3. Sixteen

~ Harper’s POV ~

My eyes were still stuck on the door of my office, through which my mate had just run off. Her sweet smell of chocolates and pine still lingered in the room and I couldn't help but take a few deep breaths to calm myself. 

I needed to do that because my wolf was going crazy. He was a hormonal mess right now and his colorful emotions right now were giving me a whiplash. 

He had been so angry when that bloody rogue had dated to challenge us. To a human-like Zara, the air was filled with testosterone but to a wolf, the air in my office was filled with a barely contained threat, severe competitive animosity, and challenge. 

By stating that I couldn't protect my mate, that filthy rogue had all but challenged my right to be Zara's mate. My wolf had fought with me to come out and put this good-for-nothing mutt in his place but I had resisted. I had planned to be calm and be in control and I had tried so very hard to be exactly that. He had tried my patience to the breaking point and if I hadn't compelled him when I had, I would have ripped his throat out. That would have resulted in a severe bill of dry cleaning for the office carpet. Not to mention the cleaning cost for all the blood that would have sprayed on the walls and my clothes. 

I took several deep breaths after that guy left my office. I didn't want Zara to see me like this, hostile and barbaric. I had handed her the paperwork meant for the rogue and she had turned around to go. But I couldn't find it in me to just let her go after the day I had had and after I had ignored her for the whole day. 

Throughout the day, I was thinking about the best way to handle the situation. I had to practice a lot of self-control to just accept the fact that Zara was interested in someone else. When I had done that, I had set up my mind to figure out a way to make her as comfortable as possible with me. I didn't want her to feel like she was walking on eggshells around me. I didn't want her to think that any comment or action of hers was going to set me off and send me on a murderous rampage. I wanted to give her the choice she pretty much already had. I just wanted to show Zara that I could be a big boy and take a few steps back if she wanted to be with someone else right now. I wanted to show her that I wasn't a nuisance in her life, creating problems wherever I went. I wanted to show her that I was dependable, responsible, and crazily in love with her. 

So, that's exactly why I had gone and did that little stunt there. If you could even call it that.

It had taken everything I had in me to not kiss Zara. I had her face in my hands, her body heat around me and her lips so close to me. But I knew I couldn't because if I had then everything, I had said to her, every promise I had said to her about waiting for her would have been null and void. 

Oh god, what a day!

From finding out that your father was no longer going to have a wolf to allowing that filthy rogue to stay in my territory, this day was going to be the worst day ever. I didn't need any more surprises today. 

My mood turned stormy again when I recalled the words the rogue had so blatantly spat out of his mouth. He aimed to show Zara that she wasn't my priority anymore, with me having a baby soon. But that's just so twisted. How could anyone expect anyone to prioritize the life of one loved one over another? How was a man supposed to choose between a parent, a sibling, a partner, and a child? How was I supposed to choose between my mother, Baby Kate, Zara, and my unborn baby? I had a family and I had people that I loved. It didn't mean that I didn't care for Zara. If loving my few weeks-old baby sister more than Zara made me a bad mate, shouldn't the reverse make me a bad brother too? It wasn't about who I loved the most because I simply couldn't make a list and compare my degree of love between my baby sister and my unborn child, for example. It was about finding a balance to show everyone I loved that I cared about them. I needed to find the exact balance to be a good son, a good brother, a good father, and a good father. All at the last time. 

Good thing I wasn't a hard-core people pleaser. 

I walked behind my desk and threw myself at the comfortable chair. I had just sat my ass down when the phone began to ring. I groaned. Could I not have a moment's peace?

I let it ring for a few minutes, debating on picking it up. I sighed and conceded. My peace had already been shattered.

Samantha's frantic voice rang down the phone which immediately sent me on my guard. "Harper, oh my god! I don't know what happened."

She gasped and I clutched the receiver tightly. "Hey, Sam. Calm down. Take a deep breath and tell me what happened."

"It's Natalie." She sobbed and I sprang up from the chair.

"What?" I gasped, unable to comprehend what was happening. "What happened?"

"I don't know." Sam sobbed and an indescribable worry settled in my gut. "One second she was sitting, making jokes, and the next, she was clutching her stomach in pain and bleeding all over the sofa."

