THE SECOND MATE OF A PREGNANT LUNA

Chapter 5

I only remember waking up the next day, exhausted. My mind was spinning, and my vision was blurred. My body was slightly sore, but everything changed when I heard a child crying. Upon hearing it, I immediately woke up, remembering everything.

Looking around, I found myself in a house that wasn't mine and wasn't Martin's either. It took me a few minutes to identify Helga's house. Her room was huge, as was her bed. Large beds were common for couples with werewolves, especially when things got too hot. Beside me, Helga took the child on her lap and stroked it, pleading for calm. She had had children before, she knew exactly what to do.

"Did you wake up, Lacey?" Helga asked me, noticing my gaze on her. "I hope you slept well. Henry will need you," she told me, showing me my baby. Upon seeing me, she stopped crying almost immediately.

"What's going on? I'm a little confused," I asked, scratching my eyes, trying to wake up completely. Around me, there were other women. All of them, older than me, already knew each other and had lived most of their lives, so it was not unusual to see them together. In a way, because I was a wolf's wife, this made me approach them. Martin, on the other hand, not being from the werewolf universe, was not so close to the others. I remembered him. "Where is Martin? Is he okay?" I asked, worried. My mind was still assimilating the events.

"Calm down, Lacey," she urged me. "Now you need to relax and think calmly, keep your voice down. You have a child now," she said, being sympathetic, but there was a touch of mystery and secrecy in her speech as if trying to deflect the subject.

"Where is Martin, Helga?" I asked, more serious than before. I was now fully awake.

"He's fine, Lacey," she replied snidely, turning on her back. "He'll be fine, actually," she said, finishing her sentence.

"What do you mean, he's going to be fine?" I questioned her, confused, "Tell me, Helga, don't hide anything."

"You know how the first change feels, Lacey," Helga told me. I sat up in bed, trying not to feel the dizziness. I denied knowing what she was talking about. "Well, I thought Angus told you about that."

"Why would he tell me about that? When our son grew up, he would be there to help him," I recounted, swallowing dryly, every word.

Helga sighed, as she nuzzled Henry, who was now completely relaxed in her arms. "It takes longer for the body to get back to normal the first few times. The pain is still present and a bit of the instinct, but in a few hours that will pass, so don't worry," she told me. I asked where he was. "He is being helped by the others. Now, Lacey, you need to feed your son. As a man and as a wolf, he needs to be healthy and strong, more than anyone else," she told me, as she brought Henry into my arms, which welcomed him with much love and affection. "There is much to learn, the journey is long, Lacey. I hope that we will all always be here to help you and assist little Henry," Helga finishes saying, before letting go of Henry completely. "I'll be back soon," she finishes saying.

"Hi, Henry," I say, smiling. The child, my sweet boy, held my finger lovingly and laughed back. The advancement of a non-human baby was impressive. Angus had told me a little about it, but seeing and experiencing it was entirely different. Sticking my breast out, I let it feed. It wasn't long before I felt one of the pains of motherhood, which was feeling pain when the child sucked the milk. Non-human infants were hungrier too. One breast was not enough, I needed to satisfy him with the other. Again, more pain. As soon as he had taken the last available sip from my breast, Henry fell asleep. Next to the bed was the crib, my crib. I wondered how prepared the women there were, for they had done so much in such a short time.

I laid Henry down in his crib and made sure to make him safe and comfortable. One of the women was in the room and said she would take care of him if I needed her. I did need it. Walking around the house, I looked for Helga, but couldn't find her. Walking outside, where I could smell the bike, I spotted one of the other women and asked about Martin again. "Don't divert the subject," I said when I noticed she was about to do so. "I know about the changes, but I want to see him."

"With all due respect, Lacey," she started by saying. "I'm not allowed to release you for that, I'm sorry," she said.

"I've seen wolves before, why can't I see Martin now? It's because of me that this happened," I commented.

"I can assure you that this is not your fault, Lacey," she told me, "I ask you not to insist."

"He's at the cabin, isn't he?" I asked, confident and determined to go see him. She tried to look away and did not answer. "Tell me, he is there, isn't he?" I repeated the question.

"Just don't go see him yet, Lacey. You just had a baby, you need to focus on you and him. Let Martin handle this on his own," she urged me.

"He delivered me," I said. "I helped him with the move, and he helped me, I want to be by his side now, he must need me, so I'm sorry to disappoint, but I'm going to see him," I said, leaving the place and heading for the cabin. The woman said nothing, I left no time for that.

Before looking for Martin, I returned to the room and kissed Henry on the forehead, then set him on my lap. "Let's go see Uncle Martin," I said, gathering a blanket for his protection, and then left Helga's house.