Our Heart

Elias:

Growling out as my hand twisted and contorted in inhuman directions with an earth-shattering contraction knocking the Richter scale of the charts as we grunted and breathed with her through her contraction.

“Okay! Good news, you’re ready to push.” Amelia beamed from between her legs like nothing fazed her.

“The Bad News?” Chris howled out in agony as he popped his knuckles back in place.

“That my dear boy, you’ll have to figure out.” Chris gave her a sour face as our hands were twisted and crushed with a growling hiss.

“I’M NOT READY TO PUSH! MY PARENTS AREN’T HERE!” Her screaming cry echoed through the room, buffered slightly by the door as mom walked in with dad hugged closely to her back.

“We just called them. They were visiting Bailey and Peyton in Norway.” Mom smiled warmly at us, knowing damn well the torture we were currently suffering with grimaced expressions.

“Elicia, sweetheart, if we don’t start popping these kids out soon, we face complications.” Amelia directed her freaked-out expression onto her calm, collected, and determined smile as they both nodded in a silent agreement, forgetting about us standing here with crippled appendages.

“Push on the next contraction.” Amelia ducked down enough to still hold her attention, kissing her sweat-stricken forehead before dropping to my knee with a blood-curdling scream.

“I can’t feel my fingers.” Ben groaned in our link as the wailing cries of our first son filled the room with emotional jubilation.

Peering over the bedrail at the slimy, squirming bundle of lungs as Amelia held him up with a bright smile.

“Nakoa.” Roger brushed Elicia’s sweat-soaked locks from her forehead, kissing her softly with a bright smile. Mom and Dad took Nakoa from Amelia to clean and check him over, grinning stupidity between my brothers as we smiled down at our mate.

“SH-SH-SHIT!” Bracing ourselves, our hands long forgotten as the fingertips turned a purplish blue as Amelia coached her on between her legs. Closing my eyes in a tear-jerking groan as Knox graced us with an angry shrill full of piss-n-vinegar like his proud papa.

“Knox.” Kissing Elicia with a bright smile laced across my face. “You’re a trooper.” Whispering next to her panting face as Roger switched out with me, giving my broken hand a chance to heal as mom and dad bustled around the squirming infants with bright smiles.

“He even has an angry scowl like Elias.” Mom cooed softly at him.

“Two down, two to go. You ready?” Amelia popped her head up quickly to examine Elicia’s exhausted state.

“Yeah.” She grimaced in pain, shifting her body up so she could finish delivering our beautiful boys, stroking her sweaty locks as she gritted her teeth with a snarling growl that had us smiling.

The door slammed open with us looking like a sweaty, stunned screenshot from some comedy skit with the Doctor’s head buried between the patient’s legs, while four grown-ass men look on like deer in headlights, contorted and twisted in agony as the fire breathing patient shoots daggers out her eyeballs. Yep, that was us as we stared back at Randi.

“ELICIA! Ouf! That va-ja-ja is wrecked girlie.” Randi and his perfect timing, tossing the bedpan at his megawatt smile as he ducked out of the room with a scared Rex. “Focus!” Snapping back to Amelia cursing a storm, something about ‘bashing’ and ‘stapling’ between snarling pants as our third son cried out softly.

“Darrius.” Chris beamed like a fucking spotlight as he nudged his nose into Elicia’s cheek, whispering in her ear with a soft kiss. Wetting a washcloth, wiping it across her flushed skin as her body trembled with exhaustion, closing her eyes briefly to catch her breath before she arched off the bed with a growling snarl that surprised us all.

“I’LL FUCKING CASTRATE Y’ALL!” Her screaming growl had us all ashen as she clamped down on Roger and Ben’s hands with everything she had left, breathing out as our fourth son entered the world quiet as a fucking mouse, and smiling.

“Figures.” We looked at Ben with shit-eating grins as Chris patted his shoulder.

“Keegan.” Ben rasped out a shaky breath as Amelia handed him over to mom and dad, turning around as she went to work cleaning up the afterbirth and examining Elicia’s vitals.

Wiping down her sweaty face, kissing her quivering lips as she looked at us with tired eyes.

“You get some sleep. We’ll take care of our sons.” Roger stroked her cheek, kissing her hand as she relaxed back into the pillow.

“Sleep Butterfly.” Ben leaned down, kissing her cheek as her eyes fluttered closed with an exhausted breath.

Nodding to Amelia as she finished up, checking Elicia before covering her with a soft blanket and diming the light as we stood huddled together admiring the gift of life all wrapped up and nuzzled together in their warmer.

“They’re perfect.” Dad gripped our shoulders with tears trickling down his porcelain smooth skin, wiping at them with a quick finger.

