Finally Finding My Luna

Chapter 15

{Rylan POV}

I started to rip the disgusting rogue’s heart out of his chest, but Zader’s hand prevented me from taking another step.

“No, Rylan. I know you’re pissed. Hell all four of us are pissed, because this asshole attacked all of our mates. I know you out of everyone has the most reason to kill this rogue, but we also need information in case this happens again.”

I was seething with anger, but I knew that Zader was right. I grabbed Analia and put one hand around her shoulders and rested the other on the baby. 

“Once you’re sure your mates are okay, escort this trash to the dungeon. Rylan, take Analia to the pack hospital and have Dr. Stevens look her over. Mindlink me when he gives a report. That will tell me what kind of interrogation this will be.” I nodded at Zader and took Analia towards the hospital.

A few minutes later, we walked through the emergency room door. A nurse walked over to us with a clipboard in her hand. She was desperately scribbling notes and didn’t look up when she spoke to us. “Hello, please take a seat in the waiting room. We are completely slammed tonight and don’t have a lot of staff on hand currently.”

Analia bowed her head and started to head towards the insanely crowded waiting area. I grabbed her wrist and yanked her back beside me. “Ma’am, I think we need to see Dr. Stevens...now.”

The nurse looked startled when she finally made eye contact with me. “Oh my goddess! Beta Beckett and Female Beta Duncan, I didn’t realize it was you. I am so sorry for asking you to wait. I will go get Dr. Stevens right away.”

Analia gasped and said “No, it’s fine! We can wait. I just hit my head tonight, and we want to make sure everything is okay with the baby. We can wait if you’re busy…” She looked around at the rushing medical staff and patients practically hanging out of the windows. “Well, obviously you’re busy. We’ll just go wait over here.”

I gave her a stern look, and she gave one of her own. I knew what that look meant and kept my mouth shut. We walked over to the waiting area and sat together across from a middle aged lady. She had a pup on her lap who was softly crying. 

“Is he hurt?” Analia was very concerned about the little boy. His mother looked up through red-rimmed eyes and clearly had been crying herself.

“He fell down today and cut open his leg, but we’ve been waiting nearly all day. I can’t do anything to help his pain. Please help us.”

She begged and pleaded for us to do something, so I did. I stood and called for a nurse. One came running as soon as they noticed who was calling. “What can I do for you Beta?” she bowed her head and waited for me to answer.

“This young boy hurt his leg and is in extreme pain. He needs to see Dr. Stevens right away please. They’ve been waiting all day.”

The young nurse turned and quickly ran out of the room to get him. The mother followed closely behind clutching her young boy and thanking me on her way out. Analia looked at me and kissed my cheek. 

“Baby, that was so sweet. I am so glad you helped her. That’s what betas are supposed to do. I love you so much.”

I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and she laid her head on my shoulder. It wasn’t long before I could hear her heartbeat slow down and knew that she was asleep. I sat there looking around at the wolves seated across from us and next to us. Most of them kept their eyes lowered out of respect for my ranking. 

There were several sick people coughing and sneezing. A few people were holding various parts of their bodies that were hurting them. I was really disturbed by how many people needed medical attention, but couldn’t get it because we didn’t have enough staff in our hospital. 

I made a mental note to speak to Zader about how we could fix that issue. The nurse that had welcomed us into the hospital eventually came to get each patient one by one. I looked up at the clock on the wall and it read 6:42 pm. I settled into the awfully uncomfortable seat, because I knew it would be a long night. 

After three hours, Analia finally woke up. She had slowly kept sliding down my shoulder, so I just shifted her head to my lap and lifted her feet onto the chair beside her. She rose up and rubbed her eyes to fully wake herself up. 

“Hi baby, how are you feeling?”

She tapped her index finger on her chin and thought for a moment. “I am actually really hungry. I haven’t eaten since lunch. Holy cow what time is it??”

She was looking around the waiting room and noticed that many of the patients were now absent. There were only about ten people including ourselves left. “It’s almost ten o’clock sweetheart. Let me mindlink someone to bring you some dinner.”

I opened my mindlink and reached out to the kitchen staff to ask them to bring Analia and myself something to eat. “Okay, someone is coming. They’ll be here in fifteen minutes.”

Analia smiled and patted my leg. “So what have I missed?” 

I smiled back at her, and I kissed her cheek. “Oh nothing much. I mostly just played on my phone and watched the news on the TV in the corner.”

