Chapter 42: Birds

Weeks passed and became months, and my stomach grew bigger. The baby prepared to come out, just like Jared and I prepared to become parents.

We’d sort of gotten into a routine now, where Jared left during the full moon and returned when he was back to his usual self. It didn’t feel that horrible to be apart anymore since we both knew it was only for a short time.

So far, we’d told my parents that he was at different trade fairs to sell fur and meat. Just to prove we were ~kind of~ telling the truth, he brought my parents a beautiful deer fur.

However, the truth was that Jared barely hunted anymore. He spent most of his life with me, even though I knew he hated living in the city.

Although I felt bad about it, I was forever grateful, because I needed my parents now. Especially my mom, who knew exactly what I was going through and who gave me advice and moral support. Jared was truly amazing.

It was close to my due date, and both Jared and I were anxious. Not about the birth itself, but because of the full moon. It was Thursday next week. My due date was four days later…

“What’s on your mind, Louve?” Jared asked curiously, while we sat together on a bench in our garden. It was a beautiful day in May, and the sun felt warm against my cheeks.

Birds were chirping, praising the spring from the trees and bushes around us, and life felt good. Despite that, I was lost in thoughts.

“I wish you could turn it off,” I said quietly.

“Huh?”

“Just this one time.”

“Oh.”

I turned to him with a sad smile, unable to hide how I felt about him leaving so close to our baby’s arrival. He sighed.

“Me too. I wish I could choose, because then I wouldn’t hesitate. Not even for a moment.”

I leaned closer to him, and he kissed my temple. Then I told him something I’d been thinking about for a long time.

“Sometimes I wish ~I~ could be like ~you~. Not the other way around.”

He laughed shortly, a sad laugh of defeat. “You don’t want that,” he stated, and I turned to look at him with a serious frown.

“But I do. Because you’re going to live for hundreds of years more, while I will grow old and wrinkly, and probably demented too.”

This time Jared laughed for real. The wonderful kind that bubbled up from his stomach.

“Demented, huh? Well…I guess that will be an issue we’ll handle when the time comes.”

He entangled our fingers with his left hand and placed his right one on my chin so he could turn my head up. Then he gave me a slow, soft kiss before he added:

“Because I wouldn’t trade this for anything.”

I smiled happily and couldn’t agree more. Then I pursed my lips and narrowed my eyebrows. “Oh, no…People will think I’m your grandmother. And our kids will look like your parents.”

“Not if they turn out to be like me,” he chuckled, and I pouted.

“But ~I~ want that, too! I would love to live for hundreds of years if I knew I would be happy like this for the rest of my life.”

Jared seemed to fall into deep thought and was silent for a while. But eventually he cleared his throat.

“There is a way…” But he stopped without finishing his train of thought.

However, my interest was piqued, and I turned to look directly at him. I was already smiling eagerly.

“What? For me to become a werewolf? I thought you had to be born like one?”

“No, you don’t, although that’s obviously the usual way,” he said and rubbed his chin. He’d shaved a couple of hours ago, but already had a five o’clock shadow that made me weak in the knees. “But I would never do that to you.”

“Do what? Can ~you~ turn me into a werewolf?”

It took a few moments before he nodded.

“How?”

“If…If I bite you.”

The feeling of his teeth against my neck while he made love to me suddenly made sense. He was probably fighting himself each time he did it.

“Bite? Like a vampire?”

He chuckled. “No. I won’t suck your blood. But enzymes from my saliva will get into your bloodstream and slowly change you.”

“…into a werewolf,” I finished.

“Into a werewolf.”

“Ha!” I said, while my mind started flowing with thoughts about how that would be. Just to be sure, I had to ask. “And then all our future kids would be guaranteed to be born as werewolves, too?”

Jared nodded and let go of my hand to caress my stomach. Then he chuckled to himself.

“Your mother is crazy, son. Don’t listen to her. Just stay in there until I come back,” he said, talking to our unborn baby.

“Son?” I asked, surprised, and searched his eyes. But he just shrugged. Did he know something I didn’t?

“Keesha is sure it’s a girl. She’s already bought a couple of pink dresses and a hair tie.”

Jared chuckled again. “I guess he’ll be wearing pink, then.”

