The Fake Saint's Alpha(s) (BL)-Chapter 57. Birth of the Primrose

IN A WHILE

MICHAEL

Storm light rolled across the sky, pale and soundless, like the heavens were holding their breath. Every torch in the palace burned with a silver flame, and the air hummed with something that wasn’t quite thunder, it was the same hum I’d been feeling in my ribs for weeks, the heartbeat that wasn’t mine alone. Zavier never left my side. His hand stayed in mine even when the healers rushed about, muttering prayers to the Moon Goddess and arranging bowls of glowing water around the bed. The scent of moon flowers filled the room, bright and sweet.

"It’s happening." Wanessa whispered, awe sliding into her voice.

Richard, standing at the foot of the bed, nodded once. "The convergence chooses its hour well."Richard said.

I could barely answer; the pulse of light inside me was growing. I wasn’t frightened anymore, just full. Full of life, sound, and something holy. Charlie burst through the door with his usual timing.

"Is it time? Is she here? Should I start the victory song!?"Charlie said excited.

Adrian caught him by the collar.

"Do not sing."Adrian said.

"For once, I agree."Terrence said.

Xavier only folded his arms and glared, but his voice was strangely soft.

"Quiet, you’ll scare the baby." Xavier said.

Suddenly, the sudden pain made everything worse. The room narrowed to a single, terrible focus: breath, sound, the steady beep of something counting me down. Lantern light mixed with the harsh white of a healer’s lamp, someone had rolled a small tray of clean linens and metal tools beside the bed. The scent of antiseptic herbs boiled sharp and cold, cut through the sweetness of moon flowers. Hands moved with quick, practiced choreography around me.

"Breathe with me." Zavier said, voice low and fierce. His fingers were a vice around mine.

He smelled of rain and iron, sight of his face kept the world from tipping off its axis.

"You’re doing this."Zavier said.

The healers, efficient, business like barked short instructions that landed in my chest like commands in a storm. Charlie hovered with a damp cloth and a look of near-religious panic, whispering useless encouragements that made me laugh between gasps. Adrian and Terrence kept the room steady, one fetching water, the other holding a basin, Xavier stood back, hands folded, breathing like a metronome. A wave rolled through me that felt like it would split the world in two. The healer’s voice was clinical, precise.

"Push on three." It was the only clear thing.

I listened to the count, felt every muscle answer, felt my body betray and obey me at once. Zavier leaned in until his brow pressed mine, his whisper was the only anchor.

"Together. Now."Zavier said.

White heat. A sound tore out of me that had nothing to do with language. Time dissolved into a series of shouted directions, a nurse’s hand on my shoulder, a towel wrapped around the small of my back. The lamp made everything too bright and somehow sharper, each breath, each instruction, each tiny victory moving forward like a tide. Then a cry. Immediate, urgent, raw. The room held its collective breath and then exhaled in a chaotic rush of relief. Someone laughed; Wanessa cried softly.

"It’s a girl." Richard said, voice steady as stone and twice as awed.

They cleared and swaddled with quick hands. Cold cloth touched my forehead, warm weight was laid across my chest. She was smaller than I’d imagined and fiercer than the thunder outside. Her cry softened as she curled against me, and for the first time in hours I could feel my heartbeat slow, matching hers. Zavier’s tears were hot on my skin as he pressed his mouth to my temple.

"You did it." He breathed. "You did it." Charlie sobbed somewhere behind us, proud and loud.

The healers checked vitals, murmured routine things, and the lamp hummed on.

In that noisy, humming room, antiseptic and lantern light and the smell of wet cloth, the world rearranged itself around a tiny, urgent life. Primrose tucked her fist against my collarbone and drifted toward sleep. I laughed, ragged and full, and choked back the rest into a single, stunned word.

"Hi."I whispered.

The moment Primrose settled against my chest, the room erupted, carefully, chaotically, in ways only my family could manage. Charlie was first. He practically launched himself forward, tears streaking his cheeks.

"She’s... she’s real! She’s actually here! I’m officially the best uncle ever!" He stumbled over his own feet, nearly tripping over the tray of linens, and I had to laugh through exhaustion.

Adrian stepped closer, jaw tight, amber eyes softening despite himself. He crouched beside the bed, his massive hand hovering just above her tiny body like he didn’t dare touch perfection.

"She’s... quiet now." He muttered, almost to himself. "But I can tell she’s strong."

Terrence leaned in, storm gray eyes scanning every movement like a general overseeing a battlefield.

"She’s... fine. She’s... exactly what she’s supposed to be." He said, voice rough around the edges, though a tremor betrayed the awe he was hiding.

Xavier was quiet at first, folded arms, but I caught the tiniest shift in his expression as he finally stepped closer.

"She’s... sharp. I can see it already. That focus in her eyes. That’s a survivor." His words were measured, but his voice held the rarest warmth.

Zavier’s hand never left mine, but now it rested over Primrose as well. His lips brushed my temple.

"She’s ours. You did this. You, both of you made her real." He pressed his forehead to mine, and I felt all the trembling, all the chaos, settle into something solid, something safe.

Charlie couldn’t contain himself. He leaned so close he nearly toppled over the bed.

"Can I hold her? I mean, please! I’ve been waiting for this moment for centuries!"Charlie asked.

Even Richard stepped forward, calm as ever, and bent to peer at her.

"Primrose." He said softly, almost reverently. "She carries the mark of the Moon Goddess already. The world will notice her."

Wanessa walked beside the bed, gold hair glowing in the silver light, her hand brushing a lock from Primrose’s face.

"And we’ll make sure she knows how loved she is." She said, voice gentle but filled with authority. "Every single one of you has a role now. Guard her. Teach her. Love her."

Primrose stirred, tiny fingers curling over my collarbone, and I laughed through exhaustion, tears running freely.

"Look at you." I whispered. "Already stealing hearts."

Charlie let out a dramatic sob.

"Mine is gone forever!" He shouted.

And, somehow, even with all the chaos, the room felt like the safest place in the world.