The Rise of the Alpha

02

Needing to move the baby so that another nurse could begin an examination of it, Rose instructed Gracie to handle the cleaning up of Lavinia. "There might be a little fluid build-up in her lungs, Luna," she explained as she carried the infant over, "and if that's the case, it's nothing to fret about. The first few breaths that a newborn takes take tremendous effort, you see, and some babies require a bit of assistance in that area. Their lungs are so tiny, you know? There's no need in sounding the alarms just yet, I don't think."

With that, the three nurses went diligently through the typical motions of checking over a seconds-old baby while the doctor stitched the new mother up.

"We can't lose her, Mark," cried the Luna in a hushed tone, clutching hold of his hand and squeezing it tightly yet again. "I swear, I'll go on a rampage if something's wrong with her..."

"Patience, my dear Lavinia," the alpha cooed, his soothing voice managing to cut through the mounting tension. Though unintentionally, Lavinia was ignoring him, her attention fixed solely upon the nurses who were tending to that newborn baby of hers. "All's not lost yet," he added as he kissed her forehead, then together they did all that they could possibly do – wait.

*****

Both Mark's and Lavinia's restless wolves paced to and fro in their minds, whimpering to know if their newborn pup was going to be okay. Typically, Mark was quite the level-headed alpha under heavy stress and/or pressure, but even an alpha has his weak moments in life…and so does his luna. Out of nowhere – like a trumpeted announcement from the heavens above, even – the newborn's cries rang out from its labored little lungs, an ear-splitting sound that quickly filled not only the room but the hearts of the alpha and luna as well.

"Oh, thank goddess she's okay!" Lavinia rejoiced with a sigh, overflowing with copious relief. Her teary-eyed gaze met Mark's equally grateful one, then she grabbed hold of his hand and added, "We did it, my love. We did it."

A cautious Rose interrupted the pair's endearing, life-changing moment to proudly present their now-squalling baby to them, and Lavinia's smile grew impossibly wider as her precious, crying daughter was placed upon her bare chest. Skin-to-skin contact between a mother and her newborn was of paramount importance, according to Rose, and wildly enough, the vocal infant hushed its cries almost instantly after being handed over. The doting parents oo'ed and aww'ed over their new bundle of joy, pointing out her teeny features and comparing them to those of their own. A wet nurse interrupted them shortly thereafter to guide Lavinia in b.reastfeeding, and from there, the brand-new, over-the-moon parents tended to their precious little girl.

Neither Mark nor his wolf could hardly contain their joy! "She's absolutely perfect, just like her mother," bragged the man to everyone in the room as he too in the soft pink of the baby blanket, and as he looked over his shoulder at the wet nurse (who had since moved to the sofa that was tucked into the corner of the room), he mouthed a 'thank you' to her.

That nurse had simply wanted to be out of the way, but she knew she'd be needing to stay in the room in favor of observing the new mother's feeding and being there in case any issues arose. When she was, at last, satisfied that the luna had a decent handle on feeding, she politely and quietly excused herself from the room for a little while, encouraging the Cambridges to call for her should they need anything at all.

In utter bliss and wearing the proudest, tiredest, happiest faces they'd ever worn before, the new parents doted on their daughter; it was a picture-perfect scene to mark the beginning of an exciting new adventure in all of River Falls' lives!

"Give me my baby," said the alpha suddenly, opening his arms to receive his child, but the exchanging of handlers made the swaddled bundle a little upset. "Shhh...," he soothed the girl, jumping without a hitch into the role of a father. "There's no need in all of that, now, is there? What's the fuss about? Daddy's got'cha."

As Lavinia beheld the sight of her beloved and her flesh and blood bonding, she thanked the goddess above for her perfect blessings in life, her tired smile stretching from ear to ear in reflection of that. Just before a worn-out yawn escaped her, she said to her husband, "I sure love you, my alpha," then gently placed her arm around him and pulled him ever so slightly closer to her.

Meeting her gaze, he acknowledged her proclamation by placing a tender kiss upon her lips. "And I love you, too, my luna," he replied as their smooch broke, and when they pulled away from one another, they lost themselves in each other's captivating eyes…even if only temporarily. The minutes-old baby interrupted that sweet moment, though, grunting before letting loose another squalling cry. "Aww ... and I love you, too, little Lelia Wren," he added, kissing the top of her head and then his wife's brow.

*****

(two days later)

Out in the Commonplace, the festivities of all sorts were still going strong! Buzzing in the midst of it all was Cyrus, positively giddy about the new addition to the pack. "Our humble alpha and luna have returned, and they are thrilled to say they've had a healthy and beautiful baby girl!" he announced to the people, hovering in the form of a mighty eagle above them. Cyrus happens to be a fae, and for all intents and purposes, he's Mark's adopted brother. He's wolfless and rankless but has been a loyal subject to the Cambridge family ever since Mark's parents, Obadiah and Lucy, had carried the titles, and he's loved by mostly everyone in the pack for the kind and caring being that he is.

One of the best things about him is that while most faes aren't typically people-friendly, he is! The story is that long ago, Obadiah secretly witnessed the single-handed ambushing of a younger fae, his wife, and their children by a rabid rogue one night while traveling home from visiting a far-off pack. He'd seen the mother hide the baby away just in the nick of time, and when everything was said and done and the rogue had moved on, he emerged from his hiding place and retrieved the baby unharmed. Feeling so awful about the things he'd seen that night, he chose to take the baby in and raise it as his own. If it hadn't been for that baby's mother's quick thinking and Obadiah's intervention, Cyrus would've d.ied. There are some things in life that are better left unknown, though, and Cyrus is the type to be at peace with a notion such as that. He's accepted the things which he cannot change, as do many people in life, and wolf or no wolf, he's vowed he will protect the family who stepped in and saved him when they certainly didn't have to. His gratitude knew no boundaries, as did his loyalty.

The pack, who'd been celebrating around the clock since their alpha and luna had departed, clapped and cheered and raised their glasses for a toast, for their hearts were filled to the brim and beyond with immeasurable joy. The merriment was so thick that one could practically cut into it with the dullest of knives!

Prior to leaving the people to go and grab the Cambridges and the necklace he'd fashioned for the baby to give to it, Cyrus scanned the crowd heavily, searching it up and down for a certain someone and eventually spotting the individual stumbling about holding a stiff drink in each hand. Shaking his head at the sight, he excused himself to go and fetch his family, and when they returned, he presented them to the crowd, who then erupted in applause and shouts of praise. It was a glorious moment for the whole of the pack, indeed.