Regina never saw the wolves coming. They were so focused on the date that the scent of death went totally unnoticed.
They shot out of the woods all at once. Regina and Xander turned to the woods, and Xander reacted first by shifting. His thin wolf wasn't much of a match, but thankfully two wolves came out to fight.
Regina was frozen. How many times had she been attacked now? And yet, her legs still refused to move as Xander was tackled to the ground. He mentioned he was the rank of a tracker, a wolf that didn't have the best fighting skills.
Her Fated was fighting; she even recognized Atta's and Mavis's wolves. Everyone was fighting, even though there were only eight in total. But she couldn't
It didn't make any sense; survival meant fighting or fleeing, not freezing. But all Regina could see where her family members dying, being ripped to shreds. A little white wolf running into the woods, bloodthirsty wolves right behind her. There was no use fighting; they were all going to die.
'Are you going to let them?'
What else could she do? She wasn't a fighter, and rogues are ruthless.
'Are you going to let this happen? This time and in the future? You have special powers deep within you, the ability to protect those you love. You can fight, so are you going to stay useless?'
Before Regina could do anything, the power was gone, and Viribus was buried deep inside. Looking around, the three wolves were standing over the motionless rogues. The fight was over, they had won, and Regina had done nothing.
'You okay, Luce? Did you get hurt?'
She numbly shook her head as Mavis came up to her, followed by Atta and Xander. The wolves circled her, her parents giving her reassuring nods and licks. Eventually, they stepped away, letting Xander make sure his Fated was safe.
Sometime after, all three shifted and found clothes. Regina followed along as they got into the car and drove back to the packhouse. Xander kept touching her, rubbing her hand or her arm. Mavis was driving, so Atta would look back to make sure she was okay.
Rogues had attacked her several times by now; it seemed to be quite common. Yet, she couldn't fight. Maybe it was fear, shock, or something else. She just couldn't fight; she couldn't even move. And that had to change.
If she were attacked again, she would have to know how to fight back. Viribus also spoke about her needing to fight some evil in the world. Whether she wanted to or not, the day would come where Regina would need to fight.
She couldn't tell this to Mavis and Atta. They would say she would never have to fight and say that training would be too dangerous. Xander would agree; all of them would be overprotective. In the end, she would end up under lock and key with three wolves watching her.
Regina remained almost unresponsive on the way to the packhouse. Xander kept trying to get her to move, and when she failed to, he would send a worried look to the parents. She hadn't reacted like this before, and that worried Mavis and Atta.
Like a zombie, Regina shuffled into the house and was settled on the couch.
"Are you okay? Were you hurt?"
She needed to learn, but who could teach her? Her parents and Xander were ruled out, her uncle was hours to the south, and she didn't know anyone in the pack. Aisha would somehow end up saying something to Mavis and ruin the whole plan.
"Regina, I'm getting worried."
Sergio! He was a warrior; he had taken all those intruders down and the rogues when she was in the woods. And, because he was a warrior, he would understand and treat her fairly. This could work; she could sneak out and have him teach her how to fight. That way, when someone attacks again, she would be able to fight back for once.
"Regina!"
No one else would die, Regina would make sure. Viribus was right; she could change things. She wouldn't be useless anymore. With time and extra help, she could be a warrior.
With that lost thought, Regina relaxed and fell peacefully asleep.
****
"I'm worried, Polo."
Her eyes were heavy; she couldn't make them open. Was that Mavis Regina could hear?
"It's understandable. Regina has been malnourished for several years and abused. Her body is weak, even though she is getting rest and nutrients. I think that when she gets overwhelmed, her body can't handle it and just gives up."
"That could explain it. Every time she's been sick has been after a serious situation. What can we do?"
Why was she just lying around? She needed to start training! She didn't have time to waste.
"I'm also worried about the recent rogue activity. As you know, we do get attacks when they get hungry or go completely mindless. But we've never had this many attacks in such a short period. Add the fact that they attacked the lake, the Beta and Alpha think Regina may be a target."
Regina stopped trying to move when the Theta spoke. Her, the target? There was no way in the world they could know she was a Royal; Mavis and Atta didn't know. There had to be another reason.
"The best thing is to keep Regina under a watchful eye. Not so much that she gets anxious, just enough that she can be protected; if we keep her within the pack, we will be able to protect her more. Don't worry, Mavis. The pack won't let you lose her too."
That wouldn't help her plan to sneak out.
"I just, I can't lose her. This is my second and last chance; I can't waste it. She is a miracle that I need to protect. Please mention this to the Alpha, Polo. I know it puts the pack at risk, but I will spend more time on border control if that means Luce is safe."
Second chance? Did Mavis and Atta have other children? Was that why she couldn't go into the room at the end of the hall? Did they keep their child's things and toys? Why hadn't they told her?
"I promised when I became Theta of this pack that I would protect all pack members. That includes your daughter. I will talk to Marco about strengthening our watch, and I suggest you change the locks on your door and windows."
After that, the room went silent, and Regina could feel gentle fingers brushing her hair away. Regina understood that they were worried; it made sense. But why wouldn't they tell her about their life before she came into it?
Acting as if she had just woken up, Regina let out a yawn and stretched out all her limbs. She opened her eyes to see Mavis smiling down at her, Atta on the other side of the bed.
"Hey Luce, you scared us." Atta made a face, but Regina smiled to reassure him.
'Sorry, I seem to be doing that a lot.'
"Don't worry." Mavis pinched her cheeks, making Regina wince. "It gives me a reason to spoil you and spend all day with you."
