THIRD PERSON POV

The air was electric, a tense sort of suspense hanging above every head in the Pack House as they anxiously anticipated the birth of a new soul. The shiny, new tether that would soon connect the newborn to the rest of their family was almost palpable, and everyone's fingertips tingled with anticipation.

Well, everyone except for Rayson, who was currently in the middle of a mental breakdown as he fought to get past Tank's wide and entirely impassive frame.

"Let me go, you fucking asshole!" The Alpha bellowed, veins in his temples bulging as he thrashed against the thick arm that restrained him to the wall.

"I'm very sorry, sir, but I cannot do that at the moment." Tank replied respectfully, the meaning of his namesake more than clear as his arm didn't even budge a millimeter despite the fact that the person fighting against him was of Alpha blood.

The restraint really was necessary after the large male flashed his canines at Benji when the medic gave the slightest mention of needing to start an IV on Danny. The Alpha wouldn't accept it, his inner wolf flaring and instincts immediately pushing back at the mere thought of someone harming his incredibly vulnerable and heavily pregnant mate, even if it was technically for his own good.

Rayson's explosive anger flared the moment that he had to be forcefully dragged away from his mate's side. It left the man in a frenzied state, unable to use logic amid the stress of primal urges that left him with nothing but false delusions of danger and a borderline delusional preoccupation with Danny's comfort.

"Please... please just let me go." Rayson's voice cracked, emotion bubbling up between them as he begged, straining his neck in an attempt to see his mate's infirmary bed around the warrior's obstructive frame. "I need to fluff his pillows, they're getting flat again! And his neck pillow is in the wrong fucking direction! And I need to buy him those cute bunny slippers he's been asking about! And..."

"It's okay, Tank. I'm all finished." Benji's voice rang out, and Ray almost collapsed with relief as the warrior finally released him from that infuriating hold.

The Alpha tripped over his own feet on his sprint back to his mate's side, and Tank slid a chair underneath the man before he could fall to his knees beside his Omega.

"Bunny." The Alpha breathed, burying his face into his mate's hair to scent him while simultaneously pressing his hands against any exposed skin he could reach as if to verify that his mate was still there. "That horrible man took me away from you. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I would never leave you. I love you so much. Do you forgive me? Please say you forgive me. Are you in pain?" He rambled, tone frantic and oozing with concern as his inner Alpha wolf - Knox - wore a hole in his brain with his anxious pacing.

Danny winced through another gnarly contraction, the pain coming on a lot quicker now that he was almost fully dilated as well as the fact that he was still in human form - a choice that they'd made after reviewing Danny's higher risk for complications due to his older age as well as the development of high blood pressure throughout his pregnancy.

However, just after the contraction passed, Danny giggled at his husband, reaching out the arm without the IV in it to gently massage his mate's blonde strands.

"I'll be just fine, Alpha." He soothed, using his title in an effort to calm his mate's nerves, "I've been through this before when you knocked me up with the triplets, did you forget that?" Danny giggled some more, leaning over to nuzzle into Ray's neck. Rayson immediately nuzzled back, rubbing his cheek against Danny's jaw to instill his scent there before interlacing their fingers and squeezing tight.

Danny had been through this process before, but this time Ray was acting much more delirious with worry than on the first go-around. Now he was a loose cannon, triggered by a single hair and made volatile as he struggled with the concept that his mate was in the higher risk category.

"I could never forget." Rayson grumbled with finality, grip on his mate's hand loosening the slightest bit as he was distracted by the flashback of the night that he bred his perfect little power bottom and stuffed him full of his knot.

Danny noticed the effectiveness of his strategy and pushed it further as he smiled wide, brushing his thumb over the rough skin of his mate's knuckles.

"... Good. I don't ever want you to forget my red garter belt. Remember, the one that you liked to bite at right before you shoved your fingers -"

"DAD! Really?!"

"Oh, oopsie. Forgot you all were here for a sec!" Danny laughed, attempting to pull his face out of his mate's neck to address his children and their mates who sat on the far side of the large room, only to be dragged right back in by a needy Ray.

