Chapter 23
Killian was drinking from his wine glass, while staring at the distance. The sun was almost set and he felt this gloomy feeling gripped his heart tightly.
He was deep in his thought to the point he didn’t realize that the glass in his hand slipped and fell to the ground.
It was ridiculous, because there was no way something that he held could slip and then shatter like that, but it hit close to him.
Something that he held dear, something that he used to torture himself with, since he knew alcohol was not good for your health, but somehow, he kept drinking it, yet it slipped and then shattered in his feet.
One of his warriors immediately entered the room and found their alpha was staring at the sharp shards around his feet with blank expression.
“Did you hear anything from the palace? Any news that our letter has been replied?” Killian asked absentmindedly as his warrior cleaned up his mess.
He walked away, he didn’t care about his bleeding feet. The wound on the surface could be healed in a matter of second, but apparently, the shifter’s healing ability didn’t include to heal what was inside their heart.
“No, alpha. There is no reply from the palace.”
Killian and Brian had been trying to get in touch with the people in the palace, sending letters and such, but to no avail.
There was no reply and there was no peep at all. Their men couldn’t penetrate the palace. it was impossible feat to do it, therefore, with Althea was inside, it was not feasible for them to gain any information.
Killian was frustrated.
He couldn’t stay in the mainland forever, he needed to return to his pack one day and it had been so long for him to leave his own pack.
However, he wouldn’t leave without Althea and their baby.
“She is going to give birth around this time…” Killian said absentmindedly. The alcohol tasted bitter in his tastebuds, as he drank the wine from its bottle. “She is going to give birth around this time…”
Killian could only imagine that Althea would go through this monumental moment alone, or… that king would be there with her?
“Ridiculous…” Killian talked to himself and the warrior looked worried.
The alpha didn’t used to drink until he was drink, but recently, he didn’t eat anything and what he did only to find away to get in touch with Althea, drank or smoke.
“There is no way he will be there.” Killian scoffed to himself. His imagination had gone so wild.
As a king, he wouldn’t stay with her. Killian was not familiar with the rule in the mainland, but he thought all the rule was the same. It wouldn’t be appropriate for a man to be in a delivery room, especially when you have to accompany the woman that was not even his.
“At least, no one will be by her side… I can sleep with that fact…”
However, how wrong it was for Killian to assume that the king wouldn’t be in the delivery room with Althea and gave support that she needed. The support that she supposed to get from her destined mate.
The king couldn’t care less about the battle in the court or how people saw him, because right now, the only thing that was matter to him was Althea and her baby.
“Do something!” The king roared to the healers.
Althea had been in so much pain, she was going to give birth, but the baby still didn’t come out, which prolonged her agony.
“The baby doesn’t want to come out,” the healer said. “We will make a concoction to help with this, you don’t need to worry, my king. Please, calm down.”
Alex looked at her grimly and the healer immediately hurried out of the room and made the concoction that was needed for Althea.
“The baby… the baby…” Althea was worried about her baby so much.
“It’s okay…” Alex said. His husky voice was very calm and this soothe Althea’s anxiety, she actually felt good with him by her side.
She was grateful to meet with him and how he took care of her and the baby.
Althea couldn’t imagine if she was alone in that small apartment of hers and had no one to help her during this excruciating childbirth.
She was not sure if she could survive, she might die with her baby without anyone knew about it.
She held Alex’s hand tightly and started to breathe regularly, the pain was still too much, but when she realized she was not alone, it felt more bearable.
“It’s okay, the healer is working on the baby to help you, okay?” Alex caressed her cheek and without he realized it, he leaned over to kiss her forehead.
Both of them didn’t notice how inappropriate that was, but at this moment, their focus was not on that.
Not long after, the healer returned with a bowl of concoction, she asked Althea to drink the medicine to help her with the labor.
“Don’t worry, this is your first baby, of course, it will be a little bit difficult, but there is nothing to be worried about. It’s not something that I had never handled before.”
Althea nodded and obediently, she drank the medicine. The medicine was in black liquid color, it tasted very bitter, but compared to the pain, Althea would choose this bitter medicine any time.
After she drank the whole bowl, she could feel how warm her body was and the pain became tolerable.
Five minutes later, the healer told her to push.
“Push, lady Althea! Push!” The healer encouraged her. “I can see the head! Push!”
Althea pushed a few times before she used all of her strength to give the last push and then they could hear the baby was crying loudly.