The last Hope: A Prophecy is Born

I quickened my pace as the sky began to grow darker with each passing moment. Up until a few moments ago, the sky had been picture perfect. The dazzling baby blue sky had become an ominous gravel grey as large puffs of clouds started to surround me, blocking out the last bit of golden yellow sun's rays. Halfway to the packhouse, the first cooling drops of rain landed on my cheek. I quickly darted through the fields between me and shelter, ignoring all the greetings from passerby's who were shuffling to get to their homes before the clouds decided to empty their contents all at once. Just as the packhouse came into view, the drops became larger as they fell more frequently. I cursed under my breath as I knew this meant I would not be making it back home dry. I pushed myself to run faster despite the burning sensation that radiated throughout both my legs. Soon the light tapping of the rain gave way to the hard pitter patter as it pelted the ground all around. Puddles had begun to form in my path. I pushed ahead, hoping that my mate wouldn't be too furious with me when I returned home seeing as I had promised I would be back an hour ago. I made my way onto the porch of the packhouse just in time. As soon as my foot made contact with the last grey stone step, I turned around just in time to see the rain begin to fall exponentially harder. The water was cascading off the edge of the roof, forming an almost perfect waterfall over the entrance to the packhouse. I stood there staring out into the fields awestruck. I have always loved the rain for some reason. It kept me calm and always seemed to come just as my temper was about to get the best of me. "You better have a damned good reason for being this late and soaking wet." I couldn't help the sly grin that spread across my face. Her voice held just a hint of anger, yet despite her tone she had always sounded like an angel to me. I could hear the slight tapping of her foot on the hard stone as she waited for my reply. "I was out training my little love bug." I said as I spun around to face her. Her dark grey eyes were staring at me intently through her thick lashes. She stood leaned against the door frame, arms crossed and a scowl on her beautiful face. Her plump pink lips were pursed into a thin line as she glanced up at me before raking her eyes over my body. She proceeded to pinch the bridge of her nose between two dainty fingers while keeping her other arm resting atop her very round belly. A sigh escaped her lips before she looked back up at me, locking her eyes on mine. "And what if the baby had come while you were out?" She instinctively placed both hands around her swollen belly. Her face had changed from anger to hurt. I felt my wolf whimper as the image of her having to go through birthing our first born alone crossed my mind. The smile quickly faded from my lips as I took a step towards her, holding out my arms to embrace her in a warm hug. I wanted to hold her in my arms and wipe away all her doubts about me missing our pup's birth. She quickly threw her arms up in front of her before I could even take a step further. I stopped in my tracks as I watched her for any indication she was still not in a forgiving mood. Her grey eyes darted from my face to my chest, as if she was trying to tell me to change before touching her. "Alright, alright." I chuckled as I dropped my arms to my side. A small smile played across her lips as she draped her arms back around her belly. Goddess, I couldn't have been blessed with a more perfect mate than her. Before we had met, my life had been nothing but misery. Growing up, my father instilled the values that his father taught him as a pup. They weren't values that were worth passing down either. You see, my father believed that a pack should fear and respect their leaders. In order to obtain that respect, you had to show them no mercy and lead with an iron fist. My father's rules to live by ended up making the pack a miserable place. Many pack members despised my father so much that they had schemed against him in order to take over his position. Seeing as I'm Alpha now, those plans never really worked out. As a pup, my father hated to show any kind of weakness. He considered fatherly love a weakness, therefore I never received any form of appreciation from him other than a grunt if he felt I was doing satisfactory. Soon, he had fallen ill. The illness was unknown at the time. No matter how much effort our doctors put into researching it, they never did come up with a cure. Shortly after falling ill, he passed away. The title of Alpha fell on me since I had been his only heir. I'm not proud of my beginnings. Although my father was a hard man to love, he was my father none the less and held a special place in my heart. During my time of grief, I