Mate Bond - Finished

Chapter Nineteen - Baby

Serenity's POV

I was due to give birth any day now. My mom and Luka's mom gushed over nursery items and tried to get me to be enthusiastic about decorating. We painted. We watched the men put furniture together. I helped decide where I wanted things to go in the baby's room and in our new room in our own section of the house.

It wasn't that I lacked excitement for the upcoming birth of my daughter. I was more excited to meet her than anything I could ever express. That just wasn't the biggest thing on my mind anymore. How would I protect her when she was out of my womb and into a world where a crazed demon wanted me?

We folded baby clothing and organized them, putting them away into neat drawers. The moms, who were soon to welcome their first grandchild, swooned over how tiny everything was and reminisced about when we were babies. I couldn't get into the magic that was welcoming this baby. A feeling of dread consumed me.

I had a thought that right now she was the only thing protecting me and I was the only thing protecting her. Kale would not want anything to do with me while pregnant, and he knew harming the future Alpha's baby would create a war neither pack may be able to win. Once she was born, I was fair game. She was safe and sound right now, oblivious to any of the chaos going on around her. She was protected by my body and nothing could get to her without a fight. When she was born, out into the world, she was vulnerable.

“You look stressed, love.” Luka said, coming to my side and placing a firm hand on my shoulder to get my attention.

“I'm always stressed.” I told him in the same sad tone that seemed to always overtake anything I said.

“It isn't good for the baby.” Luka reminded me.

“This world isn't good for her.” I told him.

“Nothing will ever happen to her, Serenity.” He said firmly.

The truth was, we couldn't guarantee that nothing would happen to her. Kale had his eyes set on me and would stop at nothing to get to me. Did anyone think he would spare my daughter in his quest to own me? Did anyone think he had any moral to leave a child out of it? He would use any measures to get to me and now he had one definitive way to do it.

Nightmares kept me awake at night. I dreamed often that Kale would come in to the nursery at night and steal my infant out of her crib. He would take her far away from us and demand that I come get her. He would use her to get to me. And I would go, I knew that. I would go to the ends of the Earth for her. I would turn myself over to some insane demon mage werewolf hybrid, whatever Kale was, to keep her safe.

I felt everyone was incredibly naive for thinking it wouldn't come to that. Everyone knew, or should know, that the ultimate way to make sure a person did what you wanted was to put their child into the mix. Their heart and soul, the entire world to them, their reason for everything, their purpose, the one person that they loved more than anything else in creation. If you had their child, you had everything you needed to get what you wanted.

“I don't want to set up the nursery.” I said to Luka.

“Why not? Do you not like it? Are our mothers being overbearing? Do you want me to go in and start telling them to let you have more say?” He asked.

“No. She should stay in our room. She can't sleep in there all alone.” I said.

“Okay. We'll have the nursery set up, but we can have a bassinet next to the bed.” Luka said. He kissed my forehead. “I would die before I let anything happen to either one of you.”

“Me, too.” I agreed. “You know, I've been feeling crampy all day. Maybe we should lie down and watch a movie.”

“Crampy? Is that normal?” He asked.

My lower back, stomach, and hips were aching. “I think she'll be ready to come soon.” I told him.

“We're ready when you are, baby.” Luka said to my belly.

Ready or not, she would be here before we even knew it.