We all went silent. Locke was no longer coming up to the bar to make appearances. He hadn’t shifted, but his wolf’s personality had surfaced. His wolf was mean and cold. The women weren’t allowed to go down to the basement anymore, and the men had a hard time holding him down to give him his shots.
Even if his mate came along to save him, they weren’t sure if she would stick around for his body to heal and listen to the trash he spat.
I couldn’t help but feel the deep sadness of Locke’s situation. He had done so much for the club. I didn’t know him very well, but he was obviously very loved and cared for around here.
I felt equally as bad for Journey. She was lucky to have Grim as her mate. Everyone looked to her for answers, but she didn’t have them. She was just a priestess for the Moon Goddess and even she couldn’t solve everything for us.
No one dared ask Journey at that moment if Locke’s mate was coming. I believe the inner circle knew that Locke’s time was limited.
But for now, I had to focus on Delilah and her upcoming labor. I needed to make sure everything was prepared for her and the baby.
As the day went on, I made a list of supplies we needed and sent Bones out to gather them. I also texted Delilah regularly, monitoring her progress and making sure she was comfortable.
The fae may have made the surrounding area beautiful and green, but it did not stop a large storm from brewing and coming into the area like a thief in the night. Lightning clawed through the sky as the wind and rain pounded against the bar.
I laid on Bear’s chest as we rested in his old room, where he spent most of his time alone before me. We weren’t about to stay at the cabin and risk getting stuck if Delilah went into labor.
“Do you think the reason why I didn’t have a sex drive before I met you was because I was destined to be with you?” I tickled his bare chest with my finger and let out a big sigh.
“I read that the fae don’t have sexual urges until a bond is locked into place, so I very much believe that.”
“You read that? Since when do you read?” I cocked my head to the side.
Bear growled and flipped me over, pinning me to the mattress. “I read when you are off doing your exams on the other females.”
I let out a giggle and poked his nose. “Aw, you are so sweet learning about my heritage.”
I had been far too busy to even pick up a book about the spring fae, not that it really mattered. I was a bear and had spent my time prepping for Delilah’s impending birth. I forgot all about my heritage. I was lucky to spend time with my parents. They were just as busy as I was. They had homes to build, training to complete.
My father was put into second in command by Shhkuk and was in charge of all the fae that were yet to find their second chances. Which were few, but my father took great pride in that.
My mother didn’t even care about talking about the fae; she wanted to know how my life was growing up. I wasn’t overly exciting, except for the knife throwing and ability to look at someone and find key features to see if they were lying, except in a dream they were useless.
I hadn’t and would never talk to her about my time in solitary confinement. It was still too fresh on my mind, and I never wanted her to feel guilty for any of that.
“I was curious.” Bear scratched his beard. “And I guess my new love of vegetables is thanks to you.” Bear rolled his eyes. “Extending my pallet was a bonus. The kitchen won’t run out of meat now.”
Bear leaned in to kiss me, but a frantic knock rapping at our door interrupted us.
“There’s water everywhere!” Hawke screamed. “Water came out of her. She said it broke. I don’t know what the fuck that means!”
I snorted and pushed my mate off me, and got dressed quickly. “Playtime later. You ready to see the first baby of the Iron Fang?”
“That’s it, Delilah, big breath in,” I urged.
Hawke was a mess. He was supposed to count the contractions nice and slow, but he would count too fast. He wanted his mate to be out of pain, but counting faster would not have this baby come any quicker.
Hawke pulled at his mohawk, rubbing Delilah’s back. “Don’t touch me!” Delilah hissed. “No one touch me!”
Hawke growled, his heavy footsteps echoing through the room. Frustration hung in the air as he grunted and let out a string of curses. I could see his agitation in the way he paced back and forth, his brows furrowed. Meanwhile, I focused on my task, the sound of his discontent serving as a backdrop to my counting.
“And rest.” I patted Delilah’s knee. “You are doing great. How is the birthing bar? Is that better to use?”
Delilah was hanging on to it for dear life. We were using gravity to get this baby out, and it was proving effective.
I nodded at Hawke to approach. His eyes softened. I could feel how he wanted to comfort his mate, but Delilah was in an enormous amount of pain. “I need Hawke to cool your face, okay? Try to push with your body, not your face. You don’t want your pretty eyes bloodshot, do you?”
Delilah hung her head, body panting.
