"I need to push right now. She's coming. She's coming out! Oh my god!" Prim's screams had the whole pack on high alert as her baby made its leisurely entrance. Visena got to see more of Prim than she ever thought possible.

"She has hair!"

The Delta was on her knees in the tub, arms wrapped tightly around her mate's neck as Visena grabbed everything Kora needed. "Gather some more clean towels, dear. It's almost time."

"It feels like I'm gonna poop!" Prim cried, groaning into Orion's sweat-drenched shirt.

"And if you do, we'll clean you right up, Primalia. It's normal. Follow the urges of your body, and she will come."

"I need to push, I really need to -" Prim's moans shifted into a slight squeal as Visena returned with the towels. Her fiery locks were plastered to her flushed face, but she looked like a goddess as she reached between her legs and lifted the tiny cherub. "Oh god, oh my god! I did it. I did it!" Orion's eyes were filled with tears as the new mother reclined in the tub with her babe on her breast, sobbing with joy. After a short sharp cry, Kora briefly looked over at the infant, who smiled and greeted her.

"Welcome to the world, darling. We are all so excited to meet you." The Pack healer waited for the cord connecting them to turn white before offering the scissors to Orion. "She has all the nutrients from her placenta now. Cut right here when you're ready."

The burly man wiped his eyes and snipped the cord where she marked. "She's so beautiful," he choked out. "A little squashed, but so cute."

His words elicited a giggle from his mate, and they stared lovingly at the little bundle. "Visena, come look at your new goddaughter."

The Wolf Queen walked over slowly, not to disrupt the perfect moment between the new family. She was delighted to be Prim's daughter's godmother, although she wasn't entirely sure what it entailed. The infant suckled and curled its fist around its mother's hair, eyes still mostly shut.

"It's lovely to meet you, sweet angel."

With a brief look into Prim's tear-filled eyes, Visena somehow knew what the woman was about to say long before she said those beautiful, pure words.

"Queen Visena, and my best friend, meet Eve."

*

"Is that the end of the story, aunty?"

The night outside had grown dark, and the forest had long quieted. Not even the crickets dared interrupt the tale.

"Yes, darlings, at least for now." She left out considerable detail as she read from the leatherbound book, her freckled hand tenderly running along with the author's name.

The silver-headed twins regarded the woman as their aunt, despite sharing no blood. The middle-aged woman had joined the Regium pack as an infant and was accepted into the home of the most wonderful parents who had four more children of their own. They never once made her feel any less for being their only adopted child. On the contrary, sometimes it appeared they appreciated her more, 'you chose us, my darling. You are the greatest gift I could have ever asked for,' her father would say.

"So, mama and papa saved you when you were a baby?" Elida asked with her wide, forest green eyes. She fanned the dying fire with her dainty hand while her brother hogged the poker.

"Yes."

"But... but you're so old," Conri stated with unfiltered wit. His outer irises were identical to his sisters, but the part nearest his pupil was opalescent like his mother. The poker in his hands stabbed at the glowing embers, nearly setting the carpet alight. 

The ageing woman decided not to chide him this one time."You know you're lineage, child. Why might that be?" She wasn't even that old. She had only just turned forty, she thought with chagrin.

"Mama is a Faery and a Wolf, and she gave some of her powers to papa when they got married, right?" Elida interrupted, seeming wistful at the romantic notions while Conri mock gagged.

They were so much like their parents it made the woman smile.

"But mama said she doesn't have magic anymore. She's just a wolf now." Conri jumped up, waving his finger in his sister's face. He certainly enjoyed being right.

"Your Mama likes to ignore her Sky Fae heritage. There will always be magic in her veins, even if she denies it. I'm sure her grandmother would return her magic too if she simply asked," she muttered the last part under her breath so as not to be overheard by their glorious mother, who had said vehemently that she would never ask her grandmother for help ever again, not after the last time. Apparently, it was quite the effort to get Cecilia to bless the twins' lives, so they didn't die as toddlers. The King and Queen refused to talk about it, but as the children approached eleven earth years, the woman assumed it went to plan.

"Why would she not want to be Sky Fae? They're the dragons and pixies, right?" Conri strolled around the rocking chair, hands clasped behind his back.

"Their nature is darker, and your mother didn't want to tap into that power." The woman guessed.

Elida gasped, apparently not hearing the last words or maybe ignoring them. "I wonder if she could fly!"

"Or breathe fire!" Conri added with a grin. He opened his mouth and exhaled harshly as if trying to conjure flames.

"Alright, you old crone, stop telling scary stories to the twins."

"Evie, we're almost the same age. Don't old crone me. You'll give me a complex."

Evie crossed her arms and smirked at her dear friend. "Children, your mother wants you home for dinner."

"Okay!" They yelled in unison, scampering from the cottage and towards the packhouse.

"I can't believe how fast they've grown. I've been reading them their mother's book, just to share the pack's history." When Evie's brows rose into her hairline, the other woman scoffed. "I skipped all the good parts..."

"Cassia!" Evie gasped before bursting into laughter. She had read the book many times as she reached adulthood. The history of their pack and the destruction of the Councils was the most badass story the woman had ever heard. It almost sounded like a fairytale with a dash of smut.

The women sat snickering in their chairs as the twin's giggles receded into silence.

"I'm just relieved we all lived long enough to see the Queen and King finally settle down and have children. I thought they would never do it!"

"When you're afraid you'll live forever, I suppose it's unwise to bring children into the world, lest they age and die."

"Eve, have I ever told you to tone down the moroseness? It is quite severe."

"I presume a gift from my namesake. I am simply a realist."

The women chuckled and rose from their comfortable recline, shuffling outside and down the gravel path. When they reached the packhouse, it was full of familiar faces—each causing a commotion at the women's entrance.

Cassia had just returned from a year-long stint searching for her mate, and no one besides the twins had seen her since her return.

"Hi sweetie, come in!" Liam exclaimed with a bright smile pulling her through the bustling entryway. Nairi kissed Cassia's warming cheeks, offering her a full plate while simultaneously fretting over their other adult children. "Eat! Eat before it gets cold!"

"Evie, honey, get a plate!" Prim rushed over, squeezing both women in a tight embrace. Her lovely red locks, now mostly white, were twisted neatly in a bun. Evie's father was somewhere in the house, probably trying to make friends with his daughter's mate. He was almost cut from the same cloth, and it was amusing watching them interact. A grunt here, a mumble there. Even after fifteen years.

"Nice to see you both," Calypso crooned as she sashayed passed, sporting a fairly swollen belly. Cassia wasn't sure how she managed to get pregnant from a Vampire but was happy for the ancient pair nonetheless.

Cassia pushed herself through the throng of children and adults before she spotted them.

His muscled arms wrapped around her protectively as she placed the final garnishes on a dozen apple pies, children darting between their legs with joyous laughter. His olive-green eyes stared lovingly at her silver mane as she taste-tested her creation. Her beaming smile up at him was enough to make anyone's heart stop. They hadn't aged a day since Cassia first met them four decades ago.

When her silver irises turned and met Cassia's, her smile grew, tears welling along her waterline.

Feelings of love and relief flowed freely down the pack link as Cassia drew closer to the pair.

She didn't need to say a word to know they had missed her and rejoiced from her return.

Queen Visena's hands reached across the counter and clasped Cassia's as Gideon's warm pair enclosed them both.

"Welcome home."

~~~

A/N

All done, we made it! 

You made it!

I'm so grateful for all of you, honestly and wholeheartedly; thank you!

Thank you for reading my first draft of the First Fae Mate. 

I love you!

K <3