My eyes shoot open and I take in my surroundings. The smell of antiseptic fills my nostrils as the bright light blares down at me. I relax for a second as I realize I'm in the hospital and everything comes back to me. I was in the middle of labor, and seeing as the pain is gone now - except for the soreness across my stomach - I know I gave birth. I listen around the room for the sounds of her little cries, but I don't hear anything. If I gave birth, then where's my baby? Where is Everleigh at?
I push through the sharp pain as I try to sit myself up in the bed, but a hand pressed against my shoulder stops me. I look to my side and see Brandon smiling at me softly. "Lie still, okay? You passed out and the doctor had to cut the baby out. He said the pain was too much for you and your wolf and a C-section was the only safe option to get her out. The procedure went off with no complications, and she's perfect, Alaina." His smile widens as he squeezes my shoulder. I can't help but smile back at him. "They're cleaning her up and making sure everything is okay. She's beautiful, Alaina. Mary is with her now and she said as soon as they finish with her she's going to bring her right here to you." I close my eyes and let the tears fall freely. My baby is okay. I'm a mom.
"I saw him," I whisper as I look back up at him again. I watch his eyebrows fur in confusion as he tries to decipher what I said. "Mason… I saw him, Brandon. I could hear all of you talking, but it sounded like we were in a tunnel or something. You kept moving further away as my strength waned." I lick my lips as I think back for a second. "Then I heard this voice, his voice, in my head. It was faint at first, but then it got louder and more clear. I opened my eyes and he was suddenly standing right in front of me. We were in our room back at the house and he talked to me. I…" I trail off as I realize I can't remember what we talked about. "I can't really remember what he said, but I do remember him saying that I'm stronger than I know or something like that."
"You are, Alaina," he whispers as he reaches over to squeeze my hand.
"He was there one minute and then he just faded away right in front of me," I whisper as I look up at the ceiling. I wait for the pain to settle in, the ever-existing hole that's resided in my chest for the last two months to take me over, but it doesn't. I have a sense of… peace. Maybe the feeling that I have of Mason still being alive was just my wolf and I holding onto hope that maybe he's out there and he's coming home. Maybe he really is gone forever, and all I needed was closure to help me move forward. I sigh and push my mate out of my mind for the time being."I want to see my daughter. She needs me now. Whether or not I ever see Mason again, I have that piece of him to take care of and I want to make him proud of the way I'm going to raise her," I speak through my tears and trembling lips.
Brandon smiles sadly before nodding his head. He squeezes my hand again as we wait for Mary to bring Everleigh in to me. After the longest ten minutes of my life, the door opens and in walks the doctor followed by Mary. My eyes zero in on the pink bundle in her arms and I feel my chest swell. My wolf howls in joy, sensing her pup close. My daughter's sweet new scent invades my senses as Mary comes further into the room. She beams at me as Brandon helps me sit up against the pillows before moving back so Mary can come closer. She places my precious angel in my arms and moves to stand beside Brandon with her hands on his arm. Everleigh fusses slightly but settles when I cradle her to my chest.
I look down at my child and the happiness that fills me is almost overwhelming. Tears of joy fall from my eyes as I take her in. She really is perfect. She has a head full of red hair, just like my own. She has my nose, but her father's lips. Her eyes are closed, but I just know somehow that when she opens them, I'm going to see that beautiful amber color she got from her father. I lean down and kiss her little head as I hug her to my chest.
Mason may be gone, but I will always have this amazing gift to hold onto.
She's just another thing to help remember him by… and not just for me, but for the entire pack. Our Alpha is gone. It's time for me to accept that so I can move forward with my duties as Luna and as a mother. As long as I'm here and Everleigh is here, then everything will be okay.
"Hi, Everleigh," I whisper softly to not disturb her. "I'm your mommy. I love you so much, princess." She moves around in my arms and I watch in amazement as her eyes open up at me. It's such an amazing thing how someone so small and innocent can just make everything better. Just looking into her beautiful eyes I know everything will be okay in the end. For the first time in two months, I feel like I can breathe freely. There is still a hole in my chest, there always will be without Mason, but she's filled in all the extra space. I feel a little bit of the weight that's been crushing me finally lift.
"Did anyone tell Mason's parents and my mom? They should be here for this," I say as I look between Mary and Brandon.
