Liberty paced outside of the healer’s home, waiting for Talon to arrive. Kye and Noah were standing off to the side of the front door, both with grim looks on their faces. How had this happened? Victoria had stumbled into the main house only fifteen minutes ago, collapsing after calling out for help. Liberty knew something was horribly wrong when she touched her mother-in-law. The older Shaw woman was burning up with a fever and her skin was clammy to the touch. Her icy blue eyes were dull and aged.
Liberty rubbed at the tightness in her belly, telling her child to hang on just a few more hours. Right now was not the time for her to be going into labor. She wouldn’t tell anyone she was uncomfortable because everyone was worried about Talon’s mother. Victoria needed all the help she could get.
“Hold on there, tiger,” she whispered as the baby kicked. No one looked at her as she walked toward the small porch. Right then was a good time to sit down. The tightness was getting stronger, and that last one almost took her breath away.
The roar of tires on gravel sounded from far away. Liberty looked up to see Talon’s truck barreling up the road to the cabin. Dust flew up behind his tires as he came to a halt, sliding out of the seat as soon as he put the truck into park. His pride reached out; their hands touching him as he passed.
“How’s Ma?” he asked his brother, worry flashing across his face. The Guardians of the pride swayed with the anxiety coming off of their alpha.
“Don’t know,” Kye frowned. “Harold’s inside with her.”
Talon nodded and made his way onto the porch where his eyes immediately settled on Liberty. When she tried to stand, Talon held out his hand and leaned over, kissing her cheek. “Let me check on my mother. Rest, Liberty.”
“What can I do?” Liberty asked, wringing her hands nervously.
“Wait here,” Talon replied, turning on his heel.
All of the Guardians turned to watch him enter the home. Liberty tightened her hand around the armrest of the chair as the tightness spread to her lower back. She was thankful they hadn’t seen her flinch, because the males would’ve pulled Talon back from seeing his mother.
“Ma’am,” Evie whispered, making her way over toward the chair. The young female dropped to one knee next to Liberty and touched her hand. “Is the baby coming?”
“Yes, I think so,” Liberty breathed out as quietly as possible. “Do not tell your alpha. I can wait a little longer.”
“You need to tell him,” Evie pushed, looking over her right shoulder. Liberty grasped the young female’s hand and squeezed to get her attention.
“I still have time.” Liberty flinched at the next pain. “It could be several hours before I need to tell them.”
“Our alpha will be angry,” Evie reminded her.
“He is about to go through several emotions in the same night, Evie,” Liberty whispered. “I just want to be there for him when his world is turned upside down.”
“I will sit with you,” Evie offered, sitting crossed-legged on the ground next to the chair. Several of the members of the pride paced out in the yard. Others wept silently while being comforted by their families.
Liberty should have been checking on them, but she just couldn’t do it at the moment. The next contraction came several minutes later, causing her to close her eyes tightly. A tear leaked from the corner of her eye and she wiped it away quickly.
“Liberty?” Booth gasped as he stepped onto the porch. Talon’s Guardian took a knee in front of her, but not close enough to touch. “Are you in labor?”
“Yes,” she panted. “Do not tell Talon yet.” Her words were an order and she hoped like hell they obeyed them as if it’d come from the alpha himself.
“My mother is here.” Evie breathed out a sigh of relief and left Liberty’s side to talk quietly to Marie.
When the older woman looked up, she had determination in her eyes. Liberty gave her a soft smile when she replaced Booth at Liberty’s feet. The Guardian looked out into the yard and Liberty groaned when he jerked his head toward Dane.
“Ohhh,” Liberty gasped as she felt something wet between her legs. When she looked down, it was obvious that her labor had just taken the next step. The pain was getting stronger with the next contraction. It took a moment for her to catch her breath, but it was too late. Evie and Marie were pulling her up from the chair. Dane and Booth barked for everyone to move off the porch.
So much for not telling Talon. This baby was coming sooner than planned.
