Chapter 115: Episode 114: A New Addition
A/N: Trying out first-person POV, tell me if you like it.
Miss you? I forgot you were even in the picture.
The thought flashed through my mind before I could even stop it. I squeezed Mochi tighter against my chest. The fuzzy grey cub let out a tiny, confused squeak at the sudden pressure. I stroked her soft head to quiet her down.
Theron didn’t care at all. My baby boy stayed fast asleep. His shiny silver snake body remained perfectly wrapped around my wrist. His cool scales felt exactly like a piece of jewellery against my warm skin.
I looked right past the settling dust in the yard. The morning sun shined brightly, casting long shadows across the green grass. I looked up at the giant white wolf.
"Hi, big bad wolf," I said casually. "You’re back so soon?"
Axel threw his head back and laughed. It was a deep, highly arrogant chuckle that rolled across the quiet yard. He didn’t look offended by my attitude at all. He actually looked thrilled that I was talking to him. He took a step forward. His thick winter boots crunched loudly on the dry dirt. He stopped just a few feet away from me.
His icy blue eyes slowly dropped. He stared directly at my stomach. The soft yellow cotton dress hid the tiny bump, but his wild predator instincts picked up on the biological change. His nostrils flared as he took a deep breath of fresh air.
He opened his mouth to speak. He didn’t get the chance.
Drax stepped right up beside him. The Dragon King looked miserable. His dark clothes were messy, covered in road dust and soot. He looked like he hadn’t slept a single hour in an entire week. His face was pale and exhausted.
"You’re pregnant again," Drax stated bluntly. His voice was incredibly rough.
A hot rush of blood rushed straight to my cheeks. My face flushed a bright, angry pink. My long silver rabbit ears twitched nervously atop my head. I didn’t want these two giant, terrifying men staring at my stomach. My body felt incredibly vulnerable right now.
The wooden door of the cabin violently slammed open. The loud bang echoed right through the pine trees.
Knox didn’t walk out nicely. The giant Southern panther practically exploded onto the front porch. He cleared the wooden stairs in one single jump. He landed right in front of me with a deafening thud. The ground actually shook beneath his boots. His broad, muscular shoulders blocked my view of the two Northern kings.
Knox extended his sharp claws instantly. He lowered his head, ready for a bloody fight. A deep, highly lethal growl ripped straight out of his throat.
"What’s the Dragon King doing here?" Knox demanded loudly.
Drax glowered right back at him. The Dragon King didn’t look scared of the angry panther at all. His dark eyes flashed with pure, terrifying power. The air around us suddenly felt incredibly. It felt exactly like a thick storm cloud was pressing down on my lungs. It was hard to breathe.
Knox actually took a half step backwards. His dark skin paled just a tiny bit. The giant panther was fearless. He loved fighting. But this was the ruler of the entire Beastworld. Knox knew exactly who Drax was.
He saw the Dragon King fight multiple times in the past. Having him standing right in our front yard gave Knox a very bad, dark premonition. Knox kept his thick arms stretched out wide to keep me safe.
Drax didn’t attack. He just reached his large hand up and rubbed his tired face. He let out a very long, miserable sigh. The suffocating pressure in the air vanished.
"Unfortunately, I’m late, aren’t I?" Drax asked quietly. He ignored Knox’s angry stance. He looked right over the panther’s broad shoulder to meet my eyes directly. "Of all the times to be mated to you, Ruella, it’s when you have three mates, making me the fourth one."
Drax smiled. It wasn’t a happy smile at all. It was incredibly painful. It looked exactly like his heart was literally breaking right inside his large chest.
My pink eyes darkened instantly.
The entire world stopped spinning. I stopped breathing. He just called me Ruella. Nobody in this entire wild world knew my full human name. They only knew me as the little silver rabbit. They only knew me as Rue. My heart hammered violently against my ribs.
This beast king knew my full name? I thought frantically. Has he seen the owner of this body before?
A bright blue screen popped up right over Knox’s shoulder. The glowing digital text floated perfectly in the morning air, highly visible against the dark green trees.