Mary nods briefly. "They're outside now. I called them on the way over here, but I thought it would be best to give you some time with her before they came in. If you're ready, I can go get them now," Mary says as she turns towards the door. I nod my head and turn my gaze back to Everleigh.
"You're about to meet your grandparents, little one," I say as I smile at her. I gently run the tip of my finger down her little nose. "They are all going to love you so much, just like I do. You will be so protected, that I promise you. I will never let anything happen to you. Your daddy loves you so much too, sweetheart. I know he would be here if he could be, but you'll just have to settle for me."
I look up as Aiden, my mom, Emma, and Randy make their way into the room. Emma and my mom waste no time as they both rush to my side and gaze lovingly down at my baby. Everleigh looks up at them with wide eyes as she takes in her surroundings. I grab her little hand and smile as her small fingers wrap tightly around one of my own. Her grip is strong as her eyes shift back to me. My heart swells more.
"Everyone, I would like you all to meet Everleigh. Everleigh Hope Woods," I announce as I look around the room. Emma's teary eyes close for a second as she inhales deeply through her nose. When she opens them again, her focus is on the angel in my arms. She sees him in her too. She smiles before wrapping a hand around the back of my neck and resting her forehead against mine.
"Thank you, my dear Alaina. You will never understand how grateful I am to have a piece of my baby back," she whispers. She squeezes my neck once more before pulling away.
"Emma," I whisper, bringing her attention back to me. "I'm so sorry for how I've been acting these last two months. I was so overwhelmed with my own grief that I never even considered how everyone else was feeling. You especially," I sigh and shake my head. I'm disgusted with how I acted, but all of that is going to change now. "I just want you to know that things are going to be different now. I'm going to need some time to adjust to having her with me," I nod towards Everleigh with a smile, "but I'm going to step back out with the pack. I can't keep myself locked away any longer. There are people who need me."
She nods her head and presses a quick kiss against my head before smiling at me. "We are all here for you. Through thick and thin. We're family," she says before leaning over and caressing Everleigh's small head. "Can I hold her?" I instantly nod my head and carefully hand her to her grandmother. Everleigh fusses but Emma cradles her against her chest to soothe her. It doesn't take long for her to have Everleigh asleep in her arms. I watch as Emma walks over to Randy who instantly wraps an arm around his mate as he lifts his other hand to caress my daughter's head. When he looks over at me, my breath hitches to see tears in his eyes.
"Thank you," he mouths to me before turning all of his attention to his granddaughter. More tears well up in my eyes as I watch the two of them with her. They needed her as much as I did.
I look over as my mom comes walking towards me. I smile at her for the first time in what feels like forever. As I stare at her, I feel like I can finally understand what she went through and why she did what she did. We may never get back to a relationship where we are as close as we were, but we can at least mend our broken relationship.
"I'm so proud of you, baby," she whispers as she wraps her arms around me. I bury my head in her neck as I wrap my arms around her. Her familiar scent wafts over me and my wolf settles at our mother's comfort. "She's perfect and I know you're going to be an amazing mom. Mason would be so proud of you." I can feel more tears burn the back of my throat as I squeeze her. I don't even know if these tears are happy or sad anymore. A little of both I would guess. "I love you, Alaina."
"I love you too," I whisper before she pulls away. I wipe my eyes as I settle more against the pillows. My stomach is still pretty painful, especially from all the moving, but the pain subsides as I relax. I can feel the exhaustion coming over me as I look over to see Randy now holding my daughter. His head is dipped low and I see her little hand resting against his cheek as he speaks softly to her. I can't stop my smile at everyone in the room. Mary and Brandon are off to the side of the room with Aiden, smiling at Randy and Emma. The amount of love in this room is amazing to behold. Even with Mason gone, I don't feel anything but the love from everyone.
I close my eyes and imagine his face standing in front of me again.
'I love you, Mason. I promise I will make you proud and raise our daughter the best that I can. I will take care of things here so you can go be at peace now,' I whisper down the bond one last time.
My wolf howls in joy as we watch our family interact with our daughter. For the first time in two months, I'm able to breathe freely without the fear of everything falling apart around me. For the first time in two months, I feel as if I have a reason to move on with my life.