Berlin groaned, leaning back in his chair while bouncing a sleepy Hale up and down on his lap. He sat next to Osias who was currently trying to keep up his 'dangerous' look as much as he could with Cassius napping in a baby sling across his chest. Next to them sat Corey and Jax, Jax of which was sitting a little awkwardly in his chair - as if he didn't want his ass to touch it. His legs were propped up in his mate's lap as Corey apologetically massaged the still-twitching muscles.

And then - finally - there was Tyrus, who was busy crunching loudly on a bag of hot Cheetos while his light brown - almost amber - eyes followed Daffodil's every move.

"Daff, how's the fetal heart rate looking?" Benji inquired as he double-checked all of his supplies, knowing that at any moment it would be time for Danny to push.

"Bae good!" Daff replied, yellow waves of hair a little disheveled and giant eyes wide as he popped his head up from monitoring the contraction patterns. Catching sight of Tyrus when he looked up, the Fae gave a small bout of tinkling laughter, hands stimming a little from the renewed excitement he experienced every time he saw his boyfriend's handsome face.

The fresh lime in Tyrus' back pocket practically burned a hole in his pants, and the dominant male found himself smiling back goofily at the thought of giving his perfect mate the treat after a long day of helping Benji.

Danny fell into another contraction - face screwing up and breaths being forced out between pursed lips - and Daffi's head snapped back down, completely dedicated to his duty after the momentary pause. After all, Daffodil loved Danny and Rayson so deeply that it hurt his fragile heart sometimes, and he felt a fierce sort of dedication to helping ensure that this birth went off without a hitch.

"Alright." Benji breathed out, strands of pink hair flying off of his forehead as he nodded resolutely and reached under the end of the bed to set up the stirrups, "I think that it's time for you to push, Mr. Cahill." He instructed, settling Danny's feet gently on either side as the small man shuddered through yet another contraction.

Rayson actually whimpered at Benji's words, fluffing his mate's pillows ferociously with one hand while maintaining skin-to-skin contact with the other. The Alpha had never wished he could take all of the pain away from his mate more than right at this moment.

"Are you comfortable, bunny? I can get you more pillows! Yeah, you need more pillows. Blankets, too. Oh, and maybe a stuffed animal? Yeah, I'll be right back, I'm just gonna -" Ray was shoved back down into his seat by Corey's large palm on his shoulder as he attempted to rise, the younger Alpha's face as impassive as ever as he forced his father to stay seated.

"Ray. Knox. listen to me." Danny ordered after flashing Corey a smile of gratitude, the small male's soft voice calling to the deepest parts of his Alpha's being, "I'm perfectly comfortable right now. All I need is you. Please stay with me." He assured.

Rayson nodded with an audible gulp, fingers shaking as he clasped both of his hands around one of Danny's slender ones before bringing them to his lips to bestow a trembling kiss to his fingertips.

"I'll stay with you always, bunny. I'm sorry I'm being like this I just... I love you. I love you so much, and I- I- can't stand the idea of you... of you..." He choked, throat closing up with terror at the mere thought of anything bad happening to his bunny.

Danny smiled, reaching up with his other hand to press it against Ray's stubbly cheek, one that hadn't been shaved in days due to his preoccupation with his mate's well-being. The Alpha leaned into the touch, closing his eyes and sucking in a deep, shuddering breath.

"I'm going to be fine, babe. Benji knows what he's doing. Now, the faster you let him help me, the faster we meet our little one." He urged, knowing Ray could never resist a statement such as that.

Just as expected, the Alpha hesitated, as if still struggling with the concept of leaving Danny's well-being in the hands of another, but eventually nodded after a few moments.

"Okay. Yeah, okay." He repeated, trying to convince himself.

"Alright, your monitor shows that you're going into another contraction soon. So, on the count of three, I need you to push as hard as you can, okay?" Benji instructed from his spot, now seated in the perfect position to catch the baby at the end of the bed.

