Chapter 44 - The Birth

Three months had passed since the crowning, and Luci felt as big as a house. She and Xavier had been working hard to settle into their new roles with the help of Malik and Reina. The grandparents-to-be were constantly hovering over Luci, making sure she didn't overdo it.

Luci's doctor said she was having a girl, but they didn't know what species she was yet. They were hoping to find out when she was born, but Dr. Findly said they may not know for several years. They would know immediately if she was a vampire; however, if she was a lycan or hybrid, they wouldn't know until her wolf came.

Luci was spending a few minutes alone walking in the gardens. She rubbed her swollen belly with a smile as she walked near the small pond. She was thankful she was a vampire and not a human, so she would only be pregnant for about four months rather than nine.

"There you are. I've been searching the whole palace for you." Bexley came running up to her with a smile.

"I was trying to get some fresh air. Did you need me for something?" Luci was slightly sad at her alone time being interrupted.

"Nothing work-related. Mom and Dad wanted to show you the nursery; it's finally done." Bexley grabbed Luci's hand and pulled her toward the palace. Luci didn't mind being interrupted anymore. She had been waiting anxiously for the nursery to be finished. She and Xavier hadn't been allowed anywhere near it.

Everyone was waiting for her when they got upstairs to the room across from her and Xaviers. Luci walked over to Xavier, who put one arm around her shoulders while rubbing her belly with his other hand. Alessandra, Janie, Waylan, Reina, and Malik were all there smiling.

"Are you two ready?" Reina asked excitedly.

"Yes, I can't wait." Luci exclaimed eagerly. Malik made a show of opening the door, and when they walked in, Luci looked around in disbelief.

The room had once been a guest room, but you couldn't tell by how it looked now. There was thick peach-colored carpet with cream-colored walls; Luci thought it looked like peaches and cream.

A white crib with pale peach bedding and a few stuffed animals sat to one side. The dresser, rocking chair, and changing table were also white. The mobile above the crib was like a large flower with petals hanging from it in yellow and white.

A child-sized white bookcase sat next to the rocking chair, and they had put in a window seat filled with more stuffed animals and pillows. In the closet, there were so many clothes of different sizes that Luci thought the baby wouldn't need anything for at least a year.

"Wow, you did a fantastic job. It's perfect." Luci sat down in the rocking chair, imagining rocking her little girl there soon.

"You really did. This room looks nothing like it did before." Xavier looked at the stuffed animals and smiled when he saw a wolf and a doll with blonde hair and brown eyes like Luci in the front.

"Well, son, it's not every day we welcome a granddaughter. It will be nice having a little one in the palace again." Malik patted Xavier's back and looked around the room. Everyone froze when Luci suddenly grabbed her stomach and groaned in pain. Xavier was at her side instantly.

"What's wrong?" He asked anxiously.

"I think our little girl is ready to see the room for herself. I believe I'm going into labor." Luci grabbed her stomach again as another pain hit her. It wasn't as bad as a human's contractions, but it was enough to make her uncomfortable.

Xavier lifted Luci up in his arms, and everyone followed him out of the room. The doctor had set up a birthing room in the palace as they knew this day was close. Xavier mindlinked Dr. Findly as he carried Luci downstairs. By the time they reached the birthing room, the doctor and his mate, who was a nurse, were waiting on them.

"Lay her on the bed there, King Xavier. Queen Lucinda, how far apart have your contractions been?" Xavier pushed Malik and Waylan into the hall; he would only allow the women to be with Luci while she was giving birth.

"They've only been a few minutes apart, and they came on suddenly." Luci held her stomach as she had another one. This time, she felt her water break beneath her.

"Your water has broken, so it won't be long now. Let me check and see how dilated you are." Xavier helped pull her panties off, and she put her feet into the stirrups. Dr. Findly measured her and looked at Luci in surprise.

"You're already fully dilated, and I can feel the top of her head. Did you have any symptoms before you felt the sharp pains?"

"When I was walking around the garden, I felt these little twinges, but they weren't painful." Luci looked up at Xavier, who was holding her hand.

"Most likely, you've been in labor for a few hours, so now it's time to push. I want you to push with everything you have."

Luci squeezed Xavier's hand on one side and Alessandra's on the other as she pushed. It wasn't very painful, but she felt a pulling and tugging when suddenly it stopped. When Luci prepared to push again, she heard the baby cry and looked down at the doctor.

Luci started crying when he held up her daughter, who was letting everyone hear the set of lungs she had on her. The nurse quickly took the baby after Xavier cut the cord. He walked over and helped give their little girl her first bath. Xavier carried her over to Luci when she was all cleaned up and wrapped in a blanket.

Luci took her daughter in her arms and smiled at her sweet little face. She had just a tiny tuft of blonde hair near the top of her head, but other than that, she was bald. Her eyes were still dark as they looked up at her mother.

"She's so beautiful. Dr. Findly, do we know if she's a vampire?" Reina asked him as she stared in awe at her granddaughter.

"Let me clean up, and then I'll examine her mouth." Dr. Findlay finished cleaning Luci, then removed his gloves, washed his hands, and put on a new pair of gloves. He walked next to Luci, sticking his finger in the baby's mouth.

"I feel her fangs already breaking through, so she is a vampire; however, she may also be a hybrid. We won't know until she's about five when her wolf comes." Luci and Xavier looked at each other with a smile. They were hoping she was a hybrid.

After Luci was covered up and everything from the birth was gone, Xavier let Malik and Waylan back into the room. The women took turns holding the little girl and kissing her little face. Malik walked over and took her from Bexley with a tear in his eye.

"She's amazing. Now that she's here, can you tell us her name?" Malik asked as he stared at his granddaughter, who he was already in love with. Xavier looked at Luci and nodded.

"Everyone, meet Zorina."