The Alpha's Slut (#Wattys2016)

29~Hollow

   I gripped Valentino's hand and and watched the doctors cart my baby into a different room. Valentino soothingly stroked my arm and whispered into my ear. "It's going to be fine," he soothed. "I can hear them hooking the baby up to a breathing machine, it's fine."

   I clenched my teeth and shook from contained sobs. "It's not fair." I cried out. "Piper has her baby healthy and happy. Jenna has Logan. Titus has Katerina. Why can't I have something for myself? What is so wrong with me that I'm not even granted someone to love me."

   Valentino cradled me. I stared up at his face in confusion, "Get away from me, Vince!" I shouted in panic. My mind was fogging, desperation was sinking in. "Get out! I said get out!" I screamed, clutching my grief-induced mind. "You said you didn't want me, stop toying with me!" 

   My mate grasped my arm, "Araceli, shh. It'll be okay, but I'm not Vincenzo. It's Valentino."

    "No, no, no! Get out!" I screamed. 

    He hissed in pain and brought his hand to his chest, quickly dumping a pitcher of water onto it. I didn't even notice his scalded hand, the hand he had used to touch me. "I want you out! I want you out, Vince." I shouted hoarsely, desperate for solitude.

   He cautiously glanced at me, "Calm down, Araceli. It's Valentino, Vince isn't here."

   This just caused me to be more frantic. "He isn't here? Why isn't he here? I was giving birth and he wasn't even here?" I murmured, tugging at the strands of my brown hair. 

   Valentino stared into my eyes, blue on brown. "I'm going to go find the doctors." he said soothingly, "I'm sure the baby is getting help breathing, your pup will be fine."

    "Alastor." I whimpered.

~

I stared at the wall until Vincenzo walked into the hospital room. I knew it was him, not Valentino. When Vincenzo entered the room my wolf didn't yip as usual. I couldn't even feel her presence in the back of my mind. Vincenzo looked around the white room. "Where's my heir. Araceli? I want my baby."

    I hollowly stared at a magnificent painting. My heart didn't leap and marvel at the breathtaking strokes. My eyes didn't scan the mirage of colors and wonder how the artist had mixed them. It was hollow. He growled, gold eyes flashing. "Where. Is. My baby?" he screamed. 

   I ignored his question. "When they took him away I couldn't see much. Just his eyes. Gold." I breathed out. "World-shattering gold. More amazing than even your's."

   He cocked his head to the side and winced at my next words. "But he still couldn't breathe. Why couldn't he breathe?" I whimpered. "Just one little breath, he could've survived. He was healthy throughout the whole pregnancy, they would've noticed if he wasn't. But as soon as the light hit him, he was practically already buried. His mouth was struggling to get in breath, and when that failed he tried his nose." My lower lip trembled in defeat, "He couldn't do it. Just like the Moon goddess couldn't give me anything to love me."

   Vincenzo clenched his fists. "Stop acting like you're alone! You're not. You have so many people just standing there, waiting on you. You don't even deserve it. If you can't even take care of an unborn baby, what could you do as my mate?" he hissed.

    I felt the despair sink in. My lips echoed his words, mouthing along, yet no sound came out. My lips parted in shock when he snarled at me. "I hate you." he cried out.

    I shook in pain when my bones began to shift. He growled cautiously when I shifted into my small grey wolf. My wolf had taken over. I receded to the back of my mind and turned away when she let out a pained howl. The howl of a mother who had just delivered a stillborn. In the werewolf community, women that lost their children were considered abominations. Freaks of nature. It was seen as their fault. Cases like that were rare, as mates had genes completely compatible and designed for breeding.

   My wolf cried out until her throat went raw. Then she scratched at any exposed skin. She teared at her silver fur as Vincenzo left. Her teeth tore at her stomach, her legs, her paws. Her claws tore into her stomach and back, creating a wolf sticky in its own blood. An abomination. 

A/N: The topic of stillborn children and miscarriages is heavy. Words cannot recreate the feeling of losing a child. This is in no way meant to offend anyone, or mock them. This is purely for fiction and writing. 

   Araceli lost her child and she is dealing with it in her own way. She put all of her hope into that baby, only to have it die. Araceli is as empty as her wolf is ravenous. In case you were wondering, Araceli and her wolf are two sides of the same person. Her wolf is more primal and savage. Araceli is human and deeply flawed. But they aren't two separate people. It's hard to explain, but that's the best I can do.

   Until next time.