The Salvatore Saga, Part Four: My new Life

As I made my way to my den, I had chosen a hidden walk-in closet located between two rooms. This closet served as a passage between my bedroom and birthing room, with entrances from both rooms.

Initially, I entered my den through my bedroom, but when the time came to give birth to my cubs, I could easily move them into the cub room through the other entrance. Despite the pain tearing through my body, causing me to gasp and hiss, my mind remained calm.

A sense of overwhelming loneliness washed over me, as it always did whenever I needed to give birth alone since my first litter. However, I knew that there was no danger of bleeding, as the cubs were not too big and no complications were expected.

This space was not very large, but I had prepared it by lining it with animal skins and old mattresses. I had brought three tanks of bump, two from Charles and one from Adam, and had about 50 bottles ready. The rest of the bottles were filled with formula, which I could top up as needed.

I had plenty of my own bottles, a different brand than the pack used, which I had not shown to anyone. I had over 500 of them. If necessary, I would drink bump myself, but I planned to make a mixture consisting of 45% formula, 45% bump, and the remaining portion with Damon's or my own blood, as the cubs would be vampires. It was a genetic trait, as both the mother and father were vampires.

The den was dimly lit, with several spotlights providing just enough light. This was my life, and I had learned to navigate through it over the years. Even though I knew Mariella had somehow arranged a C-section for herself and the wolves, I wasn't angry. It actually made things easier.

I just hoped that despite Wulfe's assurances that he would understand, this wouldn't be the ultimate proof that I didn't trust him. It was so difficult to explain. This was my alpha side, my animal side, my wild side, and perhaps it had become an integral part of me over time.

The main reason why I did it was because a part of me knew just how strong I was. It was like a snowball rolling down, but my sensible side kept me from constantly challenging Damon.

I wanted to give him time to be with others. If it were just my animal side, I would have kept on challenging Damon everywhere, forcing him to focus on me and me alone. However, since I prioritize the happiness of others before myself, I allowed him to be a perfect father to others, too. The same went for Adam, Charles, and Wulfe.

Despite being incredibly close to Charles, I knew I was the stronger one between us. As the alpha female of the pack, Damon hadn't really acknowledged that, so there was no real reason for me to try to behave.

I continued to exert my powers with Charles, but he didn't mind. He was different from Wulfe; he didn't tell Damon everything all the time, but kept it to himself. It was because he was possessive of me and wanted me for himself. He didn't want to reveal just how strong I am and how much my alpha power comes into play. He was there solely for me.

I walked and finally sat down, knowing it would be better to do this in human form. Despite it being a warm place, I didn't undress my lower half yet. I leaned against the wall, gently rocking myself and panting with contractions.

I fixed my gaze on the opposite wall, understanding that it was not the time to feel, but to focus on my cubs. I needed to get my mindset right and let my pheromones saturate the place so that my cubs would immediately recognize my scent after birth, knowing they were safe and loved by their mother. There was no danger here.

This was a very personal experience. Even though Damon had been with me in the past and we had sometimes given birth in front of the whole pack, this was my way of doing things. I wasn't a lion; I was a jaguar, a loner, and it was just my nature.

The soft grunts, rustling of my clothes, and occasional movements as I stood up and walked were the only sounds in this small, intimate space where the new generation of my superpowerful cubs would take their first breath.

 It was a peculiar sensation, and to distract myself from the pain, I focused on my past experiences.

I mean, I knew my cubs were incredibly powerful, maybe even more than me, since they had Damon's powers, too. But surprisingly, they turned out to be good guys. It was almost amusingly scary to think about what kind of monsters they could have become as villains. However, I had a purpose - to make sure these creatures remained good. I could sense that there was no danger of them turning bad. 

As shifters, especially hybrid ones like us, we work based on pheromones. During the first three days of a cub's life, they instinctively identify their parents - who they obey, protect, and defend. So, whenever I gave birth, they would smell me and imprint on me as their mother.

But since Damon couldn't always be there, if there was another male around, they would imprint on him as their father. In that case, biology didn't matter; it was all about the pheromone imprint. Damon understood this as well, but he couldn't always be there for me and my cubs. 

Ideally, I would have kept my cubs with me alone for those first three days in a perfect world. However, since the pack was worried about me, I couldn't afford that luxury.

The time to give birth was approaching, and I relied on my body to tell me when it was time. I had prepared towels and wipes to clean my cubs, loaded up milk bottles, and set up racks for them to suckle on their own. Afterward, I would wipe them clean and place them in a warm basket to rest. 

Meanwhile, Charles groaned in pain as he struggled to find relief even after emptying his bump bag. He was in the kitchen searching for something that could help when Wulfe entered.

Charles didn't have a chance to say anything before a powerful wave of nausea hit him, forcing him to rush into the nearest bathroom to vomit. After catching his breath and wiping his mouth, he wasn't sure if he was actually sick. He didn't feel feverish, but nonetheless, he decided to rinse his mouth and make his way unsteadily to the medbay.

Just as he was about to go in, he happened to bump into number four, who looked at him and asked, "What's wrong?"

Charles replied, "This damn pain, and I just threw up. I'm about to take a fast infection panel to make sure I haven't caught some bug. It's the worst possible timing."

Number four responded calmly, having some understanding of the situation, "Sit down. I'll take your blood and we'll see. No need to worry too much."

After 15 minutes, Number Four spoke up, saying, "No infection, but I have a theory."

Wulfe entered the room and, with a hint of sadness in his voice, said, "I can help."

With a slight gesture, the pain vanished completely. Charles was amazed.

Shaking his head, Wulfe exclaimed, "We failed. She's in labor. You can feel her pain. She's somewhere alone. God damn it, I'm pissed off!"

