Because the last one was boring, and I've been gone a week, I'm uploading TWO chapters today.

:: There is one chapter and an epilogue left!!

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I was starting to get anxious as the weeks passed. At thirty-eight weeks pregnant, all I could do was lay around. I was too big to go anywhere. Walking made me uncomfortable. Sitting or laying down for too long made me uncomfortable. I wasn't getting more than a few hours of sleep at any time.

I was ready to be done. I hadn't left Mikko's house since my last appointment with Jared. Lexi would come over, but that was only when Mikko was around, which wasn't often. My discomfort made me snappy, so all I would do is fight with him. It wasn't because I wanted to, I just couldn't stop it. So, he avoided me unless I called for him.

I just felt so alone. Mikko had said he wanted me here so he could protect me, but he left me alone for most of the day. I was positive that there was a wolf somewhere around Mikko's house just watching.

I heard the kitchen door open, so I turned to investigate. No one dangerous would be coming into Mikko's house. I watched Finn walk into the living room. I was disappointed when it wasn't Mikko coming to keep me company.

I offered a small, but fake smile. "Hi Finn."

He returned a smile, but his smile felt authentic. "Hello Emily."

Finn sat down on the recliner, since I was lounging on the couch. I was just too tired to move. "What brings you around?" I asked because I hadn't seen him since I had stayed at his house for a few days.

"I was hoping to have a little chat with you about my son."

I rolled my eyes. "Your son." I shook my head and looked back out the window. "And why would you want to talk about your son with me?"

"I suppose this isn't something you'd want to talk with a father-in-law with." I looked back at him. Did that mean he considered me a daughter? "But you don't know Mikko or why he's behaving the way he is."

With a sigh, I pushed myself up into a more sitting position. "So you're about to also give me excuses for how your son has acted like the world's biggest douche bag."

He smiled. "Perhaps he has. But you deserve to know why."

"Shouldn't Mikko be the one explaining this to me?"

Finn laughed. "Mikko is a complicated being Emily. Usually he has better control over his actions, but in all his life there's only been one time when he's felt so hopelessly out of control."

I kept my eyes on Finn. "And when was that?"

He gave me a weak smile. "When his wife was murdered."

I was completely shocked. Mikko didn't come off as a guy who would even think of getting married or anything else that came along with a relationship. I just sat there, mouth moving as I tried to think of something to say.

Finn's smile grew stronger. "The man that Mikko is now isn't he man that he was back then. He was happy and optimistic. Now he just does what he is responsible for and pays no regard for much of anything else."

I leaned back in the chair, rubbing my belly. "I'd rather have that old Mikko here."

Finn nodded. "I'm hoping that those babies will bring my son back to how he was. For so long he's been against deep personal ties to anyone that he wouldn't even take a girlfriend out of the fear of what could happen to them."

"He doesn't want the life of someone he loves on his conscience." I nodded as I processed this information. "Having children will force him to open up, or he's going to be hated by his kids for being so cold."

Finn looked at my belly before looking at my face again. "He will be a good father to these children. It's you he might not be as good to."

I shrugged. "Mikko and I are well past the point of entertaining the idea that we can be a traditional family. I'm always going to just be his baby-mama and he is always just going to be my baby-daddy."

Finn nodded once. "But my son will open up after having these babies around for a while. It's then that you need to try to change his mind."

I shook my head. "I don't think he'll change his mind Finn. I don't know how much you think you know about what has happened between Mikko and me, but I can't be with him. He's an ass and thinks very little of me."

Finn sunk back in his chair. "Mikko's just acting out."

"Acting out or not, the damage is done." I let the finality of what I said hang in the air. I knew it was true. Everything that had happened between the two of us was just too much.

"I suppose it is then." He pushed himself off the couch. "I hope you keep the idea open. I would hate for him to see the errors of his ways when it's too late to make a change."

How could Finn be talking to me about this? I wasn't making it some secret that I wanted to give it a shot with Mikko, for my kids. "I'm not the one who needs some convincing. You should be talking to your son about this."

He nodded. "I have."

"And you think coming to me is going to change his mind? If he were going to change his mind, he would have already." It wouldn't be my fault if Mikko ruined his chance at having a family of his own. My life had stalled out enough because of him.

"I know what you want for your son. My dad wanted it for me, but it's just not possible right now," I said gently before he walked away.