“Well, have you heard anything from Zader?” She yawned softly.

“Yeah, apparently Enslee had another tough night and had a panic attack. He had to keep her from shifting into her wolf again, but it worked this time.” The Luna had shifted unconsciously the night before and accidentally attacked Zader without knowing it. 

“She was really tired, so she went to sleep. Zader is staying with her tonight, in case she has another nightmare. He said he’d stay awake to wait for Dr. Stevens’ report.”

About an hour later, the tiny nurse finally came to get us. We were the last people in the waiting room, so it felt good to finally get called to an exam room. When we got into the room, Analia got up on the bed and I took a seat by the door. A short time later, Dr. Stevens entered the room.

“Beta Rylan and Beta Female Analia! It’s a shock to see you in here this late! Please tell me you weren’t waiting?” His voice was very nervous. 

“Oh no, we haven’t been waiting long. I just had a run in with a rogue earlier today, and we wanted to make sure everything was okay with me and the baby.”

Analia always had tact and grace when it came to dealing with pack members. I loved her so much for that.

“Okay, good. I know that there were several injuries and sick pack members out there tonight. I will page my nurse to bring an ultrasound machine while I check you out. So, what exactly happened today?”

Dr. Stevens sat down in front of the computer and started typing. Analia settled into the bed and retold her story once more. After she was finished, Dr. Stevens stopped typing and took out his stethoscope. “Alright, so the biggest concern is that you may have a concussion from hitting your head. Take a few deep breaths, and let me listen to your heart and lungs.”

She did as told, and the doctor took her blood pressure and checked her eyes. “Your pupils are dilating and reacting to the light like they are supposed to, so I think your head will be fine. You may be sore and have a bump, but you don’t have a concussion.”

I let out a sigh of relief, but I was still concerned about the pup. A knock came from the door and a nurse came in wheeling a machine behind her. “Ah thank you Olivia. Now, Analia please lay back and lift your shirt up.”

The nurse left the room, and Dr. Stevens put on latex gloves. My mate laid back and raised her shirt to just below her breasts exposing her pregnant stomach. 

After discussing her pregnancy details, the doctor squirted jelly on her abdomen and started searching for the fetus. “Ah, doc we also don’t want to know the gender just yet. We’re waiting to be surprised when the baby is born.” Analia stroked the top of her stomach lovingly.

The doctor smiled and turned the monitor so neither of us could accidentally see it. “Understood. It will be and the pup’s secret for now.” He winked at Analia and she smiled softly. I reached up and held her hand as the doctor continued to search.

“Ah I see your baby. Listen here.” Dr. Stevens reached up and flicked a switch on the monitor, and we could hear a tiny heartbeat strongly thumping. Tears gathered in my eyes as I heard my tiny pup’s sign of life. Analia was sniffling herself as she looked at me with a smile on her lips. 

“Yes, it seems that the future baby Beckett is strong and healthy. Your baby is the right size for how far along you are, which means it is getting plenty of nutrition. It would seem that you can expect to meet the little one in mid March, since you are about 3.5 months along.”

Analia’s eyes popped out of her head and she gasped. “March?? I thought I was only two months along. Oh my goddess! Rylan, we have so much to do before the baby arrives!!!!”

The doctor had to put his hand on her shoulder and ease her back in the bed. “Analia, you need to calm down. The baby can feel your anxiety, and it’s not good for the little one. Breathe, breathe. That’s it, give yourself time to process.”

I stood up and sat on the bed next to my mate. “Analia, it’s alright. That’s plenty of time to prepare. We can go shopping for the nursery soon if you want to. I am sure that the other stuff can be bought along the way as well. Don’t worry love, I will do whatever you need to feel comfortable for this baby. We’ll get through this together.”

She slowly calmed down and her heartbeat went back to its normal rate. Analia laid back into the bed and let the doctor finish the exam. She got a clean bill of health, and we walked out to the front desk with Dr. Stevens. “Welp Betas, I look forward to officially meeting the newest pack member to be, and I expect to see you back in here in two weeks for another checkup.”

“Thank you Dr. Stevens, we will schedule our appointment and see you then!” I patted his shoulder, and he turned back down the hallway to disappear into a doorway. After completing the necessary paperwork and scheduling the next check up, we finally made the trek back to the packhouse. I mindlinked Zader to give him an update on Analia’s condition.

Alpha, are you awake?

