Chapter 4 Promise, part 1

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A BABY IN THE LYCANTHROPE'S PLACE

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"How lucky you are sister," Ruby said looking up at the sky.

Esmeralda answered nothing, she was indeed very lucky, born and destined to become a velut luna while her younger sister is just a cimex luna, who even if she found a mate, would have no noble value within the pack.

"I hope you have many pups, I'm sure it won't be long" her voice sounds calm and on her natural red lips a simple smile adorns them.

Rubi loves her sister and this love is reciprocal, she is the only one among them that never treated her badly, however, Esmeralda had no power to free her younger sister from all the bad things that happen to her inside the pack, and an example of this are the bruises on her arms, about three days ago the females beat Rubi as a way to get rid of their anger.

Lone wolves do exist, and the vast majority are omegas and lunas cimexs, life is much harder when they are on their own. Virtually all of them die when they leave the pack, they are too fragile.

However, when the omega couple leave and live on their own, the womb of the luna cimex becomes fertile, however, the parents cannot protect their offspring and they all end up dying, being attacked by other wolves or by starvation, none of them can hunt their prey because of their condolent nature. And so they put up with the humiliation caused by their brothers and sisters.

A loud howl fills the tipans of the females sitting on the fluffy snow-covered ground in front of the frozen lake. Esmeralda knew that the alpha was calling her. They were going to mate once again.

"Better not keep him waiting," Ruby said and hugged her knees.

Esmeralda sighs and turns, if you compare her lupine form with her younger sister's, she is three times as big, her dominance is three hundred times as rough, ten times as strong, seven times as fast...

Esmeralda approached Ruby and hovered her big hairy head over the small head of her younger sister, in a form of hug. She stayed like that for a few seconds, but withdrew when she heard her companion's second call.

***Ten moons later***

The full moon shines brightly in the sky giving the feeling that even the goddess herself was waiting for the birth of Esmeralda's first litter. What the goddess was really doing, she warned, they didn't listen, now she puts her promise from years ago into practice. The stars looked even brighter, the whole pack heard the howl of their alpha announcing that the pups were about to be born; after ten long months of waiting. The surprise was sure to be shocking.

At every moment the other members of the pack howled at the moon, the cold winter wind carried the sound of their howls throughout the region and could be heard even by the other packs, all the members had the hope of being born among the pups a genuine moonling, to have a genuine one born within the pack would be the greatest honor of all, and finally the Nascent pack would have an advantage over the others. The hope was even greater because the current genuine lunam that had been introduced is pregnant, and by fate or not, she, like the velut luna, is ten moons along.

Esmeralda had a huge belly, could barely stand and spent all her time lying in her den (in the large room of the castle of the Nascent pack), no one would go inside, not even her younger sister, the alpha could see her as a danger to his offspring and kill her without any remorse, the only one who could stay close to the velut was him, the alpha, the protector, the companion. The others bet on a litter of ten pups or more. This is the first belly since velut luna was introduced a year and a half ago.

When the alpha couple finally manage to produce offspring, it is customary for the parents to remain in their lupine forms until the offspring are six months old. The pups are born as little wolves, and when they are six months old the first signs of lycanthropy begin to appear, the hair begins to fall out and the claws give way to fingers, the eyes are no longer black and begin to take on human forms.

The blood in abundance flooding the ground makes the alpha break into a cold sweat even in his lupine form. It was unusual, the grunts of pain were too high-pitched and hurt the sensitive tipans. Velut luna was suffering, and so was the alpha.

Outside the room, Ruby hears her sister's moans of pain and her heart tightens, it was taking too long for the puppies to be born, this was not normal.

Inside the room the abnormal happened, the birth forced Velut Luna back to her human form, the grunts turned into screams taking everyone by surprise.

What is happening? - all the lycanthropes wondered, restless, their howls ceased.

Giving the longest scream, practically tearing its throat, the pup was born, without hair or claws. In the eyes of the alpha lycanthrope, it was a shame laden with humiliation.

Turning her fingers into claws, Esmeralda cut the umbilical cord, took the child in her lap, and her eyes filled with tears, it was her child, a piece of her being, love was evident in her eyes and gestures. This was not right!

When puppies are born with defects, the mothers eat them to go in search of a male to mate and generate another offspring, healthy and strong. But in Esmeralda's eyes, her child is healthy and perfect. She doesn't smell any disease or deformation.

'What have you done?" the alpha asks in his creepy voice as he approaches the female.

"I... I don't know, I..."

"You dared to betray me!?" if she didn't eat the cub, then it was born perfect, and if he was born perfect, he is not the son of the alpha.

"No! I would never do that, and if I had, you would smell it and..."

"You sure as hell talked to those fucking witches! "

"No! Respect me..."

"Shut up! Filthy female! You filthy bitch! Treacherous" he shouted, giving everyone outside the fear of what was going to happen.

With her body trembling and breathless she noticed her companion's intention, he wants to kill her offspring

The big wolf jumps towards her, but even though she is weak she spins on the bed and runs towards the door, opening it and leaving quickly, not as fast as she wanted, her legs are weak, in her arms a human baby that even cries, she only knows it's alive because of the heat emanating from its body.

The howl clears the order, all members of the pack transform and the hunt begins. Esmeralda cannot transform to escape, she must save the life of the small child in her arms.

With a beating heart she manages to get out of the castle through the secret passage, the snow burns her bare feet, but it doesn't matter. The life of her child is more important.

"Aaah" the cry of pain comes low from her throat.

The fangs of a transformed lycanthrope grab her shoulder and make her lose her balance falling to the ground, not even the contact of the icy snow makes the child cry, but worry floods the mother's chest, won't she be able to save her most precious possession? Tears already flood her eyes.