Rejected Mate and Following Fate

Chapter 124: A New Life

“You did it, baby. Look at our girls!” Colton’s excited tone pulls me out of my fatigue as he mops mybrow and tries to dry up the sweat that’s cascading like a waterfall. The cries of newborns ringing in myears after what seems like the longest and most hellish night of my life. I can barely stay awake. A newday is peeking at us from outside the curtains which he drew at some point when the light got toointense. Everything feels surreal and it’s hard now to imagine I just spent so many hours going throughthe trauma of childbirth while the world is still. The memory of the pain is already subsiding.

My emotions are fried and the eagerness to lay eyes on them is the only thing keeping me consciouswhile my limbs cry to give out. My body is tender and heavy like a deadweight, but I am so glad it’sfinally over. I should turn to self heal but I can’t muster the energy and would rather sleep after holdingmy babies.

“Here you are, momma. Two healthy girls and beautiful, just like you.” Marda leans down over me andplaces one from each arm on my chest. Instinctively I nurse them against me as they look to be fed andColton helps pull open my nightdress shirt and assists. He’s a natural and been so good these pasthours, keeping me sane, anticipating my needs and watching over me. I don’t think I could have donethis without him.

My eyes mist with tears as this insane overwhelming love and adoration fills my heart to brimming atthe mere presence of these two tiny lives. An all-encompassing emotion that I have never experiencedbefore until I laid eyes on the beauty of our girls. It’s that knowledge that from here on in I will doanything to protect and love them, even die to ensure their safety. Perfect in every way and my prioritynow. Small and delicate but completely formed in miniature.

Each has a spattering of fine light hair, downy soft, much like mine, even if they are still covered in themess from birth. The sallower skin of Colton and his Columbian genes, but the features are acombination of both of us as children in one face. I watch in fascination at one and then the other asthey try to latch on to nurse. Finding their own way instinctively to source my milk and withoutnovelbin

hesitation. Little tiny eyelashes flickering open as I lock eyes for the first time on the new creations thathave been growing within me for months. It doesn’t feel real and I can’t believe that we made theseprecious little beings.

I stop mid breath as first one flickers bright glowing blue my way, blinking and sleepy eyed, a sign ofColton’s magic within and the other glows red. As clear as switching ion a light in the pitch dark. Bothstare at me for a moment, somehow focusing on the body they seem to recognize as mother andColton sees it too before they drift closed and focus on suckling. My heart leaps into my throat and mymind slides into frantic overtime at what this might mean. We always knew the genetics might mean thegirls would not be as Lychan as we hoped, or that they might have obvious gifts like Colton and I nowdo, but I didn’t expect it to be prominent from the get go.

We exchange concerned glances, that inner fear of their differences to normal pups, and Marda patsme atop my head with a motherly smile. Seeing our worry and sensing the sudden change inatmosphere between us.

“Gifts are present at birth only fleetingly; it doesn’t mean anything right now. As they grow what theycan do will become more prominent and sometimes things fade away. It’s just an eye color, they allchange quickly into the daytime human shade soon enough. Lychan babies are born with glowingamber. It doesn’t mean anything.”

I eye her dubiously trying to think back to my childhood and the lack of my abilities until my awakeningceremony. I’m not sure that Colton’s magical gifts would have been so concealed if Sierra hadn’t boundus so I can’t be assured that our babies won’t have something in infancy that shows up.

“It doesn’t matter what is more prominent. They’re our girls and the pack know they might be differentto them. If Lychan isn’t the dominant gene, then we won’t care, and we’ll love them regardless. We’lldeal with whatever gifts are thrown at us.” Colton scoops my hand in his and soothes me with hiswords. That tone of dominant alpha on show because he’s stubborn and he means every word.

“I don’t want them to feel different and unwanted. I want them to grow up feeling they fit in.” SomethingI never did, and it worries me now that they will be noticeably different to Lychan pups. Pups don’t havegifts in childhood at all, not until their own awakening. I never knew they were born with amber eyes somaybe I am worrying about nothing, and my babies won’t display any difference to other children for along time. I might be overthinking.

I pull them closer and snuggle my face nearer, inhaling that baby scent that’s unique and now part ofthem. A smell I know I will become addicted to in time and will eventually pine for when it fades as theyage. Colton leans in and strokes them both gently over their tiny skulls before kissing both on theforehead. Immersed in his own overflowing love for his daughters. I can feel it in him, and we share theemotions while smiling down at two gorgeous little heads.

“They’re perfect. The pack will welcome them with open arms and love them as much as we do.”Marda wanders away, folding muslin cloths and fills a bowl with fresh water before strolling back andoffering it to Colton to keep tending to my face and neck. I’ve stopped sweating but my skin is dampand clammy, and she nods as he takes it to administer some care to me.

“Have you decided on names? I know you didn’t want to reveal them until they were born.”

“We have.” Colton is the one to reply. “Eve and Eden. It somehow seems fitting for the first tribrids toever grace our lands. I think they look like an Eve …” he points to the smaller of the two girls, the onewith the blue eyes, “And an Eden” he strokes my hand over our red eyed girl’s back, reading my mindin how we are to name them even though both are practically mirror images of one another. Somehowtheir names seem to fit. Identical twins with similar names but completely different meanings. Edenmeans ‘delight’ and Eve means ‘full of life’. We spent so long tossing names back and forth beforesettling on those.