After a few moments, I finally got a response. 

Yes, Rylan. How did things at the hospital go?

Well one thing is clear, we need to hire another doctor and more nurses. We had to wait four hours to be seen by Dr. Stevens. They were severely overrun and understaffed. 

Four hours?? Why didn’t you just demand to see Dr. Stevens immediately? Zader sounded agitated, but I knew it was because he was upset about us having to wait so long.

Analia didn’t want to be rude, you know how she is. Anyways, the doc said that she was completely fine along with the pup. Although, we were surprised that she’s actually 3.5 months along, which means the baby will be here a lot sooner than we originally expected.

Shit, how’d she take that?

I mentally laughed at Zader’s ineptitude. He knew my mate so well.

Well, she completely freaked out of course. Luckily I calmed her down quickly. 

Well, good. I am glad to hear it. I need you to meet me downstairs after your mate goes to sleep. Brett will be coming too. 

The mindlink ended and Analia and I walked through the front door of the packhouse. We made our way up to our floor, and Analia immediately headed to the bedroom next to the master. “This will be the baby’s room. I want it to be close to us so I can get to him or her when I need to.”

I smiled and nodded leaning against the doorway watching her daydream about the nursery. “We’ll have to paint of course, and I would like a gender neutral color since we won’t know until the birth. We need to get a crib, a rocking chair, a changing table and a dresser. Oh my goddess, we have so much to do!!!” 

She sunk down into the floor as her voice went from excitement to pure panic. I sat down next to her and wrapped her in a big hug. “Baby, it’s all going to be fine. We still have over two months. That’s plenty of time to get the things we need. You know that, so what’s really going on, love?”

I’d known her long enough to know that it wasn’t merely being slightly unprepared for a baby that we still had a couple of months to prepare for. 

“If I can’t be prepared before the pup gets here, how do I know if I can be a good mother to our child? My own mother left before I could even know her, so I don’t have an example of what a good mother is supposed to look like. I have no idea what I’m doing.”

I let out a deep sigh and kissed her head. “Baby, even if you had a half-decent mother, you would still feel overwhelmed. Nothing can truly make you feel prepared for becoming a parent for the first time. I am terrified of being a dad, and mine was there my whole life. Plus, you don’t have to do it alone. I will be right there with you.”

I could feel warm drops hitting my forearm, so I shifted her onto my lap so that she was straddling me. I took her face in my hands and forced her to look at me. “Baby, why are you crying?”

I wiped away a few stray tears with my thumbs and kissed her gently on the lips.

“You’re right. I won’t be alone. It makes me think of how hard this must have been on my dad. He had no warning before my mom left us. He had a newborn and no one to help him raise me. He did it alone, so I know I can do it with you by my side.”

I smiled at her and crushed her into my chest. We just stayed tangled in each others’ arms for a long while, and finally she pulled her head back to look at me. “We should start shopping as soon as possible.”

I laughed and picked her up bridal style. I carried her to the master bedroom next door and laid her on the couch. “How about a hot bath first?”

She nodded with a smile and curled up her legs. I walked into the bathroom and started running the hot water. I grabbed a bath bomb out of Analia’s stash from underneath the sink. I unwrapped it and threw it into the water as it started to fill up the tub. 

I went back into the bedroom and picked up my extremely beautiful fiance to carry her to the tub. I set her on her feet and began to undress her. Finally, she was naked and the tub was full. I shut off the faucet and the bubbles were starting to froth up everywhere. 

Analia loved bubble baths, and she loved it even more when I joined her. I stripped and got in first. She followed quickly behind and sat between my legs as she sank down into the warm water. I quickly grabbed her long blonde hair and wrapped it up into a messy bun. I snatched a ponytail holder off of the rim of the bathtub and snapped it into her hair.

She leaned back against my chest, and we let the water soak away the soreness of our muscles. “Oh my goddess! You have to feel this.”

Analia took my hand and put it on her stomach. After a quick moment, I felt a sharp bulge hit my hand followed by another one. “What is that??”

She smiled and leaned back to look at me. “That’s your baby letting you know that they are excited to meet you. He or she is kicking for the first time.”

I felt tears welling up in my eyes and not for the first time that night. “We need to think of names, don’t we? We can’t just keep calling our child things like the pup or the baby. We should at least start tossing around ideas.”

