Chapter 94 🐉

**[Warning: This chapter contains an account of childbirth. Readers are advised to proceed with caution.]**

Dominic walked haphazardly through the emergency field hospital that had been set up by the witches to help the wounded in the war.

"We need more people, just give the order and the women can come to aid." Nathaniel was trying to keep up with Dom's pace and convince him.

"I cannot allow them to be on the battlefield when I promised their men that their women, children, and elderly would be safe at all costs." Dom looked around at his people, some lying motionless on the makeshift cots with missing limbs, some lying on the ground groaning because there was nowhere else to go, awaiting medical and magical help.

"I am not asking you to order them to be here or break your promise. Just give the women a choice. Let the ones who volunteer come and help us get these brave people back on their feet. The war isn't over just because Waai is dead." Nathanial was persistent.

Dom suddenly stopped and turned around facing Nathanial. Even for an immortal, Dom was visibly tired.

"Nate, I know the war isn't over. What do you want me to do?"

"Give the permission, for starters." Nathanial gave a sympathetic look at Dom. He understood the burden Dom was carrying, but as a Delta, he had to do his job.

"Do what you must. Don't force anyone, but make sure they understand what awaits them." With that, he turned around and headed out.

Since Iris had killed Waai with her newfound supernatural abilities, she had blacked out and was immediately transported to a safehouse medbay where Master Aikis had been busy trying to figure her out.

Her vitals were fine, and so were the baby's, but then why wasn't she waking up?

It had been hours, noon had turned into evening and soon night would fall. Dom had tried to reach her through mind-link but couldn't form a connection. It was like whatever had brought on her powers had also cut her off from everyone now. According to her gynecologist, the baby was due at any time. But Iris needed to wake up and Dom wanted to be there.

But the Alpha Queen was seen blacking out and being taken away. Dom could not let his people see him abandoning them to witches at such a time, even if the witches were only trying to help speed up the healing process. And this was agitating him the most.

"Son, go to her. I am here. Trust your old man to handle the battlefield in your absence. You know where you should be right now. And it is not here." Elijah placed a supportive hand on his son's shoulder.

Dom didn't say anything and only sighed.

He had a duty to his people. But he also had a duty to his wife and unborn child.

"Has Freddie returned yet?" He changed the topic.

"Not yet. You know he won't give up until he has destroyed every human who hurt his sister." Elijah sighed, looking at the orange sun setting peacefully unaware of the day's turmoil and chaos, nestled in soft cotton clouds.

Father and son stood with heavy hearts and bruised bodies in a thick silence for a minute. It was like all the fallen deserved that minute of silence. A moment to quietly stop and honor their unspoken sacrifices.

"Alpha King! The Queen is awake!" It was Alaric who had caught up to the Dragons at the edge of the field. He had become a trusted member during the war and that is why the news was brought through him.

Dom and Elijah were startled, but then, with one look, Dom rushed to the witch who would teleport him to the safehouse where his wife was.

"How many casualties, Alaric?" Elijah asked professionally.

"Those who can walk and carry others, are still out there. The count is still increasing. But there's going to be a big number from both sides." Alaric looked regretful.

"That is war for you." Elijah spoke with a matter-of-fact tone, but it was clear how much the casualties weighed on him too. Surviving one supernatural war was tough. Going through two of them seemed impossible until he had no choice but to help his son and stand by his side.

"Where have you brought me?" Dom looked around enraged at the white beach with crashing salty waves. Looked like he was halfway across the world from the battlefield. But that's not how far Iris was.

"Your Highness, this was the location that Master Aikis personally told me to get you to when you asked to see your wife." The witch replied confidently, before speaking a phrase in a language unknown to Dom.

A strong wind made way and a path appeared which Dom rushed on. It led to a cave. He remembered the cave was the same into which Nora had taken Iris when she was attacked by Y's minions and where Dom and Iris had made up after a fight about Freya.

That meant they were on the sacred island where they had gotten married.

He entered the cave and saw Master Aikis and Nora with their backs to them as Sussane and a couple of dragon nurses rushed around to help Iris however they could.

The gynecologist noticed Dom first, "Oh thank Şekileus you are here, Alpha. It is time."

This brought all the attention to Dom for a second.

In the cave that had been transformed into a sterile labor room with all the medical and magical supplies, and everyone dressed in sterile garments, Dom's bloodied attire and long hair barely in the bun, bruised and dusted face, looked out of place. But no one cared.

"Dom."

It was Iris. The way his name rolled off her tongue expressed how relieved she was to see him there.

He rushed to hug her but she cried out as she felt a contraction. All conversations could wait. The baby was getting impatient to come.

