Chapter 1116: In another life (3)

The moon seemed to be shining brightly above the dark night sky that was studded with starlight and white clouds, drifting in the cold night wind.

Lana admired the scene while standing on the balcony of her room, stroking her growing belly with a soft smile on her lips.

It was nice and refreshing to be able to feel the cold air against her skin and this was their last night at the inn.

Torak gave the Beta a week off to spend more time with his pregnant wife, because the Alpha knew very well how sometimes a pregnant woman was difficult to handle while Raphael spent too much time by Torak's side, dealing with never ending problems.

And when Calleb protested that he had to do everything alone, Raphael simply said that he had to get Rossie pregnant first if he wanted to have the privileges he got.

Of course Calleb immediately withdrew from the challenge. He gave up unconditionally and no longer grumbled that Raphael had gone on a vacation with Lana.

'With the progress I have now, I think I will have to wait another hundred years until I get to the point where I can go that far with Rossie,' Calleb said at that time with a pathetic expression.

Meanwhile, Raphael and Jack could only laugh at his not- so -smooth love journey.

'I feel like my mate is not only Rossie, but I am also paired with her father, mother and also her two twin brothers,' Calleb complained again.

All those memories brought a smile to Raphael's lips.

"What are you laughing at?" Lana asked while hugging Raphael's arm, now they were both standing on the balcony, staring at the reflection of the moonlight on the surface of the lake.

"Nothing." Raphael shook his head. "Just a few funny things."

Lana then tiptoed and kissed Raphael's cheek. "I love seeing you smile like this," she said softly, like the wind whispering into Raphael's ear. "I haven't seen you smile lately."

Yes, because of the piled up work, it stressed Raphael a little too much with all the things he had to deal with.

"I am sorry," he whispered softly into Lana's ear, pulling her close and hugging her from behind.

Raphael carefully placed his hand on Lana's growing belly and rested his chin on her shoulder, breathing in her scent that could calm the beast inside him.

Because Raphael was rarely at home, the beast inside him was irritated as it demanded him to be close to his mate and also their unborn child.

Perhaps, it was also for this reason that Torak gave Raphael time off so that he could reorganize his thoughts and compromise with the beast within him.

Raphael needed to be near Lana and Torak could feel his beast was on edge. After all he was an Alpha, the beast inside him could feel his beta's.

"You don't need to apologize," Lana said softly. She knew what Raphael meant and she didn't blame her mate for it at all.

Maybe this was because of the experiences that Lana had gone through with Raphael. Since from the beginning they were together, the situations they had to face were quite harsh, thus shaping Lana's personality to be more mature and understanding.

"I still feel like I should apologize to you," Raphael denied Lana's words and hugged her tightly, certainly not tight enough to hurt their future child.

Lana chuckled when she heard Raphael's sincerity, seemingly, he was regretting how he had not paid enough attention to her while she was carrying their first born.

"You give me peace of mind that I have never felt before and I think that's enough reason for me to forgive you," Lana said as she leaned her body against Raphael's chest and gently stroked his arm. "If there was no mate bond between us, would this relationship still feel like this?" Lana mumbled softly. "Will you love me?"

"What about you? Will you love me?" Raphael turned Lana's question to her which made both of them laugh. "A mate bond is a sacred thing and a gift to our kind, but I think even without it, if you really love someone then you will continue to love them."

Yes, like what happened with the Donovans, they lost the mate bond, but that didn't mean it was a problem, it just made the love between them feel more pure.

"I wish we could live forever like this, together with Edgar," Lana said affectionately while rubbing her belly. "Become a small family that is inseparable and live happily. That's my only wish."

Raphael smiled, his expression softening when he heard Lana's wish. The same hope he had. "I wish we could live forever with our children and watch them grow up and guide them to be better people in this more peaceful world."

============== 

On a dewy morning with fog still covering the foot of the mountain, the air was cold and the ground was wet from last night's rain; came from one of the houses, a strong cry of a newborn baby. 

The cry was so strong, breaking the silence of the morning with joy and happy laughter.

It was the cry of Baby Edgar, Raphael and Lana's first born.

Lana had been struggling since last night to bring Edgar into the world, but it wasn't until morning that Edgar could really breathe fresh air and announced his existence to the world.

Raphael couldn't hold back his tears when he saw his first son for the first time.

Baby Edgar was so small and tiny, so fragile yet he could hold his heart in his baby fists.

He was crying, but as soon as Raphael hugged him, his cries died down, as he started mumbling incoherently.

It was a magnificent sight for Raphael as well as the first time for him to hold a baby.

"Hi champ, I'm your father..." Raphael said while holding Edgar's small hand. He would hold his son's hand and guide him well throughout his life.

Raphael then turned his attention to Lana before laying their baby by her side. He bent down and kissed Lana's forehead gently.

"Thank you Lana, you two complete my life," he said. "I'll take care of you two forever."