[Historical Context Retrieved. Target Drax encountered the original host body many years ago. You sang a song outside his dark mountain cave. When he finally came out to check on you, you were nowhere to be found. He only saw a flash of your silver hair and pale white skin. He has been haunted by your memory ever since. He only realised it was definitely you during the full moon ceremony.]
I stared directly at the blue letters. The terror in my chest slowly melted away. I actually felt a tiny bit sad for him. He spent years looking for a girl who ran away from a dark cave. Now he finally found her, and she was already deeply tied to three highly aggressive warlords. He was too late.
"Thank you," I whispered to the empty air. I was grateful for the sudden information. The glowing blue screen shattered instantly into tiny pixels and vanished.
I took a deep breath. I hugged Mochi securely against my hip. I stepped out from behind Knox’s protective hold.
Knox tried to grab my arm, panicked that I was stepping toward a threat. I gently swatted his hand away. I walked right up to the Dragon King. I didn’t feel like a terrified prey animal right now. I just felt like a tired, highly pregnant human woman who wanted to set some very clear rules.
"I’d like for you to call me Rue, from now on," I said.
My voice came out small. I tried to sound tough, but the dragon towering over me made it hard. I had to tilt my head back just to see his face.
Drax looked down at my silver hair. His dark eyes softened instantly. The painful smile on his pale lips faded into a look of , undeniable devotion. He didn’t care that I already had three other men. He didn’t care that I was pregnant with a panther cub. He just wanted to be near me.
"Anything my Queen desires," Drax promised softly.
I pressed my lips into a thin line. I felt incredibly flustered. I didn’t know how to handle this much intense attention. I looked right at Drax. Then I looked straight at Axel. The giant white wolf was still grinning proudly, enjoying the awkward tension.
"You’re siblings," I pointed out plainly. "Are you guys really okay sharing the same woman?"
Axel didn’t even hesitate for a single second. He stepped closer and looked directly into my pink eyes.
"As long as we have you, having the same mate doesn’t matter to us," Axel said confidently. His icy blue eyes were full of warmth. "We just want you to be safe and happy. That’s all that matters."
A bright red blush covered my face all over again. They were incredibly intense. They didn’t have any normal human boundaries. They just accepted this wild pack dynamic without a single complaint. They were ready to just add a fourth warlord to the family.
"Well okay," I mumbled quickly. I looked straight down at the green grass so they wouldn’t see how embarrassed I was. "I’m pregnant now, so I’m a bit edgy during this time. You can discuss all this family stuff with Caius. I don’t know anything about polygamy."
I let out a real yawn. My jaw cracked loudly in the quiet yard. The sudden emotional stress drained my remaining energy. The wild pregnancy hormones made my legs feel exactly like blocks of stone.
"I’m getting sleepy," I announced flatly. I didn’t want to stand in the yard anymore. I looked right back up at the giant dragon. I gave him a very small, polite bow. "It’s nice to meet you, my king."
Drax chuckled deeply. The rich, warm sound vibrated straight into my chest.
"Drax..." he corrected softly.
My face reddened again. I hated how easily he made me blush. I didn’t know why, but something invisible and strong drew me directly to him. His dark eyes pulled heavily at me. His warm scent wrapped around my brain. I felt safe standing right next to him, even though he was a terrifying monster.
I blamed it on my pregnancy hormones. It was definitely just the wild biology messing with my human logic. I refused to think much of it right now. I just wanted to go back inside the warm cabin, eat some hot food, and sleep for the entire afternoon.
I turned my back on the two kings. I walked straight up the wooden stairs of the porch. Knox followed closely right behind me. The panther guarded my back from the new guests.
I stepped through the front door. The warm fire from the hearth instantly chased the morning chill away from my skin. I looked down at the tiny silver snake sleeping perfectly on my wrist. Then I looked right at the giant Serpent Alpha standing calmly in the kitchen. Caius was wiping down a wooden counter. He already knew exactly what was happening outside.
I let out a very long, incredibly tired sigh.
Things are about to get a little complicated.