Chapter 1: Alexa

'Push, ma'am', the midwife ordered as soon as she saw the contractions showing on her naked stomach. Mildred needed no further prompting as she bore down with all her strength but the child did not slip out like she thought it would. She was panting from both the labour pain and exertion.

The contraction came on her again and before the midwife finished her statement, she was already bearing down again. 'Mhhh, Ahhh...' She needed to get the baby out, the pain was killing her.

'That's it. Your baby is coming. I just need you to push one more time' said the midwife.

'Ah ahhhh' Mildred screamed as she bore down. 'Take a deep breath, midwife advised and Mildred breathed in deeply. 'Now, push with all your strength. I can see the head of the baby, already', the midwife implored Mildred.

Mildred did as she was told and the baby slipped out of her.

'Nah, nah', came the cry of a baby and Mildred fell back on the bed, heaving a sign of relief. The baby was out at last and she felt a great relief from the labour pains.

'You have a beautiful girl!' the midwife announced and Mildred smiled. She had known it was going to be a girl and was happy because she had always wanted to have a daughter which was why she had prepared a name for her in advance.. Her eyes followed the nurses as they cleaned her baby up. The other nurse tidied Mildred up as well, helping her into a set of padded underwear.

My own baby! Mildred thought, wild with silent joy. She was weak but that did not matter to her, not in the least.

'Here you go', the woman said as she placed the little girl into her arms. She kissed her daughter marvelling at her beautiful and the strange combination of green with yellow flakes in her eyes. What lovely eyes she had. This one was going to break alot of hearts, she thought in amusement and pride, as she kissed her daughter again.

Mildred looked up from her daughter as she heard footsteps entering the room. Her eyes lit up when she saw who it was. She had expected him to be there with her as she gave birth to their daughter but she understood he had other matters to attend to.

'Mildred', Beta Andrew called. 'Congratulations'.

'Thank you', she smiled, wondering why he was being and sounding so impersonal, though she could see his eyes twinkling with joy.

Just when she was about to ask him why he was maintaining his distance from her, another figure entered the room. She was shocked to see that the Beta's wife, Amelia came with him. That explained his aloofness, she thought and looked questioning at her lover.

'Amelia knows everything', he said by way of explanation and Mildred swallowed. This was awkward she thought.

'My lady', she hastened to say, 'I was not trying to break your home'. The woman was staring at her strangely.

'Of course, you were not', she said smiling sweetly at Mildred. 'You were only trying to make my husband and me grow closer and that is why you were sleeping with him behind my back. A male you knew was already married. But you are right of course, you cannot wreck my home'.

Mildred nodded, humbled. She felt she deserved Amelia's sarcasm. 'I'm sorry!' she said, sincerely.

'For what?' Amelia asked, looking astonished. 'For birthing this beautiful girl?'

'No, of course not. Just for constituting a nuisance to you and your family', she said meekly. Andrew shut his eye. He did not want Mildred to be humiliated but he also did not want to be at loggerheads with his wife. It was enough that she was taking this amicably.

Mildred knew she could never be sorry for giving birth to her beloved daughter even if she cost her, her life. Provided Alexa lived on, she would always be happy she had given birth to her, damn the consequences!

'Mildred, have you thought of a name for her or should we name her?' Beta Andrew asked, intervening. He did not want the exchange to get out of hand and moreover time was of the essence. There wasn't time for such bickering.

Name her precious baby for her? No way!

'Her name is Alexa', she said, touching her daughter's golden curls, and proceeding to caress her face tenderly.

'Alexa', Amelia said. 'What a beautiful name, for my beautiful daughter!'

'Alexa, it is', Beta Andrew said in hurried tones. 'There's no time to waste. Mildred, you know what you must do!'

She did but had thought that she would have sometime with her daughter but that obviously was not going to be the case.

'But my daughter', she protested. 'I need to nurse her! And I feel exhausted. Couldn't I go at the crack of dawn, it is already late in the evening. It will also give me time to bond with my baby'.

'She shall be well cared for and shall come to no harm', he assured her. 'She is my daughter too, remember? So, I am acknowledging her by giving her my name. Her name is Alexa Palmer'.

'And why bond with the baby when you will only leave her later?' Amelia asked,reasonably.

'How will she survive without my milk?' she asked desperately.

'There' no time for that. You must leave before the Alpha sees you', he said. 'You will put Alexa in danger if you stay longer than necessary and you can't take her with you, she's too young and may not survive in the wilds with the heat and cold. Hand her over and be gone right away!'

Mildred felt her heart contract as she looked at her daughter once more. She brought out an amulet, made in the form of a chain.

'She must always wear this', she told Andrew. 'It will protect her!'

'Okay, okay', he said, hurriedly. 'Get up, and off you go!'

'I love you, Alexa Palmer, my dearest daughter', she said as she handed her daughter to Beta Andrew. 'She must be treated right or I shall be your worst nightmare!'.

'She shall', Lady Amelia promised. 'She shall be the daughter I've never had'. Lady Amelia had three sons but no daughter and was glad to take on and raise her husband's illegitimate daughter as her own, and that was another reason it was necessary for Mildred to leave immediately. The less people who knew of this the better!

'Here in this bag are a few essentials, including money, to assist you on your journey', Amelia said.

Mildred nodded and heaved herself up, slipped down from the bed and staggered out of the room into the dark night, without knowing where she was going but determined to go as far away as possible, so that her presence or her secret would not become known and constitute a danger to her daughter.