The Omega Queen

Nineteen

“Oh, he is so precious,” Cahira cooed as she gently cradled the swaddled newborn.

She looked at the proud and tired mother resting in the hospital bed. It was a lot of work to bring a pup into the world, even with modern medicine and supportive care. Giving birth to Alexander had taken everything out of her. He had been a big pup, too big really. The pack’s doctor had been a traditionalist, insisting on a natural birth. As a result, she strained for too long and lost her uterus in the process.

Cahira had struggled with the truth of never being able to conceive again and Matthew had to accept the fact he would only have one heir. Luckily, Alexander was healthy and grew quickly. And, later, when Nathan’s parents were killed in a rogue attack, she eagerly accepted the orphan beta as her own.

But if they had embraced modern medicine sooner, Cahira knew they could have filled their private manor with pups. Her gaze shifted to Erin, who graciously retrieved water for the new mother. There was still time to see their home filled with pups, grandpups this time.

“Would you like to hold him?” Cahira asked, looking at Erin, then the mother. “Would that be okay?”

“Of course,” the mother nodded with a grin.

She had been apprehensive when Cahira first introduced the new pack member, but Erin had a gentle, soothing presence. It was similar to a luna’s but also subtle like an omega. It wasn’t overwhelming and, in fact, very soothing.

Hesitantly, Erin accepted the swaddled infant, holding it close. Her expression softened. She had always loved pups and often accompanied her mother when she visited newborns and their mothers. Her mother said she was a natural luna, but that was before they learned the truth.

Cahira smiled as Erin held the infant with such care. Quietly, she took out her phone and snapped a picture, sending it to Alexander. He would be delighted with the image.

“Knock, knock,” a new wolf entered.

He wore scrubs and a white coat. Like most wolves, he had brown hair and eyes with a slightly olive tone to his skin, harkening back to his Mediterranean heritage. Seeing Cahira as well as Erin, he paused.

“Oh, Luna, I didn’t realize you were visiting,” he respectfully nodded.

“Well, that’s silly,” Cahira chuckled. “You know I always visit the newborns.”

“Of course,” he chuckled, looking at Erin. “And this is?”

“This is Erin,” Cahira introduced. “Erin, this is Doctor Kaison, our gamma.”

“Very nice to meet you,” Kaison smiled, offering a hand.

Erin hesitated. She gave the infant back to its mother before accepting the handshake with a nod. When he released her hand, she signed her own greeting.

Kaison blinked, glancing at Cahira.

“Erin can’t speak,” she explained. “It’s not a condition she was born with. I suggested you might be able to run some tests for her, but she doesn’t seem very hopeful.”

“I would be happy to,” Kaison assured her. “We should start with x-rays.”

Erin shrugged. It didn’t seem to do any good to argue, and it would take too long to explain why it was a waste of time. In fact, telling them anything would be breaking her promise to her father.

But was that still a promise she needed to keep now that she had found her mate? There were things he needed to know. She couldn’t just gloss over it. And once he learned the truth, he would understand why they couldn’t be mates. It was too much of a risk for him.

“Well, first, let me talk to our little mother,” Kaison turned his attention to the she-wolf and infant. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired,” Mia answered.

“Well, that’s expected and perfectly normal,” he chuckled. “So far, everything looks good. The pup is strong and healthy, breathing is good. I know you were worried about your lack of lactation.”

“I really don’t want to rely on formula,” Mia grimaced.

“Well, we can look at your hormone levels and see if we can stimulate more production,” Kaison said.

It was a tricky situation since they didn’t want to introduce medication into the infant’s diet. Anything the mother ingested would ultimately affect the baby as well. On top of that, many medications were simply ineffective on wolves with their higher metabolisms.

A tap on his arm made Kaison turn to see Erin. He was surprised how easily she seemed to move around without drawing attention. She had to be an omega, yet there was something strange about her that definitely wasn’t. It was difficult to explain.

She held out a small note pad to him. Kaison accepted it with a confused frown. Looking at the notes written on it he was even more confused.

“Fennel seed tea for lactation?” Kaison read aloud.

Erin nodded vigorously. It was something her pack’s shaman relied on quite heavily when mothers had difficulty producing enough milk. It also contained helpful antioxidants for both mother and pup.

“I’ll look into that,” Kaison assured her.

It was a promising lead and she seemed confident. While medication wasn’t always effective on wolves, herbal remedies were another story. Sometimes they proved even more effective for wolves than humans.

“Thank you,” Kaison said.

Erin grinned, accepting back her notepad. She was glad to make use of her knowledge. It felt like she was passing on something valuable from her pack’s legacy.

“For now, rest,” Kaison said, turning back to the mother.

“I will, and I really would like to try the tea,” the she-wolf said, smiling at Erin.

“I will definitely look into it and see about procuring some,” Kaison assured her. Then he looked at the Luna and their new pack member. “Why don’t we see about those x-rays while you are here?”