Everything I Ever Wanted

As if had been with their first pup, Alastor held Manea as the contractions started up again, her body working in natural rhythms to bring their second child into the world. However, as rough as the first had been, the second seemed markedly more difficult. Alastor saw the agony and strain on Manea's face as she tried to push their child out of her belly, but with every snarling push, it seemed like no progress was being made. He didn't even feel her claws tearing into his leg anymore while he watched her with a panicked expression, eyes locked on her rippling abdomen and waiting for the sound of puppy cries again, but nothing came. What was happening? Was something wrong? He looked up to Irilyth, exchanging a quick look with the small handmaiden and noting the look of anxiousness in her eyes despite the smile on her face. What was happening with his mate and his child?!

Alastor's heart raced and he gave another vicious growl as Manea's claws dug deeper into his flesh, the scent of his own coppery blood mixing in the bedchamber from the amount of wounds he'd sustained. He didn't care though; he'd endure a million bites and tears if it meant having his family be healthy. It took some effort on Manea's part, including some gut-wrenching screams the likes of which he'd never heard uttered by his Queen before. But after that Herculean effort, Alastor felt Manea collapse weak and exhausted against him, saw Irilyth doing something in a frantic hurry, and then heard the loudest squeal of an angry puppy he'd ever heard in his life. His head shot up while Manea recovered, watching as Irilyth cleaned and presented them with a son, larger than his sister, with swirling fur of black and red that was so distinctly Alastor. The dire brute's heart exploded with joy when he gazed upon his son, those tears returning to his eyes while a huge smile stretched from ear to ear. After the boy had been placed alongside his sister, Manea dismissed Irilyth to go light a fire, and the small fae excused herself quickly. That left the parents alone with their newborn pups, and Alastor's heart stopped.

The behemoth stopped smiling instantaneously, knowing what was to come next. He gazed down at his two precious, perfect little balls of fluff nursing at Manea's stomach. He brought his obsidian gaze back up to her aqua eyes, seeing the looks of appraisal she was already giving each pup. This was it. This was the moment when his whole world crumbled just seconds after it had been built. Alastor's heart shattered, and a different type of tear began to run down his cheeks. But as much pain as it brought him, he knew he couldn't interfere. This was Manea's life, her beliefs, her world. He had come into this willingly knowing what the outcome would be—but nothing, nothing could have prepared him for how difficult this moment actually was. Gazing down at his children, pieces of his flesh, blood, and spirit, and knowing one of them would never see the sunrise. It crushed the new father, devastated the short-lived happiness he'd known. But it had to be done. This was the way of the Mendacium.

Alastor shut his eyes, scowling and biting his tongue to prevent himself from growling. He had promised Manea he would stay beside her during the ritual and he would keep his word. But the pain and conflict was etched clearly across his face, visible even in the darkness where his features contorted with heartbreak. He didn't want to watch as one of his firstborn children was snuffed out only minutes into their lives. But he couldn't forgive himself if he didn't at least show them that their father had loved them. Opening his eyes again, Alastor shifted tor ice and lean carefully over Manea, reaching his muzzle down toward his two children. He placed a long, lingering kiss and lick to his son's forehead, taking in his scent and the feel of damp clumps of silky fur. He turned to his daughter next and gave her the same affection, lips lingering on her crown where little bumps that would become jagged antlers like her mother's wound form. One of these two children would not survive the night, and so he savored both of them while he had the chance. They both deserved to know that they were loved beyond words.

Yet as he drew back from the little girl, Alastor noticed a glimmer of light coming from seemingly nowhere. He blinked in confusion, then slowly turned the girl's head away from her mother's round stomach, but to the protesting squeals of the pup. As soon as he'd uncovered the markings over her right eye, Alastor saw the pale bioluminescent white glow coming from her markings, and his breath caught in the radiant beauty. "Manea, wait!" he whispered urgently, urging his mate to look at their children. The glow hadn't started on the girl's markings until she had begun to dry. In an anxious hurry, Alastor shifted over to his son and began to frantically lick over the markings on the boy's left eye, helping to dry the fur there quicker. Slowly but surely, the boy's markings began to glow in a similar fashion, faint at first, but building in brightness until it was like the stars themselves had landed upon their children's faces. Alastor gazed in awe at the two children, turning back to look at Manea with wide eyes and slack jaw. They were even more special and glorious than he had ever imagined! But... But how...?


"Alastor"