Page 34 of Twinning and Sinning

"Right," Alpha Big Claw looked down and moved his head to the side. It reminded me how some animals show their neck as a sign of respect. Why would he do that to Dimitri? Wasn't he the Alpha? My strange looks towards them faded as we walked towards the only yurt in the territory. When Tua was waddling around it earlier, I thought it might be theirs.

As I approached, my depressing subconscious crept up on me. This was the last place I wanted to be, to watch a baby being born. I wasn't even sure if I could have children myself. Wrapping my arms around my midsection, I continued forward to the small sounds of windchimes right outside of the fabric door.

"Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome? What the hell does that mean?" My father slammed his hand on the desk. My mother was trying to calm him while I stood in the middle of the room. I felt ashamed, and guilty of something I had no control over. There was no diet, magic pill, or miracle treatments that could cure me of this syndrome. It only made my worth that much less to my father, who said my measurements were far from perfect.

"It means she has cysts, tiny knots on her ovaries that cause several different symptoms. It explains her irregular womanly cycles, the pain she has during those times, and even her weight could be affected by it."

"What about that extra hair, huh? Does that have anything to do with it?" My father spat while I rubbed my upper lip. I tried my best to keep it waxed, but my father always noticed. I was under the most giant microscope. Every hair, freckle, and pound I was reminded of day after day. Another flaw is a hopeless daughter that will not have him gain any affiliations with those he wanted.

"Possibly," my mother sighed as she brushed my long hair from my shoulder. "We are treating those symptoms, though. Putting her on birth control to regulate her monthly, laser hair removal…" mother continued, she was doing this for me. To make me look in a better light with my father, to keep his criticisms at bay.

"Is she fertile at least?" Father growled as he slammed his butt back into the chair. My mother's mouth twisted in a pucker. My eyebrows furrowed while I pulled on my designer blazer.

"It may be difficult," she started, but my father threw the lamp across the desk.

"Damnit, Evelyn! Give me numbers!" My mother sighed.

"5% chance." The room became eerily quiet; it was scarier this way. Father gave me a disgusted look and whispered the words I had longed to hear since the beginning of the conversation.

"Get out."

I gulped down the wad of spit that lumped into my throat. Dimitri's hand was still firmly placed at my back when my nose touched the fabric blowing in the wind. Was there any chance that Dax would pull me back, put me in his arms tell me not to go? Dax was definitely possessive; I could feel the heat rolling off of him as he stared down Alpha Big Claw.

"She will be fine; my warriors have the hut surrounded," his voice was light, far from his familiar scruffy voice. "I swear it on my unborn child," his arm came across his chest and bowed. Dax huffed and squeezed my hand.

"You yell for us if you feel like you are in danger."

"Should I be worried?" I glanced at Dimitri, who only beamed.

"No, Dax, just has a stick up his ass. Now, go; you will be great." Dimitri patted my butt on my right cheek while Dax copied on the left.

I parted the tattered fabric and walked into a haze of incense floating to the top of the roof. I wanted to be that smoke, able to escape this room like it could. The floor was full of wooden mats; on top of those mats were filled with rugs of various sizes and colors. My mind drifted to the documentaries I had watched during my homeschooling days.

Various religions found it appealing to walk into a home filled with rugs of this caliber. They were beautiful, and intricate and my muddy shoes would only ruin them. I took both my shoes and socks off, leaving my feet bare to feel the different textures of the rug.

"Don't be shy," I heard the meek voice say. It was womanly, calming and I immediately felt that this voice had to be of the Luna. Dax commented that the Luna was the mother of the pack, and that is what she felt like, a Luna. Despite being in labor and expecting a baby at any moment, she beckoned me with such sincerity, it gripped my soul.

A few steps inward, I found her lying on a soft mat on the ground. The room was scarcely furnished, and it made me worry if they actually lived in this thing. "We don't live here; this is where I work. I find it calming, soothing, and reminds me how my own mother had my siblings and me."

A bowl of water with a cloth hanging on the side sat next to her. Her eyes glanced at it, almost telling me to come closer. Dipping the material in the cool water, I wrung it out so the extra droplets wouldn't drop in her eyes. Placing it on her forehead, she sighed while rubbing her stomach.

Maybe this won't be so bad.

Tua grabbed my hand suddenly and squeezed until I could no longer feel my fingers.

Okay, it was going to be bad.

Chapter Nineteen

Seraphina

"Sorry,"theoncemeekwoman I met let go of her death grip, and I shook my hand. Several knuckles popped while I sat beside her in a more comfortable manner.

"It's fine," I gritted my teeth. Really do not want to be here right now. "Are you sure you don't need, I don't know, a doctor? I'm really not qualified for any of this," I waved my hands around her hut and continued to watch the smoke escape.

"Then you will gain experience, just like my mother's midwife learned. Isn't that what life is all about? Learning through experiences?" Tua gripped the pillow between her legs, bracing for another round of pain. Eyes squinted shut, and her breathing went into slow tantalizing breaths. Letting out a low hum, her body relaxed; her stomach was no longer tense.

"I'm sure having a little bit of background information about birthing babies would be beneficial," I chuckled nervously. Her hand had gone to mine again, I flinched, afraid for a broken finger.

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