Labor

"Who do you think you’re talking to?" Ashton growled, his eyes growing dark.

"An idiot." I snapped back.

All the feelings of depression and hurt that I was feeling were gone, and now I just felt pure irritation at the man standing in front of me. Sure, he was my mate, but that didn’t mean that I was going to let him talk to my friend like that.

"Did you just?" Ashton’s narrowed gaze grew wide as he took in my words.

Around us, I could feel his alpha aura beginning to seep out. It looked like the man was pretty pissed and wasn’t going to calm down that easily.

"Ashton!" Antoine snarled, rushing forward and slamming Ashton against the wall. "What the fuck do you think you’re doing?"

"I’m going to teach an insignificant lycan a lesson for being disrespectful!"

Letting a low, rumbling growl escape him, Ashton shoved at Antoine while his eyes found their way to me. 

Why was he so angry and acting so rashly? I knew that anything I said wasn’t that bad, so I couldn’t quite understand his reactions.

"STOP!"

Jumping I whirled around to look at Haidan who had shot up from her seat and slammed her hands on her desk. Rage swirled in her eyes as she took in Ashton and Antoine’s behavior.

"What the hell do the both of you think you’re doing?" She asked, stepping around the desk and making her way towards the two men. "You’re siblings, and we are on the same side right now. How dare the both of you sit here and fight! "

As she spoke, Haidan’s aura began to trickle from her and drift around the room. She was pissed and needed to be calmed.

"Haidan." Antoine said quickly as I opened my mouth to attempt damage control. "You need to mind your emotions."

"Don’t you dare tell me what I should do." Haidan growled, her eyes flashing. "You and Ashton are brothers and shouldn’t be fighting like this."

In a way, she was right; as siblings, they shouldn’t fight. However, given the history between the two and the rivalry for the same woman for so many years, the animosity between the two wasn’t really unexpected. Add in the anger Ashton felt at having to see Antoine and Haidan together, along with being around me, and I was pretty damn shocked he hadn’t lost his temper the minute he stepped through the door.

"I can fight whoever I want." Ashton snapped, defiantly earning himself a glare from Haidan and Antoine. "I didn’t even want to come, but you kept begging." He continued rolling his eyes.

"You can leave, you know." Antoine pointed out, placing his hands on Haidan’s shoulders in an attempt to calm her. "Haidan is close to her due date and doesn’t need the stress you’re causing her."

"Me?" Ashton growled, his anger bubbling. "You’re the one that shoved me first."

"BOTH OF YOU SHUT THE HELL UP!" Haidan shrieked, causing the room around us to grow deathly silent.

I watched as Ashton’s face turned red from being flustered while Antoine continued to try to calm Haidan down. I had to admit she was a force to be reckoned with; the reactions she earned from two alpha heirs alone proved that.

"If you’re done..." Haidan began, only to stop as an odd look formed on her face and all the color drained from her complexion.

"What’s going on?" Antoine yelped as Haidan clutched at her belly and let out a whimper of pain.

It didn’t take a genius to understand what was happening. Haidan was going into labor.

"CALL A HEALER!" I said, quickly rushing forward and helping Antoine support Haidan’s weight.

"Me?" Ashton asked, paling. "How am I supposed to know where the healer is?"

"Go and get TJ!" Antoine barked. "Just mindlink him."

"Don’t you tell me what to do." Ashton snapped back.

"STOP ARGUING!" Haidan hissed before doubling in pain again.

"See what you’re doing?" Antoine huffed, glaring towards his brother.

"Now isn’t the time." I said, deciding that we weren’t going to get anywhere like this. "You two help Haidan back to the room, and I’ll go get TJ."

"But..." Antoine began, only to snap his mouth shut as I glared.

Satisfied that he wasn’t going to continue to argue further, I surged forward, brushing past Ashton and quickly making my way out into the hall. Looking around, I reached out my senses to try to determine where TJ was located. Once I found him, I quickly headed his way. There was no time to waste and Haidan’s baby wasn’t going to wait on me to complete my mission.

I found TJ reading a medical book in the library in front of a large bay window that cast sunlight across his tanned skin. Sensing my approach, he lifted his head and met my eyes with a questioning gaze.

"It's Haidan." I said, quickly grabbing TJ's arm and beginning to pull. "She's gone into labor!"

"What?" TJ yelped, jumping up so fast that the chair he had been sitting in went crashing into the ground. "How is that possible? She wasn't due for another week! "

"Consider it stressed induced." I sighed. "I'll explain along the way but for now we need to get going."

TJ didn't hesitate to begin moving, this time dragging me along as he rushed towards Haidan's room, where she and the others were waiting. We arrived to find Haidan laying in bed covered in sweat and breathing heavily while Antoine clutched her hand, murmuring soothing words to her.

As TJ rushed forward and began to hover around Haidan I remained near the door looking around the room until I found Ashton standing in a corner looking slightly green and uncertain.

Moving towards him, I reached out a hand and gently placed it on his shoulder, causing him to meet my gaze with a questioning look.

"What?" He rasped, trying to seem nonchalant.

"You alright?" I asked, feeling my heart tug.

"Of course I am." Ashton responded, sucking in a shaky breath. "I just don't think I should be here for this."

He was right; he shouldn't be here for this, and neither should I. What was happening before us was something special that should be shared between Haidan and Antoine.

"Wanna get out of here?" I asked trying to be friendly while also trying to keep my emotions under control. Simply touching, Ashton was doing things to me that were new and uncomfortable, but I couldn't let him know.

"Yeah." Ashton said, looking towards Haidan as she let out a wail of pain. "Let's go."

Ashton didn't give me the chance to say anything further as he clutched my wrist and rushed out of the room just as a shriek escaped Haidan. Neither of us looked back nor said a word as we headed out of the packhouse entirely and into the garden beyond. It was going to be a long day, and all either of us could do now was wait until Haidan and Antoine's child made their appearance.