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“I don’t mind. I always wanted to be part of a big family.” It was true: growing up Niev never had many relatives. She was an only child–mostly because her parents couldn’t afford a second adoption. Every time she’d pictured her future, she’d hoped for her family-in-law to be big so her children wouldn’t grow up as lonely as she had.
Niev watched as Darron ran outside with a huge grin on his face. “Daadadada.”
Niev leaned over a little to see where he had gone and saw a big black wolf with green eyes walking toward him. Darron fearlessly jumped toward the wolf and pulled his fur. Seth leaned toward his son and gently licked his face, laying on the ground. The little boy climbed on his father and sat on his back with a proud smile.
“Uncle Seth!!” Alizia followed her cousin and started petting her uncle’s furry ears.
“Kids, please be gentle.” Lyliann had a firm but gentle voice. She got up and walked outside, kissing Seth’s wolf on the forehead. “I’m glad you could come see us. Darron missed you.”
Seth gave Lyliann a gentle nudge as if to say that he missed them too.
It was like looking into her own future, as if Niev could see her future self. A happiness that she’d never felt before spread through her body and made every inch of her skin tingle. She teared up a little as she watched Lyliann sit next to her wolf, caressing his neck.
Mayra must have seen her tears. She laid her hands on Niev’s shoulders and gently squeezed them. “Blake will be back soon too.”
“I know. It’s just that I had a glance at my future. It’s so beautiful.”
Mayra walked toward the glass doors and looked at Seth. “Are you here to grab some food?”
Seth nodded and Mayra quickly walked inside, motioning for Lyliann to follow her. Both women walked to the kitchen where they both grabbed a huge basket packed with food. It took both women to carry it outside where Seth was already waiting for them.
“Would you please let your father know that Lyliann and I have found a temporary home for everyone that was moved inside the inner circle? Everyone’s a little anxious, but we are making sure no one panics.”
Seth nodded his large head and turned his attention back to Lyliann. Mayra took the hint and walked back into the house to give them some privacy. Niev got up and followed her into the kitchen.
“Were a lot of families forced to leave their homes?” Niev was curious as to how big the pack actually was.
“Three families and a few more couples and two stubborn old men who didn’t want to.”
“Blake said something like this hasn’t happened in a long time and I’m sure everyone is on edge right now. If there is anything I can do to help you, please let me know.”
“Oh, sweetheart.” Mayra wrapped her arms around Niev and pulled her into a tight hug. “You’ve done far more than I could ever ask of you. I’m sure all of this is a lot for you to take in. I don’t want to overwork you. You should be resting and taking care of you and your baby right now.”
Although Niev appreciated Mayra’s concern for her wellbeing, it felt wrong not to help.
The rest of the afternoon was uneventful. Niev spent most of her time with Darron and Alizia playing and running around the backyard. That evening, Niev helped Mayra and Lyliann prepare dinner–even though they both protested.
Niev now understood what Blake meant when he mentioned the pack’s women being traditional. They stayed home, worrying about the household and the wellbeing of their family, but not once did they mention how to help the men protect their pack. Even though they seemed worried about their men and wolves, they never once mentioned going out there and helping them fight if it were to become necessary. They relied on them in a way Niev would never want to rely on Blake–or any other member of the pack for that matter. She knew her way of thinking would make it hard to fit in and be accepted by the pack. A woman willing to fight didn’t fit into this world, even less a woman that had already fought a wolf.
Niev knew she would never be able to change her way of life. She knew that if Blake or any other pack member was at risk and needed her, she would do whatever it took to save them. Maybe if she were to do it in a more respectful manner, like Christa, she would be accepted more easily. Maybe she could ask Christa if she needed help. If Christa would let her study her techniques, she might be able to help without having to resort to her so-called gift. Next time she saw Blake, she would ask him what he thought of her idea.
In the meantime, she would try to be a good traditional pregnant woman. After dinner, she did as Mayra and Lyliann asked of her and rested while Mayra cleared the dinner table and Lyliann took the children to bed.
After the children had fallen asleep, Lyliann sat next to Niev on the couch and placed a small box between them. Upon opening it, she pulled out a few baby clothes.
“I thought you might need some clothes for your baby, so I asked Seth to bring me Darron’s newborn clothes. They all are very neutral so even if you have a girl, you can use them.”
“Thank you.”
Niev gratefully smiled and looked into the box, taking out a small, white newborn onesie. She hadn’t even thought about clothes or anything else a baby might need. The reality of becoming a mother hit her much harder than expected, and tears started to run down her cheeks. She knew that a tiny human was growing inside of her and that it meant for her to become a mother, but it hadn’t set in yet. Now that she was holding this tiny onesie, she felt as if she wasn’t prepared either mentally or physically.
The fact that she’d risked her unborn child’s life and even forgot about its existence entirely during the wolf attack just proved her unpreparedness. How was she ready to take care of such a precious gift or even be a good mother to a child that she would’ve sacrificed to save Blake? She would never tell anyone how she really felt. She wasn’t even sure if she should tell Blake about her thoughts.
“It’s so tiny.” Niev looked down on the onesie and tried to hide her face from Lyliann.
“Oh, don’t worry. They grow out of these clothes faster than you can change their diapers.” Lyliann laughed and handed Niev a tissue. “Speaking of which, I should still have a few newborn diapers somewhere. I’m sure you would appreciate those more than other mothers here. Some are very old fashioned and use cloth diapers. If they could’ve, they would’ve shunned me for using normal diapers–especially after I started using bottles instead of breastfeeding.”
The thought of breastfeeding her baby scared Niev. She had no clue how that was even going to work.
