The Wisteria Alpha

CHAPTER 7 ~ Five Months~

Lila

     It’s been three weeks since we came back from Tokyo. Lotus has been doing fine, considering what she went through. I’ve never seen my sister cry before, not even on the day we lost our home. After she told us what happened, we had cancelled the rest of the trip, going home early. Lotus was quiet on the plane, but once we landed, she had her smile in place, declaring that it was time to move forward. Lily and I knew it was false bravado because almost every night she would cry herself to sleep with us hugging her. 

      For the past five days, she’s been feeling ill, clinging to the toilet. Werewolves didn’t get sick. She brushed us off and claimed it was something she ate, but I had a feeling that food poisoning wasn’t the case. Lily was concerned for the first two days, but after the third, she started to suspect the same as me. 

   I was pacing outside the bathroom door, listening to Lotus vomit for the third time today. Lily walked in and handed me the bag I sent her out for. “Lo, can we come in?” I asked, knocking softly on the door. “Yes,” came her raspy reply. I opened the door, waving Lily in behind me. Lotus was at the sink rinsing her mouth. “You ok?” I asked while rubbing her back. She nodded her head and sighed, “I just can’t seem to get rid of this bug.” Lil and I looked at each other with concern.

   I handed her the bag, “Lo, have you thought of a different possibility, something else that might be causing your sickness?” She looked confused and looked through the bag. “A pregnancy test?” she asked, lifting up the box. “You think I’m pregnant?!” she shouted. “Yes, it fits the timeline, and werewolves don't get sick,” Lily replied, her voice laced with worry. Lotus just stared at us. “Lo, just take the test. If it’s negative, no worries.” I offered her a sheepish smile. “And if it's positive?” she asked. “Then we prepare.” 

      Lotus started to open the box, sliding out its contents. “It's the easy one, just pee on the stick and it will say pregnant or not pregnant. “Lily said, walking towards the door. “No! Don’t leave, please.” Lotus looked terrified. “Ok, we will stay. We’re the three musketeers, right?” I said trying to calm her. Lotus bobbed her head, walked to the toilet and sat down. She did her business then sat the test on the sink counter. Lily set the three-minute timer on her phone. We both sat down on the edge of the tub, holding hands. Now we wait. 

     When the timer went off no one moved. I elbowed Lily and she shut the timer off. I walked to the sink. “Are you ready?” I asked Lotus. She nodded and watched as I lifted the test. I took a deep breath then looked at the results. “Well, I’m an aunt. You’re pregnant Lo.”  

Lotus

       It felt like I was drowning. My ears were ringing and my breathing was irregular, it felt like I was going to pass out. “Lo, did you hear me?” “Huh?” I replied breathlessly, looking around confused. “I said you’re pregnant.” “Oh, ok um,” was all I could manage. Lila walked over and started rubbing my back. “You ok?” Lily asks, still clutching my hand. I jerked my head yes, too afraid to use my voice. 

    I was going to be a mother. To say I was shocked would be an understatement. My sisters and I never talked about having children, simply because we never planned on having a future with our mates. I had no idea what I needed to do. The last time I was around children was when the twins were born, I was only two. I didn’t understand how to take care of them or how to properly hold them. I had no one to turn to for advice, my mother was gone when I needed her more than ever. 

       My mate had given me a precious treasure, a perfect way to capture our night together. I placed my hand on my stomach, where my pup was tucked away and growing. I never thought that I would be in this position, but I was. Because of that lunatic that is hunting us, we’ve been unable to live a normal life. My pup was already in danger. We needed to prepare. I will protect him or her with my life.  

      “Five months.” I stated. “What?” the twins' voices sounded confused. I stood up, keeping my hand on my stomach. “A wolf’s pregnancy only lasts five months.” “Yes, and?” they tilted their heads to the side. Rolling my eyes, “So that means we have five months to prepare.”  Their mouths formed the o shape, finally understanding.

   I started to pace. “What do we do?” Lily asked. “We need to get things for the pregnancy. We’ll need a safe place where I can give birth.” “Alright, we can start with the simple stuff like prenatal.” Lila said. “Yeah, we need to see a witch too. We're gonna need cloaking spells for when the pup arrives.” Lily put in. Thank the goddess for blessing me with smart sisters.  “Great, let's go charm a witch. 

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       We entered the Scarlet Cauldron, located in downtown Dallas. It was a small shop disguised to sell trinkets and crystals to humans, and magical items to the supernatural. As usual, Gelinda, the shopkeeper, was waiting for us, glaring as we walked in. I offered her a smile, “We came for-” “I know what you came for! Do I look like an i***t?” Gelinda croaked, pointing a boney finger at us. “No ma’am,” we replied. She huffed, motioning for me to follow. The twins stayed upstairs and browsed. 

     She led me to her sanctuary that was beneath the shop. It was drafty and musky, with shelves that lined the walls. They were filled with jars and boxes that had suspicious looking items inside, all were her precious ingredients. It always made me feel weary being down here. 

          She was shuffling around, looking through some of her boxes when she exclaimed out loud, “Ah ha!” She shuffled back to me, dropping three tiny red bracelets into my hand. They had a white marble and a single black dot in the center. She then moved to the other side of the room rummaging some more. She grunted and shuffled back to me, plopping three stickers, that were designed with a red cauldron. She also handed me five clear patches.

        She explained, “The bracelet is to conceal the pup’s presence, only to be heard and visible to those granted permission. The stickers are to be put on the car seat. Once the pup is inside, it will cloak them, making it seem like you're holding a bag.” “And the patches?” She grunted, “They will conceal your pregnancy. You will only show to those you wish to see. Put one on your stomach and replace it for each month.” I nodded in understanding.

       “Do you want to restock up on your usual stuff?” She asked. “Yes, please.” She got to work putting together my bag. She gathered some amethyst necklaces, short time confusion spells, and other necessities. She handed the bag over, and I paid her. I made my way back up the stairs. “Thank you Gelinda,” I said. She jerked her head towards the door, demanding us to leave.

     We left, telling the uber to take us to Costco. We purchased a large bottle of prenatal that should last me the whole pregnancy. We also bought a newborn starter kit that included bottles, bibs and other baby supplies. I had stopped by the clothing section, locating a large pack of neutral colored long sleeve onesies, beanies and socks. Since my pup was going to be born in December, I needed to make sure I had appropriate clothing. 

    I met back up with my sisters, apparently, they were thinking ahead too, having selected a few maternity clothes. We checked out, happy with our purchases. I was starting to feel anxious on the drive back home. Empress felt agitated too. What's going on? I don’t know, something feels off. I stepped out of the car, walking at a quick pace to our room. The twins were confused, but followed me. 

       When I made it to our hall, I started to run, quickly covering the distance to the door. The door was busted down, our room was trashed. The mattress was ripped up, the window shattered and the tv was smashed. I walked in, observing that the bathroom was in a similar state. The person who did this went through everything, even the trash. Thank the goddess I took my test to the dumpster before we left. 

      I heard Lila open the closet, sighing with relief. “The cloaking spell on our duffel bags is secure.” Lily grabbed the bags and we exited the room. We changed our amethyst necklaces, to give off a different scent. I reached in my bag and pulled out the clear patches. Peeling one off, I placed it on my stomach. I looked over to my sisters, their faces grim. Our time of peace was over, and the hunt was back on.