Chapter 171: Midnight Call

Zephyra's POV

The shrill ring of my phone jolted me awake, piercing through the comfortable darkness of my bedroom. I groaned, momentarily disoriented as I tried to locate the source of the noise. Behind me, Noah's warm body shifted, his arm tightening around my waist as he buried his face deeper into my hair.

"Zephyra, can you please shut that damn thing off?" he mumbled, his voice thick with sleep.

I reached blindly toward my nightstand, knocking over what felt like a glass of water before my fingers finally closed around my phone. The bright screen made me wince as I squinted at the caller ID: Chloe.

"Who the hell calls at—" I glanced at the time "—two in the morning?" I muttered, even as I swiped to answer.

As I nestled back against Noah's chest, I couldn't help but marvel at how natural this felt. His body curved perfectly around mine, his steady heartbeat against my back, his scent enveloping me. It was terrifying how quickly I'd become accustomed to his presence, how right it felt to have him here. This feeling... it was like he had always been a part of me.

"Hello?" I answered groggily, trying to keep my voice low.

"Zephyra! Zephyra!" Chloe's shrill voice blasted through the speaker, making me pull the phone away from my ear. "You should be at the hospital right now!"

Her panic was contagious. I sat bolt upright, suddenly wide awake, my heart hammering against my ribs.

"Hospital? Why are you at the hospital... is someone hurt?" The words tumbled out as worst-case scenarios flashed through my mind.

"Elise went into labor about an hour ago," Chloe said, her voice a mixture of exasperation and excitement.

The panic evaporated, replaced by a warm rush of joy as a smile spread across my face. "We'll be there as soon as we can," I promised, already sliding out of bed.

"You better," Chloe warned before hanging up.

I tossed my phone onto the bed and turned to Noah, who had rolled onto his back, one arm thrown over his eyes. The sheet had slipped down to his waist, revealing his muscled torso in the soft moonlight filtering through the curtains. My mouth went dry at the sight, but I pushed those thoughts aside.

"Noah, get up," I said, shaking his shoulder. "We need to go to the hospital."

He grunted and turned away. I couldn't help but smile—he looked adorably grumpy with his hair sticking up in all directions and his jaw darkened with stubble. I gave him another shake.

"Noah, seriously. We need to go."

"Why?" he mumbled into the pillow.

"Elise is in labor."

"When?"

"About an hour ago."

With a resigned sigh, Noah finally sat up, running a hand through his disheveled hair. I hurried to my closet, pulling out a pair of comfortable gray sweatpants, a black tank top, and a dark blue hoodie. My mind raced with excitement—I couldn't wait to see the twins, to hold them in my arms. The thought of those tiny fingers and toes made my heart swell.

When I turned back around, Noah was still sitting on the edge of the bed, gloriously naked and watching me with heavy-lidded eyes. My gaze involuntarily dropped lower, and I felt heat rush to my cheeks as I noticed his growing arousal. I licked my lips without thinking.

"If you keep looking at my dick like you want to put it in your mouth," Noah said, his voice dropping to a dangerous rumble, "I'm going to forget about Elise and fuck you until neither of us can walk for at least a week."

"Oh my God!" I gasped, both shocked and aroused by his bluntness. My body responded instantly, a rush of warmth pooling between my thighs. "I'm sorry," I stammered, trying to regain my composure. "I'll just... I should go first. So I don't... you know."

I fled the room to the sound of Noah's chuckle, my cheeks burning. Once safely in the bathroom, I changed quickly, splashed cold water on my face, and pulled my hair into a messy bun. I needed to focus—Elise was having her babies, and I wanted to be there for her.

After checking on Ophelia, who was sleeping peacefully in her room, I headed downstairs to the living room. I paced anxiously, wondering who we could call to watch Ophelia at this hour. As if reading my thoughts, Noah appeared at the bottom of the stairs, fully dressed in jeans and a henley that hugged his broad shoulders.

"We need someone to watch Ophelia," I said.

"Don't worry, I already called Octavia," he replied, coming to wrap his arms around me. "She should be here any minute."

I melted into his embrace, grateful for his foresight. "Thank you," I murmured against his chest.

The doorbell rang, and I hurried to answer it. Octavia, an older omega woman with kind eyes and silver-streaked hair, stood on the porch with a gentle smile.

"I'm so glad you could come, Octavia," I said, stepping back to let her in. "I'm sorry for bothering you at this hour."

She looked momentarily surprised by my apology, but her smile quickly returned. "It's no trouble at all, Luna Zephyra," she said warmly. "Ophelia is a delightful child, and I'm happy to look after her."

"Good evening, Alpha," she added, nodding respectfully to Noah, who had come to stand beside me.

Once we'd given Octavia instructions and shown her where everything was, we headed out to the car. The night air was crisp and cool against my skin as Noah opened the passenger door for me before sliding into the driver's seat.

We drove in comfortable silence for about ten minutes, the dark roads empty at this hour. My mind wandered to Elise, hoping everything was going smoothly with the delivery. I was so lost in thought that Noah's voice startled me when he finally spoke.

"You should remember, " he said, his eyes still on the road. "Octavia's an omega. She has to obey your commands."

I turned to look at him, studying his profile in the dim light from the dashboard. His expression was unreadable, but I had the distinct feeling he was testing me.