Chapter 586

We closed the door behind us, and Rowan laughed. “That was mean…even for you.” I threw my head back and laughed.

I started up the stairs without looking back. “It’s not like we had a lot of choices. Luke was the best option on the fly, and I need to get back to my father’s place.”

“I know you’re right. His face was funny as fuck, though.” He chuckled once more before we headed back through the closet to screaming.

“Alannah, push.”

“No!” She screamed again. The guttural sounds sent shivers down my spine. Rowan stopped short, and I had to push him inside further so I could step into the cottage. I walked around him toward the closet door.

“Amy…” His whisper stopped me short, and I turned back.

“Yeah?” He pointed to his nose in the dark. It took me a second to realize he was telling me to use my nose. I nodded once and turned back to take a deep breath.

“Come on, baby, you can do this.” Ternen’s voice was soft and confident.

“Once they come, you have to leave again.” She cried out. “I can’t lose you twice in one day.”

I blocked their voices and started taking deeper breaths. It only took one sniff to catch what Rowan already did. The baby was fading. Alannah was refusing to give birth, and the baby was too close to coming into the world, so her refusal was putting it in jeopardy.

I turned to Rowan, and this man was already reaching for the bag. “Stay here. You won’t be able to leave with this happening, but I can get this to the doctor.”

“Are you sure?”

He nodded. “I can shift into my Lycan form to be faster and run with the bags.” He kissed me once. “Join us when you handle this.”

I grabbed his face and kissed him again. “Thank you.”

“Of course.” He headed straight past everyone near the bed.

“Rowan?” My mom called after him, but he just kept moving.

“Mom.” I stepped out of the closet, and she relaxed a little. “What’s going on?”

She turned back to Alannah. “The babies are ready.” She looked under the blanket that was draped over Alannah’s legs. “But Mom isn’t.”

I turned to Alannah, and she refused to meet my eyes. “Alannah…”

“No!” she screamed. “He only stays until the babies are born.” She shook her head back and forth. “If I don’t give birth—”

I felt my face tighten. “If you don’t give birth now,” I interrupted her. “Your babies will die, and Ternen will still leave.” Her head snapped to mine, and I saw her wolf flash in her eyes. “What? You don’t like what I said?”

“Amy…maybe you should be nicer.” Wendy wiped the sweat from Alannah’s face.

“Why should I?” I growled out. Alannah’s wolf let out a warning growl. I leaned over, getting into her face. “Growl all you want, but I am your friend, and I am going to tell you the truth without sugarcoating it.”

Ternen’s voice cracked. “Please, baby.”

“No!” she snapped out. “I can’t lose you again.” She looked at her mate, and her face softened for a second before turning back to me.

I nodded once. “Then you and the babies will die, and you can join him.”

“Amy!” my mother snapped, but I scoffed. “You don’t want to tell her the truth because she is giving birth, but I don’t have time for this.” I turned to her. “Choose.”

“What?” Confusion bloomed in her face, but another contraction hit, and she screamed.

I waited for the contraction to finish before I said what I needed to. “I said fucking choose. Give birth to your twins, spend the next bit with your mate, and then you get to spend the rest of your life with your pups. OR… continue as you are. Your pup is already dying. I can smell it. Then you lose your pups, your mate, and your life. But you need to fucking choose now.”

“Amy.” Ternen, Wendy, and my mom all shouted at the same time.

“I have one pack barely holding it together. I have another barely surviving. Rowan is on his way to bring medicine to save not only half the pack from wolfsbane poisoning but also my father. The council is on its way to eradicate everyone at the pack house, and you are here killing your pups, and yourself, because the goddess gave you a fucking gift, and it’s still not enough.” I snapped out. Alannah’s eyes were wide, and tears were shimmering in them. “I have about tapped out my patience, and I’m sorry, but that’s the fucking truth. You have been this way the entire night, even with your mate, which is a fucking gift in itself, and still, you are demanding more. More from the Goddess, more from Ternen, from everyone else here. I love you, Alannah, but you are about to make the biggest fucking mistake of your life, and everyone here spent hours coaxing you, and you ended up here. I refuse to do that.” She blinked, and the tears flowed down. “So choose: your pup’s life, or returning to the goddess, because those are the only choices you have. Either way, Ternen is going back to the Goddess.”

“But I need him.” She whined as another contraction hit.

“No, you don’t. You want him. You love him. But you don’t need him to raise these babies.” I climbed up to her and wiped her brow. I softened my words. “So what is it going to be? We don’t have any more time.” I smelled the truth. “It’s now or never.”

She looked between me and Ternen. She shuddered once and then nodded. “Let’s have these babies.”

“Good choice.”