Chapter 282 Born From Thorns
TESSA
Well, things escalated quickly.
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The facilities here weren’t up to par yet, and their clinic had been obliterated to pieces. So, we couldn’t let her stay here. Rowan and Cade were the first to react, both of them turning toward Calla. My little girl looked up at them, still glowing faintly from the carlier battle, her magic sparking around her tiny frame like fireflies.
“Calla,” Cade begged. Arden was in his arms, doubled over, her face pale with pain, sweat already lining her forehead. “Please. I need you to take us back to Fenra. Please, sweetheart. Your aunt needs you.”
Rowan crouched low beside her. “You’re the only one who can. I’ll be right here to catch you. Just focus, Calla. You can do this.”
She pouted at first, enjoying the attention, her small chin tilted stubbornly. “So much begging,” she said, a spark of mischief glinting in her eyes. She enjoyed making them squirm–I could see it in the way her little shoulders lifted. But then her gaze flickered to Arden, who let out a strangled cry, clutching Cade’s shirt with trembling fingers.
That changed everything. The stubbornness melted away. Calla’s lips trembled, and she whispered, “I’ll do it. Because 1 love Aunt Arden.”
Her hands began to glow, and she squeezed them into fists, concentrating so hard her brow furrowed. Light blossomed under our feet, a brilliant circle of gold that spun faster and faster. In the blink of an eye, the crumbling Montrose palace vanished.
We landed in the South with a jolt, stumbling onto solid ground. We barely had a second to catch our breath before the shouting began.
People were everywhere, calling out Calla’s name and searching for her. Guards, pack members, citizens- eyes wide with awe and fear as they saw her standing there.
Noelle and Sol were there first, their footsteps echoing as they rushed forward. Behind them, Alpha Karl and Luna Mila appeared. The moment they caught sight of us, of Cade holding a screaming Arden, their eyes widened in shock.
“Tessa,” Noelle stammered, but her gaze darted quickly to Arden, who was squeezing Cade’s shoulders as another contraction wracked her body,
“Tessa, how did you endure this pain?!” Arden cried out, tears spilling down her cheeks. “I’m telling you! There’s not going to be a second baby. This hurts so much!”
Despite the urgency, I couldn’t help the small laugh that bubbled out of me. Her dramatics were so Arden- like, even in the middle of bringing new life into the world. Cade, however, was on the verge of falling apart, his lips brushing against her temple, his arms locked tightly around her.
“Baby,” he muttered. “Hold on/Just hold on for me.”
“What–how?” Noelle stammered, her hands trembling pale with shock.
as she looked from Calla to Arden to me, her face
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on, 29 Sept
Chapter 282 Born From Thorns
“No time,” I said sharply. “Get the pack clinic ready. Now,”
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There was no hesitation after that. Orders were shouted, and people scattered. Cade didn’t waste a second He shifted Arden in his arms, her screams muffled against his chest as he whispered soft comforts to her.
Beside me, Calla wobbled, her small shoulders drooping. “I’m tired,” she murmured, her voice weak.
Rowan immediately swept her up into his arms, holding her close, steadying her against his chest. His lips brushed her hair as he whispered, “I’ve got you. I’ve got you, little one.”
She blinked up at him, her lashes fluttering, and asked softly, “Did I do a good job?”
Rowan smiled. “You did more than good. You saved us. You also saved your aunt and her baby.”
Her eyes closed at that. Rowan held her tighter with a small smile.
With that, we all followed after Arden and Cade, ready to welcome another little one into our lives.
We were waiting outside the clinic. I thought it was going to be swift–after all, her water had already broken back in Montrose. But apparently, it didn’t work that way. The walls here weren’t soundproof, and even though the doctors tried their best to keep things under control, I could still hear her from here.
“It hurts so much!” Arden screamed.
Cade’s voice followed, trembling, and I could swear he was crying. “I know, baby. I know. I’m right here. Hold onto me. Please.”
“Why is it so long?!” Arden wailed again, and I could almost see her glare through the walls.
“If I could take the pain for you, I would,” Cade whispered fiercely. “I’ll do it. Just say the word.”
But Arden snapped back immediately. “But you can’t! That’s the problem! This is why men are supposed to give birth, not us! You wouldn’t last five minutes, Cade Callahan!”
I bit into my hand to muffle the laugh that escaped me, my shoulders shaking. Even in labor, Arden was completely unwilling to let anyone forget her point. Beside me, Rowan sat stiffly, his face pale. He looked like he’d just been told he was about to enter a battlefield without armor.
“Does it… really hurt that much?” he whispered to me, eyes wide.
I raised my brows, remembering my own experience vividly–sweat, tears, curses. It was honestly the most painful physical stimulation I’ve ever felt. I gave him a solemn nod. “It was a bitch, Rowan. A real bitch.” He swallowed hard, his lips pressing into a thin line. “I don’t think I’ll ever recover from just imagining it.” In his arms, Calla was still sleeping soundly, oblivious to the chaos around her.
The doors burst open suddenly. Noelle stormed in, her hair slightly disheveled, Sol trailing close behind her and holding her hand.
“Oh gosh, you’re here,” Noelle exclaimed, rushing to us. Her eyes darted immediately to Calla in Rowan’s arms. “I needed to say sorry for a moment. Calla kept saying you were going to die and all of that–and
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Chapter 282 Born From Thorns
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then after that, she disappeared! At first, I thought I was going to be a single mom, but then barn! She vanished right in front of me,”
Her voice trembled with both panic and relief, her words spilling out like a flood.
Sol cleared his throat, his grip on her hand tightening instinctively, “You don’t need to be a single mom if you think about it.”
Noelle turned to him, startled. “What?”
Sol froze. “What?” His ears reddened as the word left his lips.
Their cheeks flushed, the two of them stumbling over their own thoughts, and I couldn’t help but shake. my head. It was so obvious. I had always known there was something between them, but they never dared to break that invisible wall.
“It’s a very complicated story,” I said softly, bringing the attention back to Calla before either of them combusted from embarrassment. “But you didn’t do anything wrong this time, Noelle. Calla came to us out of her own volition.”
Relief softened her features, her shoulders sagging as she let out a shaky sigh. “Thank the moon.”
Before I could tease them further and get my revenge on Noelle for teasing me so much for the last couple of years, the doors to the birth room burst open. This time, it was Cade.
“The baby,” he muttered. “The baby is here.”
Every thought in my head vanished. My heart stilled, then raced, my feet moving before I even realized it. Rowan, Sol, Noelle–we all followed Cade as he turned, leading us back through those doors.
And then we saw her.
Arden lay on the bed, her hair plastered to her forehead, her skin pale and damp with sweat. She was smiling, exhausted but glowing, her eyes glassy with tears of joy. In her arms was a tiny bundle wrapped in soft white cloth.
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