"Push, Celina, push! The first pup is ready to come out!" she exclaims as she gets into her position.
I scream as I push as hard as I can. I swear, these flipping pups better be worth it. Sweat covers my whole body, making my black hair stick to my forehead.
"I see the head!" Doctor Aileen exclaims before the sound of crying fills the room.
As I breathe heavily, I look up to see a little baby boy in the doctor's arms. He's so adorable...
The moment doesn't last long though as I suddenly feel really tired and the beeping of the heart monitor starts to drop. Doctor Aileen looks over to me before hurriedly, but gently, placing our first born into the hands of an assistant doctor.
"Celina, stay with me. You still have two pups left. Come on, Celina, stay with me!" Doctor Aileen calls to me, her eyes looking crazed. I nod as the second pup's head is seen.
I push hard but it seems more difficult than the first. I scream again as I give a final push before another crying baby emerges. I don't have time to see what he or she looks like as my eyelids slam closed. All I want to do is sleep...
"Celina? Celina, wake up! Come on, Celina, please!" a panicked voice yells directly into my ear. I groan as my eyes slowly open back up. I'm so tired... I just want to sleep.
I glance at Callum and Comrade, then to Axel. If I die tonight, I'm gonna miss these three people the most.
"I love you, guys," I whisper as the third pup starts to make its way out. I release scream after scream as I continue to push. Oh my freaking god!
Tears that started long ago continue to stream down my cheeks. I look to Axel in pain.
"Axel, it hurts so much!" I cry as I squeeze his hand harder. I swear I hear bones cracking. I hope I don't hurt him too much.
"Just hold on, Celina. You and the pups will be ok. You have to be," he whispers as tears slip from the corner of his eyes. I've never seen him cry and the sight breaks my heart.
I weakly grab his head in my hands and bring his lips down for possibly the last kiss we will ever share together. I pull away as a scream bubbles up in my throat and I push painfully one last time, and for the third time, the cries of a newborn fills the room. Once again, I can't see what he or she looks like as my strength starts to rapidly leave my body. My vision starts to blur while I struggle to keep my eyes open.
I see Axel smile at the pup before looking down at me with the same smile. That smile instantly drops though once he sees me. He starts to scream at me, but as his lips move, no sound comes out. I look at Callum and Comrade to see that they're doing the same thing.
The only thing I can hear is the beeping of the heart monitor. It slowly gets slower and slower beats from my heart. Is this how it's gonna end? Me in a room surrounded by the people I love and knowing that my pups are safe? I don't think I could be happier to go any other way.
I weakly lift my hand and try to place it over Callum’s or Comrade's, but I'm too weak. They catch on to what I want and place their much larger hands on top of mine. I painfully rotate my head towards Axel to see his tear-streaked face and sad eyes. I don't like him crying, it doesn't suit him.
I gently place my hand on his cheek, since he moved closer to meet me half way.
"Smile," I whisper. "All of you smile. I want to remember you with a smile on your face."
There's barely any sound to my voice, but they hear me loud and clear.
Callum and Comrade crack a smile, a genuine smile, but not Axel.
"You won't die, Celina. I won't let you!" he yells as more tears slip from his eyes.
"Just smile," I say again in my barely there voice. To help him, I send all the fun and happy times we spent together to all three of them, my true family.
To my surprise, Axel cracks a smile. It's small and barely there, but it's the smile I'll remember forever.
"I love you," I whisper as my eyelids begin to droop for the last time and the beeping of the heart monitor becomes dangerously slow.
"I love you too," is the last thing I hear from Axel's mouth before I welcome the darkness.
I will never forget you, Axel Night.
36
AXEL
No. She isn't dead! She isn't dead! She won't even get to hold our pups. We won't be able to get married. She won't be with us anymore.
As soon as Celina's hand becomes limp in mine and the heart monitor gives a continuous, deafening beep, I know I lost her forever. I still can't believe it though, never. She isn't dead, she can't be.