“I mean, we are ‘Sexy Motherfuckers’.” Chris wiggled his brows with that boyish grin I wanted to smack off his face.

“That’s debatable.” Mom rebutted softly poking his ribcage with a stern glare, turning around as she kissed their little hands with a cooing smile.

Soft knocking drew our attention as LC and Derek popped their heads in the door, looking at us with bright smiles.

“We’ll come out,” Dad whispered softly pointing over to a sleeping Elicia, following mom as she wheeled the newest editions of the Nightshade family out into a bustling room of overgrown saps, gushing and swooning over their precious bodies.

“Everyone meet Nakoa, Knox, Darrius, and Keegan Nightshade.” Roger started the roll call as we pointed to each sleeping bundle of cuteness, smiling like the proud fathers we were.

The Big Bad Bear himself turned cuddly and soft as he stroked each of their cheeks, placing little wooden Bears beside their feet with the Black Claw crest burned into the Norway spruce.

“Congratulations.” His intimidating presence bear hugged us each with a firm pat on the back.

“Bailey and Peyton send their blessings. She’s on bedrest at the moment.” Jorvik’s gravelly tone tried to whisper out the words, keyword ‘tried’, causing the boys to squirm in protest. Nodding in thanks as he shared the space with all of the happy grandparents, and teary eyed Uncles.

The one man we truly looked-up to was beaming ear to ear as his muscular frame weaved through the crowd, motioning us away from the boys so we could hug with firm palms.

“I’m so fucking proud of you boys.” Those by-colored eyes misted over as he looked over to the bundles of joy.

“We had a great teacher.” Elbowing him with a bright smile.

“I taught you how to survive, ‘They’ taught you happiness and what it means to have family.” Max motioned with his finger to everyone standing around our newborn sons, smiling, hugging, and sharing tears of happiness.

“Give yourself more credit. You taught us way more than you think. We saw a ruthless, cold-hearted fighter, turn into a loveable, fearless leader with a Heart of Gold.” Scooping him into a tight hug as his muscular body shook with sobs.

“Now look what you’ve done, my Big Bear is crying.” Mei walked over with a bright smile as she hugged us, wrapping her arms around Max as he leaned into her neck, her hands rubbing against his broad shoulders.

“You do realize there is a monopoly on newborns in this family?” Mei looked over with a perked brow.

“Yeah, we know,” Chris grumbled lowly, shuffling his foot against the polished floor as crisp heels clicked down the hallway, turning just as the Silverfang Trio strolled into the gathering room looking clean and sharp in their dress blues.

“Holy Shit! The Trouble Three.” Shaking their hands, slapping them proudly on the backs in greeting.

“We can’t stay long, but we wanted to stop and congratulate the proud papa’s and give you this.” Birgir handed over a large gift bag with two teddy bears hugging and blue tissue paper spewing out the sides.

“Our folks are currently tied up at the Vancouver office with Pap and Mam, but they wanted the boys to have something special from them. Be expecting them soon.” Mikkel chuckled lightly as they hugged everyone quickly before disappearing back down the hall with Davyn leading them in a cheerful ‘OORAH’.

“Well, wasn’t expecting to see them so soon.” Mei smiled brightly as we stood around watching mom and LC sway gently with Nakoa and Knox as dad and Derek tickled Darrius and Keegan’s little feet.

We knew what family looked like, but to actually say we have our own family is a whole other feeling. Yeah, it was a dark, treacherous journey, but like every wild adventure, ours had to start somewhere. The darkest days overshadowed the good, the good blended into normal but the wildest of them all was the night a curvy Goddess danced straight into our lives.

Thankful to whoever took pity on us and blessed us with not only a fierce mate but a loving, passionate woman with a forgiving heart, who blessed us with four amazing sons and many more to come. Walking over to our parents and in-laws, scooping up our sons with megawatt smiles as we posed for pictures, capturing this moment forever.

“Let’s go see mommy.” Cooing down at Knox as his little fingers wrapped around mine, forever imprinting on my heart.

Waving to everyone as we slipped back into the room with our beautiful mate, our heart.


A/N: Thank you for supporting my journey, and the awesome group of gals and gents following me on FB. This is sadly the end of The Watchmen but the series is not over. We still have Rocko's 'The Lost Warrior', and The Unicorns still to come but they have taken a step back to allow another group of amazing characters to speak in a whole new series. I'm taking a much needed break to refocus and recharge, make sure to find me on FB at EDark Readers for updates and other information. Proud to announce that Fighting Spirit, Untamed Siblings, and Trouble Three are now on Amazon in paperback and KDP. Remember to leave your reviews and stars. A BIG HUMBLE THANK YOU AND HUGS!!!