A Howling Heart
Chapter Sixty-three

I must be dreaming. What I just felt between my legs is a figment of my imagination. It couldn't have been hair and a round head. Not when there's already a baby in my husband's arms. It was supposed to be one baby. One! My mom blows out a breath, offering me a lopsided smile that doesn't exactly reach her eyes. She is in as much shock as I am, but with pure determination she sucks in a breath and nods. "It's a baby. You're going to have to start pushing again. It is going to be okay, Fae. You've got this. It's just like before, okay? Deep breaths and some pushing."

"A baby? N-no, no, no, no."

What is this? A litter? I feel like an animal for real now. How could I have been pregnant with two babies and not known it? This is utter delusion!

I shake my head rapidly. "There was only one. Only one. In my dream. I only saw one."

It unsettles me that I didn't see this baby. What does this mean? Why was it only my daughter? Is there something wrong with this child and that's why I couldn't see the baby in my dreams?

Matias ushers for my mother to come grab the child before he kneels before me again and consoles me. "It's okay, Fae, just like before. Just push, anima mea. We will get through this."

He caresses my cheek, and I lean toward his touch.

"Okay."

"We will have two children. Two beautiful children." He smiles at me softly, and my fear doesn't seem so prominent anymore. Instead, a strange sense of excitement begins to replace it, and I push. It feels like it lasts forever when it's only a minute that goes back until the baby is out.

"It's a boy," Matias says with a flat tone as if he's containing his emotions.

"A boy?"

He nods.

"Oh my goodness.".

I begin crying heavily as he places him on my chest.

"A boy," Matias says the words again like he can't believe it himself before he places a kiss on my lips, and my mother kisses the top of my head.

"You did it, Fae. You did it, and they are beautiful."

I never thought I'd feel complete. Especially after the broken family I grew up with or the pain and loss I've endured since I first met Matias, but laying there, with my children and my mate, I've never felt so complete.

My mother approaches us with tears in her eyes and outstretched arms. "Can I hold one of my grandchildren?" Her expression is joyous.

I never thought I'd live to see the day when my mother embraced her destiny in this strange world that has been around us all this time.

"Yes, Mom." I offer her granddaughter, our daughter. Even in my head, it is an astounding thing. I never thought I'd have this... the picture-perfect family.

My mother gasps and circles a spot around the back of our daughter's neck. "She has the cutest birthmark. A halo." She angles the baby toward us, and I smile as I note the red halo on the back of her neck. "She is special. Just as I expected," I reply.

"Special and beautiful like her mother," Matias adds before he places a kiss on our son's head, and he remains lying peacefully on my chest.

"We have to pick their names, Matias."

He scrunches his face up contemplatively. "How about Ira? It means watchful one. And look," he says while the baby grabs my finger and stares up at me with such awe, it's as if he is just as happy and content as I am, having met him for the first time, "he stares at you so deeply, it's fitting, wouldn't you say?"

I laugh, causing the baby to bounce up and down on my chest a little. His eyes widen, but he remains calm and shifts his gaze to his father. He stares at him with the same level of interest, as if we are his entire world, and I can't help but agree. "Ira. Okay, and for our daughter?"

Matias leans down to kiss me and pulls back with a grin. "I'll leave that up to you."

I begin thinking. I've had a few name ideas but never could settle on one. I figured once she was here, it would be easier just to look at her.

I don't realize until I scan the room that my mother has left. "Can you go grab my mother and the baby so I can get a good look at her? Who knows? Maybe my mom will help me pick it out."

The thought warms my heart completely. It's like everything is full circle. We are finally the family I've longed for.

Matias nods and kisses my hand. "I'll be back, My Love."

He disappears from the room, and I sigh with absolute adoration for the man.

"Everything is going to be okay," I whisper to Ira.

A few more moments pass until I hear a chorus of howls pierce the air.

They aren't playful howls or any typical alerts of a pair going off hunting in the woods. No. These are desperate howls. Ones that signify loss.

The door to the room bursts open, and Mason runs in with wild eyes. "Fae!"

I sit up, clutching Ira close to my chest. "What is it? What is wrong!?"

Mason's expression twists into a painful one. "It's your mother. She is gone, and so is the baby. Matias went after them, but I'm not sure what good it would be. They disappeared into Amoux territory." "What?"

How can this be?

I feel my world come crumbling down around me.

I gain everything and lose everything in a matter of minutes.

My baby girl, one I haven't even been able to name, is gone, and my mother has either been unwillingly taken captive or ...

I don't even want to acknowledge this.

But I can't help but allow the thoughts to take root in my mind.

Or she betrayed us.

Neither brings me comfort.