My eyes travel to the three sleeping angels in the three little beds. They're beautiful. Our first born, I'm proud to say, is a boy. He has Celina's pitch black hair, but you can easily tell he has the build of an Alpha. He's going to be a strong leader when he grows up.
Our second born is another boy. He's only slightly smaller than our first born, with pitch black hair also. He has a leaner build but looks just as strong. You never know, maybe he'll become Beta if Callum never finds his mate.
Our third born is a beautiful baby girl. She's got a much smaller build than the boys, the same as Celina's. Instead of Celina's pitch black hair she has my snow white hair that looks as soft as a pillow.
I haven't been able to see any of their eyes yet since they just cried and cried then fell asleep after being placed in their little beds. As much as I want to hold my pups, I just can't do that to Celina. I want her to be the first to hold them and if she's gone, she can't do that.
My head snaps at a grim-looking Doctor Aileen. She's as pale as a ghost, her hands shaking slightly.
"Do something," I whisper while looking her in the eye. She doesn't move, but continues to stare at Celina's motionless body.
"Do something!" I yell furiously. She has to be able to do something! Anything!
Her head drops out of submission, her shoulders slumping in defeat.
"I'm sorry, Alpha. There's nothing I can do," she whispers while I see a single tear slip from her eye. Celina's death will affect all the pack, but knowing that Doctor Aileen could've done something to prevent it will burden her for the rest of her life.
I shut my eyes, desperately trying not to show weakness in front of her.
"Get out," I say roughly. Doctor Aileen quickly scrambles out of the room, leaving Callum, Comrade, myself, and of course, the pups too.
I go back to Celina's side and grip her hand in mine. I won't accept it. This isn't her fate, this isn't her destiny! This is not how it's supposed to work!
"Is she really gone?" I hear someone whisper. I look up into the sad and teary eyes of Comrade. I gulp, but don't answer. I won't believe it. She isn't dead! She isn't dead! She can't just leave me!
"What do we do?" Callum asks this time, since Comrade looks like he's trying to hold back his waterworks. I turn to him with a stone look and shielded eyes.
"We wait. Remember, Celina is a strong fighter. She has royal and alpha blood in her. She can't just die because of child birth. She can't. She just can't," I say determinedly, my voice cracking every few seconds.
The Moon Goddess has to save her. She can't just die! I know though, no matter how many times I tell myself that, reality will hit me soon like a ton of bricks. I just can't believe it right now. Celina is my love, my mate, my Luna, and my rock. She’s my everything! If she goes now, I don't know what I'll do with myself! Plus, she's only 17. She's not even an adult yet. She's too young to die!
"Please, Celina, please wake up. I need you. I need you here with me. The pups need you to raise them. I certainly can't. You need to be by my side and living, holding the pups in your small arms. Please, Celina, wake up," I whisper in her ear, leaving a soft kiss under her earlobe.
She doesn't react. Not even a flinch or anything. Maybe she really is gone...
"Axel, we can't just sit and wait. She's gone and that's that. We need to tell the pack and organize a service for her. She needs to be remembered for who she was," Callum says wisely while he looks down at Celina like he's lost a piece of his heart.
I swal
low the lump in my throat. Should I? I don't think the pack can handle it...
"No, we will not tell the pack. Not yet. Give it a few days, tell them Celina's healing. The pack won't be able to handle it," I reply, not taking my eyes off Celina.
"They deserve to know, Axel," Callum insists. My head snaps up to him in anger.
"I said no!" I yell with power. He immediately submits by dropping his head and looking back at Celina. He may be the Beta, but he does not run the pack. I'll tell my pack when I want to. He has no say in the situation.
"I'm gonna miss her so much," Comrade whispers suddenly, after a few moments of silence. I feel for the young boy. He is only 18 after all and treats Celina like a sister. He spent a lot of time with her and told her his past, which took a lot of willpower from him.
"We all will," I whisper back.
