Mason's point of view

Lex had held off the change for too long. She was snapping at everyone and on the verge of doing physical damage.

The good news was that she hadn't shifted and her belly was big and round. She was going to be the first female werewolf to give birth to a child.

Brian did sequencing on the baby to determine that this child was completely human. The baby would grow up just as its cousins had.

"Lex babe, it's time to get this kid out so you can shift," I said as gently as I could. Using the wrong tone got me in so much trouble I had to grovel for three days.

Lex had been crazy. Now at thirty-six weeks, Brian wanted the baby out. It was full term and could be born.

Lex wasn't thrilled with that idea. She yelled and threw a fit about it. Grayson had to give her an alpha order to settle down or he would have locked her in a cell in the basement until the baby was born. She listened.

Grumbling to herself, she sat up. She didn't even glance at me before going to the bathroom. She was mad that I hadn't stood up to Grayson for ordering her around. She thought she was perfectly fine, not the wicked witch everyone was claiming she was.

I was just glad that as soon as this kid was out, Lex would be getting back to normal.

She didn't know that the plan was to knock her out for the delivery. Her wolf would fight against the c-section Brian was going to perform, which would complicate the whole thing. She would be unconscious for the whole thing, but we were going to record the non-gruesome stuff for her.

When we got to the infirmary, Brian was laying out blankets and towels.

He smiled at Lex and patted the bench for her to lie down on. Her reply was to growl at him. I rolled my eyes, from where she couldn't see of course. I was supposed to be the moody, pissed off one.

Lex eyed the needle when Brian got it out of a drawer.

"What's that for?"

Brian smiled back at her to reassure her. "It's to dull the pain. We don't want your wolf to force a change during the delivery. This needs to be as uncomplicated as we can manage."

She nodded and held her arm out. Even though she was a huge pain in the ass, she still cared more about the pregnancy than she did about anything else lately.

Brian injected the sedative and told her to lay back.

"I feel tired." She was scared. I could feel it through the bond. I slowly and gently ran my fingers through her hair. It seemed to help her a little.

Brian patted her hand. "That's normal. Just let the drug work Lex. When this is all over, your baby's going to be here."

When she passed out, we suited up. The drug wouldn't last forever and we weren't going to keep pumping it into her blood. It was a very strong drug. We didn't want the baby to get any of it.

Finn came into the room and put on a gown. He was observing, while Casey was going to be the one actually assisting Brian with the delivery. Amanda stood at Lex's feet, waiting to take the baby from her husband.

Finn stood next to me. "When he cuts into her, your wolf is going to come to the surface. If you move towards Brian, or the alpha female, I will drop you so hard you'll be feeling it for a month."

I nodded at the threat, but didn't reply. Finn was there to make sure I didn't try to get in the way.

Finn had been right. When Brian cut into Lex, I reacted immediately, but held back as soon as I got a grip on myself.

Brian was so fast. Three swipes of his blade and he was sticking his hands inside of Lex. Casey held open Lex's stomach as Brian pulled the baby out of her. Seeing Lex's blood made me very scared for her. It took everything I had not to pummel Brian.

"Don't fret Mase," Brian said through his mask. "She's already healing."

He handed off the baby to Amanda before quickly clamping off the cord and letting Casey cut it. I was relieved once the baby was out. We hadn't looked at the gender and I didn't want to catch a glimpse before Lex was awake.

I didn't like being emotional, or overwhelmed. A part of me wanted to go to my child and inspect it; another part of me had to stay with Lex.

She had gone through so much to get the baby to term and now that it was safe, the focus was on Lex.

Brian's hands were inside of her again, quickly stitching her up so that she would heal correctly.

When he was finished he smiled at me. "You guys have maybe ten minutes to get her out of here before she wakes up. She's going to be pissed."

Carefully, I picked Lex up with the help of Finn. I glanced once at my crying child before turning my attention back to Lex. The baby would be here when we got back. We kept her as flat as we could while we carried her into the trees. She was going to Change before anyone let her see the baby. It was going to be just another thing she was going to be pissed about.

The good thing was that as soon as she sees the baby, all would be forgiven, theoretically.

I made sure Lex was covered when I laid her down. When she woke up she'd be expecting to see her baby, not a bunch of wolves.  

"You go ahead and change. Hers will be slow and painful because she has held it off for far too long," Finn said as he looked at her.  

"What's going to happen?" I asked as the rest of the pack started their change.  

The only ones who had stayed at the house with the kids were Brian, Amanda, and Casey.  

"To be honest, I have no idea," he admitted. "I didn't think she'd hold out so long." He gave me a reassuring smile. "Your mate is strong. I would bet that she'll be just fine." 

"And if her wolf has taken over?" 

Finn shrugged. "We'll just have to wait and see. This hasn't been done before Mason." 

I nodded and started to get ready for my change. Lex's wolf would be in control when she regained consciousness. I could feel it in our bond.  

Lex was exhausted and weak. Her wolf was restless and frustrated.  

