Chapter 117: Episode 116: It might be twins.
Gianna and Tyara immediately circled Rue.
"She has definitely changed since the last time we saw her," Gianna announced loudly. She tapped her chin with one long finger. She looked Rue up and down.
"Hmm. More voluptuous and much more enthralling," Tyara agreed smoothly. She tilted her head to the side. "Her face is glowing."
"Could it be because they are fattening her up?" Gianna asked. She poked Rue’s soft shoulder gently.
"Oh, perhaps her body has to grow to accommodate more males," Tyara whispered loudly. She sounded serious.
"Gianna, you are a genius!" Tyara clapped her hands together in total excitement. They fed off each other’s wild energy.
Tanith let out an exhausted sigh. The Queen slapped her own forehead hard with the flat palm of her hand. The loud smack echoed clearly in the quiet room.
"Stop it, both of you," Tanith scolded tiredly. She sounded exactly like a tired mother dealing with two highly energetic toddlers. "She looks like that because she is pregnant. She is expecting a little Knox."
Over by the warm kitchen hearth, Knox stood straight. The giant Southern panther raised his chin proudly. He puffed out his broad chest until his dark shirt stretched tight across his thick muscles. An arrogant grin spread across his scarred face. He wanted everyone in the room to know he was the lucky father.
But Gianna stopped walking. She stood perfectly still. She looked directly at Rue’s flat stomach. Her dark eyes narrowed sharply. She ignored the proud panther.
"I feel like it might be twins," Gianna said suddenly.
The fuzzy sleep vanished from Rue’s brain in one single second.
Her pink eyes shot wide open. Her long silver rabbit ears stood straight up on top of her head. She gripped her fluffy white pillow tight against her chest. Her heart started hammering violently against her ribs.
"TWINS?!" Rue yelled in pure shock.
She looked down at her own stomach. She expected to see a bump suddenly appear out of nowhere. Two babies? She could barely carry one hybrid toddler. The thought of carrying two giant predator cubs terrified her. But when she looked down, she didn’t just see her flat stomach. She saw exactly what she was wearing.
The thin white cotton robe was see-through in the bright morning sunlight pouring through the cabin windows. It barely covered her pale thighs. The fabric clung tightly to her skin. She stood exposed in a tiny living room full of highly dangerous warlords, a terrifying Dragon King, a Northern Wolf, and three royal sisters.
"Fuck, I am not wearing enough," Rue cursed loudly.
She turned around instantly. She ran straight back into the dark bedroom. She tripped over the edge of the woven rug. She didn’t care about being graceful. She just wanted to hide her flushed body. She grabbed the first thing she saw hanging heavily on the wooden chair near the bed.
She came walking right back out of the room ten seconds later. She was buried inside a grey fur coat. The thick winter collar swallowed her neck. The hem dragged across the wooden floorboards. She looked exactly like a tiny, very angry storm cloud wrapped in thick animal skins.
Now her eyes were adjusted to the bright light. She could see the crowded living room clearly. It was packed with giant people. The cabin felt small.
Theron didn’t care about the loud chaos at all. The tiny silver snake toddler slithered rapidly across the warm floorboards. He stopped right at her bare toes. He reached his chubby little hands straight up into the air. He demanded her attention.
Rue smiled instantly. Her panicked heartbeat slowed down. She bent her knees and scooped the little boy up into her arms. The grey coat kept them both perfectly warm. She rubbed her soft nose directly against his tiny button nose. Theron giggled brightly and wrapped his shiny silver tail around her left wrist. He felt, but she loved holding him.
She hugged him tight. Then she looked right back up at the crowded room. She glared at her mates.
"Now why is my living room full, Caius?" Rue asked plainly.
Caius stood near the front door. The terrifying Serpent Alpha was actually trying to sneak quietly out of the cabin to avoid the noisy women. He froze when she called his name out loud.
"Queen Tanith and the sisters came to laugh at King Drax," Caius answered quickly. He threw the Dragon King under the bus without a single second of hesitation. He didn’t want to get yelled at.
