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. . .

Sarah (Mia’s mother)

L iam’s warm hand glides over my pregnant belly, his touch gentle as he nestles his face into my neck.

“Our beautiful omega,” he whispers, his breath hot against my skin.

My three alphas surround me.

Theo is pressing against my back, and Ezra’s head is resting on my thigh. Their scents mingle with mine, making me feel safer than I’ve ever been, despite the constant fear we’ve lived with for years being together.

“I can’t believe our baby’s almost here,” Theo murmurs, tracing circles on my hip with his fingers. His touch sends shivers down my spine even when I’m nine months pregnant.

My alphas are obsessed with my ever-changing body, and I secretly love it. Sighing contentedly, I sink deeper into our nest of blankets. The cabin creaks around us as the wind whistles through the trees outside.

“You’re so gorgeous, my omega,” Liam growls, sliding his hand up to cup my breast.

I gasp as he squeezes gently, my nipple immediately hardening against his palm. My breasts have become impossibly sensitive as my body prepares for the baby.

“She loves that,” Theo chuckles, his hand roaming up my thigh, dangerously close to my core. “Look at her squirm.”

“These tits,” Ezra says, circling my other breast with his finger. “Remember how they used to fit in my palm? Now they’re spilling over.”

Heat pools between my legs at his words. My body is a traitor, constantly aroused by their attention despite my enormous belly and swollen ankles.

“Pregnancy suits you, little one,” Liam whispers, his thumb grazing my nipple. “You’ve never been more beautiful.”

I bite my lip, trying to suppress a moan. “You’re just saying that because—oh!”

Something warm gushes between my legs, soaking through my pajama shorts and onto the bed. Did I squirt and lose control so quickly?

But then I realized this is different.

“My water,” I gasp, staring wide-eyed at Liam. “It broke.”

All three alphas freeze, their expressions shifting from playful to alert in an instant.

“We need to go now,” Theo says, alarmed.

Before I can protest, a vicious pain tears through my abdomen. I cry out, clutching my belly as a contraction grips me.

“Yes,” I pant when the pain subsides. “But it’s our first baby, so we have time.”

Ezra immediately jumps up. “We’re not taking any chances. You are our new bride and pregnant with our first baby.”

But while the alphas scramble to gather my things, a loud knock shakes our front door, followed by angry shouting.

“Open up! ”

My blood runs cold. I clutch Liam’s arm, terror seizing me more violently than the contraction did.

“They found us,” I whisper.

Liam turns to me, his face a mask of controlled fury.

“Sarah, listen to me,” he says, grabbing a thick coat from beside the bed and wrapping it around my shoulders. “Ezra’s going to take you out the back way. Theo and I will stay behind.”

“No!” I clutch at him desperately as another contraction hits, shorter but sharper. “I’m not leaving you, Liam!”

The door frame splinters with another hit. We’re out of time.

“You have to,” Theo says, already pulling on jeans and grabbing the gun we keep under the bed. “For the baby. For our daughter.”

Tears stream down my face as Ezra lifts me into his arms. I’m too heavy, too awkward with my pregnant belly, but he carries me like I weigh nothing.

“I love you,” I sob, reaching for Liam and Theo as Ezra backs toward our bedroom door. “Please, please be careful.”

Liam presses a fierce kiss to my lips. “We’ll find you. No matter what happens, we’ll find you.”

“No! Come with us,” I cry out as Ezra is already moving to the door.

My heart races with panic as the front door crashes open just as Ezra slips through the back bedroom entrance. I hear Theo’s roar of challenge, followed by Liam’s deeper growl.

Gunshots echo through the cabin, and I bury my face in Ezra’s shoulder, unable to look back.

The night air is chilly as Ezra carries me into the darkness. He runs smoothly, his breathing steady despite my weight. The forest is pitch black around us, but that doesn’t seem to bother Ezra one bit .

“It’s going to be okay,” he murmurs against my hair. “I’ve got you, honey.”

I try to believe him, but another contraction rips through me, and I bite down on his shoulder to keep from screaming. The pain is blinding, coming faster than I expected for early labor.

“We need to get you somewhere safe,” Ezra says, picking up speed. “The contractions shouldn’t be this close yet.”

“The stress,” I gasp when I can speak again. “It’s making everything happen faster.”

We’ve made it maybe half a mile when I hear the crack of a rifle echoing through the trees.

Ezra stumbles, a strange look crossing his face as he stiffens.

“Run,” he whispers, his voice suddenly weak. “Sarah, you need to run.”