I scoffed in protest. “If it’s a boy, he will most definitely not wear pink dresses. Not unless he chooses it himself.”

Jared laughed out loud. “He’ll make the deer die with laughter when he goes hunting with me. Probably the bears, too.”

“Hey. Don’t be rude. And how come you know he or ~she~ will be staying in the wilderness?” I asked and pouted.

“I just know.”

We sat in silence for a while, and I appreciated the way the birds praised Planet Earth.

The sun embraced my face with warmth and turned to see if Jared felt the same way. But he looked sad, and I could see the yellow light flicker in his eyes.

“Feeling restless again?” I asked, and he lowered his gaze to the ground. Unfortunately, I had to bring up something that needed to be said.

“My parents are going to get mad when you leave this time. I don’t think they’ll understand that you prioritize another trade fair over your own baby being born.”

I paused. “What do we tell them? That your Mom’s sick?”

“No. I already told your father that my parents are dead.”

“Oh.”

He sighed, stretched out, and crossed his ankles. “How about telling them the truth? I’m actually a bit surprised they haven’t seen the connection between me leaving and the full moon yet. Besides, Keesha knows.”

“Yeah, me too. But Keesha is Keesha. That’s different. My parents, especially my dad, will never believe me if I told the truth about you. They don’t believe in werewolves, ghosts, and stuff like that. Neither did I.”

I knew Jared had spent a lot of time with my dad, but still. He’d get furious. I knew that much. And I was right. When Jared left a week after, I was left in tears with both Mom and Dad fuming mad.

“It’s not his fault!” I yelled, with tears streaming down my face.

“Not his fault? Nobody’s forcing him to go to that fair, and he’s his own boss! How can he leave at a time like this? That’s his child, for Christ’s sake!”

“Because he has to! Please don’t be mad at him.”

Mom gave me a hug and tried to calm the situation, but even she was pretty upset. Dad kept pacing around in the living room, while giving examples of why leaving was unheard of.

I sort of agreed too, but this was different. Jared couldn’t help it, and it would end in a catastrophe if he was there while he…Just no.

“Mad? Why aren’t ~you~ mad? You don’t even seem upset about it.”

“Of course, I’m upset. I want him here even more than you do. But I know for sure he would be here if he had a choice. He doesn’t. And you need to understand that. Please, Dad.” I sobbed so hard I was shaking.

“How can I understand that a man who is about to become a father for the first time willingly leaves his woman in her most vulnerable state? Nobody does that!”

“But he can’t be here when it’s full moon!” I screamed and didn’t realize what I’d said until it was too late.

“Full moon? What’s that got to do with anything?”

I paused, and both Mom and Dad waited impatiently for me to explain.

“Everything,” I sighed in defeat. I might as well just tell them now. They couldn’t get angrier than this anyway.

“He can’t be here during the full moon, because he’s a werewolf.”

Mom gasped, and Dad snorted out loud.

“That’s ridiculous, Skylar. If he’s telling you fairytales like that, I’m going to have to t…”

“But I’ve seen him! I’ve seen him as a werewolf, Dad! And he’s dangerous then. Not to me because he recognizes my smell, but to others.

“He can’t really control his instincts as long as the moon is out. That’s why he can’t be here right now.”

I looked at them in turn, and both were too stunned to speak. Honestly, I didn’t blame them.

“Haven’t you noticed? Every time he’s been away, the moon’s been full. He’s taller than most guys, and unnaturally strong.

“And he’s so fast that he can run for miles through the forest in no time and doesn’t even get out of breath. And Mom, you’ve noticed how he smells like a wet dog. That’s because a part of him is a wolf.”

I paused again. “Mom? Dad? Jared ~is~ a werewolf. Please believe me.”

Neither of them said anything, and moments after, Dad left the house in anger while he rubbed his temples.

Mom and I sat down on the couch without saying anything, but despite her holding my hand, we were divided by an enormous, emotional wall.

I was too sad to explain any further. I’d already told them everything there was to say anyway. I guess they just needed time, and so did I.

Only…time was up. Because suddenly I felt something pop, and warm liquid poured out of me and a strange clenching feeling grew in my stomach.

I was in labor.