By the early morning light Alfred is sleeping as his mates gather around each other discussing what to do from here. Abel while trying his best to keep his voice down is feeling his temper rising to the surface. "You told him what?" It comes out with a hiss that comes from deep in his throat.
"Abel if it's down to his life or," Gilbert stars with a sigh knowing that anything he has to say won't help the situation but when Abel's sharp eyes glare in his direction his own narrow. "That's not,"
"I swear to god you better not saying it's not awesome! It's not awesome that you two are trying to take this away from me! From Alfred, you have no right! No fucking idea how much this-"
Allistor points his finger at the Neko. "You're being fuckin' selfish right now."
"And you're being a fucking dick. You two have your kids so what the fuck do you care if I lose mine?"
"And if we lose Alfred!? Then they all grow up without a mother. This isn't because we hate you. We understand it's yours, we know you've wanted this long before we met you."
Able is quick to snap back feeling he's being pushed back against a wall. "You don't know anything!"
"Enough." Yao appears at the door arms crossed, clearly not amused at the trio. "Acting like children, your kits are more well behaved." He kneels down to the Omega, again resting his hands on the blonde's forehead before turning to his stomach. "He's far from well and so are the children and the last thing they need is you three bickering over nonsense."
While Allistor and Gilbert turn away ashamed, Abel's eyes widen. "Children? No there's only one."
"Two, from what I can see both boys." Yao answers simply but it's too much for Abel to bear.
He doesn't hear what's said next by any of them, instead he shakes his head and quickly races out of the back hidden room towards the front door. The front steps have changed from the pure white stone to rich red brick not that he notices. All he can think of is history repeating itself, how again he's being punished for what he did all those years before.
Once he reaches a small creek bed he kneels down into the clay, the image of his Coyote lover in his head. Slowly the image starts to play like a movie, the young Omega smiling as she hugs her stomach as it grows then her eyes widen in fear then before he can say a word her eyes dim and blacken as her body seems to melt away into a bloody pool. The haunting image replays again until eventually he utters her name causing her ghost to leave in a cloud of dust. "Hannah..."
A gentle hand reaches out, taking his quivering shoulder. "Is that what you're naming the baby?"
With tears in his eyes, Abel looks up into Arthur's eyes. "He's having twins...he's fucking having twins and I'm going to lose them all over again." His voice cracks as tears streak down his face.
Arthur can't take the look of sheer pain and regret so he pulls Abel close to him. Like before he starts to hum warmly as he runs his fingers through the Neko's hair. "Will you tell me about her?" He asks as Natalia joins them. "We won't tell anyone like before."
For a moment Abel listens to Arthur's baby move as he stares off, his eyes glaze over until he feels a kick to his cheek bringing him back from his thoughts. "I...Hannah was a Coyote and she was a Colorless." He takes a deep inhale closing his eyes. "She never told me if she was kicked out or if she simply left her clan but I didn't care, I loved her and she loved me."
"But?" Natalia quietly says feeling like she's about to hear her own story repeated back to her.
"It was forbidden. Her being a Colorless and the fact that she was a Coyote made most of the elders uncomfortable and suspicious of her." He can still see the look of disdain on their faces; even his brothers just shook their heads before turning their backs. "I was already an outcast so I took her hand and left them behind."
Arthur nods understanding. "How old were you?"
"Seventeen and it wasn't long before we were pregnant." Abel manages a weak chuckle. "We were scared but we had hope and love..."
"It was still hard I'm sure."
He manages a shrug. "I didn't eat some nights but I always made sure my mate was taken care of." His pants are soaked and caked with clay but he refuses to move. He finds comfort listening to the heartbeat deep in Arthur's stomach and he prays he can continue to listen to his own children's heartbeats. "I looked out for her and did everything I could but, she was early and I wasn't there..."
Even Natalia's heart manages to break at the weak statement. "I'm sorry..." It's all she can think to say reaching out to take his hand. "Um..."
"Yeah she died in labor." Abel finishes knowing what she's trying to say. Even after so many years it still hurts to say out loud. "It's happening again...I'll lose them."
"You won't." Natalia says standing up to shake the mud from her dress. "You really think he's going to let this bullshit kill him or the babies?" She pulls her hair back with a golden ribbon before walking back to the large brick church. "You don't give him enough credit sometimes. He has a fighting spirit and if he was going just roll over and die he would have done that in the mines."
Arthur nods helping the Alpha to his feet. "She's right so go change because when he wakes up he'll want you right there."
"They won't want me in there..." Suddenly he feels a soft whack to the side of his head. "Ow."
"Last time I checked you're just as much of a healer as my brother and Alfred's just as much your mate as theirs. Now wipe your eyes and come on and for gods sake change your pants they're filthy."
"I think they look good enough." He answers walking slowly back to the building not daring to look back at the creek behind him. He has to look forward, even how painful it might become.
