Wolf shifters were not a fecund species, despite our longevity. It was typical for children to be rare, and spaced far, far apart if a couple were blessed with a second pregnancy. But even knowing this clinically, seeing the toll it took on Gracelyn in the moment, it hit me harder than it ever had before. I had a fated mate now, and it was all so much more real. Visceral.
“Shhh, Gracelyn. It’s going to be okay. Nobody is going to hurt you or your child. But if we can’t get these contractions to stop, she might come too early, and we don’t want that. Do you think you can lie down?”
She nodded, still gulping and gasping through her flood of tears. She let me steer her out of the front room and into a larger living area, with a big, fluffy chaise lounge next to a love seat. I guided her dow
