Chapter 233: Kaelan Arrives

Chapter 233: Kaelan Arrives
Room number 3 was bathed in a warm, soft light, gently dimmed by the spells woven into the walls. Draconic runes pulsed with a discreet, almost living glow, as if they were breathing with Lya. Myrria adjusted the last protective wards while Bastien checked his holographic readings.

Lya stubbornly refused to sit. Standing tall in the middle of the room, hands resting on her taut belly, she tried to keep control despite the increasing pressure building inside her body.

Caleb stood just a few steps away, never taking his eyes off her. He read every twitch, every micro-expression with an almost supernatural acuity.

“Are you really going to tell me everything’s fine?” he asked quietly, arms crossed, the worry in his voice barely masked.

Lya took a trembling breath.

“It’s not the end of the world.”

“No. It’s just our son trying to start it,” the Alpha replied dryly.

She winced. A contraction hit her full force. Her fingers gripped the edge of the bed before she even realized it.

Caleb moved closer instantly.

“You really think I can’t see anything?”

A rough laugh escaped her.

“He’s got your sense of timing. Always when it’s least convenient.”

“You mean, in the middle of the night, when the whole pack is supposed to be asleep, stress-free, with zero emergencies?”

She shot him a murderous glare. Caleb raised his eyebrows slightly, as if to say, Touché?

“Fine. He takes after me,” the dragoness muttered grudgingly.

Bastien cleared his throat.

“Contractions every five to six minutes. Increasing intensity. We’re officially in active labor.”

“Finally,” sighed Soraya, stepping closer. “I was beginning to think he was waiting for a golden-scaled engraved invitation.”

“Maybe he’s just being cautious,” Myrria countered, studying Lya’s aura. “Or maybe he’s syncing his birth to an energy conjunction. Rare… but not impossible for a hybrid.”

Caleb frowned.

“What does that mean, energy conjunction?”

“That your son might be more sensitive to his environment than expected. He’s choosing when to come. And how.”

Lya growled low in her throat.

“Do I get a say in this?”

“Only if you want me to take your mate’s place as your breathing coach,” Soraya shot back with a wry smile.

Caleb raised both hands in mock surrender.

“Fine. I’ll stay in my lane. Unless she drops me.”

“Not happening anytime soon,” Lya grunted, panting through another wave.

She finally accepted to sit, supported by Caleb who settled behind her, anchoring her against his chest. His warm breath brushed the nape of her neck as he took her hand.

“Breathe like a wolf. Slow. Deep.”

“I’m a dragon,” she hissed through clenched teeth.

“Then breathe like my dragon.”

Silence.

Then—an inhale. A real one. Followed by a trembling sigh.

Myrria nodded, her runes glowing brighter.

“Perfect. Her aura is stabilizing. And the baby’s… it’s activating.”

Soraya gave a sly smile.

“Must’ve heard his father’s voice. Triggered his competitive instinct.”

“Great,” Lya muttered. “He’s not even born and he already wants to win.”

“You already want to win,” Caleb corrected, pressing a kiss to her temple. “And I’m here to help you conquer.”

She didn’t reply. But her hand squeezed his.

And for a moment, despite the glowing runes, the contractions, the charged air…

Everything felt simple. Time seemed to distort.

The enchanted walls pulsed with Lya’s breath, the draconic runes glowing brighter—almost searing. A low rumble shook the hospital’s foundations—inaudible to humans, but not to wolves. Not to Caleb.
He lifted his head, his eyes glowing with ancestral alert. The threshold was near.

“The contractions… they’re changing,” he murmured to Myrria.

She nodded, eyes fixed on the glyphs hovering above the bed.

“Transition phase. Cervix is nearly fully dilated. It won’t be long now.”

Soraya stepped forward, more serious than ever, and placed a hand on Lya’s shoulder.

“You’re entering the storm. The final one before the birth.”

Lya was drenched in sweat, her hair sticking to her temples, her breathing ragged and uneven. But her eyes… they shone. With raw determination. With untamed fire.

“I’m ready,” she whispered, even though her body screamed the opposite.