I had completed the change before Led woke up. I never took my eyes off of her.  

Her eyes snapped open. They were solid gold. Her wolf was definitely in control.  

She turned her head to look around at the group of surrounding her. Her eyes stopped on mine. For a moment I could feel confusion and frustration before anger consumed her.  

She looked at Finn when he spoke to her. "Time to change wolf." It wasn't a suggestion.  

The order rolled through her. She started the change immediately.  

She screamed and cried out. The change was very slow and very painful for her. I didn't shut off the bond between us because I knew that would hurt her feelings. She didn't need that on top of everything else.  

She reached for me through the bonds, but Finn stopped me. I wasn't aware when he had changed to a wolf, but he wouldn't let me past him. 

A part of me wanted to challenge him so I could rip his face off, but I couldn't. I knew I couldn't help her. Trying to interfere with her change would only hurt her. I tried to comfort her through the bond, but nothing could take away her pain.  

When her change finally finished, she was left lying on the ground, panting as hard as I've ever heard.  

Finn let me pass him then. Her pain would be mostly subsided. She'd be sensitive, but nothing more than that. Having her mate close might be healing to her. I would've done anything to give Lex the reins of control again. Once her wolf was content that she wouldn't be abandoned and pushed down again, she might let Lex have the control back.  

I stepped closer to my mate. Her whines never let up. I could feel her restlessness through our bond and knew not to fall for her whines.  

I loved her, but it was her wolf that was in control. My wolf knew just as well as I did that she'd be looking for her child and pissed that she couldn't find it.  

Lex's wolf snarled before leaping up at me and trying to pin me down.  

I side stepped and shoved her off balance. Her wolf was clumsy and out of practice. Lex stumbled a few steps before falling.  

When she snapped at one of the pack, Finn's roar had her frozen. The wolf knew who her alpha was. She slowly lay on her belly and rolled over submissively.  

Her lower belly oozed blood. Her stitches hadn't made it through the change, but her guts weren't falling out either. Her change had sealed the wound mostly closed, but the skin was still broken enough to break from the attacks she'd attempted.  

I felt her fear as she looked at Finn's wolf. It took all my control to not leap at Finn. As much as I didn't want to believe it, Finn was helping. Her wolf would behave or face the consequences.

---

It took countless hours before Lex's wolf was worn out, luckily, to the point of releasing control.

The bleeding eventually stopped. Every step she took sent pain up her body. The slower and more careful her steps, the better she felt.  

The wolf came off its anger and hostility once she realized the pack was there for support, not to kill her.  

Lex's change back to a human took longer than her change to a wolf. I completed my change with tons of time to spare for hers.  

The pack had left to give her some privacy. They all knew she was still uncomfortable with too much nudity.  

Finn and I sat on the ground, clothed for everyone's peace of mind, and waited for her to finish.  

"How long are these prolonged changes going to last?" I asked as I kept my eyes on her. I wouldn't take my eyes off of her while she was suffering so much.  

"I'm not sure, Mason," he muttered watching her closely. "It may take twenty changes, it might only take one." 

It wasn't a reassuring thought.

"Your wives gave you children." 

He nodded. "None of them were like us." 

I huffed. "I don't like being clueless when it comes to my mate." 

I could see his smile out of the corner of my eye.  

"Most men are clueless when it comes to their women."  

I shot him a quick glare. I wouldn't insult him because I could sense his wolf close to the surface, no matter how badly my wolf was urging me to.  

"The point is this: your mate has made it farther than any other female has. They've all either given in to their change or lost control of their wolves and forced to be ended." 

"So this is all just a guessing game? No one knows what to expect?" 

Finn gave a reluctant sigh. "As frustrating as that may be..." 

Lex's change was complete ten minutes later. I didn't rush to her because I knew she was asleep. I didn't move to cover her because her skin was bright pink and new. She would be too sensitive to touch. Her stomach was healed, but the line across was an angry red color.  

I felt her starting to wake up before she finally did. Her wolf hadn't relinquished complete control over Lex's body, but Lex was still weak.  

When her eyes opened, she stared up at the sky for a minute. Her eyes were still colored with the gold from her wolf’s eyes. She moved to stand up, but winced when her skin pulled in her wound.

She looked over at me, as if startled to see someone. She smiled weakly as she glanced at Finn.  

"So have I changed already? Or do I still have to do that?" Her voice was weak and strained.  

It was common for those with no control of their wolves to experience amnesia. The fact that she didn't know what had happened unsettled me. This was the danger of neglecting your wolf. They lose the trust with their human counterpart.  

Her smile faltered. "Did I do something bad?" 

I shook my head. "No. You were surrounded by the pack the whole time." 

She sat up and grimaced. "Am I going to have to start all over again? It feels like I'm struggling with her." 

I didn't want to lie, or give her false hope. "We don't know, Lex. You're going to have to work it out with your wolf." 

She sighed and closed her eyes tightly as the pain started to take its toll on her. "This sucks." 