Chapter Eight
“Get her inside,” Harold ordered, reaching up to wipe the sweat from his brow. Talon turned around to see what the commotion was coming from the front of the healer’s home. His heart froze in his chest as Evie and her mother, Marie, were escorting his mate into the exam room just off the foyer. Dane and Booth were right behind them.
“What’s going on?” he barked, rushing from his mother’s side. She was finally resting, and they were just waiting to see if her fever would finally break. The infection in her body was life-threatening, and Harold was doing everything he could, but it didn’t look good.
“I’m…sorry, Talon,” Liberty panted, holding the side of her belly. Talon’s eyes roamed her body, stopping on the wetness on her dress. “My water broke.”
“The baby?” he gasped, rushing to her side. “Is he coming?”
“She!” Liberty yelled, her glare shooting to the healer when he chuckled.
“She’s been having contractions for the past few hours,” Evie supplied, grabbing a pillow from the cabinet at the back of the room.
“He wasn’t supposed to know that.” Liberty cursed and sucked in a ragged breath as the next contraction hit. Evie smiled as she tucked the pillow behind his mate’s head. Talon felt completely lost. He realized he had no idea what to do. The males who’d had children gave him advice for months, but at that exact moment, he’d forgotten everything they’d said.
Harold worked quickly, pulling a machine over to set beside the bed. He asked Talon to help raise liberty so he could wrap some bands around her belly. He clicked them into place and turned on a monitor. Pink and white paper started coming out of the machine. A moment later, he heard his cub’s heartbeat through the small speaker.
“Talon?” Liberty held out her hand and smiled at him. He shook his head and cupped her face as carefully as he could. She closed her eyes and melted into him. Talon held her tenderly and pushed out his power, doing the only thing he knew to do at the moment.
Calm and comfort his mate.
“Thank you,” she whispered, relaxing slightly.
“I need to check Liberty to see how far along she is,” Harold announced, strapping on a new pair of gloves. Evie slipped from the room, closing the door with a soft click. “Stand up there by her head, please.”
“Is this going to hurt her?” Talon inquired, his eyes sparking amber. His panther had been pacing in the back of his mind since he’d rushed home to find his mother in distress. Now, his panther was prowling just under his skin, wanting out. It wanted to be a part of the cub’s birth, but the alpha pushed his panther back.
“No.” Liberty flinched, causing Talon to growl low in his throat. From the look on his mate’s face, whatever the healer was doing made her uncomfortable. A male didn’t like seeing his mate being in any type of discomfort. “Not compared to the pushing part, I’m guessing.”
“She’s doing fine.” Harold smiled, stepping back from between his mate’s legs. He dropped the gloves in the trash before addressing Liberty. “You are about a third of the way to being ready to push. I want you to use this time to rest, because in a few hours, I’m going to need you to be at full strength.”
“Okay,” she agreed. Talon felt out of control. He was the alpha, and for once, he admitted to himself that he was clueless about what to do. Liberty looked like she was in total control. Even with the sweat beading up on her brow and neck, she was beautiful.
“I can give you something for the pain,” Harold offered.
“No,” Liberty replied, casting her eyes toward Talon. “You’ll help me, right?”
“I’ll be here every step of the way, my queen,” he purred, kissing her brow.
“What can I do?” he asked the healer, not taking his eyes from his mate. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail at the top of her head and she wore no makeup. She didn’t need anything to cover her natural beauty as far as he was concerned.
“Keep her calm and make sure she rests.” Harold smiled, cupping Talon’s shoulder. “You’re going to be fine, Papa.”
Talon smiled and nodded to his old friend as Harold walked away to pull items from another cabinet. He turned toward Liberty when she squeezed his hand as another contraction hit. This time, the readout from the machine printed out a black line, showing a peak. He closed his eyes and pushed his power out again, calming his mate. The tension in her hand relaxed, and he leaned over to kiss her forehead. “I’m here, Liberty.”
“I know,” she whimpered.
Talon watched as his mate became more and more uncomfortable as the minutes ticked by on the clock. The next time Harold came into the room to check her, he tossed the gloves away with a smile. “It’s been four hours and you are progressing just fine, Liberty.”