Chapter 37

~Derek POV~

I sat on the rough carpeted floor, weary from the day of training, reluctant to stand and go upstairs, knowing what I would find. Training had just finished for the day, and usually I wouldn't be so tired, but I was losing sleep more than I'd ever lost it before. I stayed up for hours on end with Aaden as she struggled to support our ever growing and rowdy child. Her pain was my pain, damn near literally, and if she couldn't sleep, neither could I.

I had tried countless times to soothe the kid, but I assumed things were just getting too close inside her. Hell, she was due in three weeks, and I'd never seen a pregnant woman so….pregnant. Aaden looked like she was carrying twins, though I was happy to say that she wasn't. Twins would most definitely have killed her. I wasn't completely sure this kid wouldn't.

Tiredly, I stood, uneager to join my wife in our room. I knew that when I got there, it would just be her pale, tired, pained face and rounded belly to greet me. It was worrisome, so much so that even Silas had begun to get nervous. He'd gone against her wishes and started her early on some pre-labor meds in hopes to get the baby here safely and keep her alive. So far, it had been to no avail, and he suggested using another method to get it in progress, but I couldn't. She hurt enough already.

There seemed to be more stairs than usual, and when I got to the door, I could already hear her soft sounds of discomfort. Sighing, I opened the door. "Derek," she said, smiling gently, her eyes fluttering with exhaustion. "Hey babe," I said, plastering a smile on my own face and leaning down to kiss her forehead. "How's it going?" I asked, hoping to hear some different news other than "no progress today". "Silas says I should start preparing myself. I've been having some contractions. They're staggered though, nothing definite. They might just be Braxton hicks." Well, that was better than nothing. "So, technically, Galen could be here at any time?" "Yes. When my water breaks, that's when things will get really started. I haven't lost the plug yet." I shook my head, "Why in the hell do you women want to do this to yourselves? Multiple times? I wouldn't even consider it."

She giggled. "It's a blessing too. Feeling him move inside me, knowing that I'm his mommy…it makes it all worth it. Sure, it hurts, but it won't when he's outside of me." I shook my head again, offering her a half smile. I kissed her fingers then and went to stand, but she gripped my hand. "Silas says our being intimate could really progress things."

I tightened my eyes, feeling my smile falter. "That wouldn't be safe for you, Aaden, you know how I feel about that." "Derek, I've always loved being in your arms. But this time, it wouldn't just be about pleasure, it's about getting our baby here. Silas says he's not sure it would be safe to keep Galen inside me much longer. He told me that as fast as Galen is growing, unlike a human baby, it would be fine to go ahead and try to have him two or three weeks earlier." Her reasoning made sense, but still, I was nervous. She was in pain all the time from his constant kicking, and her pelvic bone took a lot of damage.

But at the same time, if I could help and wouldn't, could I let my son stay in there so long that he finally decided to tear his way out of her?

"Okay, we'll try this, once. If it hurts at ALL, you tell me immediately, do you understand?"

~Aaden POV~

It helped knowing that Derek would finally help me get things along. I'd never been so exhausted in my life, and I was ready to have our son. The constant pain, the swelling, the sleepless nights, it all added up to straight up, one hundred and ten percent pure misery. I was almost willing to try anything at this point to get the birthing process started.

Derek slid off his white tank top, and laid down beside me, putting a hand on my hard belly. I don't really know why I felt nervous suddenly. I knew Derek wouldn't hurt us, and I'd asked for this.

Slowly, he brought his lips down to mine, deepening the kiss before it had even started. He broke it only to pull my night shirt over my head, and trailed his hands down my bared chest, pausing to gently knead my slightly sore breasts. His jeans felt rough on the skin of my legs, and I used my feet to slide them down. He kept his weight off of me, careful not to enclose Galen any more than he already was. His hands softly removed my underwear before trailing back up to tangle in my hair. His kisses was deep, passionate, like a kiss goodbye might be. Although I knew he wasn't bidding me farewell, it made me feel slightly sad.

He surprised me by sitting up, taking me with him. He acted as though I weighed nothing, despite that I was about to burst with his child. I had to admit, Alpha strength was nice. He broke our kiss, laying his forehead against mine and saying seriously, "Any pain at all, and you stop me, got it?" I nodded, my body tensing up in preparation for his invasion. Carefully, he pushed inside me, filling me up and then some. This was an angle we'd never tried before, but it was one that would guarantee the purpose of we were trying to work towards.

"Pain?" He asked, sweating as he tried to keep still. Pain? Hell no. Discomfort? A little bit. But that didn't amount to the pleasure. It took a lot of focus to shake my head and he smiled softly before pressing his lips back to mine. Our tongues met and dueled as he thrust up inside me, causing me to moan into his mouth. I could feel my sides tightening like a coil, bringing me closer to release every second. His strong arms wrapped around my back, holding me steady as he continued to assault me with his deep, penetrating thrusts. My breath came in hitched gasps until my body released, tightening around him. It took him just seconds longer before he found his own, spilling warmth inside me. He didn't break our gentle kiss, keeping his warm, soft lips on mine.

When we laid down, he gently touched my belly. Galen moved only slightly, seeming to have fallen asleep to our rocking. "Do you think that'll help things?" He asked. "I hope so, but I definitely won't mind trying it again." He let out a quiet chuckle before saying, "Let's just hope it does work, because the sooner he's here and you're healed, the sooner I can do really dirty things to you." I laughed and whacked his arm. "I'll see what Silas can tell me in couple of days."