Page 209 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha

I leaned my head on her shoulder as her words sank deep into my heart. She was right; if I couldn’t have faith in myself, I could have faith in Bryn. I trusted her with my very soul, and if she saw the good in me despite all my flaws, maybe I could try to do the same.

A short while later, Dom and Lance came back with food from the dining hall. My stomach grumbled again when I smelled it, but I wasn’t so embarrassed about it this time.

“Glad to see you’ve been on your best behavior, Night,” Dom said as he handed me the to-go plate. “You were good enough that Violet let you free.”

I flipped him off without looking at him, my eyes on the generous helping of roast beef, potatoes, and carrots. I pulled off the plastic cover and dug in. By the time the door to Bryn’s room opened a second time, I’d inhaled half of it. This time, it was Tavi who stepped outside.

“Violet, we need you. It’s almost time—” she paused, her nostrils flaring as she smelled the food. She covered her mouth with her hand, turning a faint shade of green.

I frowned, confused by her response, but Mom gasped.

“Octavia Black!” she exclaimed. “Is it true?”

Tavi nodded, her face reddening.

I glanced at Lance and Dom, but they seemed just as confused as me.

“Is what true?” Dom demanded. “What’s going on?”

Mom stood, her arms crossed even though she was smiling. “Octavia, you had better tell him yourself.”

Tavi sighed and turned to Dom. “I…I’m pregnant.”

There was silence, and then I gasped, sucking food down my windpipe. I started choking, and Lance slapped my back hard enough to dislodge the food. Dom hopped to his feet and took Tavi’s shoulders. Over the sound of my coughing, I heard them talking.

“Tavi, for real? How far along are you? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Well, I-I suspected it for a week or so, but I wasn’t sure until I took the test last night. I was going to tell you today, but I didn’t want to bring it up before the meeting, and then Bryn went into labor, and…and…”

Samara appeared in the doorway behind her. Her expression was serious. “I really hate to interrupt, but the baby is about to start crowning. We don’t have time to wait.”

“Crowning already?” Mom asked, rushing past her. “Goodness me.”

Tavi promised Dom that they’d talk more, and she kissed him before heading inside. Samara closed the door after her. Still coughing, I stumbled to my feet to walk in after them, but Lance held me back again.

For a while, all I heard was Bryn’s grunts and cries, the sounds putting me and my wolf on edge. When I glanced at the clock, I saw that the months I felt had passed were only minutes.

And then, after another eternity, the sweetest, tiniest cry I’d ever heard in my life came from the room. Instead of pulling me back, Dom and Lance followed me inside. At first, I saw nothing, but in another minute, they cleaned the baby and Doc handed the baby carefully back to Bryn.

I was treated to the most beautiful sight in the world: an exhausted, lovely Bryn whose face shone with tears and sweat, holding a small bundle swaddled in a pink blanket. Every other person in the room disappeared.

Bryn had given birth to a girl. I had a daughter.

She looked at me, a tired smile on her face. “Night, come and see her.”

For all my eagerness to get in here, now that it was over and it was time for me to meet my daughter face to face, my legs moved like they were weighed down with steel. When I made it to the bed, Bryn moved the blanket so I could see her face.

I’d seen brand-new babies before—when I was a teenager, I helped my mom midwife for pregnant mothers in the infirmary.

Back then, I’d thought the newborns were so small as to be alien, but the moment I set eyes on my baby girl, all I could think about was how perfect, how lovely she was.

Her skin was so delicate, and she seemed to be crafted from pink parchment.

Her tufts of soft, black hair shone in the room, and her itty bitty mouth revealed an itty bitty tongue when she gave a tiny yawn. I fell in love with her immediately.

“Isn’t she beautiful?” Bryn asked in a whisper.

“Yes,” I replied, my voice cracking.

“You want to hold her?”

“Yes.” I couldn’t refuse, couldn’t even shape my mouth to say “no.”

Mom was at my side then. She carefully lifted the baby from Bryn’s arms and counseled me on how to properly cradle the baby’s head.

My pup had no weight to her. I might as well have been holding warm air. It terrified me how easily I could crush her, but when I got more used to her, holding her was second nature.

The baby passed hands. Even the grim Samara cooed and fawned over our baby.

Bryn wore a tired, grateful smile, but when she started to nod off, it was time for everyone to leave and give us some privacy.

Tavi and Mom gave us teary kisses and hugs, and Dom, Lance, Samara, and Doc congratulated us as they filed out.

The last one to leave was Ellen. She stopped and turned to us.

Whatever our disagreements had been, she still had my respect.

When we cut the meeting short because Bryn was going into labor, Ellen was one of the first ones to head to the infirmary.

She’d shown no reservations about the fact that this was a Kings’ facility.

She’d stood beside Doc, her second cousin, and kept Bryn and my baby safe.

“I know the other council members and I gave you a lot of hell, Night,” she said. “But I respect you and Bryn for giving it right back.” She smiled. “I don’t think Wayne would ever say this himself because of his pride, but I know I speak for him and my cohorts when I say: we were wrong about you.”

I blinked at her, too stunned to speak.

She laughed at my expression. “I don’t blame you for looking so surprised. It’s not like we made this clear, but I’m telling you that we’re on your side for the foreseeable future—and not just because we could be voted out.”

That surprised a chuckle out of me. “Thanks, Ellen. That’s a relief to hear.”

She nodded. “We can talk more some other time. For now, I’ll leave you to your beautiful family. Congratulations to you and Bryn. I hope only the best for you two and your daughter.”

She left, closing the door softly behind her. I turned to Bryn, nearly jumping when I saw her eyes were open.

“I didn’t expect her to say that,” she whispered.

“You heard all of it?”

She gave a sleepy nod. “I was falling asleep, but when I heard her talking, I forced myself to stay awake because I wanted to know what she was going to say.”

To be honest, part of me had wished that there was another witness to what Ellen had said, because she’d said things I thought she’d never say. But I’d thought Bryn was asleep.

“I’m glad you were awake.” I smiled. “But you need to get some rest.”

“I know.” She turned her head toward me. Our baby was nestled between us, sleeping soundly, her little fists balled. “And it’ll be so much easier knowing that we’ve got the full support of the Wargs Council.”

“I agree.” I kissed her forehead and then our daughter’s. I could hardly believe that something so little and beautiful and perfect could be mine. Never in my life had I felt happier or more complete than when I had my girls in my arms.