Caleb tightened his hold behind her, offering his chest as an anchor. His arms wrapped protectively around her belly, his palms firm and reassuring.

“I’m here. Until the last breath, you hear me? Until the first cry.”

She gave a faint nod.
Then the next contraction crashed over her.

“Rrrh… Aaaahhh!”

She arched involuntarily, clawing at the sheets. A faint wave of heat radiated from her skin, and the scent of smoke and gold—her unique draconic aura—filled the room.

“Lya! Breathe!” Soraya snapped, firmer now. “You can’t catch fire in here. Not now.”

“He… he’s burning,” she moaned. “Caleb, he’s burning inside me!”

“It’s the magic. Not fire,” said Myrria, focused. “The child is activating his first energy shields. It’s like an inner egg cracking. He’s looking for the exit.”

“You mean he’s scratching from the inside?!” Lya gasped between cries.

“More like pushing with hurricane force. He’s not an ordinary baby—you know that.”

Caleb closed his eyes for a moment.

Handres. The wolf inside him was pacing, almost howling. Not from fear. Not from pain. But from a love so vast, so fierce, it was almost unbearable.

“I feel him,” Caleb whispered against Lya’s ear. “He’s here. So close. He’s waiting for you to call him. Call him, my love.”

“Kaelan…” she murmured. “Come to me. Come.”

And as she spoke his name, the runes on the ceiling flared with golden light. One of them—the oldest—cracked ever so slightly. A tiny miracle. A sign.

“He’s answering his mother,” Myrria whispered, eyes glistening.

“Of course he is,” Soraya replied. “He’s a hybrid prince. Not an ordinary child.”

A heavy silence settled. Just for a second. Between two contractions. The calm before the last wave.

“Caleb…” Lya croaked. “Will you stay… until the end?”

He pressed his lips to her sweat-soaked forehead.

“I’ll stay. Even if you crush my hand. Even if you breathe fire in my face.”

She laughed—a pained, but genuine laugh.
And the next wave surged.

Outside the hospital gates, two figures stood on either side of the entrance.

Drake, standing on the top step, arms crossed over his open leather jacket, scanned the horizon like a starship captain watching for meteorites.
Malick, leaning against the wall, one hand on his comm, the other in his pocket, said nothing.

For ten whole seconds.
Then twenty.
Then thirty.

“…You breathe too loudly,” Malick finally said.

“It’s the tension. I’m channeling,” Drake replied in a regal tone. “My Alpha’s becoming a father. What do you want me to do? Tap dance silently in a corner?”

“I just want you to stop breathing like a siren craving attention.”

Drake rolled his eyes.

“Charming. You know, you should teach a class. ‘How to Calm an Anxious Beta with Passive-Aggressive Comments.’ I’m sure the trainees would love it.”

“They’d just have to practice listening to you without screaming. Guaranteed resilience.”

Drake growled, but a faint smile tugged at his lips.

“You know what, Malick? This moment… it feels strange. I’m getting all… emotional.”

“Spare me.”

“No, really. I grew up with this guy. Not Kaelan—Caleb. And now, he’s becoming a dad. You’re not feeling anything? No spark of emotion under that cold sarcasm armor?”

Malick stared at him. For a long time.

“I do feel something.”

“Ah! I knew you had a heart!”

“Right now, I want to tie you to a tree with silver wire and let Loric lead a howling drill around you.”

Silence.

Then Drake burst out laughing.

“You know what? I think you’re my favorite in this pack. Right after me, of course.”

“Obviously.”

They resumed their positions. The night wrapped around them again with its strange calm. In the distance, a low rumble reached them from the birthing room.
Malick lifted his head slightly.

“We’re entering the final phase.”

Drake nodded, suddenly more serious.

“And the world is about to change. Again.”

“You mean the baby… or Caleb?”

“Both. And us too.”

A faint smirk tugged at the Gamma’s lips.

“Then brace yourself, flamboyant Beta. We’re the guardians of the pack—tonight more than ever.”

“Always ready, my stoic brother-in-arms.”

And silence returned. Dense. Charged. Ready to break.