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The baby wiggled and then stopped crying.
When I stroked my hand over his fuzzy hair, he promptly fell asleep. He didn't even seem to mind that I was shaking so hard.
“Thank you,” I told the doctors.
“Congratulations,” they both said. “He is beautiful.”
“We will give you some time with the baby,” Ifra said. “And then I will be back to help walk you through his first days.”
I didn't realize how overwhelming it would be for us to suddenly be alone with the child. What if something suddenly went wrong?
I looked down at his small face knowing already that it would kill me to be without him now that I had him. I just wanted to hold him close and never let him go.
“Can I hold him?” Addy asked.
I blinked, realizing how greedy I was and nodded.
When Addy took the baby and held him, instead of worry, somehow, it gave me a moment of peace—like I didn't need to think about the little one while Addy had him.
“He looks so much like you,” Addy mused with a smile.
“Really?” I asked. “I think he looks like you.”
His smile warmed as he gazed down at the child.
“I knew he would be my sunshine,” he mused.
“Then that will be his name,” I said.
We had discussed names at length and Addy had told me his favourite one meant the sun, but I had wanted to see my child first, before deciding, and now that I had, I knew no other name would do.
“Hello, Shems,” Addy whispered. “I'm your al-father...”
I watched him with Shems, and then happily took him back when Addy returned him to me.
Addy crawled into the bed next to me and wove his arm around my waist, and for a while, everything felt perfect.
But then I remembered that it was likely Addy's punishment had been held off until this moment, so as not to cause me stress while I was pregnant.
How long would it be before he was forced to go work in the mountains, or the mines?
It only took until the next afternoon.
We were sitting in the living room. Me, and Shems were bundled up together on the cushions next to the fire and Addy was making something for me to eat when the head alpha Kion arrived with Latif, of all people trailing behind him.
Latif had already been by in the morning with Blaine and his parents to visit us and meet Shems. This time, upon his arrival he gave me a bashful look, as though he was finally revealing a secret. Did he already know what Addy's punishment would be? Had he taken part in arranging it when they had still been on bad terms?
“What is it?” I asked, sitting up.
“Don't worry yet,” Kion said, smiling and coming to sit next to me to see the baby. “Oh, he is lovely, isn't he?”
He was lovely. The cutest little baby I had ever seen, in fact, but I couldn't play along while my heart was in my throat.
“You're here for Addy, aren't you?”
“Well, yes, in fact.”
Addy stepped into the room, clearly having heard already.