Analia got really excited and started to turn her body around to face me. “Yes! I was actually thinking of a few names…”

We tossed around ideas of names for each gender and scrubbed each other down with soap. Eventually, the water turned cold and Analia started to shiver. “We should probably get out and dry off.”

I raised up out of the tub and grabbed a towel from the cabinet. I wrapped it around my waist and twisted it in a knot. I got another towel and wrapped it around Analia as she stood up in the water. I helped her out of the tub and we walked into the bedroom. 

I dried off my body and turned on the fireplace. Analia turned off the lights and we crawled into bed naked. Both of our bodies were pretty cold from the water and we snuggled into each other for warmth. She spooned in front of me and I wrapped my arms around her stomach.

I could feel the unborn pup kicking once more as I gently stroked my mate’s stomach. “The baby knows your touch.”

I raised up on my elbow and looked down at her. “What?”

She turned over onto her back so she could look up at me and I saw her smile in the soft glow of the firelight. “Have you never heard that?” I shook my head no and continued to stare down at my beautiful little mate. 

“Well, my dad always told me that when my mom was pregnant with me he would put his hand there and I would start kicking like crazy. He said it was because pups have an innate connection with their fathers.”

I secretly wondered whether that was something her father told her because her mother left her before she was even old enough to walk or speak. Maybe it was his way of telling her that he’d never leave her like that. 

“Well good. I plan to be crazy about my baby when I meet him or her.” Analia nuzzled her face into my chest and I kissed her forehead as she slowly drifted off to sleep. 

When she had slept for a while, I got up out of the bed and tucked the blankets back around her. I hurried to my closet and slipped on a pair of basketball shorts. I tiptoed out of the room and to the elevator. I pressed the button for the main floor. 

After I got out into the common area of the packhouse, I hooked a right and went down the long hallway of guest rooms. At the very end was a door that only high ranking members could get past. It was retina scan protected, so I bent down to let it scan my eye. The scanner beeped and I opened it and started the long climb down to the dungeon. 

I went down two flights of stairs and went through the next door that required a thumb print scan. I walked down the long row of cells and got to the end. I heard muffled voices talking and I rounded the corner to see Brett and Zader in a heated conversation outside of a cell door.

“Hey guys. Sorry it took me so long, Analia took forever to go to sleep. Why did you want me to come down here after she fell asleep?”

Zader shook his head and punched the stone wall. “We all had to wait till our mates fell asleep because the f*****g b*****d died. The guards didn’t check him, and he was hiding wolfsbane pills in his mouth. When he shifted back to a human, he popped a couple and killed himself.”

I let out an earth shattering roar. I was so pissed that he got the easy way out. I was truly looking forward to torturing the s**t out of this dirt bag. He didn’t pay for trying to kill my unborn pup and harming my mate. My wolf was howling in anger trying to tear to the surface.

I ripped the cell door off its hinges and looked into the cell. Sure enough, there was the body of a dead male on the floor. He was naked and curled up in the corner. I snarled at him, but I knew it wouldn’t do any good since he was already dead. 

I turned back to my friends and tried to control Fraser from shifting and tearing apart the dungeon. Brett, the most calm of all three of us, spoke up.

“We didn’t want the girls to know because we didn’t want them to be scared. We never got an answer as to why Analia and the rest of them were attacked. We have no idea who these rogues were or why they were after your mate, and we don’t want the girls to be freaked out that someone might be after them.”

I nodded and rolled my head around to keep my temper down. “Where’s Davian? I thought he’d be here, since his mate was caught up in all of this too.”

Zader’s expression turned grim at the mention of Davian, and he let out a sigh. “He was the one who discovered the dead body. He blames himself for allowing the girls to get attacked and not catching the pills. He feels guilty for what happened, especially for Analia. He took off and shifted. I think he’s running off steam in the woods.”

I ran my hand down my face and let out a huff of air. “I don’t blame him. None of this is his fault. Even if he had been with them, he couldn’t have taken on three rogues alone. The girls would have had to fight, and it’s a good thing they know how. Analia wasn’t able to defend herself since she can’t shift right now.”

Zader chewed his inner lip and got lost in deep thought. Brett clapped a hand on my shoulder and tried to offer me comfort. “From what I hear, it was mostly our Luna who protected your mate and pup. She killed the other two herself while Carina held this one down to keep him alive for questioning. It was also the Luna’s idea to bring this one back for us to interrogate.”

I looked at Zader with my eyebrows raised in question.