Fate Stained - Part Two
Chapter 41 - Short, Sharp And Savage

The thunderous crack of bodies impacting together over and over again echoed through the surrounding forest. Flynn and Rhys wasted no time sinking their claws and teeth into one another and soon there was nothing but a sea of blood and torn fur flashing before my eyes.

Even though Rhys was an Alpha, Flynn’s wolf was considerably bigger than his. The golden beast pinned the grey wolf down, giving a slight pause to the brutal battle, but the pause was short lived with Rhys’s putrid fangs sinking into one of Flynn’s front legs.

“Come on Flynn” I hissed through clenched teeth, “end this”

The golden wolf snarled down at Rhys, staring with ice blue eyes at the Alpha’s jaw as it remained closed over his blood coated limb. But instead of reacting by jumping off the wolf or latching on to him with his own jaws, Flynn instead just continued pinning the animal down and letting him thrash around beneath him.

“What the Hell is he doing?” Cameron asked beside me.

“Showing him who’s boss”

“What’s the point? He could kill him right now, Flynn’s proven that he’s stronger”

“He’s not trying to prove it to Rhys - the Alpha is as good as dead” I answered, nodding my head over in the direction of the heir, “He’s making sure his next contender is well aware of what he’s about to challenge”

Brandon stared at the fight in front of him with wide eyes. He watched as his father attempted to throw Flynn off but the actions, it seemed, were all in vain. Brandon knew his father was done for. He knew that within moments the title of Alpha would lie with the tribrid and the fated mate to his sister, and he was only going to get one chance to get it back.

A long, deep and low growl rumbled through Flynn’s chest and all of the Point Invictus wolves seemed to hold their breath as his lips curled up and over his teeth. The Alpha continued holding on to his opponent’s leg, refusing to give in, refusing to bow to his demand.

Rhys was stubborn. There was no way the prick, even knowing that he was done for, would yield to Flynn. I knew what the golden wolf was doing, he was offering his mate’s father a quick and respectful death - all Rhys had to do was look him in the eyes and bow his head - regarding him as the stronger beast.

The grey wolf growled in return, his sounds muffled by Flynn’s fur and blood as it continued to fill his frothing mouth.

And that was it.

That was all the tribrid needed, to know the end had come. It was time to finish this fight.

I watched with a level of pride and satisfaction as Flynn dropped all of his weight into his two front legs, his claws sinking deeper into the chest of the struggling Alpha. Finally, unable to breathe properly, Rhys let go of Flynn’s leg and snapped desperately several times at his face instead.

I almost thought Brandon was going to break protocol and run towards his father when the golden wolf’s mouth opened wide and grabbed the top of the Alpha’s skull, the sickening sound of teeth cracking bone reverberating through the trees. And just like Rhys had done to Fern’s previous mate, Flynn separated his head from his body with one swift tug.

“NOOOOO!”

Brandon’s scream was met with the sound of twelve howling wolves. I could hear the pain in their song, the impact of their bond being cut with their Alpha. I’d never lost an Alpha before, my father being the only one I’d ever known. But I had heard that it was a painful bond to lose and even though I’d hated Rhys with a purity, I still felt a level of sympathy towards Brandon and his men with what they were currently going through.

But no sooner had Brandon’s pained scream filled the air, did he then shift swiftly into his wolf and run full pelt towards the blood covered tribrid. Flynn barely had time to kick the dead Alpha’s body out of the way before his next challenger flew through the air and crashed into his body like a fur covered wrecking ball.

Quinn POV

Labour was like running a marathon, a never ending marathon…up hill…with no end in sight. Then even when you get to the point where you’ve had enough and can’t continue, you actually have no choice. The hills just keep coming, one after the other. Again and again until your body is screaming at you to stop, to sleep, to breathe.

“Breathe Quinn. Between contractions you have to breathe”

“H-How?” I panted, clenching my teeth as another pain ripped through my lower back, “I don’t even know when o-one ends and the next starts. Ahhhhhh!”

My father rubbed my back firmly and I caught the look he gave Blake out the corner of my eye. I was no expert in being in labour but I knew enough and I knew that the closer the contractions were together, the closer I was to giving birth. Right now the contractions were back to back, maybe twenty to thirty seconds between them.

“Moira” I breathed, shuffling my weight from one foot to the other as I crouched in front of the bed.

The wolf doctor came over to me and took Mason’s place rubbing my back.

“Yes love?”

“I thought you said a posterior birth was meant to take a wh-while. The pressure between my legs right now would suggest otherwise”

Moira stopped rubbing and dropped to her knees behind me.

“I’m just going to check you, ok Quinn?”

I could only manage a small nod of my head as another contraction seized my body.

“You don’t think—”

“Shit” Moira blurted, cutting off Blake.

The pressure with this wave of pain was almost unbearable and the urge to push overwhelmed every inch of me. It was like my brain and my body were constantly in a tug of war and even though my mind was telling me to slow down, that everything was moving too fast, my body was ignoring it’s pleas and unleashing an avalanche of pain and pressure purely focused on getting this baby out.

