C107 The Celebration Of Resurrections

Rain's P.O.V.

When Zion opened the double doors to the Banquet Hall, I was shocked, to say the least. Everyone was talking, speculating what this gathering was all about, and then complete silence followed by gasps as everyone's gaze met Zion and me as the doors opened.

I place my hand on my belly as Zion leads us into the crowded room. Everyone now has faces of relief and tears of joy streaming down their faces as they bow while we make our way past them and to a table set up for us. I feel an overwhelming sense of love and confusion pouring off of everyone in the room. As we reached our table, we were joined by the others in our group, including Morgan, Mia, and Nick, as well as King Arnald and Beta Mark.

Zion pulls out a chair for me and helps me lower myself into it before he addresses the crowd. He goes into detail about the reasons for my disappearance while also apologizing to everyone for keeping them in the dark about the whole situation. I could tell by the emotions I was getting from them that most understood completely, while three were jealous about the situation; why they would be jealous, I couldn't understand. I recognize one of them as the omega she-wolf who spread rumors about me to the other omegas when I first arrived.

The she-wolf lets out a huff before glaring at me. I raise an eyebrow and look over at Mia and Annie, who give me a knowing nod, knowing how she had acted toward me and Odett in the past. I link Orian to let him know my observation, and he quickly tells me that he will place a guard to watch over her and the other two, who seem to have an issue with how things turned out.

"Is everything okay?" Zion asked as he finished his speech and sat beside me while everyone went to fill their plates with the food Mia and Annie had prepared for the event.

"Everything is perfect," I respond with a smile. I won't let those she-wolves ruin this amazing day my friends and family planned for me.

Annie brought me a plate filled with my favorite snacks, which we had decided on for the shower last night, along with a strawberry milkshake. I smiled and thanked her before looking at the line for the buffet to find Odett and Sam piling food onto their plates. Odett's plate looks to be pilled as high as Sam's, which makes me laugh.

"The girl could probably outeat most of our warriors," Zion says with a laugh as he sees what I was laughing about.

"You're right. She's a growing girl." I say, continuing to laugh. I look around, noticing that no one has touched their food yet. "Why is no one eating?"

"This is your celebration. No one will touch their food until you have started eating." He answers.

"Please enjoy your food. There's no need to wait for me to start eating." I say after having Zion help me stand. As I carefully sat back down, I looked at Zion. "I will eat after you get your plate."

"There's no need to wait for me to start eating." He used my words against me with a smile, making me roll my eyes at him and huff out a laugh.

"You irritate me at times," I tell him playfully.

"That is one of my many jobs, my Queen." He says, giving me his signature half-cocked grin, making me roll my eyes again.

Once everyone has their food we eat while laughing and cracking jokes here and there. It's nice to be in the presence of our people again and have them know that I am still alive. I was worried that it would cause Douglas to move up his attack, but at this point, the War would come sooner or later, so there's no point in hiding anymore.

"Have the warriors been told of the current situation?" I ask Zion, making him flinch, but he recovers from his reaction quickly. He places his arm around my back as if he knew what I was thinking and why I asked, but I'm not sure why he flinched.

"Yes, they were all made aware this morning before going out on patrol." He answers.

"I even sent out some food with them, so it was like they were here to celebrate with us," Annie says, making me smile.

"Thank you, Annie. I don't know what we would do without you." I tell her honestly.

"That's something you will never have to worry about, my Queen." She responds. "I will always be by your side."

"Thank you for your continued loyalty to your Queen," Zion says.

"It's not just her loyalty to me but to our family and people. She works incredibly hard and deserves to be praised for her effort and the time she puts into us." I say honestly. "We would be screwed without her."

"Right, you are my Queen," Jess says with a big smile.

"Okay, enough praises. This is your day." Annie says.

"This isn't just my day, though. Without our people's love and support, we would be nothing but ordinary people." I say while trying to hold back my tears. Holding up a glass, I stand and clear my throat to get everyone's attention. Once everyone is looking at me, I continue. "Thank you to everyone for your understanding and, sadly, even your grieving. Not a day went by that I did not watch as everyone showed their love and respect for me and my life as your Queen, however short-lived it was at that time. You have all exhibited strength and perseverance that I can honestly say I couldn't be prouder of."

"You have shown me your love and respect, not just with words but also with your actions. I hope you can forgive me for going into hiding to help keep not only myself and my three pups safe but also to help prevent another attack for the time being until we are prepared for the War to come. It wasn't easy to keep myself hidden from the people that I love, but it was needed. Today isn't just about me but all of us. Without each and every one of you, I would be nothing. I thank you all." I finished my speech and looked around to find everyone in tears as they held their glasses in a toast of acceptance and cheered.

I did notice that the three she-wolves that held resentment and jealousy earlier were nowhere to be found, so I sent a quick link to Orian. He assured me that he had someone on them and not to worry, so I put my faith in him and sat back in my seat as we all finished our food. I was then told that it was time to open baby shower gifts. The amount of love I felt at that moment was incomprehensible.

Jess stood on one side while Zion was on my other side. They helped me stand and gently guided me to a chair resembling my throne. I began to feel slightly lightheaded and short of breath as we made our way over. Subconsciously, I leaned onto Zion for support.

"Are you okay, my love?" He links me. I could see the worry in his eyes, but I wasn't about to ruin the day that everyone had put so much effort into for me.

"Of course, my King." I lied while trying to give him my best reassuring smile, but I could tell by his facial expression that he didn't believe me. Still, he didn't say anything and continued to help me walk. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my side, making me gasp and grab my side as everything started spinning. I felt Zion's arms lift me up as I heard Odett call out for me in a panic, and Zion called for Doctor Jameson.

I can sense everyone's panic, but I'm still confused as to what's going on, and I can't feel anything but pain and something wet between my legs. I wish Dosha were awake. I know she would know what to do. As I have another wave of pain rush through my abdomen and back and then down my legs, I let out another scream. I heard Doctor Jameson tell them to get me to our suite quickly. I feel Zion moving with me in his arms, flying through the crowd of people who have made a path for us and up the stairs.

We quickly made it to our suite, but instead of taking me to our bed, he carried me into the room that the doctor had set up as the delivery room. He lays me on the bed as another wave of pain runs through me. Doctor Jameson begins cutting me out of my dress as I fight back the urge to scream in agony. Zion growls as he exposes my naked body, but Doctor Jameson ignores him and covers me with a thin white sheet before everything goes black.