"O-okay!" Danny replied, gritting his teeth as he began to feel the increasing pressure in his groin that signified yet another oncoming contraction.

"Okay, One... Two... Three!"

Danny hollered out a cry so loud it could shatter glass, squeezing his mate's hand with all of his might as he pushed so hard that his face turned a bright red. The small man held pressure until he absolutely couldn't anymore, collapsing onto his back with teary eyes and heavy breaths.

Rayson was falling apart at his mate's distress, particularly at the fact that he could do nothing to stop it. It was a horrible thing for any Alpha to experience, and especially Rayson, whose entire soul was so irrevocably ensnared by that of his little bunny.

"You're doing so well, baby." Ray encouraged, as it was all he could think to do in an effort to be helpful. "God/dess I love you, I'm so proud of you."

Danny nodded fast as he turned his head to look up at his mate, fat tears streaming down his cheeks from both the intensity of the pain as well as the ferocity of the love he held for his mate and the baby that they created together.

Benji wiped the sweat from his brow with his forearm before assuming the same position as before.

"Okay, I see them crowning! One... Two... Three!"

Danny repeated the process of pushing as he had been instructed, his broken cries tearing Rayson's heart right out of his chest and making the Alpha shed a few tears of his own at the sight. The Omega felt a slight pop as he finally reached the end of his contraction, and then a gasp from Benji.

"The head is out!" The medic informed excitedly.

Rayson wanted to look, wanted to see their baby's face so bad, but this time around he knew better. He did not want a repeat of the triplets' birth, during which he took a single peek at his mate's stretched birthing canal and passed out so hard that he was nursing a severe concussion along with the newborns for the first few weeks.

Danny sobbed, delirious with pain and hormones.

"I wanna seeee!" The Omega slurred, and Ray gently brushed the hair back from his sweaty forehead with a smile.

"You're almost there, bunny. Just a few more minutes, and then we're gonna meet our little one. You're so strong baby, just a little bit more."

"You promise?" Danny blubbered, lips pulled tight and trembling as he clung to his mate's thick arm. Rayson leaned down to press a kiss to his Omega's forehead.

"I promise, sweetheart."

"Okay! One, two, three!"

Danny bore down once again, face scrunched up as he pushed with all of his might, the only thoughts going through his mind being those of the base maternal instinct of needing their perfect little one in his arms.

And then, there was a whimpering cry.

Everyone crowded the bed, but neither Danny or Rayson noticed as Benji smiled, lifting their little bundle up and setting the tiny thing into Danny's quivering arms.

"Congratulations, Danny and Ray. It's a boy."

Rayson couldn't help the chest-deep sob that escaped him as he reached out a hand to brush the tip of his thumb against his son's soft cheek.

It was surreal to everyone, the sight. Usually, werewolf babies were born in the same form as their parents at the time of birth, switching to human a few days later and staying that way until they got their true wolf at age 13. Therefore, the sight of the human newborn, stretching in his dad's arms and blinking his eyes with disorientation, was new for everyone.

"Hi, precious. Nice to meet you, I'm your Papa." The Alpha forced out between watery breaths, "And this beautiful man holding you is your Dad. And we both love you... so, so much."

It took a few hours for everyone to get their fill of the newborn, the adorable baby being passed around to everyone far too many times to count. Jax had even shed a tear when it was his turn, adoration evident in his gaze despite his initial reaction of "I could run with his tiny ass like a football."

Rayson ordered everyone out once the clock struck one in the morning and Danny was consistently nodding off every few seconds. The poor man was supremely exhausted, and his mate was going to make sure that he got the rest that he deserved.

Therefore, the Alpha hustled both his mate and their new child up the stairs, tucked them both into bed with Danny's neck pillow in just the right position, and assumed his place beside them to keep watch.

It had been a few hours since then, and Ray was still in a state of supreme bliss, unable to wipe the frantic smile from his face as he stared down at his sleeping mate and their newborn that suckled at his slightly engorged nipples. The man had to remind himself to blink a few times when his eyes got too dry, but even that was hard to convince himself to do; he didn't want to miss a single moment.