Number Four agreed, saying, "I'm frustrated too, but what can we do? She's hiding too well. I don't have many ideas on how to proceed with this."

Wulfe paused for a moment, telepathically discussing with Number One, before suggesting, "Charles, you can be useful, but it'll be painful. Let's play a game of hot and cold."

Charles frowned, and Wulfe explained, "I'll allow the pain to come in, and we'll start at her wing. The more the pain intensifies, the closer we are. I'll ease some of it, but not all."

Determined, Charles responded, "I'm ready. I'm freaking ready if this pain helps us find her and help her. I can handle it."

Number Four chimed in, "I'll start preparing for the cubs, gathering drops and such. Let's see how this works."

Wulfe nodded, hoping that this risky plan would succeed. He was prepared to use his magic to assist her. He wouldn't ask for permission; he would be the one to make initial contact, followed by Damon. Damon couldn't risk Charles being the first to make contact, at least not yet.

In the darkness of my den, I focused. I had removed my clothes and assumed a semi-sitting position, leaning on my hands. I pushed, feeling the arrival of my firstborn.

Even after giving birth millions of times over the years, each firstborn litter was always special. And as my pushes brought this creature closer to being born, I could feel it growing, stretching me.

Oh, why couldn't this one be a sandcat? But it was a big one, growing eagerly. After three long and hard pushes, a black blob slid out. I gently took it and opened the sack around it, revealing a black lion.

I assumed it would be male, but a quick glance told me that my firstborn was female.

We didn't always give names to everyone, but this time, my voice was soft as I whispered to my cub, "Welcome to the world, Rosie."

I named her Rosie because her paw pads were pink, like little jelly beans, and it reminded me of the color of a rose. So Rosie became my firstborn, and I gently dried her while the next one was coming, making me push.

Finally, I placed my girl in her first bottle, looking at her with pride. She was hungry and started to suckle my milk mixture with Damon's blood in it. A smile stayed on my face for minutes, even as I was pushing my next one out, and it was big as well.

I was focused on my job, giving birth to my litter. There was nothing more important than this moment right here, right now.

A few hours later, with cubs milling all around me, I wiped my sweaty brow and tensed up as the door of my den slid away.

Wulfe stepped in.

My voice was growly as I said, "Go away, you are not part of this."

He took a few steps, and I could see a faint glow from his hands. He had his magic ready in case I was to attack.

He said to me, "I'll help you, even if you don't want it. I've masked my scent, so no need to fear that the cubs will smell me as their father. Come on, tell me what you need."

I looked at him, pulled in different directions. One part of me wanted to attack because he wasn't supposed to be in my den. But I knew him. He was my other half, my shadow on the boulevard of broken hearts, as we called it. He wasn't going to let me do this alone, so I wouldn't get rid of him that easily.

He said to me, "You look pretty tired. It's hard work, and I see you have a lot of big species here. Come on, I'll help."

He approached, crouched, and took one cub who had just finished eating. I gave him wipes so he could clean the cub, help it pee and poop.

Damon's voice was calm in Wulfe's mind as he asked, "Tell me, what do you see?"

Wulfe had just informed him he had found Mimi and made contact.

He replied, "The space isn't too big; it's between her bedroom and the cub room. There are three tanks of bump, two green and one yellow. The milk bottles are half-filled, and my guess is that she puts a bump in them, as this stuff in them is formula. There are also blood bags, yours and hers, and the milk is pink, so she must be making blood milk. There are over a hundred cubs, mostly big species. She's sweaty, and it was touch and go that it didn't turn ugly. I had to use very subtle suggestions, so she wouldn't be too suspicious. She's naked in her human form, and the cubs come every five minutes or so, but it takes a few pushes to get them out."

Number four spoke tensely to number one. "That's an unclean space. She'll be exhausted soon enough. I'm unsure how to get the cubs here without any infection or contamination." He paused and continued, "That bump won't be enough. I think she got it from her own collection, since our supplies are scarce. We're running on a low on bump and she has there three tanks. I would be glad to have even one."

Taking a deep breath, number one knew he had to take charge as the pack leader. There was no time to hesitate.

His voice was firm as he said, "You go and bring more people in. I'll go in and help her with Wulfe. No one else enters unless I give the order. I'll teleport the cubs, and you make sure you have a cleansing spell or something. Use Dresden, Constantine, Mariella, whoever you have to."

Number four nodded, and Damon added, "As soon as I get there, I'll teleport those tanks out, and you get the Salvatores to donate every last drop they have. Go to her bedroom, smell her scent, and make bump. And do it quickly; we need it. When I ask, you give me what I need and teleport it."

Number four nodded in agreement.

Number two, who had been sitting silently with a pensive look on his face, finally spoke up, "You have trouble with Wulfe being in there, right?"

Number one looked at his "clone" in surprise. He was one sharp guy.

He admitted, "Yeah, but she needs Wulfe. If I have to choose between Charles and Wulfe, it's Wulfe."

Number four smiled and said, "If it were me, there would only be her and me. No negotiation."

Number one nodded and said, "First of all, we need someone else in there to help with her. I have to bond the cubs with my scent quickly, so Wulfe will have to be her support. I'll take care of our cubs."

Now they had a plan of action, and soon it was time to act. It was time for Damon to meet this litter, the first of many. He was still angry with Mariella for missing the birth of their firstborn, a female lion named Rosie by Mimi. But he would be there to help the rest of them.

She had over 300 cubs, and if she had fewer than half, she wouldn't have the stamina to do anything for a long time unless someone supported her during birth. As she wasn't an energy creature, she couldn't use energy to push the cubs out faster.

Damon felt a mix of excitement, fear, and anger, but he regained control as they approached the wall where the den opening would be. It was time to do this.