I gave her a small smile. "We're going to do everything we can to get you back to normal." 

She nodded and tried to stand, but she was too weak to do so. "Feel like carrying me home? I'd like to meet our child now." 

"You're going to be very sore." 

She snorted very unladylike. "I'm already sore. At least now I'll be able to take my mind off the pain for a while." 

I carefully picked her up and tried not to jostle her as I walked. Finn walked behind us, probably watching out for any signs that Lex was going to flip the crazy switch, but she didn't.  

When we got to the house Casey came out with a robe and covered Lex with it.  

She smiled at Lex with all the restraint she could muster. Casey wanted to hug and squeeze Lex, but knew she couldn't.  

"Amanda's in your room with the baby. We figured that's where you'd be most comfortable." 

Lex smiled and laid her head back on my chest. She was so exhausted.  

I carried her up to our room and put her on the bed. She was perked up and as eager to meet her child as I was. We didn't know the baby's gender, so we hadn't decided on any names.  

I took the small baby from Amanda with a smile. The kid was cute, kinda looked like Michael did when he was born.  

Amanda stood by the crib and watched silently as I carried the baby over to Lex. She was sticking around to help us out. Having a kid wasn't something I'd ever prepared for. I assumed I'd never have one, so I'd never gotten my hopes up.  

Lex was smiling at me when I looked over at her. "Being a daddy looks good on you, babe." 

The goldenness in her eyes was almost completely gone. Lex was winning the fight over her wolf because of this baby. I sat down in front of her to show her the baby.  

"So, what do we have?" She asked as she stared at the face of her child.  

"You have a girl," Amanda said from her watch spot.  

Lex's smile took over her face as she glanced over at Amanda. "Thank you for taking care of her while we were out." 

Amanda chuckled. "I'm just glad to be able to hold a baby again." 

Lex wrung her hands nervously. "Am I allowed to hold her?" 

I studied her eyes before agreeing to it. Her wolf was tucked away and unlikely to hurt our child.

"Be very careful." 

Lex nodded eagerly and held her hands out for the baby. Gently, I handed her the baby. Lex was already in love with our daughter.  

"She's worth it, don't you think?" She asked not taking her eyes off the baby.  

"Just this once." 

Lex looked up confused. "What?" 

"This is the only child we will have, Lex."  

She looked sorrowful for a moment before nodding and looking back at the baby. "I would've liked to have more than one child, but I understand."

"This took a lot out of you." I stroked the side of her face. "Who knows if you could go through this again?"

She nodded and leaned into my hand. "I know. I'm grateful that we have her."

I smiled and leaned over the baby to give Lex a kiss.

"So, what are we going to name her?" I asked as I leaned back against my hands.

Lex looked down at the baby. "I've been thinking about my mother's name."

"Nadine?" I knew Lex missed her parents. They had been important to her and she never really had a lot of time with them. They had her later in life, when their time left was almost over.

She nodded. I could feel her readying herself for my rejection of the name, but the truth was that I liked it. "Alright," I said after keeping her squirming in her seat for a while. "But the middle name will be my mother's name."

With a huge smile she agreed. She held the baby out so we could both see her face.

"Nadine Caroline Meyers," Lex cooed, getting the baby to make a face.

"I don't think she likes it," I muttered.

Lex shrugged. "She doesn't get a choice. She'll learn to like it."

I chuckled and gave Lex a kiss before looking back at Amanda. "So what are you going to be teaching us?"

Amanda was smirking as she walked over to us. "I'm going to teach you how to do something, for once."

---

It wasn't much later that Lex and Nadine were sleeping. Not that Lex would know, but I took Nadine with me to make sure that when Lex woke up, it was her and not her crazed wolf that was seeing the baby.

Grayson was on the back porch, supervising the teenagers as they had a water fight. It was hot out here this time of year.

Grayson smiled and took Nadine away from me when he saw her. She was so small he probably could've carried her in one hand.

"Taking a liking to being a dad?"

I shrugged. "I've been a dad for a day."

He chuckled at me, eyeing his niece. "It'll hit you. Just wait 'til she's as old as these ones."  He motioned to the teenagers in the yard.

"Yeah, but at least they all had each other to grow up with."

It did make me feel bad that Nadine wouldn't have the bonds of a sibling or a cousin in the group. She was born too late. If anything, the older kids would act more like uncles and an aunt to her.

Grayson smiled. "With you being her daddy, I'm sure she'll be busy enough."

"With me being her dad, she might end up repelling friends."

He smirked at me as he handed my child back to me. "Well, she has Lex. Lex will find her kids to play with."

"She's going to end up spoiled."

Grayson barked a laugh, causing Nadi to start wailing.

"Oops," he said as he walked away. "I do not miss that sound."

I rolled my eyes and looked down at the crying baby in my arms.

"This is going to be a wild ride, isn't it little girl?"

A/N

And that's it for this story! I hoped you all liked it. Thank you for reading!