Nick went to Ziem’s portion of the tomb, which had gathered quite a bit of ornamentation despite the fact that it was one among hundreds, offerings from all the gathered packs piling around him, gold and precious jewels encrusting his arms and legs. His gold wedding ring had been replaced around one of his steel fingers, and the knife he had used to kill Coren was held in one hand over his chest.
Aura found herself also going in to look at Ziem’s place, but she could only stay so long before it was too painful for her to linger. Nick didn’t even notice her come in until she was almost out, and she fell to the ground with a loud yelp.
Her yelp drew attention from everyone in the area, and Nick took only a moment to pull off the vest he wore before he shifted and ran over to her. Aura?
She looked as though she was fine to get up, which she managed to do, just barely. I’m sorry. That was so strange…and so painful.
What happened? He got out of the monument to stand in front of her, a few wolves in the area listening in on their conversation.
Aura shook her head, trying to rationalize what had happened. I was standing here, looking at Ziem’s…she couldn’t bring herself to fully acknowledge that he was dead, so she didn’t continue on that particular thought. Then I turned to leave and this pain shot right through me.
You should get home. You shouldn’t be walking about anyway, you know that.
I can’t just sit there and do nothing. The silence is…painful.
You can’t be out here working. You’re going to bring those pups on too soon. There were several who had told her that already, a few mothers now without children, who had taken her somewhat under their collective wings. Her own mother and father had died in the fighting, as had her half-brother. The only family she had left was the family still waiting to be born inside her.
They’ll be fine, they’re becoming too wild in there anyway…She fell again when another blindingly painful ripple of power ran through her body.
Since he was a wolf as well, he and everyone around her could feel the echoes of what she was experiencing, and Nick was instantly an Alpha barking orders at other wolves to pick her up on a metal stretcher and get her back to her home. Several of the women that had been checking in on her were in the area, and they rushed after her to help her get there.
Nick followed at a distance, but stayed behind, outside the house and on the path off the porch, in human form, knowing he had no right to be there in the first place, but he wanted to know she was alright.
It was hours of pain before Aura’s body finally decided to cooperate and end the pain by giving birth, but every other wolf in attendance was worried. Most of the time when puppies were born a month in advance, it was too early for survival. Some pups born too soon were born dead. Many of them were born only to live a few hours and then to die simply because they weren’t equipped as they should have been. It wasn’t uncommon for a mother to lose a puppy or two even when they were born on time, and born healthy. Only Aura knew that the pups were actually more than a week late, instead of three weeks early.
Lea was there to help as well, and even though she’d never been a mother herself, she was old enough to help despite the fact that Aura didn’t really need her there. After Ziem’s death and the respect he had gained afterward, there were plenty of people who wanted to make sure his legacy lived on through Aura’s pups. After the first one was born, Lea was the one to take and clean it off, even though in the wild, the mother would clean off the puppies herself. It had been a long time since the wolf was the dominant personality for any of them, and like humans, they needed more help even in their wolf than they wanted to admit.
Lea looked down at the little puppy, a little boy, with dark brown fur. He wasn’t small like everyone had expected they would be, in fact, he looked to be a little heavier than most healthy, on-time pups.
By the time it was all said and done, there were four healthy-looking puppies. Even the runt, a little girl with pitch-black fur, was a healthy size and weight. Four puppies, two with all black fur, two with dark brown, none with Aura’s light brown hair and certainly none blonde like their father. It was an interesting sight, but everyone was proud of how Aura had managed it, that all the puppies were alive and feeding quietly as their mother slept in exhaustion.
Once all the commotion inside had died down, Lea stepped out to see Nick still standing there, obviously waiting for a report. “They’re all healthy. Four of them. Two boys, two girls.”
Nick nodded quietly. “And Aura?”
“She’s exhausted, of course. Sleeping soundly while the puppies take their fill.” Lea looked back at the house and then she shook her head. “Strong girl in there. I don’t know how she managed it, but those puppies are incredibly healthy. Bigger than most pups carried to term.”
“Well, she is only a few weeks early, after all. And Ziem was a large wolf.” That was stretching the truth a bit, though Ziem was above average in his wolf, even if he was only normal height in his human form.
“Do you want to go in there and see her?” She wasn’t sure if she should ask, but she knew he cared about her.
He shook his head. “Not now. I’ll see her later on.