“Sweetheart, this baby girl is coming wether we’re ready for her or not. We need to do this now, ok?”

The wolf-doctor’s kind, soothing voice faded slowly into the background. I was vaguely aware of Blake and my father moving around the room, gathering towels and other things from Moira’s supplies.

“Quinn, lie down please. Blake’s set a blanket out on the ground just behind you. We are going to help you lie back. Just go with us, ok?”

Once again Moira’s words seemed like they were muffled somewhere in the distance, but I’d obviously understood what she’d said as I leant back into her and my father’s arms and allowed them to lower me down on the the cushions and blankets on the floor.

“Jayce”

“I know Quinn, I know you wanted him here…but this baby isn’t waiting. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry” Blake soothed.

The next contraction hit me suddenly and my back arched up off the floor, with Blake and Mason holding my arms and Moira positioned between my legs.

Jayce. He needs to be here. He can’t miss this…

“With the next contraction I need you to push” Moira insisted.

No. He isn’t here. He needs to be here.

Another wave of pain. Intense pain. Pressure, so much pressure.

“Push Quinn! I need you to push!”

No. Don’t push. We need to wait for him. After last time…He needs to be here.

“Quinn, listen to me!” Moira was yelling now as she gripped my legs, “This baby needs to come out, if you don’t push—”

As the contraction faded away, giving me a few seconds of relief, I took in a long deep breath- then stopped.

Is that—

The same second the familiar scent filled my senses, the sound of heavy feet thundering up the stairs greeted me like music to my ears.

“Quinn. Push now, you have to…this baby can’t handle anymore of this!”

Moira’s voice was desperate now and I wasn’t sure if it was the panic etched in her tone or the fact that I just couldn’t hold back anymore but I gave into her demands and with my next breath pushed down as hard as I could. At the same time I heard the bedroom door burst open and I didn’t need to look to know who entered the room.

“Jayce!” Blake cried out, “You made it!”

I pushed again and no longer tried to hold my terrified tears back. Jayce’s warm and empowering presence washed over me and I dropped my head back weakly as he took Blake’s place at my side.

“I’m here baby, I’m here now. I’m not going anywhere”

His rough, deep voice cracked slightly with emotion and I opened my eyes to look up at his handsome face. He was here, he was really here.

“You’re ok”

“I am” he whispered, wiping the sweat covered hair from my forehead, “I’m ok”

Even though staring into Jayce’s beautiful dark eyes was all I really wanted to be doing right now, my eyelids clamped shut and my teeth clenched as another contraction hit.

“This is it Quinn. Big push now! Come on!”

Pulling my knees back and my chin pressed firmly to my chest, I pushed as hard as I could. When my body felt like it couldn’t go anymore, Jayce and my father held my knees up for me and I found it within myself to go again, screaming loudly as I gave it absolutely everything.

“I can’t— I— I—”

“She’s here!”

I’d heard people describe their baby’s first cries as the most beautiful sound in the world and I’d never truly understood it. I’d heard babies cry before and to me, it was all just noise. But now, as a short sharp wail filled the room, followed by another, then another…I finally understood that feeling.

The sound was truly beautiful.

My mind scrambling to catch up with what just happened, I looked down between my legs just as Moira passed a tiny little blood stained human up to me. Jayce and I, as if both in a trance, reached forward at the same time, scooping the little mewing bundle on to my awaiting chest.

She was perfect. She was alive. She was healthy.

“She’s ours” Jayce breathed.

I looked up at the emotional man as a tear left his cheek, dropping on to my sweat soaked t-shirt.

“She’s really ours” he breathed again.

Jayce leant forward, his eyes leaving his daughter for a second to lock with mine. The love that danced around in them was enough to leave me breathless and if I’d ever thought he couldn’t love me more, the man had just proven me wrong.

“We haven’t even discussed names” I laughed, looking back down at the teeny little girl.

She had a head of beautiful dark hair that already reminded me of her father’s and as her magical blue eyes searched my face, I could see they were the exact same shade as Flynn’s and mine.

“I was thinking…what about Claudia?”

I knew my emotions were heightened, I’d just given birth, for Goddess’s sake, but the sound of my mother’s name in this moment had my lips quivering and a fresh lot of tears rolling down my cheeks.

“Claudia?” I sobbed.

I turned to face my father, who stood to the back of room, partially to give us our space but partially to hide his own overwhelming emotions.

“Claudia Delilah” Jayce whispered, planting a kiss on his daughter’s head, “What do you think?”

Sniffing back another wave of tears, I turned to Mason.

“What do you think dad?”

The proud man pursed his lips and sighed. After a couple of seconds he gazed down at me then at his grand-daughter that slept contently in my arms.

“I think your mother would be so bloody proud of you sweetheart. I know I am. Claudia is perfect”