Finding Danny was the turning point in the Alpha's life. He sometimes remembered life before they met, but the memories were foggy, as if his brain would only accept the ones with Danny's smiling face in them. But Rayson didn't mind, he ever wanted to think of a time without his bunny anyway. A time without being able to cuddle him close at night or without getting smacked with his neck pillow a thousand times a day sounded like the worst torture imaginable.

Danny was his sun. Danny was his moon. Danny was his world, his everything.

And he had grown so much life inside of him, and then nurtured the family that they had created from the passion of their love.

Rayson couldn't ask for a more perfect life.

The Alpha didn't even notice that he had been pressing frantic kisses all over his mate's sleepy face until he heard a small groan, the Omega yawning and reaching a hand up to rub his heavy eyes open.

"Oh, hi..." He murmured, tilting his head down to see their newborn sleeping peacefully between them. "Could you put him in the bassinet for me, please?"

"Of course." Ray immediately shot into action, nodding vigorously as he slipped his hands underneath their baby's head and swaddled bottom before turning to set him gently in the bedside bassinet. Ray worried for a second that he may wake up, but when he only gave a big yawn and settled back down, the Alpha finally released a breath.

Danny smiled, eyes still sleepy as he beckoned his Alpha back to bed. Rayson immediately complied, rubbing his fingertips through his mate's hair to rub at the back of his neck like the smaller man always enjoyed.

The Omega hummed in satisfaction, leaning closer to press his face into his mate's hard chest, and the Alpha followed suit, resting his cheek on top of his bunny's head to thoroughly scent him there.

"Have you thought of any good names yet?" Danny mumbled, voice slightly muffled by the wall of Rayson's bare chest.

"Hmm... How about Rayson? That's a good one." He joked, wanting to hear his mate's adorable laugh. Danny pulled back, giggling the entire way as he narrowed his eyes at his mate.

"You know what, I don't even know why I'm asking you. Last time, you literally wanted to name Corey, Clitis."

Rayson shrugged. "I said that Candida was fine too. I tried to give you options."

Danny blanched, shaking his head while making a gagging noise deep in his throat.

"I can't believe you expected me to name our child after a literal fungus." Danny shook his head with a huge sigh, "I guess we know where Tyrus gets his brain cells from, huh?" He teased.

"Fine, you win. Let's never talk about this again." Rayson laughed, pressing his lips to Danny's forehead, "But since mine are so bad, what did you have in mind?"

Danny smiled, eyes crinkling around the edges as he gazed up at his mate.

"Well... There's one name that I've been thinking about for a long time... I really, really like it."

"Okay, what is it?"

Danny leaned up, whispering something into Rayson's ear so softly that even the Alpha could barely hear it.

"I love it, baby. It's perfect." Ray smiled, the words less about the name and more about the man that he held in his arms as he brushed a strand of his black hair from his eyes.

Danny grinned triumphantly, sneaking a peek at their soundly sleeping newborn before snuggling back into the warm confines of his mate's chest.

The couple laid together for a few minutes, simply savoring each rise and fall of the other's chest while basking in the unbreakable connection that whirred between them.

It was only when Rayson felt the slightest bit of restlessness through their bond that he pulled back to check on him.

Danny's brow was furrowed, skin a little dull in the low light and eyes a little droopy as he squinted up at his mate with a frown.

"Ray..." The Omega mumbled.

"What's up, bunny?" Ray responded, brushing a finger across his mate's chilly cheek. Danny shuffled ever closer under the covers, pressing his body against his mate's with a pressure that suggested that he wanted to glue them together. Of course, Rayson didn't mind his mate's sudden clinginess. In fact, he would have sewn the man into his very skin yearsago if he could have. "Do you want to hold our baby?"

"Baby..." Danny giggled, speech slurring a bit as he rubbed his cheek against Ray's chest with a little too much force, "... What baby? You're my baby. Baby, baby, baby. Haha!"

