Christmas Bonus II

Christmas Bonus II
"We brought presents for everyone!" Orium said, unaware of the emotions his mate was hiding.

"You speak my language, boy, I love presents!" Esmeralda hugged Orium and Odessa.

Ares always growled when his female hugged another male, but that didn't stop her and seemed to be part of their routine.

After a few minutes of conversation, the three Lunas went to check on the food that would be served at the surprise Christmas party.

"How are you feeling, Nadja?" Odessa asked, arranging some dishes of food she had brought from her clan and fresh fruit.

The table was enormous, the amount of food colossal.

"I'm fine, I think she'll come into the world any moment now."

"May she come blessed with health and strength!" Odessa said, wishing the pup well with all her heart. "I have news, Orium doesn't know yet..."

"What is it? Tell me quickly, woman, don't you see I have anxiety?" Esmeralda said, rubbing her hands.

"I'm pregnant!" Odessa said hastily, in a whisper.

"Oh, by the Great Goddess, what good news!" Nadja jumped up and clapped her hands.

"Why do you have that serious face, Odessa?"

"In the past, I swore to myself that we would never have a pup. I was taking contraceptive herbs, but I decided to throw them away a few months ago..."

"Seriously? So, you opened yourself up to try again, despite the Old Hag?"

Odessa raised an eyebrow, she loved the Human Luna's teasing.

"The 'old hag' has been less and less relevant for a long time, but I'm still scared, you know? The pain I felt..."

"Oh, friend..." The two Lunas hugged Odessa in her rare moments of showing weakness. "Everything will be alright this time!"— Orium loves you, and you love him, you need to let go of this trauma. A cub is the greatest blessing for you! — Said Nadja, caressing Odessa's long, curly hair.

— Are you going to tell him today? — Esmeralda asked, smiling.

— I want to, I can't hide the aura of pregnancy anymore, and my belly is already swelling. But I'm scared, when I think about what "the other one" did... And Elvira. And Dófona's visions...

— Forget those two, the baby is on the way and I want to be the godmother! — Esmeralda offered.

— Me too, can there be two godmothers? — Nadja asked, excited! She jumped up and down with joy.

They heard the sound of horses, Rebeca had arrived with her entourage.

Nadja jumped up and down with joy again, and her eyes widened.

— Uh oh…. — Nadja spread her legs and looked at the puddle forming on the floor.

— Oh, Allah, the water, the water broke! Now what? Odessa, do you think it's better to lock Derik somewhere?

A loud growl came from inside the house, indicating that Derik's nature smelled the amniotic fluid.

— Oh no, too late, here we go again!



POV - Third Person

The tension in the living room of the Black Wolves's alpha mansion was palpable. Clan members waited for news outside, anxious for the well-being of the young Luna, whom they loved so much, and the pup.

Nadja had been in the room for hours, in labor. Dérik's nervousness was increasingly evident. Gavin and Rael were in the corner, biting their nails, watching their father pace back and forth, muttering and growling. Claws and fur showed and retracted, evidencing the distressed Alpha's loss of control and his nature.

— Why is it taking so long? — Beta Eli asked his mate, in a whisper. — Gavin didn't take that long to come into the world!

— Come with me, children, let's play outside while your mother is bringing your little sister into the world!

Esmeralda took the two boys by the hands and led them to the backyard, where the other children were. Little Rubi came up to them. Esmeralda widened her beautiful green eyes when her small daughter extended her little hands to Gavin, as if he could pick her up. Which he obviously couldn't, as he was months younger than her, despite being bigger. He smiled and hugged her, letting go of Esmeralda's hand.

— Godmother, can you play tag with Rubi?

— Yes, dear, just be careful not to fall and get hurt. Rael, how about playing with them and watching over them?

Rael puffed out his chest, feeling like an adult among the younger children.

— Look, auntie, I have another loose tooth! Mommy Nadja said a stronger wolf tooth will grow now!

— Alhamdulillah! Look at that! He's a young man already! He'll be a strong wolf like his father!

He smiled, puffed out his chest at being compared to Derik, and ran to join the other children.

— Why is it taking so long for Nadja to give birth to the pup? — Odessa approached Esmeralda and asked in a low voice.

— It's normal, one birth is never like another. Whether they are she-wolves or humans, women suffer, I'll tell you, you know? Why can't men give birth, just once? I bet they would value us women more.

Odessa smiled, although she didn't have the same mentality or experiences as the human Luna, she recognized that Oníria, despite being culturally different from the human world, also brought in its formation and structure, at least for werewolves, a mentality that favored males.

— Derik is behaving well this time, don't you think?

— He's on the verge of a collapse. — Rebeca laughed, as she approached.

— Hey, where's little Luna, didn't you bring her? — Odessa asked, referring to Rebeca's daughter.

— She's with her father at home, I can't blame him, we're very afraid they'll do to her what they did to us...

— I understand.

— It's a shame, Christmas is for families to be together. Well, this is our first, so we can think of ways to get together and protect the little ones during festivities. — Esmeralda said.

As much as Esmeralda tried to bring everyone together again in the future, it became increasingly difficult, with the challenges and growth of the packs and pups. Their friendship strengthened, but a gathering with everyone together didn't happen again for years...

Esmeralda said Derik was controlled too early, because, a few minutes after that statement, Derik growled loudly and broke down the bedroom door. A door that Nadja had reinforced, already guessing what her mate would do.

Nadja looked at Dérik, her face pale and sweaty, eyes surrounded by strong dark circles.

— Alpha! Please, calm down! — The midwife said.

Derik went to Nadja and held her hand. His eyes were black, it was the wolf in control of the human form.