"Well your brothers are with their mates. Ariana is with Edmund and Arora is.. somehwere. Your dad went to the council, he was called there and your Erastis has gone to his pack." She let out a breath making me chuckle, "So it's just you and me?" I asked. Mom put down her spatula, "You say like it's a bad thing." She teasingly accused, "Now who will think about this old woman? Your old mumma is all alone now" she exasperated.
"Far from being alone mumma. You'd drag us by our ears anytime of the year" I said going around the table and side hugging her. She awed and hugged me back, "Of course, even when your kids are all grown up with their mates, I'd drag you by your ears" she said, "Now before getting too mushy, how are you feeling this morning? Any pains or anything?" She added. I pulled out the cinnamon roll from the tray and put it on the plate, "Not that much, just the baby moving around and his kicks here and there." I shrug not making eye contact, her question reminded me of my dream last night.
I sat down on the sofa with my huge belly and placed the plate on top of my belly, "Okay then, it's all good! The due date is very near so whenever you feel any kind of pain you tell me" she said sitting down beside me.
After Justin's funeral, my behavior had changed drastically, I was always looking over my shoulder. Sebastian thought it would be better if I stay at my mom's untill the baby is born.
So here I am at Mom's house.
"So you excited for The Blood Hunt?" She asks looking at the TV, "That's like a month away" I say and start chewing on the roll.
"But still! Are you excited?" She asks with a smile. A crocked smile pasted on my face, "Yes i am. But I am more interested in what he has in mind for me. I was thinking of hunting him a rhinoceros" I smirked thinking about it.
Mom looked at me flabbergast, "Rhino? Wow.. he has a big competition to compete against. He told me he was going to hunt you a bear" she snickered and I joined her, "You better not tell him, Maa" I warned to which she put her hands in surrender, "My mouth's sealed" she zipped her lips making me chuckle.
The Blood Hunt is a ritual in the lycan kingdom, it's kind of like marriage in human world but not exactly. During the early times, Erastis didn't use to mark each other or mate with each other as soon as they met, the way it happens now. They had a ritual to ensure their Erastis that they will be a provider for them even in the worst scenario. Both there lycans or any other supernatural who was mated to a lycan had to perform this under the Blood Moon (red moon). They were required to hunt down any prey their Erastis wishes of, usually the lycans hunt big bears, wolves or lion and tigers. If the Erastis refuses the hunt, they need to hunt more and more untill the Erastis is satisfied. Elders used to believe that if one can satisfy a lycans hunger then he/she can satisfy their Erastis in every way possible. And that is why this ritual is called the Blood Hunt.
"I am gonna shower now" I say and go to my room.
As I stepped in the shower, I looked down at my huge belly, I felt the baby's kick making me jerk, "Calm down there, love" I say rubbing the area, "You are a little naughty today" I cooed feeling his head under my palms. My lycan purred in awe of our son. Yes we are having a son, we didn't what to know the gender but Arora felt him when he was a month old and started shopping for boys clothes, didn't took an Einstein to figure that out.
After I got dressed up I checked my phone, there were two messages, one from Arora and the other from Sebastian. I opened Seb's message, he was apologizing for not being there in the morning, Henry and Arora finally talked after months and that too led to a fight. My heart started hammering as I opened Arora's text, she asked me to meet her by the lakeside near mom's. I replied to both of them and headed to meet Arora.
I walked towards the lake where I saw Arora sitting on the bench. I quietly sat next to her without saying anything, her face was red and puffy with tear strains.
"You were right" her hoarse voice whispered. I looked at her confused, "About what?" I asked, she looked at me with tears filled eyes, "He didn't cheat on me." She finally said and sobbed, "I saw it, I saw it from his memory." She covered her face with her hands, "I blamed him for so long for nothing. I punished him for nothing. All that.. was all because of my insecure ass. If only I would have listened to him. All of this... None of these would have happened. It's all my fault that I pained him so much. I drove him to the edge.." she howled crying.
I wrapped my arms around her shoulder and let her cry, to take out all the anger and frustration at once.
"He kept on telling me that he didn't do anything but I had to pin him down. I even took his lycan for hours. I have bought so much pain in his life. That's all because I didn't listen" she kept on going, my ears peaked when I heard fast footsteps approaching our way. My lycans relaxed when she smelled Henry.
"I didn't trust him Nora. What kind of Erastis I am if I can't trust the man who chose to love and protect me for the rest of our lives? I am such a bad person. I am disgusted, Nora. How could I have done this? Who could I have not belived in him? I made him go insane. He was begging on his knees just for me to look at his memory but I turned a blind eye to him. Nora, he had started hurting himself, he drowned himself in work and drugs. He used to cut himself. All that because of me... All because of me Nora. I don't deserve him Nora. He is too good for me, I don't deserve a man like him in my life. I am like bad sin to him" she wailed.
"You are anything but a sin in my life, love. We both made mistakes. You didn't trust me because I never gave you a reason to trust me. Whatever happened was just as my fault as was yours." Henry said coming from behind.
Arora looked back at Henry in shock, "I am sorry love. For not being enough to make you trust me" his face showed the pain he was in. She got up and walked to him, "That's bulls. You did everything for me but I was too naive and insecure to see it. You deserve better, Henry" she bit her lips.
I felt a big kick in my stomach making me hiss in pain and before I know it there was water running down my legs, "Hate to break this but I think my water broke" I said standing up. The two froze for a second when a gruesome pain hit me, "FUNCTION FASTER, DOFUS!" I growled at them, "Take her to our mom's, I'll call Sebastian" Arora ordered and he nodded. He gripped her face and kissed her deeply, "I love you" he said and ran towards me, picking me up in his arms. I hissed in pain, "Okay, Nora take a deep breath. We'll be there soon" he said making me snap at him, "Don't tell me what to do" I growled. He looked frightened, "I am not getting Arora pregnant anytime soon. You're scary" he said and ran towards our house.
"AUNT AURELIA!! NORA IS IN LABOUR!" He shouted as soon as entred the house. Mom came running from th backdoor looking frantic, "SHE IS IN WHAT NOW??!" She started freaking out, "Mom!! Deep breaths!" I said incredulously. She took a few deep breaths and nodded her, "Take her upstairs, second room to your left" she said. Henry was about to take me up when Sebastian bursted in with his eyes glowing neon blue, "Give her to me" he growled at Henry.
"You fuckers are scary" henry snorted and put me on Sebastian's arms. I was twisting in pain to register what happened. All I know is I was lying on a soft surface and the pain increased every minute, "WASN'T THE PAIN SUPPOSE TO END AFTER A FEW SECONDS?? WHY THE HELL IS IT INCREASING" I cried out to mom.
"You're a lycan sweetheart, giving birth to a strong specie. You'll feel more pain than normal woman in labour" she said making me shout, "FUCCCCKKKK! SEBASTIAN YOU BASTARD!! YOU FUCKING KNOCKED ME UP!" I cried. I felt his hand on mine, "I am so sorry love. I promise not to impregnate you for a century!" He plead running his hands down my head. I looked at him sobbing, "It hurts, Sebastian" I whimpered as I felt another jolt of pain surge through me.
I was in excruciating pain for hours, I was finally relieved when mom said I am 9 cms dilated. "Okay, love now I need to push" Sebastian said as I clutched his hand with all my mighty and pushed. I was blacking out in between pushes but the excitement of meeting my baby made me push harder, "The baby is crowning!! Nora a few more hard pushes!!" Mom shouted from between my legs.