“Pretty names for pretty girls. Girls that I am sure will go on to achieve great things for the Santo pack.”Marda pats Colton on the shoulder and wanders off to leave us to our feeding session.

“We can announce it to that lot out there. I’ll tell them you need time to feed them and pull yourselftogether and then I’ll take the babies out for them to see and let you rest. I won’t let any visitors in untilyou’ve slept, and I’ll make sure our parents are the first. Both are waiting downstairs.” Colton brushes akiss across my temple, back in nurturing carer mode. “I’m really proud of you. They’re healthy andperfect and you did so well.”

“Not doing it again in a hurry.” I smile weakly and settle my head back into my pillows to relax and dosewhile they continue to suckle. I’m exhausted and not all that sad about his no visitor rule for a fewhours. I feel bad knowing I am keeping my father waiting, but I really am in no fit state just yet.

Marda starts to tend to the bed clothes which are all pushed way down below my feet. Switching outthe blood soaked messy for clean fresh linen, and Colton lifts my legs to help her change them.

“I’ll be back soon.” Colton stops fussing over me and goes to do what he said while Marda takes thetime to my body and helps me to maneuver without disturbing the girls as she dresses me in mypajamas on the lower half and tucks me into a fresh bed.

“Enjoy the quiet before the storm, Luna. After this the visitors and well wishers and resting time will beharder to find. Don’t let them overwhelm you. Take your time to recover, to bond with your girls. Thepack can wait. Tradition is that we used to wait fourteen days before the Luna brought out thenewborns to show them to the pack and I wish that was still the norm. Mother’s need respite as mostlike you, want to recover naturally without turning. They somehow feel the achievement means morewhen they allow a slower healing process and the bond to their children is stronger.”

“I understand that. After going through all of this, I don’t want to wipe it away as if the last hours werenothing. I want to linger in my exhaustion and relief that pain is over. Maybe in a day or two I’ll turn andget back to fit but it’s been so long staying human that I’m in no hurry.”

I can’t explain it, but I understand what she means. The experience is tied up in the agony and theexhaustion. I want to hold onto every precious moment and memory of birth.

“What now, Luna?” Marda comes to sit on the edge of the bed and checks the feeding position,stroking little skulls and smiling with a warmth of a woman who has mothered her own little ones withher full heart.

“We take each day as it comes, and we see what happens. My father, Sierra, all will come up soonenough to welcome our next generation and life will move on. I don’t know what the future holds but Iknow that Colton and I will do everything in our power from here on in to always protect them.”

And we will. No matter what it takes or what life throws at us. We survived wars and so much worse.We will always do everything in our power to protect our family.

“My gut tells me these two will be important to our species one day. We’ve never had anything quitelike them and it will be a wonderful thing to watch as they develop their natural abilities.” Marda admiresthem and reaches out to stroke the hair from my damp face with the gentlest of touches.

“Doc has requested that he be allowed to monitor them as they do. To record their progress anddocument changes. He thinks it will be an amazing addition to his research of non-human species. Hiseternal fascination of Lychans and immortals.” I smile warmly at that as I say it. Conjuring up oureccentric adopted Uncle who sometimes visits from his research lab to keep Sierra up to date, andgenerally because he misses us. He’s become a part of the Santo family and the pack adore him asmuch as we do. A never-ending source of knowledge for our kind in matters we never understoodbefore.

“Juan Santo really should regret everything he lost. His own grandchildren, how amazing his son is.The rebuild of the pack.” Marda’s face crumbles a little at the thought of the Alpha who ruled for most of

her life, and I’m sobered by the sound of his name. many older Lychan like her still hold him in a placein their hearts for the years before he changed and led us all into misery.

A few months ago, my father informed us Juan passed away not long after he was taken prisoner. Withvengeance and hate replaced with a desire to bond with me, he no longer had the stomach for tortureand allowed Juan to leave this world once and for all. It was quick, as painless a death as could be atthe hands of vampires mauling you to death, and Colton never mentioned it again. He’s gone, the evilthat started everything and yet there’s a part of me that aches for Colton because I know deep down,he wishes his father had been different in the end. I’m sad that my girls lack a grandfather because hewas so caught up in his own madness he forgot what love and family was.

“Only sunny skies and happier days from here on in, right?” Marda pats me once more and gets upfrom the bed as the door clicks open and Colton slides back in, beaming from ear to ear. Obvioushappiness and glee etched from head to foot, and I know it’s from the excitement of our friends, family,and pack outside waiting patiently.

“I love my life. What more could I ask for but all my girls.” He beams enthusiastically and scoots back tomy side, hopping on the bed and slides an arm under my head to cuddle up close and watch ourchildren sleep.

“You say that now, but you haven’t met night feeds or tantrums yet.” I giggle and nuzzle against him,closing my eyes to sleep because I know he will stand guard and move our kids when they are donefeeding. When I am out cold he’ll take them to meet their family.

“Bring it on. There’s nothing in this life that you can throw at me that I won’t handle like a boss.” Hekisses me on the temple with passion, squeezes me tight and I relax, rest assured that he means itbecause I know it’s true.

AUTHORS NOTE - This is the End of Awakening but not the end of the Series. I do have more booksrelated to this planned but this will be the last from Alora's story.

Thank you all so much for sticking with it and see you in the next book xx