Rue turned her head slowly. She looked right at Drax. The giant black dragon sat frozen in the small wooden chair in the corner. His pale face was red. The terrifying ruler of the Beastworld looked miserable and embarrassed by his loud siblings.
"You will get used to them," Rue told Drax softly. She gave him a very small, sympathetic smile. She actually felt a tiny bit bad for him.
Tanith waved a friendly hand at her. The Queen looked relaxed.
"Thanks for helping Iris," Tanith said warmly. "She needed the backup in the North."
Rue chuckled softly. She patted Theron’s thick back. "I was given no choice either way. Please sit down. I will warm up something to eat for everyone. You must be starving after your long trip."
Drax immediately stood up from his small wooden chair. He looked ready to physically throw his sisters out the front door into the dirt yard.
"Don’t worry, they are leaving right now," Drax growled darkly. He pointed a thick finger straight at the open door.
Gianna and Tyara didn’t move a single inch. They ignored their angry older brother. They turned their heads and looked directly at Rue. They gave her wide, innocent puppy eyes.
"I am hungry!" the two sisters chimed together loudly. They sounded exactly like small, highly demanding children refusing to leave a fun party.
Rue chuckled again. She shook her head slowly. She liked the loud, chaotic sisters. They brought a very bright, fun energy into the quiet swamp cabin. It felt exactly like a real family gathering. She didn’t want them to leave yet.
She walked straight over to Caius. The cold snake held his long arms open immediately. She handed Theron directly to him. Caius secured the toddler perfectly against his dark tunic. He looked relieved that she wasn’t mad at him.
Rue turned away and walked straight into the small kitchen area.
Axel immediately pushed off the wooden wall. The giant white wolf grinned widely. He took a step forward, planning to follow her right into the kitchen. He wanted to help her cook. He wanted to stand close to her and smell her sweet hair.
He didn’t make it.
Drax moved fast. The Dragon King blocked Axel’s path with his broad shoulders. Drax didn’t say a single word. He just shot the wolf a lethal, pitch-black glare. Axel stopped walking instantly. The wolf raised his hands in complete mock surrender and took a slow step backwards.
Drax walked right into the kitchen behind Rue.
Rue stopped by the wooden counter. She was surprised. She didn’t expect the ruler of the Beastworld to volunteer for simple kitchen duty.
She grabbed an iron pot from the cold stove. She tried to reach the thick wooden bowls stacked high on the top wooden shelf. She couldn’t reach them at all. The fur coat made her arms clumsy and short.
Drax stepped right up behind her. He didn’t ask for permission. He just reached his long, thick arm straight over her head. He grabbed the wooden bowls easily with his hand. He set them perfectly down on the counter right in front of her.
Rue froze.
His chest pressed just barely against her back. He surrounded her small frame. He trapped her between his hard, hot body and the solid wooden counter. He smelled exactly like dark smoke, old parchment, and raw power. The warm scent washed over her sensitive nose.
She was trying very hard to avoid being close to any male today. Her body was sensitive. The wild pregnancy hormones made her needy. Whenever a strong male got close, her prey instincts screamed at her to lean directly into them.
She tried hard to fight the wild biological response. She grabbed the edge of the wooden counter tight. Her knuckles turned white. She figured she could just deal with it later when the loud sisters finally left the cabin, and she could sleep again.
She looked up at him. She didn’t mean to let her guard down. But her eyes darkened. Her pink pupils blew wide open, consuming her irises.
"Thank you, Drax...." she whispered softly.
Her voice betrayed her. It wasn’t flat. It wasn’t annoyed. It came out husky and full of raw need.
Drax heard the sudden change instantly. The Dragon King looked straight down at her flushed face. His dark eyes turned pitch black. A low, satisfied chuckle rumbled deep inside his chest.
"You are my queen," Drax replied smoothly. "There is no need for thank you."
With that, he gave her a light peck on her forehead.