kept his rules alive. I never faltered from his teachings, even at times when I felt things should have gone differently. I made my warriors train every day, regardless of the situation. They were out on the training field at the break of dawn regardless of weather conditions. If they couldn't train, then they were exiled or executed to set an example. But that all changed the day I met her. My mate. The image of her crying and begging for me to choose someone else was too much to bear. My heart shattered at the thought of my mate not wanting me. Rumors had made their way into her pack about how bloodthirsty I was and ruthless. That was when I realized my father's teachings were completely wrong. Yes, they made the pack and everyone else fears you, but it's not worth losing your Goddess given mate over. I vowed at that moment that I would change everything if she would give me a chance. I started off by apologizing to my pack, something that my father said showed weakness. I know I can never change the past, but the future could always be brighter. I vowed to make this pack a better place to live and raise a family. Now, almost four years later, my pack is stronger than ever. My pack respects me more than they ever did my father. We have nearly doubled our members as well as our defenses. I couldn't have done it without my mate by my side. I stared down at the woman who had given me everything I could ever ask for and more. I could feel pride well up inside me as I stared at her swollen belly. "Mason, I swear to the Goddess if you don't go change out of those clothes I'll...." she stopped mid sentence as I made my way to her. I pressed my body against hers before leaning down and inhailing her sweet scent. My hands snaked around her waist before she could protest. I slowly inched my face closer to her mark, making her shiver as I placed a light kiss on it. I trailed kisses up her neck and stopped as I got to her ear. "You'll do what, mate?" I rolled the last word off my tongue as I felt her shiver against my grip, her breathing hitched as I ran my fingers up and down her arm ever so lightly. I could see a trail of goosebumps following closely behind where my fingertips had already touched. "T-this isn't g-going to make m-me forget about how soaking wet you are!" I stopped my assault on her skin as the words left her mouth. I couldn't help but smirk at her words. She had walked right into my little trap. "And don't think I'm going to forget about how wet you are right now either." She sucked in a breath as I leaned in to kiss the crook of her neck. The sparks erupted as soon as my lips made contact with her skin. I slowly moved my lips down to her collar bone, peppering kisses all the way down. Her breathing had become more labored and erotic. I could smell her arousal all around us. Her hands instinctively darted up to my head. She slowly ran her fingers through my jet black hair as she let out a moan that had my heart skipping a beat. "Uhm, Mason?" Her hand gripped my hair tighter. I stopped and looked up, only to find her features were no longer those of lust, but of fear. I quickly came to my senses and looked around, trying to figure out what she was so panicked about. That's when it hit me. I could smell a slight bit of blood mixed with something that was unfamiliar to me. I moved back a little before taking her face in my hands. I could feel her panic through the mate bond, but it wasn't the usual panic. It was mixed with something else. Excitement? Her eyes slowly trailed down to the ground between us. I followed her gaze down to the floor. All that was down there was a puddle of water that had dripped off of my soaking wet form and puddled between us. If it was just water, why did it smell different? Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. My eyes widened in shock. I looked back up at her. Tears were brimming her eyes as she held onto her stomach. A small smile played on her lips as she nodded to me as if answering my unspoken question. "He's here? I mean he's coming?!" She nodded again before turning away from me. I watched in disbelief for a moment before reality kicked in. I quickly picked her up bridal style and carried her up to our room. "You're going to get me soaked!" She panted. I just chuckled as I took the stairs, two at a time, up to the fourth floor. Even though she was about to bring our pup into the world, she was still only worried about me being wet. I quickly opened the doors leading into the bedroom and rushed in. I gently laid her down in the center of our king-sized bed before rushing around trying to find any pillows that I could. After a few minutes of searching, I managed to find four to help prop her up. "Here love bug. Lift your back as much as you can so I can help you get more comfortable." She obliged, lifting