I knew Finn wouldn't go far. If he came here to talk to me about Mikko, meant Mikko wasn't around and there was probably no one nearby to hear what we had talked about.

Finn would make himself scarce, but he wouldn't leave until Mikko came back. Slowly but surely, I was starting to understand these complicated wolves I was forced to be around.

I drifted off thinking about Mikko being married to someone… Was his past really holding him back from having a family of his own?

***

Waking up, I could hear two deep male voices talking. I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was five minutes past when I was supposed to meet the pack doctor for a checkup. I had one every day now that I was so close to giving birth.

I rubbed my hand over my face as I stretched. I heard their grumbling then, so I stayed still and listened to whatever they were talking about… I could eavesdrop when I felt like it.

"...not Jess." It took a second to realize one of the voices was Mikko's.

"...she's not going to make the same mistakes." Finn's voice was the second.

My sleepiness slipped away when I realized that I had the opportunity to eavesdrop on a conversation between Mikko and Finn.

"I'm not going to let her make the same mistakes Jess made. Until the kids are eighteen I'm not letting her do anything." Mikko sounded mad and irritated.

"You can't control her Mikko. She's not your possession." I recognized that tone. It was the fatherly chastising I had often received from my father when I was growing up.

"No." Mikko growled. "I know what you want. You want me to fall in love with the little chit and get a mate out of the deal."

"She's the mother of your first children Mikko." Finn reasoned.

"I'll never love her." I felt a little pang at Mikko's declaration. Have I been counting on the hopes of having a real family of my own? "I'll appreciate her as the mother of my children. I'll take care of her and protect her, but not love her. She's too young and too naive."

Mikko would rid me of any naivety I had, I thought bitterly.

"And what's your plan going to be when she falls in love with you?" Did Finn think that it was guaranteed that I would fall in love with his son? Someone who can't return the favor?

"I'm a good actor. I'll just fuck her to keep her content for the next twenty years." Mikko's growl remained in his voice. I narrowed my eyes in the direction of the voices. He assumed I'd be easy to please.

"She'll see through your act." Finn warned his son.

"She didn't see through it when I knocked her up." Mikko let out a short bitter laugh. "Your plan had unexpected consequences."

I couldn't stand to hear anymore. I sat up, making the couch squeak and groan.

I felt my abdomen tighten and become very uncomfortable during a contraction. I sat up straight and rubbed my hand over my belly. I'd been having a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions since the babies dropped into position for birth. I hissed as a breathed out. This one was strong. The pain wasn't so bad, it was just uncomfortable.

When the contraction subsided I looked up to see Finn with an amused expression as he looked at me. He knew that I had been listening! He had probably planned it out so I'd hear the conversation between him and Mikko! Mikko had accused him of planning something with consequences… the night I slept with Mikko to conceive the twins? The thought alone was enough to give me a headache.

"I'm late for my appointment." When I got up, I rejected Finn's hand to help me up. Everything I thought about Finn had probably been wrong. He had told Mikko to pick me up that night. Nikki suggested the idea to me when we had just found out about Mikko! I'd had to let her know that her theory had been correct.

I stopped at the bathroom. Since the babies had dropped I had to use the bathroom even more.

I stood there alone for a few seconds before I felt the oddest sensation I had ever felt. My very first thought was: I peed myself! But it didn't stop even when I tried to stop it. Then my nursing training kicked in.

"My water broke!" I screamed. I could've whispered it, but I was terrified. I had a breached baby! I couldn't give birth! Not now!

I took a few seconds to breathe and think. The babies were coming, but I had time. Very rarely were children born minutes after the water breaking.

"Someone get me a change of clothes." I undressed and started the shower.

Not much of the fluid had gotten onto the floor. A lot of it soaked into my pants. The huge shirt would pick up the rest of it.

I was in the water when I heard the door open. The smokiness of the glass shower doors came to my shoulders, so I could see who was coming in and all the entering person would see is a silhouette of my body.

It was Mikko and he was holding new clothes for me. "You need to get to the infirmary."

I took a deep breath and nodded. "I know. I just need a minute."

"They're coming Emily."

I narrowed my eyes on him. "Get out!"

His brows creased. "You can't-"

"Get out!" I yelled. "I have more experience in this area. You've never been around the birthing process. I worked in this area! Now, get out!"