Once Polo had checked that Regina was in excellent condition and functioning, she was allowed to leave. Mavis and Atta walked every step at her side, but Regina couldn't help but smile. Sure, them being overprotective was annoying, and she thought it was silly. But it was how they showed their love.
At home, Mavis and Atta attended to her every need as she got ready for bed. It had been a fantastic and long day, and she really was tired.
Before drifting off, Regina pulled on the string connected to Sergio. She let out a smile when she noticed the line was closer than she thought.
'Sergio'
Shoot, he can't respond! There isn't anything connecting him back to her; it was a one-way road.
'I know you can't respond, and this doesn't make sense. But please, at noon, meet me near the border. This is will all make sense in the end.'
Regina cut the link, protecting her thoughts. Sergio was probably unsure how to react to such a thing as her thoughts entering his head. She would have loved to have seen his face; it must have been awesome. Then again, maybe she would end up seeing it tomorrow when she 'talked' to him again.
****
The next day, Regina was surprised to be alone. Mavis left a note saying she had training, code for border control. Next to that paper, there was another from Atta saying he was talking to the Beta. She hadn't expected to be left alone so soon.
She was alone. And there was a whole room to investigate. Regina practically skipped down the hall to the closed door. On a closer look, it seemed like something used to be on the door; it had been peeled forever ago, though.
Opening it, she was surprised it didn't creak. There wasn't any dust on the surfaces either.
It was all purple, bright, and happy. There was a crib in the corner, filled with stuffed animals. There was also a rocking chair, a smaller table, and a bookshelf. Everything in the room dedicated to a human baby. On the back wall, painted beautifully, was a name. Mira.
Her chest felt tight, and Regina felt like she was going to fall over. But this pain wasn't hers; she could tell it was coming from her wolf.
'Mira, she was my human.'
Suddenly, Regina remembered something Viribus had said to her.
'Just as the plan was about to be set, the child died suddenly.'
The girl that had died, it was Mavis's daughter. Regina had her daughter's wolf; it made sense that her daughter was dead. Still, Regina hadn't connected it, and apparently, Speranza hadn't either.
'I remember her now, just small and faint memories. I aged with her, so I was only just a pup. But she was my human, and she had died.'
That's why Mavis was so overprotective. Her daughter had died, and she didn't want to lose another.
Regina went to the rocking chair and sat. There wasn't a speck of dust in the whole room. Regina had no idea how much time Mavis and Atta must have spent in this room. She could picture them, leaning over the crib, playing with the toys, and even rocking the baby to sleep. Regina couldn't imagine how much it must have hurt Mavis to lose her baby.
"I lost my first baby twenty-six years ago."
Regina stood in shock, seeing Mavis leaning against the wall near the door. Mavis was focused on the crib, an arm around her stomach.
"I was twenty-three, it had taken Atta and me longer than we thought to get pregnant. I reached three months, I had told everyone, and then we just lost it. I had to have surgery; I don't even know what their gender was. We named them Jorden."
"After several more years of trying, I got pregnant again, and we didn't tell anyone until I was obviously showing. During the eighth month, something went wrong, and I was in an emergency c-section. The baby was dead even before they reached the air. We named her Julianna.
"Eventually, we got pregnant with Mira. I was under strict rules, bed rest, diets, and the such. We made it through the pregnancy and even labor. She was our miracle, our Mira Ann. Atta didn't like that name." She let out a laugh, but Regina could see tears. "He said Mira Neri was a horrible name. But I had the final say."
"I had the most amazing time with her. We even talked about trying to get pregnant so that she could have a sibling. Mira was amazing, cute, loving; everyone liked her."
"It was a bad winter, most of the children in the pack had gotten sick. I wasn't too worried; children got sick all the time. Even when Mira got the disease, I didn't think she would..." Mavis's voice faded off, and she couldn't finish her sentence.
"She wasn't like the other kids. Her cough was worse, her fever higher; I should have noticed the signs. By the time Polo got to her after all the other kids, he said it was too late."
"Her small body couldn't handle it. My Mira died two days later."
Regina didn't know what she should say. Sorry, your child died years ago. Mavis was looking at the crib as if her baby was still there.
"If I had just been a good mother, I wouldn't have lost my babies. I should have seen the signs earlier."
Regina leaped up after Mavis whispered and engulfed Mavis in a hug.
'You are an amazing mom; none of this was your fault. It wasn't because of you.'
Mavis just continued to cry.
Sometime later, Mavis left without saying anything to Regina. Leaving the room, Regina made sure everything was in order and closed the door.
She had no idea these feelings were hiding in Mavis. The woman was always so strong, ready to fight and protect. Mavis was even a black wolf, known for its strength. No one ever looked deep enough to see Mavis's scars beneath the skin.
No one probably even asked. The woman looked like she always had on her armor. Everyone probably thought she was fine and walked away. Mavis only had Atta to rely on, and that was in private moments. Mavis didn't have anyone else to lean on when things got tough, probably not even Mable.
Now she even had a new problem. Mavis had to deal with her new daughter fainting, getting attacking and finding Regina's family. Mavis wore armor to keep herself from falling apart, no one even saw.
This was only just more motivation for Regina. Mavis wouldn't let anyone see her weak and fought constantly. She could change that, for once Regina would be the protector. She would train with Sergio. One day, protect her family from attackers.
Turning to face the door, Regina traced the invisible name of the child.
She would take care of Mavis. She promised that to Mira before turning and walking away. Regina would become a warrior for Mavis and Mira. She would protect the ones she loved.
****
Some backstory about Mavis and Atta. Miscarriages and Stillbirth's suck, but what do you tell someone that goes through that. I am Regina, I never know what to say.
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