51

"It's a Boy!" Cordilla announced, laying the little wrinkly bundle on to Talia's stomach. She looked over him from the tips of his curly dark hair to his little purple toe nails. His eyes were dark but open and looking around. His little round cheeks and puffy lips reminded her so much of Matt. Her heart clenched at the thought of him never knowing his father, or the son his father. His little wails filled the room and his coloring turned from a grey to a nice red. Cordilia began cleaning up Talia as Ari lifted the baby and gently began to use a warm soft cloth to wash away the birth.
She looked down at his tiny fingers and toes. Soon she had him swaddled in one of the softest blankets she could find, and he had quieted. Talai now looked relaxed and almost like she was in a dream state. Ari handed the baby to his mother, congratulating her. "He is beautiful." she beamed.
Howls began to erupt from the courtyard below. The rest of the pack knew now of the new member. It was a hauntingly beautiful serenade as the howls transpired into music against the lightening sky. Talaia beamed with pride as she stared down at him. He was at rest now in her arms, pressed against his cream colored chest. He looked so at peace. She watched him in wonder.
*Can alpha see?* Ari heard a male's gruff voice- Theo's. in response she heard a light sweet voice, *Yes. Come in alpha.* Ari was still new at the whole tele link thing with the wolves, and it still stunned her to be standing silent in a room yet here are all these communications going on. In seconds Mika opened the door and step through. He looked to Ari first before approaching Talia and Theo, who was watching over her shoulder. He smiled to Ari and kissed her cheek. She blushed at the touch of his lips to her skin. His touch was brief, but it was enough to have her wanting to feel him more. He had already turned his attention to the new member now. Talia looked up at him as she handed him her son.
The little bundle looked so small in his massive hands. Ari was amazed how delicate Mika held the little one. It was as if he had done this many times, he did not show uncertainty or the over delicate touch most new commers do with small children.
"Talia, he is beautiful. Do you have a name you wish to call him?" Mika asked never taking his eyes off the little sleeping boy cradle in his palms.
Ari could see that there was something being said between Theo and Talia, but she could not hear, or tele link what it was.
"It's okay." Theo smiled and nuzzled the top of her head with his nose and chin. When she looked back at Mika there were tears in her eyes, but she was smiling so bright.
"His name will be Matthew, after his late father. And we will call him Matty."
"Matty huh?" Mika asked looking at him. "I think that is a good name for him. Welcome to the pack little Matty." Mika took the tip of his left index finger then and gently pierced it with his canine. A small bead of blood whelped up on the tip. He gently ran it across Matty's tiny forehead making a smear of blood crest over him. "Welcome to the pack." he mused as he gently returned him to his mother. Talai and Theo both beamed at Mika, "Thank you." she choked, tears still threatening to fall down her cheeks.
Cordilia had already gathered up the used linen and was passing it off to one of the other females when Mika took Ari's hand. "I think now mother and baby need to rest. Theo." he called. Theo stopped looking at the baby and looked over to Mika, "You have baby duty tonight. Do you think you can handle that?" Mika teased.
Theo's eyes widen for a moment before Talia spoke up, "I think he will do fine. How many diapers can a new born go through in the first night?" Everyone chuckled and Theo got up to walk their guest out.
"Seriously what do I do?" he whispered to Cordilia.
"Anything she needs. She can mostly do anything right now. If she wants to sleep and the baby is awake watch it. If she is hungry get her food or drink. Tonight, is just about not being alone." she reassured him.

Once Ari and Mika had left the new little family they returned to their own room.
"Wow. Just wow." she sighed.
"What's that?"
"It has been a night to remember for sure. I can hear pack members! I helped to bring little Matty into this world-thank God Cordilia was here because I would not have known what to do. Did she do that for you back in your old pack lands?" she asked rolling over onto the bed.
Mika had removed his shirt and crawled up next to her.
"Not normally, but in serious occasions she did. Most of the pack members we had enough females or sometimes males, to help deliver in the village. As for any humans, or others that traveled through the pack lands they may have sought her skills. She isn’t a midwife though. Her strong suite is magic." Ari nodded.
"It looked painful." she said almost as an afterthought. She shook away the thought that one day she will have to go through that when they have children. Did she really want to feel like that? But Talia did seem perfectly fine afterwards, so maybe it wasn’t all that bad?
"Do you think Theo will go with us when we begin taking testers from Henry?" she changed the subject.
"I will need him, because I will take at least two of the Five. They know the men there and how to get around. Theo has worked with them now for some time, we will need that rapport. I will speak with him tomorrow evening, tonight let the man sweat how to help a new mother and child." he grinned.
"Speaking of child, you seemed pretty calm in there. Normally I have seen men get all nervous about holding something so tiny and fragile"
He shrugged his shoulders, "When you have lightening flash reflexes, and the thing barely fits in your palm it isn't so scary." She burst out laughing, "You are such a liar!"
"Okay, okay. Mom would help the women in the village sometimes. I have never been there present for a birth, but I have held them shortly afterward. And you are right the first time I was scared shitless."
She giggled some more at the thought of Mika being afraid of a baby. "So, what was the blood mark. You were marking him, weren't you?"
"Yes, he is claimed as one of mine. He can't pledge to me for obvious reasons. But this is so that if something, God forbid should happen and he is taken from our pack- he will carry my scent on him till he begins to make his own. A please return to sender note for other super naturals."
"He doesn't have a scent already?" she scrunched up her nose. She really didn't know a lot of about werewolves and she had been learning as she went. She had assumed everyone was born with one, why not Matty?
"Yes and no. He has his personal scent that says who he is- a child. But as far as a place in the pack he doesn't and wont till he hits puberty. then his scent will change, and he will then take his place in the pack. We have YEARS before that happens for him."
"And all werewolf children this happens to?"
"Yes. For every one that is born I will mark them. Once they are older they will be their own. Some males have been known to go off on their own when they become teens and change packs."
"You mean they chose to or are kicked out?" she hinted to the Five.
"Normally when this occurs it's on the choice of the boy. An alpha doesn't drive out good pack members. What Henry is doing is not normal." he kissed her knuckles, "I mean if you think about it look at us. I have left my home park lands and have created something new."
"Because the packs lands are infected." she pressed.
"Regardless, if you sit back and look at it, there is no difference." He was right. yes there was a reason behind the break, but then again wouldn't each of the boys have a reason too for leaving their pack? Would they have young pack males to leave them?
"How often does it happen?"
Mika could tell now she was getting worried about the future of the pack, and he wanted so badly to reassure her. "Listen, there will be some here or there that do leave. But there will be those who return, and those who are new to us. So long as our entire youths do not leave and not return our pack is safe. Normally a pack will lose 1% every year, however if you have a growth rate of 5% or more- that one percent is not so hard. Now if we do not grow any that year, that one is a big deal. Do not get upset about this, werewolves are pack creatures we will tend to remain with our kind. Right now, there are 3 packs on this continent- two of them are under attack from a dark force." he clicked his tongue. "I'd say our retention rate will be damn good in the coming years."
She sighed. "Okay if you say so."
"I do say so." he pulled her into him. He loved the feel of her against him and how perfect she fit against his body. "Now get some rest and you can go play with Matty tomorrow." he teased. She pushed her butt against him doing her best to bump him. he laugh gently and nuzzled her hair. he loved the smell of her. It calmed him and made him feel at home again. Ari didn't speak again but in a few moments Mika could tell she had drifted off. Her breathing was deeper and slower now. He loved her and loved that she trusted him to just fall asleep in his arms.
"Good night my roka." he whispered.