Page 7 of The Dragons' Healing Mate

“You’re doing amazing, Allison. Do you feel like pushing? That urge I was talking about?”

She waited a moment, and I could see another contraction hit her. “Yes!”

“Okay, hon. Let’s see it. Let’s meet your baby.”

I guided her through the pushes until I could see the baby’s butt descending. Getting a good look, the skin tone looked okay for this point of labor, and with the next push, one of the baby’s legs slipped free.

“You’re doing incredibly. Breathe for me, Allison. Breathe nice and deep.”

Another contraction, a little more distance, and then the other leg was out. I could see the cord, and I rubbed Allison’s lower back.

“Okay, this won’t feel good, but I need to help take some of the pressure off the umbilical cord and make sure it comes out nice and smooth.” I lifted her already very stretched skin by hooking my finger inside, giving that cord just a bit more space.

“Ow!” she cried, and I rubbed her back all the more.

“I know, honey. I know. We’re so close. You’ve got this.”

As the next contraction hit, the baby’s arms descended, and I had to swipe the cord to one side so that it didn’t pinch around their face. Gravity was pulling them so much at this point, and I cupped under the baby’s butt to reduce that pressure on the baby’s head.

It was hardly a blink, hardly more than a moment after I scooped under their butt, and they were out. Allison’s cervix had finally dilated enough to let them descend into the birth canal, and just like that, she was able to push them out.

As I lay the baby gently beneath her, Allison cried tears of joy, laughing, while Colin babbled incoherently, smiling. I couldn’t help but grin, emotions swelling within me at the sight of them.

I did love this part.

After a moment of rubbing the baby briskly with one of the clean towels I’d found, they started crying. A wave of relief exuded through the room, even my mates sighing audibly.

“Well, congratulations. It’s a boy.”

Greylen

Our mate was phenomenal.

I knew that already, but seeing her take charge of a room and deliver that baby was… I wasn’t sure how to put it into words. Remarkable? The truth was, it had been incredible to watch a person give birth at all, and I knew how important Rowan had been to that situation. It could have been so terrifying and confusing. Hell, I’m pretty sure Allison and Colin could have lost the baby, but our mate had stepped up, like the trained healer she was, and made it all look easy.

It was anything but.

“Well, hello there.” Rowan smiled as she looked down at the baby, who was now resting on his mom’s chest. “I think we can go ahead and cut the cord. Dad, would you like to do the honors?”

Bastian had grabbed the supplies Rowan had requested, and we all watched her clamp the umbilical cord and hand Colin the specialized scissors to cut it.

I’d never been particularly obsessed with babies, but even I had to admit something special was going on as the new father cut the cord while the baby rested happily on his mother’s chest, making adorable little gurgling noises.

God, it really has been a long time since we had a baby around.

The energy was so slow and calm, compared to during the birth. As Rowan got the baby settled again, the rest of us were sort of just standing around with nothing to do.

Except that’s when I noticed Orsen’s intense stare, drilling right into the new dad.

He turned to Colin, striding across the small room. “Now, for you?—”

Fisting Colin’s collar, Orsen snarled low, pulling him away from his mate and newborn child, all that new familial sweetness replaced by an Alpha’s wrath. He was determined to dole out some punishment—right the fuck now.

Shit.

“Orsen!” Rowan growled, turning her attention away from the baby and rushing over to pull on his arm.

Orsen didn’t look away, his brows low. “He kidnapped you!”