her back off the bed slightly. I placed the pillows behind her back before I helped her scoot back against the headboard so that she was in a sitting position. Doctor? I had to get the pack doctor up here as soon as possible. Yes, Alpha? Thank Goddess she had always been quick to respond. It's time. The baby's coming. We're in our room in the packhouse. On my way. I closed the mindlink so as not to be bothered. "Mason, I can't do this." She looked up at me, tears in her eyes as her panting became more pronounced. Her chest heaved up and down quickly with each breath. Beads of sweat had started to form all around her forehead and on her neck. I couldn't help but feel helpless at that moment as I knew it would be painful for her, but I also knew that she was the strongest warrior and Luna this pack had seen thus far. "Amelia, you've got this. I know you can do it." I gathered a small wash cloth and a bowl of cool water from the bathroom and placed it down on the bedside table. The cloth was soaked in the water so that I could mop the sweat from her head and chest. I had seen this done in movies, so I wasn't sure if it was supposed to be done, but it seemed to be helping her. Right now, anything I could do to make her feel better put myself at ease. I know I may look calm and collected on the inside, but internally I was freaking out. My wolf had gone into overdrive with the pacing. He was making me even more nervous than I already was. "Mason, I-I cant!" She screamed out. The door swung open shortly after to reveal the pack doctor dressed in a white coat. She had blue rubber gloves that extended over her coat and up to her elbows. A plastic shield guarded her face as she looked intently at my mate. Two others had followed behind her. I had assumed they were her assistants.They all bowed their heads before taking their respective places in the room. One of them was a female, dressed similarly to the doctor. Her gloves didn't go past her wrist and she wore a set of light blue scrubs instead of a white coat. Her blonde hair was tied into a neat ponytail behind her head. The other was a male. He looked a little lost as he stood at the far end of the room behind the doctor. His hair was a mess from his fingers running through it. He stood in front of a small clear bin that looked kind of like a bassinet. I guess he was the pediatrician there to help with the baby once he was delivered. "Alpha, I need your help to move the Luna to the side of the bed here so I can get a little easier access." The male attendant pulled a chair from behind the door and moved it behind the doctor so that she could sit down. I quickly went into action to carefully reposition Amelia on the edge of the bed as the doctor requested. As soon as Amelia was in an ideal position for the doctor, I moved quickly, gathering her pillows and propping her up. "He's coming!!!" Amelia screamed between breaths. I looked at the doctor, who was thankfully very skilled in this area, as she gave me a warm smile. She lifted Amelia's gown and quickly got to work coaching my sweet mate through. I tried coaching Amelia about some of the breathing techniques we had been taught, only to be greeted with a low gutheral growl from her wolf. "One more push, Luna. You're doing great." The male attendant stood behind the doctor with a small blanket in hand. The female was watching from the corner of the bed, waiting for her turn to clean the baby off. "That's it, a beautiful baby....." The doctor went quiet. I watched all the color drain from her face. I knew that couldn't be a good sign. Amelia had passed out from exhaustion. "A baby?" My voice came out barely as a whisper. The doctor snapped out of her trance as she looked up at me. Worry was clearly present in her eyes. "A baby girl, Alpha. But i'm sorry. She didn't make it." Those last words broke my heart. I never knew I could love someone so much before I ever met them, yet this baby girl had already shattered me in mere moments. They wrapped her small body up in a blanket before the female nurse took her to the morgue. "My baby..." Amelia murmered. I quickly started to comfort her as the doctor cleaned her up and made sure everything was fine with my mate. *** The day was fitting for the occasion. The sky had lost its blue hue as somber gray clouds hovered above us. Amelia and I stood at the front, watching as they slowly lowered the small casket into the ground. My mate was a sobbing mess. I tried to hold it together for the sake of being her rock, but both my wolf and I were in shambles. I couldn't let that show though. I had to be the tough Alpha in front of the pack. Once the ceremony had ended, Amelia and I thanked everyone for coming and offered them time off to heal from the loss of a pack member. Regardless of how old she was, she was still their future Alpha.