THE SECOND MATE OF A PREGNANT LUNA

Chapter 04

I looked down at my body and noticed the slow trickling of blood. I was so focused on judging Martin that I hadn't noticed. I despaired, I didn't want to go through all that pain and loss again. I loved my baby more than anything. Martin, startled, got out of bed, all sweaty and panting, and came over to meet me.

"Calm down Lacey, it's going to be okay," he told me, softly that almost made me believe he would be okay indeed. I pulled away a little, but he came closer. It was hurting, and the baby was moving a lot. I was not okay. If I had been lucky that I hadn't lost the child before, I wouldn't be now. Martin kept coming closer and then wrapped his arms around my giant belly. Stroking it, he bent down and kissed it. A huge question mark was provoked in me. The moment he had done this, the baby had stopped moving, and my pain had ceased. For some reason, Martin had improved the situation. He looked me in the eye, startled.

"What did I do?" he asked me, with a frightened look on his face, now standing up and looking me in the eye. "What did I kill, Lacey?" he questioned me. Flashes of Angus' death and the gunshots brought the memories back to me. Tears rolled down my eyes and I didn't hide them. I needed to put all the pain out. "No, no, no," he said repeatedly, now pulling away and still showing fear. "What did I kill, Lacey?" he asked again.

In tears, I managed to say. "A werewolf, Martin," in tears. "You killed Angus," I confessed.

Martin, now stunned, turned away from me. There was guilt in his eyes. I felt sorry for him, truly sorry. Then Martin looked at his arm. I knew he was looking for Angus' bite mark, but I knew it would no longer be there. He looked into my eyes, panicked. I cried in response, for he knew what that meant.

"I don't want that. Lacey, I don't want it," he pleaded, but there was nothing I could do. The moon began to rise at the same instant. It wouldn't be long now.

Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my stomach, and then more blood trickled down my legs. It felt like a miscarriage. I was not going to lose, not at that stage. Holding my belly, I screamed in pain, in desperation, calling for help. Martin tried to run to me, but the force of the moon knocked him down in front of me.

"Lacey, I…," he tried to speak, but couldn't. It was part of the transformation, losing the gift of speech. Martin would change. He attempted to speak again, but nothing would come out. Only cries of pain could be heard. His body was breaking slowly, and I could feel it.

I fell to the ground as soon as I felt a second sharp stab in my stomach. More blood, even more blood, was coming out of me. Now on the ground, I was still holding my stomach, praying that the moon goddess would take pity on me. Two losses were all I didn't need.

"Henry…," I heard Martin say. My gaze widened, not because I saw Martin covered in fur, with claws and sharp fangs. Hearing the name Angus had given our son was a shock. And with the shock, came the calmness of the baby again. Martin, still transforming, crawled on the floor, over to me. "Henry…," he said again.

I felt even calmer. Then Martin screamed again, showing even further adjustments in his body. I, now calmer, just watched the situation. My body no longer showed any worrying signs, at least until the moonlight came in through the bedroom window.

"Henry," it was my turn to speak. I was now stroking my belly. The blood began to boil and a few contractions happened. It was too soon. There was a little blood, but mostly blood boiling in my veins.

The momentum of my body made itself present, and I felt the need to spread my legs. I felt the dilation happen quickly. Angus was right, Henry wanted to come quickly. Martin, already completely transformed and with pain in his eyes, approached me and held my hand, while with the other, he increased the distance between my legs. In a curious gesture, he stuck his head over the space and I felt his warm breath. Then the enormous pain of contraction happened and dilation increased. Martin, still in position, made a strange sound, and then I realized that Henry was being born. Martin, with his mouth, pulled the baby out, wrapped in blood, and in a curious, fatherly gesture, he picked him up, taking him onto my lap.

"Henry," he said, with difficulty, still in his human voice.

Angus was right, it was a boy.

There, lying on the ground, I felt an excruciating peace, as well as the smell of my blood and the pure, gentle face of my cub. Martin stood in front of me, growling softly, like a small cuddly dog. I was too weak to try to understand whether that expression was his or the wolves.

Henry had stopped crying shortly after he was born. He looked too healthy for a premature baby. He would be a werewolf because it would be impossible for a six-month-old human baby to be born perfectly healthy.

Martin was standing in front of me, in his new bestial form. There was still blood in his mouth, my blood. At that moment, all the hatred was gone. I had felt a great love for Henry, ever since I had known he was coming. Angus not being with me was painful, so painful that a few tears started to well up.

A few minutes later, the door opened and I observed my neighbor Helga standing in front of me. Accompanying her were other wives of other werewolves in the area.

"Oh my God, Lacey," Helga said in amazement, seeing the whole situation. Martin, startled by the interruption, stepped back, a little afraid, still appearing to have some humanity.

"It's okay, Martin," I said, trying to calm the new beast. His eyes looked at me and I felt confident. "They all know. Their husbands are werewolves, like you," I explained to him. Slowly, he moved closer to me, more confident.

Helga approached me, shy but receptive. "Lacey, your son has been born," she said.

"Henry," I said. "Angus was right, it's a boy," I told her. They all quietly approached us, looking at the baby.

"He needs to go outside, Lacey. He needs to see the moon," Helga told me. Showing a werewolf baby to the moon was a tradition, especially if the child was a wolf spawned from a successful mate. It was like a thank you, a divine and well-regarded gesture. This was the baptism of the werewolves.

When I found out about the pregnancy, Angus told me all the customs that werewolves had. He would tell me which ones he would like to do and which ones he wouldn't. It was beautiful to see him as excited as I was, in fact, even more, excited than I was. It had been six months of preparation, waiting for the baby, eating myself up to know the gender and I couldn't. I respected Angus and his wishes, after all, I was now part of his world, and not he of mine. Some things scared me a lot, but I felt a love so different that anything Angus wanted to do I would accept, after all, he understood the subject. I confess that I was afraid of what to expect and how to raise a wolf child, but I would have my love on my side, at least, that's what I hoped to have...

Half an hour later, I was in white, outside Martin's house, sitting on the ground, holding Henry, already clean. Helga and the others took care of us very quickly, so that the moment would not be lost. Looking up at the moon, I lifted Henry and thanked the goddess for the wonderful gift she had given me. The moon shone even brighter, and Henry opened his eyes even wider, grinning as if he was seeing something in the sky. Blue particles flew up to me and I felt a warmth come over me. I closed my eyes, and when I opened them, Angus was standing in front of me, human and happy. He was looking at Henry and crying, I knew he would wish he was there, more than anything. I blinked and he became a werewolf again, but just as loving as before.

Then I heard howling. The other werewolves knew about the birth. They howled, Martin, howled, and I swear I heard Angus howl too.