Rayson chuckled, shaking his head at his mate's sleepy antics, "You must be tired still, you've only slept a few hours so far. Get some more rest, sweetheart. I'll stay right here with you until you wake." He squeezed his arms around his love to emphasize the promise.

"Oookay..." Danny giggled once again, speaking softly – as if out of breath – while his weighted eyes began to droop even more heavily. Rayson smiled, happy at the thought of his mate getting more sleep and giving his body time to heal.

In an effort to make their embrace even more comforting to his snuggly Omega, the Alpha tossed his leg over Danny's in an effort to tangle them up. However, it only took a single second of skin-to-skin contact for Ray to yank his leg back, abruptly swinging the extremity away as if he were electrocuted.

"Bunny, your legs are freezing!" Ray exclaimed, automatically searching for ways to fix the issue.

The Alpha wondered if he had somehow bumped the thermostat that always kept the room comfortable for them both, but a quick glance at the glowing display dispelled that concern, 73 degrees F clearly blinking and visible through the darkness of their room.

Danny pushed out a quiet, sleepy whine, but otherwise didn't respond to Rayson's concern. Regardless of the Omega's obvious indifference to the way his legs were steadily turning into living popsicles, the desire to make his postpartum mate as warm and toasty as possible overwhelmed Rayson's overprotective instincts and the Alpha didn't hesitate to jump into action.

"I'll rub your feet for you and warm them up in no time, don't worry. You know I've got magic hands." Rayson nodded, sitting up in bed with a playful grin, "You just lay there and look pretty and I'll take care of everything."

The covers were tucked in around Danny's feet, but with a gentle tug, Rayson was able to dislodge them from their spot. Just like his legs, Danny's toes were arctic ice, and Ray frowned as he hurried to wrap them up in his warm palms.

Despite the dark cloak of night that decreased his visual acuity, Ray could tell from the slivers of starlight that pierced through the window that Danny's toes were slightly discolored, the tips of them taking on a light purple hue.

It was then that Ray's heart began to beat a little irregularly, his underarms becoming slick as worry worked its way into his already overworked nervous system.

The Alpha's eyes flitted everywhere as he continued to rub at his mate's toes at a speed that made his hands look like a blur, desperate to inject color back into his baby's tepid flesh.

The only thing that made his hands falter was a small, dark mark on their blankets, one that he didn't particularly remember being a part of its pattern when Danny picked the fancy sheets out from the department store. Ray remembered that day like the back of his hand; the way his biceps ached with the number of bags that Danny filled them up with, and how he relished in the happy buzz that thrummed through their bond when his Omega discovered yet another 'hidden gem' among the never-ending shelves of the TJ Maxx.

'God/dess dammit, I could have sworn that I just washed these.' the Alpha grumbled, wholly unwilling to have his mate sleep in anything other than a pristine bed after all that he'd just been through.

Rayson pulled the covers a little, preparing to lift up his mate and deposit his sleepy form onto the other, much more clean side of the bed for the rest of the night until he could get the sheets properly cleaned the following morning.

But, when his hands made contact with the sheets beside his mate's thighs, the Alpha's face fell.

He hadn't even seen it yet, but instantly he prayed. Rayson prayed with all of his heart and soul that the wetness he was feeling beneath his palms was just a leaky, postpartum bladder, or some kind of delayed release of amniotic fluid.

With a deep, steadying breath, Rayson worked up the courage to lower his head slowly – like a man sent to the guillotine — to take in the view before him.

At first, Rayson felt nothing.

Unable to think, unable to hear, unable to breathe, he took in a sight that made him wish for death, wish for anything, anything but this.

And then – as if teetering at the apex of a rollercoaster of terror – his entire soul dropped through the floor. It crashed through the crust of the earth and plummeted straight down to a place that left Rayson scrambling to remember who he was within the empty shell that his body had suddenly become.

Because when he looked down, the sheets around Danny's hips were completely drenched, but not with a clear fluid as he had so prayed.

This liquid was dark, sticky, and singed his nostrils with iron.

This liquid... was blood.

_

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