Hours pass. It must be nine in the morning by now, and we all just stay by Celina's side. 'She. Isn't. Dead. Please mother, if you can hear me, save her. Bring her back. Please, I'll do anything! If you can't do it for me, do it for the pups. Do it for Callum and Comrade. Do it for this pack.'
The pups woke up a few times, but I quickly shushed them and rocked them back to sleep. Not by holding them, just by rocking their little beds sideways. They just sleep so peacefully. Celina will be the first to hold them though, she will. That's one unspoken promise that I will most certainly not break.
A soft knock sounds at the door, interrupting all of our thoughts.
"Come in," Callum calls weakly, certainly not beta-like, but I can't blame him. For all I know, I'm probably worse.
To my surprise, Doctor Aileen walks in. She silently closes the door behind her before making her way towards me.
"Pardon me, Alpha, but I need to check on the newborns. I'm just making sure that they're healthy and well, nothing more," she assures me while also explaining why she's here. I silently nod to show I understand.
She makes her way over to the pups but abruptly stops. I look towards her and a confused look overcomes my face.
"Is everything alright, doc?" I asked, confused. She turns to me, equally confused.
"Yes, Alpha, I'm fine. But I can't get close to the pups though," she explains, frowning.
I raise an eyebrow, my expression becoming serious.
"Now is not the time to mess around. What's really wrong?" I ask, hiding my irritation. I don't have time for all this nonsense. I just want her to do her job and get out.
"I'm sorry, Alpha, but I'm not messing around. I physically can't get further than where I am standing right now," she explains, frazzled.
With my anger rising, I march over to where she's standing and put out my hand. It seems to hit an invisible wall that certainly wasn't there before.
"What the hell..." I mutter, baffled. This can't be possible.
"What is it?" Callum asks as he makes his way over to us. Comrade stays by Celina, seeming to be in a trance and not noticing anything around him. He's been like this ever since Celina... well, you know. He only speaks when completely necessary. He's completely shut down.
Callum puts his hands up onto the invisible wall, a confused expression taking over his face like the rest of us.
"I don't understand. There's nothing there," he states the obvious in a strange voice.
"It's as if there's an invisible wall surrounding the pups so no one can go near them. Why though?" I ask as my mind tries to grasp any sensible reason as to why this invisible wall is blocking our path. Of course, there’s none. Nothing seems sensible anymore.
"Is it magic?" Doctor Aileen asks. I shrug along with Callum. It could be...
"I don't know. Maybe it's a prank by one of the younger pack members," Callum offers.
"Uh, guys?"
I shake my head.
"No, there's no way they could've gotten into the room. It has to be something else," I mumble as my mind tries to think of a reason.
"They could've climbed in through the window," Callum suggests. I look at him like he's an idiot while Doctor Aileen releases an exasperated sigh.
"Guys?"
"No," is all I say. I highly doubt that anyone will have the nerve or indecency to actually keep me from my pups. If they do, however, I will personally detach their heads from their shoulders.
"I don't think they would be that desperate to piss off their Alpha by blocking him from his pups," I explain in a low voice to Callum, like you would use when speaking to a toddler. I swear if they did, they better be ready to expect the worse.
"What if-" Doctor Aileen starts to say something that will probably make sense before she's cut off by someone yelling.
"Guys! For goodness sake, Celina!" Comrade yells, finally getting our attention. We all whip around to a sight that is unimaginable and in the history of sensibleness, is not possible.
There's Celina, wrapped in a kind of blanket made of gold and shining. She's hovering above the bed she was once dead on with a new gold dress that splits down one end, instead of the scrubs we changed her into. The dress hugs her figure nicely and it seems to be floor length, but that's not what I’m focusing on. Oh no. I’m more interested in the fact that Celina is magically floating in the air and is somehow waking up.
My eyes don't leave her as her light grows more and more intense. I keep my gaze on her until I have to look away in case I blind myself. The windows suddenly burst open as an almighty breeze rushes into the room. It all seems to be centered on Celina.
"What's going on?" I yell as I shield my eyes, and of course, no one knows the answer. We all continue to watch in awe as Celina shines in her gold dress with the air whizzing around her.
