Christmas With the Alphas: A Claimed Novella Read Online Free Page A

another pain hit her. Caim watched, feeling the blood drain from his face as she clutched at her swollen belly.
    “I really don’t think we’ll make it that far,” she said, still wincing in pain. “These pups want out.”
    Bile rose in Caim’s throat. “You can’t have them here.”
    His mate looked exasperated. “They aren’t exactly going to wait, Caim. Please, just sit down and help me.”
    Caim stared at her for a long moment, as if he could somehow delay the inevitable. Deep down, he knew that his mate was right. If the pups were coming, there was nothing either of them could do except let them come.
    Finally, he asked, “What can I do?”
    It must have been the right question, because relief was evident on her face. “For now, hold me.”
    Caim got behind her and forced his large body not to tremble. He wrapped his arms around her waist and put his legs on either side of her.
    The next pain hit her just as he settled down. She gripped his hands and squeezed them with more strength than he knew she had. By the time the pain had passed, Caim found that a thin sheen of sweat had broken out across his forehead.
    “How much longer will it be?” he asked her.
    He was met with a long groan. “Can you please shut up?”
    Caim sat with his mate as her body was wracked with pain after pain. Sometimes, he honored her request for silence. Other times, she wanted him to talk to her—reassure her that everything would bee all right. Each time, he told her it would be, but worried that he may be lying to her.
    As he sat with her, Caim wished that he could take her pain into his own body. He wished that she didn’t have to feel any pain at all, that childbirth as a whole could be easy and uncomplicated. He wished that he could do something for her besides just wishing for pointless things.
    Although it felt like an eternity, the first pup arrived in under an hour. It was purple and seemed somehow misshapen. Caim could not recall Dawn being so unpleasant-looking and concluded that the pup must have gotten it from his father. He cut the cord and wrapped the pup in the pelt from his back before passing him off to his mother.
    While he didn’t care for the pup, Caim found that he couldn’t take his eyes off it. By the time its brother was born, it seemed to have taken on a more natural hue, though its head still had a strange shape.
    The second pup was easier for her and Caim was relieved when it was finally over. While Mila nursed, he disposed of the afterbirth—an experience Asch would owe him dearly for.
    He arrived back in the clearing to find that the first pup had become rather handsome and the other was well on its way.
    “I can’t believe they’re actually boys,” Mila said as he crouched down beside her. “I was hoping Dawn would have a little sister.”
    Beside her, Dawn let out a soft whine. Caim reached over to pat his daughter on the head.
    “I will give you a sister next year,” Caim assured her.
    His pup barked excitedly, while Mila let out a loud snort.
    “Not the best time to mention getting me pregnant again,” she grumbled.
    Caim sat back down, holding her for a few more minutes as she continued to nurse. He would have been content to stay there for a while longer, perhaps even build a fire for them, but thick flurries of snow began to fall from the sky.
    His mate appeared anxious. “I don’t think I can ride on your back. Not this soon.”
    Caim placed a kiss on her temple, before lifting her up into his arms.
    “I will carry you.”
    She laid her head against his shoulder as he set off down the mountainside, Dawn weaving between his legs.
    Mila and her new pups were asleep by the time they arrived back at the den. He set her down on a pallet of furs before tending to the fire. Dawn stayed up with him for a little while, but eventually fell asleep while draped over her mother’s legs. Caim considered leaving to get Fern, but couldn’t stomach the thought of leaving Mila and the pups