Sam sounded so hysterical that I had to strain my supernatural ears to make any sense of what was coming out of her mouth. "Bleeding?" I whispered, dreading what it meant. "But she is around seven months pregnant."

"We are at the hospital. Come, please." Before she had even completed the sentence, I had kept the receiver down and ran out of my office. I climbed down the stairs as fast as I could and bounded out of the pack house as fast as my wolf would allow it. I got in my car and rode towards the hospital, like a madman. 

I slammed the brakes and parked my car as close to the double doors as I could. I rushed into the emergency area where the nurse, after taking in my frantic expression led me to the waiting area in front of the operation theatres, where I found Samantha pacing.

"Sam?" She turned around at my voice and with tears in her eyes, ran in my direction. I enveloped her shaking body and let her cry on my shoulder. She looked so damn worried and restless that I couldn't do anything but soothe her and help her gather her wits. 

Minutes later, Aiden came barging into the waiting room. He took in his mate's weeping form and pulled her towards himself. She instantly curled against him. The mate bond between them helped calm them down. 

"Sam, what happened?" 

Aiden settled a rhythm of running his hand up and down her back, which seemed to calm down Samantha a whole lot. Still, she sniffled and turned slightly towards me. "Me and Natalie were baking together. Well, I was baking and Natalie was sitting on her large sofa. We were just singing when suddenly, Natalie cried out in pain. The tray slipped from my hands and I ran towards her, to find her moaning in pain and clutching her belly. At that point, I noticed that a dark spot was blooming in her lap and I was horrified when I realized it was blood. I was so shocked that I just sat there for a few seconds, blinking like a stupid person. I called for the ambulance when I noticed that the blood had started running down her legs. By then, she was pretty much screaming in pain." Samantha's shoulders shook as she recalled what had happened.

"Oh god!" I whispered and dropped on the nearest uncomfortable chair I could find. I clenched my eyes shut, hoping to just rewind this god-awful day and not live it again. "What are they doing to her now?"

"I don't know." Samantha sniffled and hugged Aiden back, who tried his best to soothe her. 

Here I was, yet again, sitting in the waiting room of the hospital, desperately waiting for some good news for a loved one. After this was over, I had plans to burn down this hospital, at least that way I wouldn't have to keep coming here. At first, I would have to shift the patients somewhere else but that was a minor inconvenience.

I sighed and looked at Aiden. He gave me a nod and went to the nurse's station to learn about the recent developments of Natalie's procedure. 

Soon, a doctor came out and made his way towards me. "Alpha." He gave me a deep bow and I nodded back in response. "I believe you know that the Luna had a case of placenta previa." I nodded as I recalled the last time Natalie had fainted. "As the fetus grows, the placenta grows weaker, so many of the pregnancies aren't carried to term. The placenta has a hemorrhage, which has caused distress to the baby and has put her life in danger. We are trying our best to maintain the pregnancy and help the Luna carry the baby to term but the chances are pretty low."

I nodded as if I understood all the medical jargon. All I could understand was that both Natalie and my baby were in grave danger now. The doctor nodded at me and went back to where he came from. 

My legs shook and I fell back in the chair behind me. I couldn't believe this was happening. Natalie was around seven months pregnant. The baby couldn't be born right now. It would be immature and would have a lower risk of survival. I closed my eyes to get rid of any negative thoughts.

I faintly recall how one time a doctor came out to tell me that the baby would have to be delivered today because the blood vessels of Natalie's uterus had ruptured. I recall how they told me that they had to take out her uterus and that she wouldn't be able to have any more children. 

 

I remember the faint caress of my mother over my head. She had heard the news of Natalie's emergency procedure and had come to support me. 

I remember how strung out everyone in the waiting room was because not only was everyone worried about their future alpha but also their Luna.  I recall how everyone exhaled in relief when Natalie was out of the woods and transferred to recovery.

All of these memories are passive, however. The most prevalent and strongest memory I have of that day was the moment I held my son in my hands. The cute little boy who was my child. 

"Mason Sebastian Cain," I whispered and planted a soft little kiss on the forehead of my sleeping baby.

It had been one of the best days I had lived and I would do it all over again. Except for all the drama, of course.