*Omario POV*
We are preparing to visit the families of the dead elders when Rufus arrives. I can tell from his expression that it’s not good news.
Taking a stroll in the garden to get away from eavesdroppers and my mate, he quietly follows. I stop right in the middle.
“Speak.”
“The vision is now clear, Your Highness.”
I already guessed that it was about that. “Proceed.”
“It is not good news, My Lord.”
“I have gathered that much. I need to know.”
“Very soon, you will be faced with a difficult choice. The kingdom for your mate and heir.”
My heart sinks, Abi might not approve but it’s a clear choice for me.
He reads through me and proceeds.
“It’s not that easy and clear, Your Highness. You will also have to choose between your heir and your mate.”
“No!”
“I am sorry, Your Highness.”
“I can not make that choice, ever.”
I am saying this more to myself than to Rufus.
He sighs and looks away from me. A cold chill goes down my spine. This can’t be good.
“What?”
I still need to know as much as possible about this. Maybe I can find a way around all of it.
“You will not, Your Highness.”
I frown, a splitting headache hitting me as I try to make sense of what he is saying.
“The Luna will make the decision for you,” he clarifies his statement but it just can’t be.
“No, no, she will not! Absolutely not!”
I already know which decision Abi would make if faced with a choice between herself and our pup. There is no way in hell that I will let her.
Rufus bows respectfully before walking away.
“Rufus,” I shout behind him. He knows what I want to know, as usual.
“The details are not revealed to me, My Lord,” he responds to my unuttered and leaves me devastated.
I slump on Abi’s favourite bench in the middle of the garden, the clear blue skies suddenly dark, the darkness that is extending from the depths of my soul. We have been through enough already, why does life have to be so cruel?
“Titan.” I call on my wolf. He has taken a lot of strain from worrying about Abi. This is just going to make things worse.
“Don’t make me choose. Abi is our mate, the pup is our blood. Don’t make me choose.”
I don’t bother reminding him of what Rufus just said about Abi making the choice.
“Why the serious face, My Love?” Abi asks with a melodic voice before sitting on my lap and wrapping her arms around my neck.
I have been so lost in my own misery that I did not even see her approaching.
I force a smile and plant a kiss on her lips.
“Don’t tell me that you are sad about those backstabbers?”
I flash her another smile. At this point I wish my problem was about the stupid elders.
“He is not. Titan is behaving strange and won’t let me in his thoughts. They are hiding something from us,” Nina links with Abi. So much for trying to keep this from them.
I curse inside while Abi searches my eyes and I can’t maintain an eye contact with her.
“What is going on, Omar?”
“Can we talk about this when we get back from the snake’s homes?”
Maybe I would have thought of a way of avoiding the subject or she would have forgotten about it.
“We are not going.”
Her response does not surprise me. She’s had it with our elders but this is part of our responsibilities.
“Babe, I know that they were a pain but they were still active members of the…”
“I’m in labour,” she says carelessly.
“What?”
“My water broke and the pains are starting,” she explains with the same careless tone.
“Abigail!” I can’t believe that she is saying this in a ‘by the way’ manner.
She shrugs her shoulders. “What?”
I quickly get up and head inside with her in my arms and meet Duncan on our way in.
“Your Highnesses,” he bows respectfully.
“She’s in labour, get the physicians. You will have to represent me to the mourning families,” I can’t help but freak out. The whole giving birth process worries me. The more I read about it, the more I got worried. It is meant to be all natural but stuff happen and mother and pup can die in a blink of an eye. As if that is not stressful enough, the fact that our pup is on the way, means Rufus’ visions are not far off either.
“The royal physicians and midwives are already here and everything is in order. You will be indisposed until our royal heir is born, which means I have to be here to oversee things. Elder Telly will represent you, Your Highness. She has been informed and happy to.”
I look at Duncan, dumbfounded, then at my mate, who is grinning at me. She must have called the doctors and spoken to Duncan before coming to find me. I must admit that this part is not as stressful as I thought it would be. Maybe I am being naive and too optimistic for hoping that Rufus is wrong just this once. Majority of our enemies are dead or too far away. What could possible happen that would require such a sacrifice?
“I told you that you worry too much,” Abi teases before winces in pain.
I hurry inside and find the physicians and midwives sitting. They immediately get on their feet and bow.
“She’s in pain.”
“We will give her something right away, Your Highness.”
“It’s not so bad,” Abi responds but I am not taking her word for it. She is the same woman who kept a smile on her face while being tortured by my father.
“Don’t listen to her, she won’t complain even when she is.”
Abi sticks out her tongue at me. She thinks I am overreacting as usual but soon she is in real pain. She does not scream but I expected this from her. I know that she is in a lot of pain because she squeezes my hand with each contraction and the sweat rolls down her brow.
“Are you sure you gave her something for the pain?” I am the one screaming at the doctors and nurses. I can’t stand this. I can tell that not even the stupid back massages are helping despite her saying otherwise.
“Yes, Your Highness. Nothing really takes all the pain away at this stage.”
“Are you kidding me? At this day and age you still have nothing? What’s all this research you people have been conducting all these years? It is the same process all over the world and you have nothing!”
I know that I am ranting but I am really frustrated.
“Omar..” its a whisper that comes out of Abi’s lips before she does the breathing and squeezes my hand again.
“The contractions are very close together. It won’t be too long now, Your Highnesses,” one of them says.
“How long exactly?”
“About four hours, Your Highness.”
“Bloody hell!” I can’t believe this! Now I am even wondering if we really need the pups. The kingdom did survive for years with a few of them born.
Duncan walks in at this moment and I completely lose it with him.
“I don’t care what it is, you deal with it!”
He bows his head and flashes me a knowing smile but makes no attempt of leaving.
I reluctantly leave Abi’s side and unimpressively pull him to one corner to hear what is so important that it could not wait.
He leans forward and whispers nervously.
“We have a royal visitor, My Lord.”
The strain on his voice aught to tell me that this is important but I am really frustrated.
“I am not expecting any visitor, Duncan!” I snap at him. I can see Abi with the corner of my eye. She is wincing in pain while I am talking about uncivilised royals who don’t follow the right channels.
“She was not announced, Your Highness.”
“Then you deal with her. What’s wrong with you!”
Duncan sighs. “You really need to hear what she has to say, My Lord. I am afraid that the threat is real, it is happening. We are under siege…”