He collapses to his knees, still cradling me to keep me from hitting the ground. In the faint moonlight, I see the spreading darkness on his chest, the wetness that isn’t water or sweat.

“No,” I whisper, my hands flying to his face. “No, Ezra, no!”

His beautiful eyes, which have looked at me with such love for three years, are already growing dim.

“I love you,” he mouths, using the last of his strength to push me away gently. And then he falls, his body crumpling to the forest floor.

“Ezra!” I scream, forgetting everything in my desperation. I cradle his face, slap his cheeks, and press my ear to his chest. Nothing. No heartbeat, no breath. My alpha is gone.

Voices in the distance jolt me back to reality. They heard my scream. They’re coming.

Another contraction seizes me, so powerful I nearly vomit from the pain. I crawl away from Ezra’s body, every inch feeling like a betrayal. I can’t leave him here, alone in the cold dirt. But I have to for our daughter.

For the last piece of him I’ll ever have.

I drag myself behind a thick bush just as flashlight beams sweep the area where Ezra lies. I shove my fist into my mouth to stifle my sobs, watching through the leaves as alphas in uniforms surround my alpha’s body.

“Got one,” a voice calls out.

“Where’s the omega?” another demands. “She can’t have gotten far. Must be wearing scent blockers.”

“She has to be close by.”

I sink lower, pressing my face into the earth. The contraction subsides, giving me a moment of clarity. I have to move. I have to get away from here.

On my hands and knees, I crawl deeper into the forest, away from the lights and voices. Every few minutes, another contraction hits, and I freeze, biting down on my sleeve or forearm to keep silent. Blood and fluid trickle down my legs, soaking my sleep shorts and drenching my thighs.

This is all my fault. If I had just mated with the alpha chosen for me- then Liam, Theo, and Ezra would be safe. But I was selfish. I loved them all, and now Ezra is dead. Liam and Theo might be, too.

I keep moving, driven by pain, fear, and the desperate need to protect my baby. In the distance, I can see torches through the trees. They’ve brought reinforcements.

Hours pass in a blur of agony and tears.

I lose track of where I am, only knowing I need to keep moving away from the cabin, away from the men who killed Ezra. Soon, I reach a narrow road.

I collapse next to the ditch, unable to go any further. The contractions are constant now, my body bearing down with irresistible force.

With shaking hands, I pull off my ruined shorts. The baby is coming, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it. I brace myself against a tree trunk, legs spread, and push with the next contraction.

The pain is unlike anything I’ve ever felt, and I scream, no longer caring who hears me. Let them come. Let them find me. I want this to be over.

I push again, feeling something tear inside me. Warm blood gushes between my legs, but the baby still isn’t coming. I reach down, feeling her head just beginning to crown.

“Oh, moons,” I gasp, tears and sweat pouring down my face. “Come on, baby girl. Your daddies need you to live.”

With one final, excruciating push, she slides from my body in a rush of fluid and blood. I catch her with trembling hands, pulling her to my chest.

She’s tiny and purple, covered in white vernix and blood. For one terrible moment, she doesn’t move, doesn’t cry. I rub her back frantically, clearing mucus from her nose and mouth.

“Please,” I sob. “Please breathe, baby. Please.”

She lets out a tiny cough, then a wail—the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard. I laugh through my tears, cradling her close. “Oh, thank God.”

I wrap her in my coat. She’s perfect—ten fingers, ten toes, a tuft of dark hair like Ezra’s.

Headlights appear in the distance, and a car approaches on the lonely road. I try to move, to hide, but my body refuses. I’ve lost too much blood, pushed beyond my limits. I can barely hold my daughter, let alone run.

The car slows, then stops. An older couple steps out—a man and woman, ordinary-looking, with concerned faces.

“Oh my God,” the woman gasps, rushing toward me. “Harold, call an ambulance!”

“No!” I clutch my baby tighter. “No hospitals. They’ll find us.”

The human woman kneels beside me. “Who will find you? You’re hurt. You need help.”

I’m fading fast, darkness creeping in at the edges of my vision. I have seconds, maybe, to make the most critical decision of my life.

“Take her,” I whisper, holding out my daughter. “Please. They’ll kill her if they find her.”

The woman hesitates, then carefully takes the bundle.

“What’s her name?” she asks as she cradles the bundle in her arms. I look at my daughter’s face one last time, memorizing every detail.

“Mia,” I say, the name we chose together, the four of us, lying in bed and dreaming of a future we’ll never have. “Her name is Mia.”

The last thing I see is my daughter’s face, cradled in a stranger’s arms before darkness claims me completely.