THE SECOND MATE OF A PREGNANT LUNA

"You are pregnant." That phrase marked me forever. More than I could have imagined. It had been a short time since I had married Angus and become Lacey Butler. Our Mate had been just over two years ago. "He's kicking," Angus told me, as he touched my six-month pregnant belly. "Or her," I said. "It could still be a girl," I explained. We didn't know the s*x of the baby. Angus had left the pack behind when he was still young, became a Rogue, and started living by his own rules. He was a ranger, and I was just making tracks at the right time. He saved me from being blown away in the rain. A shame. Even though he had left the pack, Angus still followed some customs. He didn't want to know the s*x of the baby until it was born. Angus swore it was a boy. "Aren't you going to do the night shift tonight?" I asked him, noticing that the uniform was still hanging in our small house. "I will, unfortunately," he said, getting off me and walking over to the uniform, putting it on. "You know I can stay with you more often, don't you?" he asked me. "I don't have to work every night." I lied. "Angus, we don't have that much money," I mentioned. "I would love to be with you, but we can't risk our savings." He sighed disappointed. "Angus, please, not again." It wasn't the first time he had done things like that. He typically complained about wanting to spend more time with me and the baby and not being able to. "Don't worry, Lacey, it's some wolf hormones," he said. "I'm leaving now, get some rest and go to bed." He walked over to me and kissed my forehead, leaving soon after. It rained frequently. Our house was small and was literally at work. A cozy forest constantly graced by natural sounds. It was good for the baby. Angus was sure it was a boy, and if it was, it would be just like his father. Girls never changed, only men. The smell of the pillow was strong. Angus had a strong man odor, I couldn't explain it, but now it was even stronger. It was a matter of a few hours until the first full moon of the month. It was the worst day of the month. In the morning, I heard the door open and smelled his strong odor. My husband had come home from work. "Lacey…", I heard him say. Something was wrong. I jumped out of bed with difficulty, because of my already big belly. I tried to walk over to him, but my vision was blurred and so was my thinking. "Lacey…" he called again. I tried to walk to him again, but could not. Then I saw blood, so I could run. Angus was bleeding. When I finally reached him, I woke up. The room was dark, as dark as it had been before. The clock read only 3 o'clock when Angus left. He was not there. There was no one there but me. I felt my stomach tighten, as if something bad was approaching me, or something bad was going to happen. I got out of bed and grabbed the flashlight. Likewise, I thought about the child and Angus, I couldn't just stand there waiting for him to come back. The cold breeze touched the uncovered part of my body. I closed the door, almost giving up on the idea, but opened it again, determined. I closed the door quickly and followed the path that was there. We were not the only ones in that area, we had some neighbors. Most of the guys were rangers with Angus. Some of them, Rogues who had left their packs or were not part of one at all. Walking down the trail, shivering from the cold of the night, I went on my way. The smell was strong, and I hated not knowing how to identify them. "What are you doing here?" I heard someone ask. Startled, I continued walking fast, afraid. The nightmare had made me cautious. "Lacey," the voice said. I continued walking, not looking back. "Oh my God, Lacey, you are pregnant," the stranger said, touching me. Startled, I turned around, running into Martin, one of the neighbors. Gasping, I tried to say something, but nothing would come out. "Angus," I managed to say. "He must be working. My God, Lacey, you can't be in this cold, it's what, like 6 months already?" he asked me. I agreed. "Take me to Angus, please," I asked. Martin was not a werewolf. He was the same age as Angus and the same build. Handsome. "Lacey…," he said, reluctantly. I urged him to take me. "I can't do that." I let go of his arms and followed the trail alone. Going back was not an option. I felt a strong stab in my stomach, and I fell. Martin ran toward me. Blood. I was bleeding. Why? Why me? Martin picked me up, running with my body in his arms. We were hit. I saw Martin fall to the ground, still holding me in his arms. I felt another sharp pain, and I could have sworn I felt even more blood flowing. It hurt. My heart hurt so much. It was too dark, but he was there. The smell of Angus was there. I sat up with difficulty, still seeing the blood on my hands. "Angus…," I said. His features were not the same. His body was large. He was changing. "It's not a full moon yet," I mentioned. "The baby," he said, moving closer. The yellow eyes were the charm of a werewolf. There was pain in his eyes. "The baby," he repeated. "I don't know," I spoke, crying. The blood on my hands was still vivid. Angus approached me, like a frightened puppy. His work uniform was torn. Twice his size was not supported. Near me, he came closer, and with more pain, I could see his suffering. Maybe he knew something. He was crying. Angus was not crying. He licked the blood off my hand, and it felt good. He did it again, and again. I wrapped my hand around his face, lovingly. "We are going to lose our son," I said, in tears. His yellow intensified, and tears welled up. "Let her go, you monster," I heard Martin shout, getting up from the floor. I had completely forgotten about him. Angus growled at Martin, even more wolfish. His gaze turned to me, even more pained. "It was the only reason you guys were safe, Lacey," he told me, with difficulty. Suddenly, his eyes turned red. I rolled my eyes. "I'm sorry," Angus told me, before standing up, letting go of my bloody hands, and finally moving. In a dread howl, the beast launched into the air. Running over to Martin, I could notice that the human was carrying and pointing a gun at Angus. The shot happened. I screamed. I bled. Angus was down, but I couldn't go to him. He came to me, dragging himself. Martin, fallen, was still pointing the gun. "You'll survive," Angus told me. "You three, you'll understand…," he kept saying, as he slowly died. "I love you," was the last thing he said before he received the last bullet from Martin. "I love you," I said to Angus, the moment the glow went out. The neighbors ran to me, desperate. But Martin… Martin was screaming in pain. Then I saw it, the mark… the bite mark…