518- The Snarl That Promised Annihilation
POV Thalyndra Moonclaw:
I didn't have the courage to go back to Edric and Lunara's house. Anton offered that I stay at his place, so I accepted, even while emphasizing—to him and to myself—that it would be only for a few days, until I could gather enough courage to face his parents.
It wasn't as easy as it seemed.
For them, it might be something quite natural, completely normal and routine, but that wasn't how it worked for me. Humans didn't go into heat, much less spend days fucking like animals, locked inside a house. Parents couldn't smell what their children were doing, and the level of privacy was much greater—something I was used to.
I let out a heavy sigh.
On the other hand, I should adapt and get used to it. If Anton was right—and deep down I knew he was—my wolf would do it again, bring forward the heat. I couldn't keep hiding forever; it was something I would need to face, and deal with the fact that I would never have privacy again while living among wolves.
Lana and Aurelka shot me a sidelong glance, waiting for me to say something. They had found me in front of Anton's house and called me for a walk.
"So you're just going to pretend we don't exist?" asked Lana, raising a dark eyebrow. "We know you were fucking Anton like a bitch in heat, because, after all, you were in heat. So stop acting like a lunatic and talk to us."
Aurelka gurgled a laugh.
I rolled my eyes and sat down on a tall root, crossing my arms. I looked around before starting to speak, but we had moved far enough from Eldoria that no one could be nearby to hear anything I confessed.
"This is a little... um... embarrassing," I whispered.
Lana let out a husky sound.
"I'm sorry to inform you, but it's nothing that surprises us. Everyone knows you and Anton have been involved for months, so... zero news."
I looked at Aurelka.
"What did your parents say?"
"They didn't say anything." She bit her cheeks. "I mean, my mother is excited about the possibility of a grandchild."
I coughed, choking on my own saliva.
"What?" I asked, in a biased tone.
She twirled a strand of hair around her finger.
"You know, heat serves for procreation, in case you're not aware of that. You went into it... spent time with Anton, and it's usually after that that pups come along."
I widened my eyes so much they could have popped out of their sockets.
"I know how it works."
"If you want to know, we can go to Valmorin and find out if you're really pregnant or not," Aurelka offered.
I waved my hand, gesturing.
"That won't be necessary; I'm not pregnant."
"How can you be so sure?" asked Lana.
"Because my wolf didn't open my womb."
They exchanged glances and blinked, confused, a furrow forming between both their brows.
"Your wolf simply brought forward the heat and didn't open your womb? I thought the whole point of them doing that was to procreate."
I clicked my tongue against the roof of my mouth.
"It seems all of them except mine. She did it because she wanted to force Anton to mate with us; since he didn't give in, she also didn't open her womb."
Lana let out a laugh and bent her body forward, placing her hand on her stomach.
"Heavens, going into heat—which is an unbearable period—just to force a mating and not a pregnancy; do you hate yourself that much?" she mocked.
"It seems so," I confirmed.
Aurelka stepped closer to me.
"My mother will be a little disappointed when she finds out it won't be this time that she becomes a grandmother."
"Thank the gods, I can't deal with that now. With the Mercantes and a possible unexpected pregnancy," I gasped, imagining what I would do if it happened.
As much as I felt a certain desire to start a family, I had never really thought much about the possibility, because I thought it would never come true.
"Tell that to Lunara, Nicoleta, and my mothers—they're eager for a new pup."
My heart skipped a beat.
"But a pregnancy without opening the womb is unlikely, isn't it?"
Lana made a dismissive gesture with her hands.
"Unlikely doesn't mean impossible, but it's harder. It has happened a few rare times. Just as a pregnancy sometimes doesn't happen even when a she-wolf opens her womb."
I looked up at the sky and closed my eyes, pleading.
"Would it be so bad to have my brother's pup?" asked Aurelka, seeming a little disappointed.
"No!" I cut in, trying to better phrase my answer. "I mean, I don't know. I haven't thought about it; I've never thought about the subject... and now wouldn't be the best time, not with the Mercantes hunting me."
"I agree with you; it wouldn't be the best time." She shook her head in agreement. She inhaled, sniffing, smelling me. "Just to clear my conscience, you're not pregnant."
"How do you know?"
"Your scent would have already changed if you were. And Anton would already be acting like a real madman, hunting the entire forest for you. He also wouldn't allow you to go out alone with us in the forest, since his protective instincts would be much more heightened."
"Well... he clearly isn't doing that," I whispered, trying to convince myself that I wasn't. He spent his days with Edric, managing the pack, learning, since he would soon become the leader. At least, that was what I thought.
"He isn't!" affirmed Lana. "They're sorting out some things about one of the shipments of wood and coal. I saw them both earlier in the office."
I let out a sigh of relief, releasing the air trapped in my lungs.
"So, I think we already have our confirmation," I commented, arching my spine, stretching after having been so tense.
"You're not going back home?" asked Aurelka, changing the subject.
I licked my lips and bit my cheeks, pondering.