Just as everything begins to die down, the tap on the other side of the room starts to shake violently. The next second, water bursts out of it heading straight for Celina. I panic a little at this point. Is it gonna hurt her? Just before it's about to hit her though, the water turns into mist and surrounds her like a fog. Seriously, what the hell is going on?
"Water and air are two of the most calming elements in the world," Comrade suddenly says as he takes a step towards Celina. There came an ear-piecing scream as soon as he makes that move. I instinctively cover my ears against the awful noise. Shit, that's loud!
"What the hell is that?" I yell. It sounds like a cat trying to sing on Halloween!
Comrade takes a step back again and the screaming suddenly stops. I hesitantly uncover my ears and look at the others to make sure they're ok.
"Is everyone alright?" I ask and they all nod. Simultaneously, we all turn to Celina. Only thing is, she isn't there anymore.
Crying fills the room and it snaps me out of my shocked state. I spin around, thinking of checking on my pups, but abruptly stop. There, standing by the beds of my pups, is none other than a very awake Celina.
My mouth drops open in shock and my eyes widen to the size of saucers. No, that's not possible! She was dead! She should be dead!
I stand there in shock as Celina softly pets the top of our baby girl's head. She instantly stops crying and falls back into her peaceful sleeping state. Celina kisses her on the forehead before turning around and shocking me even more.
Nothing else and nobody else registers in my brain as my undivided awe and attention goes directly to Celina.
The first thing I notice is her eyes. Yes, they're gold, but that's it. No white, no pupil, just beautiful, shining gold. I will myself not to get lost in them, but trust me, it's the hardest thing I've ever done. I can stare into those eyes for the rest of my life.
Then I also notice that her dress is actually a cover of glitter of sorts. The fabric looks as if it's moving from top to bottom, and continues into the floor without stopping. It looks absolutely stunning on her.
The last thing I notice is that she's staring right at me. Her gold eyes never blinking, her form never moving from beside the three little beds. She stays completely still, just staring into my greyish silver eyes.
"Celina?" I call to her in disbelief. Thi
s can't be possible. She... she's dead. I just didn't want to believe it and now that the unbelievable has happened, that's the only thing I’m sticking on to.
At the sound of my voice, the air and mist stops flowing around her. The gold shrinks away from the whites to reveal a pupil. Her dress stops moving and becomes a normal one with a slit. Everything returns to normal. All in the time span of a few seconds.
As soon as her eyes return to their beautiful golden color, she starts to wobble on her legs, gripping her head and shutting her eyes tightly. Without even thinking, I lunge towards her, the invisible wall no longer there.
I catch her before she falls to the ground, her body going limp in my arms. Instead of panicking and yelling at Doctor Aileen to do something, I wait. I just hold my wonderful mate in my arms and wait.
It could've been a few seconds, minutes, or maybe even hours, but the waiting pays off. Just as the last thread of hope is about to break and I'm about to accept what I've been willing myself not to, Celina opens her beautiful golden eyes slowly and whispers, "Axel?"
Her voice puts all my tense muscles at ease, calms my racing heart and makes me release a thankful sigh.
At this moment, I can't be any happier to hear someone say my name.
37
CELINA
"Oh thank the Moon Goddess! Celina, you're alive!" Axel exclaims happily as he hugs me close to his chest. I sigh in contentment as I wrap my weak arms around his broad shoulders.
Axel peppers kisses all over my face, nose, chin, cheeks, and forehead, everywhere! He finally comes to my lips and places a soft kiss there, making sparks erupt from my heart.
"I missed you so much," I whisper as a few tears slip out my eye. Not only him, but I missed Callum and Comrade as well. I mean, who wouldn't?
"I don't understand," a feminine voice mutters. I look to my left to see Doctor Aileen standing there with a confused expression. "This isn't possible. All your vital organs, your heart, everything just stopped within you. You were dead. How in the world..." She trails off again while my mind starts to go back to the previous events.