He put the clothes down and left. I nodded once at the closed door. Ha!

I calmed down while I soaked in the shower. The flow of the fluid stopped while I was showering.

When I came out of the bathroom, the three men were standing around, probably pacing until I stepped out.

"I need to call my dad and Nikki."

"You shouldn't be worried about them right now," Mikko said gently, probably wanting to avoid me yelling at him.

"I have time and the calls will be short." I took my phone from Finn when he held it out for me.

"Thanks."

I punched in dad’s number. He picked up quickly. “Hello.”

“Hey daddy.”

“Hey baby. What are you doing?”

“Getting ready to get these babies out of me.”

“Already?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can. I’m getting in the car. I love you.” Then he hung up in a rush and I’d be willing to bet he ran to his car.

I immediately called Nikki's number next.

“Yo.” Mike’s voice greeted me.

“Hey, where’s Nikki?”

“Hey girly,” she said. “You’re on speaker.”

“You better be ready to get your butt over here.”

“The babies coming?”

“Yep.”

She squealed. “Is your dad already on his way?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, yeah, he just pulled up. I’ll see you soon. Love ya!”

Then she hung up on me too.

“Well, they’ll be here in a few hours,” I told the two werewolves in the room, even though they had heard the entire conversation.

Mikko drove to Finn's house in record time. He looked calm and collected, but when I felt my first real contraction in the car, he revved the engine to get us there faster.

"You can change into the gown and I'll get you medicated so we can get those babies out of you."

I undressed with Mikko in the room since he refused to give me the privacy. When Jared came back into the room and washed up, I felt like I was going to pass out.

Mikko chuckled. "Breathe."

I shot him a glare. "You're not the one about to be cut open."

He smiled. "You're going to be alright. Nothing bad is going to happen."

"And if something bad happens, I'll just die."

Mikko looked over at Jared. "If the worst scenario happens, you'll be loaded with my blood."

I shook my head. "That doesn't make me feel better. I'll either change or die."

Mikko shrugged and stood in front of me. "Nothing bad is going to happen."

Jared stood on the other side of the bed. "Time to dose you up."

I turned towards Mikko and leaned forward, resting my head on Mikko's chest. Jared had the line in my back within five minutes. It was another twenty before I felt the medication doing its job. Jared kept busy by hooking me up to an IV so I didn't get dehydrated and gave him access to my veins in an emergency.

"Now for the main event," Jared said excitedly as I leaned back and rested on the table. "See you in a bit." He raised the surgical blanket so I couldn't see what was happening. It was better that way.

I felt pressure. It was odd and I didn't like it. But I had no choices here. It was all for the safe delivery of my children. I would deal with being uncomfortable for them.

"Alright." Jared's voice was muffled from the mask he had on. "Lots of pressure."

Mikko stood up, but kept his hand connected with mine. I winced when I felt the pressure. The sensation made me want to puke, but I held it together.

"We have a girl!" Jared said happily.

I looked a Mikko to see him staring at the small baby in amazement. One of the woman helping Jared wrapped up the crying baby girl and showed her to Mikko and me before taking her to an incubation station set up to make sure they were okay. I kept my eyes on her the whole time she was being checked out.

"Lots of pressure again."

This time wasn't so bad since I focused on my baby girl.

I heard crying immediately after the pressure eased. "And we have a baby boy."

The second woman helping out took the second baby and repeated the process with him.

They were both crying, which meant their lungs were developed and they were breathing. That was what mattered to me. Mikko kissed my hand once before leaving me to go check out his kids.

I felt the same discomfort as Jared took the placentas out of me. I heard him let out a curse. I immediately looked at Mikko, who had already looked back at Jared.

"You're going to feel more pressure Emily."

I was scared now. Something unexpected happened. That wasn't good while I had a huge wound in my abdomen. Mikko and the nurse who had been readying my little girl came over.

The pressure eased and I could hear some rushed movement. The nurse moved the small girl as Jared left me to carry another bundle to the incubation table. The woman handed Mikko his daughter before turning back to help Jared.

"What's happening?"

Mikko looked over at me with obvious shock in his usually calm features. "There's a third one."

Three? I felt cold and clammy at that thought. "Third? As in triplets?"

Mikko nodded as he looked at the small baby in his arms. I instantly felt lightheaded and passed out as Mikko came towards me.