Nora and Master Aikis held hands with the witch who had teleported Dom and began chanting a spell so the unusual child would be born without any complications.

The gynecologist worked along with the nurses, as Dom held Iris' hand.

"The baby has a very strong magical pull," Master Aikis told the gynecologist.

"I'll try to get this over with as quickly as possible then. We can't let the baby's magic affect Iris' sanity in any way." The doctor replied and then told Iris, who had been directed to spread her legs wide enough to facilitate birth, "Iris, I need you to take a deep breath, and when you have the contraction, push along with it."

Iris as told. The pain was supposed to be bearable for an immortal who had gone through so many trials at the hands of Waai, but as Master Aikis had said, the baby had a magical pull, and that made her scream with each contraction.

In half an hour, after sweating buckets, and loads of swearing by Iris and a little panic by Dom due to seeing his wife in such pain, a tiny cry was heard.

"It's a girl." The doctor handed the baby to the nurse to be cleaned and wrapped.

"Told ya." Dom whispered into the ear of a very tired Iris, who had a smile on her lips as he kissed her forehead.

The tiny bundle of joy was placed gently on her stomach as Iris' vision got blurred with tears.

"She is perfect." Dom whispered. That was all he could say.

The beautiful moment was interrupted by a loud thunder, which apparently had been happening for the past half hour, they just hadn't realized it. Their daughter had come into the world with thunder.

But that wasn't the only peculiar thing that had happened.

The tiny baby had sparks coming from her fingertips that gave small electric shocks wherever they touched, though she seemed to be immune to it herself.

"Iris, do you feel any urge to fly? Or maybe cause a thunderstorm?" Master Aikis asked lightly.

Iris looked at him confused.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Nora helped.

"Something magical was happening in the temple, so I tried to teleport here. But then, I found myself on the battlefield. I remember seeing the dead bodies and Waai approaching. I hated him so much. I, I-uh. It's blank after that. I have no idea what happened next. I vaguely remember a fire and then a calm feeling like the shadow of Y was gone from my consciousness." Iris looked confused.

"Your eyes were of your wolf." Dom added to help connect the dots.

"Looks like it was the baby in your womb that gave you your superpowers and it was your wolf that had taken over your human body to avenge the fallen and take revenge on Waai." Master Aikis finally explained his theory, "The unborn children have a history of protecting mothers and impart some of their abilities in shifters."

"Even in humans, babies are known to make sure the mother is healthy from the inside, going to the extent of sharing hormones and antibodies to fight off diseases." The doctor added.

Dom and Iris looked at the baby, who glanced around with an innocent curiosity at the new world.

"Thank you for helping mama." Iris whispered.

"We will leave you guys alone," Sussane told gently with a smile and a tiny congratulation.

"How are you?" Was the first thing Dom asked Iris when the cave was left to them.

"Satisfied." Iris closed her eyes, feeling the little life flailing randomly in her arms like stretching to see what her limbs could do.

"How many casualties?" Iris asked after a moment of content silence had passed.

"Still counting. But the numbers are expected to be a lot." Dom wanted to say that she shouldn't worry about it yet, or maybe sugarcoat the truth. But she was his Apha Queen. He had promised her on Mount Matrimony to be equals. And that meant not hiding facts from her when she asked for them.

She silently nodded, deep in thought, before commenting, "The shifters might have waved the white flag but, humans will never rest. They have always been a vengeful race."

"Freddie took a team and went on the hunt. He will make sure this time, the mistakes of the first war are not repeated." Dom reassured her.

"How is he?" Iris asked, referring to Freddie. He had shown up by Dom's side during the war but they knew it would take him a while to get to terms with everything that had happened.

"I don't know. He left as soon as you killed Y. I didn't want to force a mind-link." Dom sighed.

"You did the right thing. You always do." Iris took Dom's hand in her free one and gently kissed his fingers. Dom returned the favor by kissing the top of her head affectionately before asking everyone to return, as the baby seemed to be hungry and the weather outside was turning questionable.

"Do we have a name yet?" The doctor asked for documentation purposes.

Dom and Iris shared a look and knew they had the same name in mind without even having discussed it,

"Marie," they said in unison.

Then Iris added with a melancholic smile, "We'd like to call her Marie Isabella McBlaze."

**Author's note:

Did the ending sound rushed? Was the pace too fast? I'd love to hear your opinions. Next is epilogue and the a bunch of bonus chapters from P a t r e o n, that were supposed to be between some earlier chapters. I also intend to write some festival specials, like Halloween, Christmas, New Year, and New World Memorial Day.**