The Wolf and the Were

Chapter 26

Nine weeks after mating, Ayita, Salili, and Hiawassee had all had their pups. Ayita had two lycans and two wolves, while Salili and Hiawassee each had one lycan and three wolves. It was now eleven weeks after mating, and Hialeah had yet to birth her pups.

It was with that stress that she finally went into labor. In wolf form, she easily gave birth to a male lycan and female wolf pup. Then a stillborn followed, something that was very rare. Despite it, the three births were fairly easy. Then the pain came.

As Logan hovered near her, her body was forced into human form. Agony the likes of which she'd never experienced ripped through her, alarming those around as her body fought to expel yet another pup. Except this one hurt. A lot. It was somehow larger than the others, and her screams filled the clearing as her body was covered in a sheen of sweat. Rather than the simple births that were normal for her kind, this one was drawn out agony.

Logan held her hand, which she broke repeatedly as agony swept over her. Finally, something resembling a small human girl was expelled from her body. Unlike the pups, which had started mewling and whining almost immediately, this was silent, unbreathing. Suddenly, it sucked in air and squalled, a noise that was unheard of in the pack. Despite that, she nursed it and her pups.

What have I given birth to? she wondered as she stared down at the three infants she was feeding. Her half-shifted form let her care for all three, and soon they were all sleeping in the shelter of her body. Logan curled around her, a second layer of protection for them.

The wolf and lycan had yellow eyes, looking like mirrors of each other. The human-looking one that still smelled of wolf had bright, blue eyes. It was nearly helpless, able to flail some, but unable to crawl about as the two pups did. Can this even survive?

Despite her misgivings Logan seemed most taken with the girl, while he seemed to be uncertain how to deal with the pups. As the summer wore on, Hialeah was pleased to see all three rapidly gain strength. The young lycan began shifting a few weeks after he was born. They agreed to name him Ashwin, though Logan kept calling him "Ash" for some reason. The girl was named, Salali, though Logan called her "Sally", again for unknown reasons.

The girl grew rapidly, much to Logan's surprise, but she didn't shift. He was more surprised that Ashwin was able to shift. Is she human? What is she? Will she survive in the pack or have to be given away? She smells of werewolf, perhaps. Do they not shift as children?She has the teeth of a wolf, so perhaps she'll be okay.