Chapter Text
When the Sons of Calydon had asked Wise for help navigating a hollow, Wise had almost said no. Lycaon was due in a few days and he didn't want to risk missing the birth of his two pups. But Lycaon had insisted he would be alright. Now it came time for the pair to part ways temporarily.
"Be safe out there, my dearest," Lycaon says softly as Wise kisses him.
"I'll be fine," Wise says. Gently placing a hand on Lycaon's heavily swollen abdomen. "I'm more worried about you and the pups."
Lycaon places a hand over Wise's. "Doctors already told us it should be fine. I'm sure I can manage alone for just a few days."
Wise frowns, "I know but still what if something happens Lycaon?"
Lycaon smiles softly, "I'll be sure to get in contact with you right away. Don't fret. Besides, I'm fairly certain you'll be back well before anything happens."
"Okay.... I love you," Wise says.
"I love you too," Lycaon says.
"Be good for your father, okay, he's doing a lot of work carrying you both," Wise adds, kneeling down and kissing Lycaon's belly. Wise then gets back up, grabs his things and leaves Lycaon's apartment.
The moment Wise leaves, Lycaon sighs. He wasn't naive, he knew it could still happen, but he believed if he kept things slow and did not encourage labour. He should be fine until Wise gets back, surely.
Well, things seemed that way until the day after Wise left early that morning, Lycaon was dealing with Braxton hicks, false contractions that help prepare the body for proper labour. They had been happening off and on repeatedly during the last month or so. But something felt off.
He brushed it off to it being just an icky sort of morning, and carried on with resting and relaxing... except he couldn't, the omega felt restless and anxious. No matter what he tried, Lycaon couldn't sit still. Perhaps it was just instincts, being so close to his due date without his alpha can sometimes make an omega anxious. But he had been fine the moment Wise left. He missed him, of course, but this felt different.
Lycaon becomes increasingly uncomfortable, everything feels off... wrong even. Like a beast trapped in a cage.
"Am I going mad?" He mumbles to himself as he finds himself unintentionally pacing the halls of his apartment yet again. This feeling doesn't stop. All day, the wolf thiren paces, checking up on his nest, and very nearly squirming every single time he tries to sit down and rest.
He thinks about telling Wise... multiple times, but decides against it. He doesn't want to worry the alpha and make him drive back just because he can't settle without him here.
It doesn't click until the next morning when Lycaon feels it, as he goes to get himself a glass of water after a very restless sleep. Hoping to go back to bed and sleep for another few hours.
It squeezes and tightens a strong, painful ache that seizes his abdomen and lower back. It freezes him in place, leaving him gripping a dining room chair, the glass in his other hand slipping from his grasp and shattering on the floor. He can't stop himself from letting out a soft groan. This wasn't a fake contraction... this one was real.
When it passes, Lycaon lets out a sigh, rubbing his belly. This wasn't ideal but so long as the contractions stay far apart and his water hadn't broken, he should be fine for a little while yet. So he waits, cleaning up the broken glass and then making himself a big breakfast in the meantime. About an hour later, another contraction comes, the same intensity as before. It was fine if this stayed like that for the next day and a half, Wise would be back in time. So he decides to keep it to himself... Again. He doesn't want to worry the alpha
Wise, however, sends a text first.
Wise- Heading out to the hollow. Please call me if anything happens, fairy will immediately have the call answered.
Lycaon- Understood, be safe.
He'd come to regret not telling him. By noon, his contractions had increased to every 30 minutes. And by now, Wise was likely still in the middle of the mission.
The contractions had gotten increasingly painful, too. Lycaon grunts, holding his belly as it contracts. He really can't afford to wait much longer. He needs to give Wise time to get back. But before he can, there's a small pop within as amniotic fluid splashes and dribbles to the floor. His water had broken.
He hurriedly grabs his phone, calling Wise.
It takes a moment, but Fairy directs his call to Wise.
"Hello?" Wise says
"Wise, I know you're doing a commission right now in the outer ring, but this is rather important," Lycaon says with a groan, clutching at his belly. As another contraction comes earlier than the last.
"Shit, Lighter, be careful, watch for that ethereal!" Wise panics moving Eous to avoid the attack. "What's going on, Lycaon?"
"My waters broke, the pups are coming now!" Lycaon says urgently.
"WHAT?!" Wise says in a panic.
"What's going on?" A confident female voice asks, and the sound of an ethereal dying follows after.
"My mate's in labour, our pups are coming," Wise says in distress.
"That is really bad timing," a more grouchy female voice is heard.
"He can't choose that, Lucy," a male voice says.
"Duh, I know that, but it's still really bad timing," the grouchy voice says
"Well, come on, gang, let's hurry up and finish this fight so we can get Wise back in time!!!" The confident voice says.
"Hehe, let's burn them all," another voice gleefully says.
"Lycaon, call someone to get you to the hospital, okay!!! I'll be there as soon as I can!! I promise," Wise says urgently.
"Alright," Lycaon says, "be safe getting back."
"I'm more worried about you. Please don't delay, Lycaon. I love you," Wise says.
Fairy hangs up the call before Lycaon can say anything. So he calls Rina. She arrives quickly. And helps him gather his supplies and brings it into the car before helping him in.
"You are quite silly to wait this long before getting help. Your contractions are every fifteen minutes now." She scolds gently, as they drive to the hospital, "You know better than that."
"I was hoping it would hold enough for Wise to return," Lycaon admits. Normally, he's far more put together and would never do something like this, but admittedly instincts were in overdrive.
"Again, very silly of you," Rina says.
"You are correct, I was being-" Lycaon groans, another contraction taking hold.
"That was even closer," Rina says, picking up a little speed as she drives.
They arrive at the hospital, and Lycaon is quickly triaged and whisked away to a delivery room. A nurse gently scolding him for waiting this long.
And yet as they prepared him for birth... Wise still had yet to show up. Rina stayed in the waiting area so she could bring Wise up when he hopefully got here, leaving Lycaon alone with a nurse as she monitors his contractions, dilation, and his and the pups health.
An hour passes, and the nurse gives the call for the doctor to come. Contractions were coming on quickly, and Lycaon was fully dilated.
"Has my mate arrived?" Lycaon asks hopefully.
The nurse shakes her head. "I'm afraid not, but you can't wait for him, you need to push when the time comes."
Lycaon's ears droop, he looks entirely crestfallen.
The doctor soon arrives and checks the progress himself, and soon nods. "Your body should naturally feel the urge to push. When it happens next, do so."
Lycaon didn't want to do this without Wise. But his body didn't give him a choice as it naturally gave in to instincts and pushed at the next contraction. He'd have to do this alone, it seemed.