meet your daughter?” He says, holding my child.
Jara nods sleepily. The nurse lays our daughter in Jara’s arms.
“Hello, my beautiful girl.” Jara says, stroking her finger over our daughter’s cheek. Her little mouth makes a sucking motion, but her eyes stay closed. She has a little cap on her head to keep her warm, but, I already saw that she has a full head of dark hair. I lean down, gently kissing the top of her head. My heart is so full of love that I feel like it’s going to burst.
A few minutes later, the other nurse comes back with our son. “Luna, meet your son.” He says, laying him in Jara’s other arm.
She looks at me, smiling softly. Her eyes are exhausted. “Meet your children, Mason.”
“Our children, my love.” I look at both our children, sleeping happily in their mother’s arms. I move to kiss the top of my son’s head, deeply inhaling his scent. Both of them still smell like Jara, but they have their own individual scents underneath that. My son seems to have more of the scent that Jara says in mine, a cool winter breeze. I never quite understood what she meant, and I didn’t care since she liked my scent. But now, I smell it on my son.
“He smells like you.” She says softly, kissing his cheek.
“And our daughter smells like you.” I say.
The pack has been alerted that our babies have been born. I can feel them nearby, all wanting to meet their new Alphas, the first children to be born in our pack since Jace, six years ago.
“Go, I’m so tired anyway and I can feel the pack getting antsy to meet our children. Go introduce them while the doctor cleans me up.” She tells me.
“When they start getting fussy, Alpha, bring them back in. They will both need to nurse soon.” The doctor says, looking at Jara. “We’ll help with that, as long as Alpha Mason doesn’t become too protective.”
“I can handle my mate.” She says, her eyes closing.
Carefully, I reach down, taking my son in my arms. I look at my daughter, unsure how I’m going to pick her up and carry both of them outside to introduce them to the pack.
“I can help you, Alpha.” One of the nurses says, coming over to pick up my daughter and put her in my other arm.
I look down, realizing that my whole world now resides in my arms and on the bed in front of me. I feel the hot sting of tears in my eyes and I swallow hard before turning back to the nurse.
With his help, I walk out of the room, down the hall to the waiting room. It is full of pack members. As I walk in, the ones that were sitting stand and everyone turns to me.
“Everyone, meet the newest members of your Alpha family, Jordan and Jaxon.” The room erupts in the quietest, sweetest show of happiness I’ve ever seen in my pack.