Chapter 138: Episode 137: You were here.
Mochi decides to pat the baby’s cheek.
The little leopard girl leans forward on the massive circular bed. She reaches out her chubby right hand. Her small fingers brush very gently against the newborn’s incredibly soft skin. She just wanted to touch the tiny face. She wanted to feel the warmth of her brand new little sister. The room is very quiet, and the baby looks completely peaceful sleeping deeply in the blankets.
But the newborn feels the light pressure on her pale cheek. Her natural, wild instincts immediately take over. She turns her small head very fast toward Mochi’s hand. She opens her tiny mouth and searches blindly. The newborn tries to find Mochi’s small finger to suckle. She bobs her head up and down against the thick gray sheets, desperately looking for food.
Mochi pulls her hand away very quickly. The toddler doesn’t understand what the baby wants at all. She just stares with incredibly wide blue eyes.
The baby misses the finger entirely. She grabs a mouthful of completely empty air.
That makes her very angry.
The tiny panther cub scrunches up her pale face. She squeezes her golden eyes incredibly tight. She opens her mouth extremely wide and lets out a loud, highly demanding wail. The sharp cry bounces directly off the cold stone walls of the dark bedroom. It is a very powerful sound for such a tiny girl.
Mochi jumps backward in pure terror.
The little gray girl scrambles rapidly back across the messy sheets. Her bright silver curls bounce wildly around her face. Her fuzzy leopard ears pin completely flat against her head. She thinks she did something absolutely terrible. She thinks she broke the new baby entirely.
Theron scrambles back right beside her. The silver snake boy bumps heavily into a large pillow. He stops and turns his head instantly. He glares directly at Mochi. He points a tiny, accusing finger right at the leopard girl. He blames her completely for making the little cub cry. His bright golden eyes narrow into sharp little slits.
The loud cry cuts straight through Rue’s deep, heavy sleep.
Her pink eyes snap open instantly. She doesn’t feel confused at all. She doesn’t feel disoriented by the dark room. The sharp sound of her baby crying triggers a very deep, completely natural instinct inside her tired brain. She forgets about the terrible pain radiating in her lower back. She completely forgets about the long, exhausting hours of giving birth earlier that night. She just knows her baby needs her right now.
She sits up slightly against Drax’s broad, warm chest.
"Shh, I have you," Rue whispers softly into the dark.
Her voice sounds very raspy from sleeping, but it works perfectly. She looks down at the tiny bundle resting safely in her arms. The baby girl has her tiny fists balled up completely tight. She is crying so incredibly hard her pale face is turning bright red.
Rue woke up to the crying baby and immediately thought to feed before she could notice her other children.
She knows exactly what to do. She doesn’t hesitate for a single second. She adjusts her loose nightgown quickly with slightly shaking hands. She brings the crying newborn very close to her bare chest.
The baby finds exactly what she needs. She latches on immediately.
Total silence.
The loud crying stops in a fraction of a single second. The baby takes a few fast, completely greedy gulps. Then, she settles into a slow, perfectly steady rhythm. She lets out a tiny, happy sigh directly through her small nose. Her fuzzy panther ears twitch rhythmically as she eats.
Rue lets out a huge breath of pure relief. She relaxes her tense shoulders. She leans back completely against the soft pillows and Drax’s sleeping body. The intense maternal panic fades entirely away, leaving a warm, heavy feeling right in the center of her chest. She smiles down at the feeding baby.
"You were just incredibly hungry," Rue murmurs softly, stroking the baby’s dark hair. "You have a very loud voice for such a tiny girl."
She finally looks up from the newborn.
She blinks a few times to clear her vision. She expects to see the empty, totally quiet bedroom. Instead, she sees two very scared toddlers hiding near the absolute foot of the massive bed.
Mochi and Theron look completely terrified. They sit perfectly still. They press their small backs entirely against the edge of the thick mattress. Theron still has his finger pointed directly at Mochi. Mochi has both of her tiny hands covering her mouth in pure shock.
Rue stares at them for two full seconds.
Then, she chuckles.
The soft, completely happy sound bubbles up straight from her chest. She can’t help it at all. She chuckles at Mochi’s cuteness. They look incredibly adorable sitting there like guilty little thieves. They sneaked into the room just to see the baby, and they ended up causing a total panic.
"Come here, you two," Rue says gently. She waves her free hand at them invitingly.
Mochi shakes her head violently. The little leopard girl absolutely refuses to move. She thinks Rue is going to yell at her loudly for making the baby cry. She looks down at the gray sheets, looking extremely sad and totally defeated.
"It’s okay, Mochi," Rue promises. Her voice is incredibly soft and sweet. She soothes her while the little one suckles. "You didn’t do anything wrong at all. The baby was just very hungry. She woke up because her tummy was completely empty. You didn’t hurt her. She just wanted some milk."
Mochi peeks cautiously right through her tiny fingers. She sees Rue’s bright, completely genuine smile.
The fear slowly leaves the little girl’s bright blue eyes. She lowers her hands. She crawls very carefully across the heavy blankets. She stops right next to Rue’s bent knee. She looks closely at the baby again. The tiny newborn is eating peacefully now. She isn’t crying anymore.
Mochi lets out a quiet, entirely happy purr. She rests her chin comfortably on Rue’s leg.
Theron crawls over next. He feels incredibly bad for pointing his finger and acting mean to his friend. He stops right beside Mochi. The snake boy looks up directly at his mother’s face. His golden eyes look very guilty.
Theron then continued to say, "Mama sorry."
He mumbles the words sadly. He drops his chin completely to his chest, ashamed of his behavior.
Rue’s heart melts completely. She reaches out and strokes his messy silver hair.
"There is absolutely nothing to be sorry for, my sweet boy," Rue tells him warmly. "You guys were just curious. I love that you wanted to see your new sister. You are both going to be totally amazing older siblings."
Theron looks straight up. He gives her a wide, incredibly toothy grin. The heavy guilt vanishes entirely from his small face. He pats Mochi’s shoulder with his hand, officially forgiving her for the accident.
Rue watches them interact quietly. She feels incredibly lucky. She has a beautiful, constantly growing family. Her new baby is eating perfectly. Her toddlers are totally happy. She doesn’t feel like a sick, lonely girl from a sterile hospital room anymore. She feels like a real, strong mother. She feels completely loved by absolutely everyone around her.
The large room feels very warm and totally safe. Drax sleeps silently right behind her. His broad chest rises and falls in a very steady, comforting rhythm. The wax candles on the wooden table burn very low, casting soft yellow light across the thick stone walls.
Suddenly, the heavy wooden door handle turns with a very soft click.
The door opens very slowly.
Caius came inside with some strawberry punch for her to drink.
The Serpent Alpha moves with complete, absolute silence. He doesn’t make a single sound on the hard stone floor. He wears his usual dark tunic. His bright golden eyes scan the dim room instantly, checking for any signs of danger.
He carries a large clay cup in his pale hands. The cup is entirely covered in a thin layer of white frost. Caius keeps the drink perfectly cold using his natural ice magic. A sweet, incredibly fruity smell fills the bedroom immediately. It smells exactly like fresh, crushed strawberries and sweet honey.
Caius spent the last hour in the kitchen crushing the red fruit by hand. He knew Rue would wake up feeling very thirsty. He wanted to make her a special strawberry punch to help her regain her energy quickly.
He walks quietly toward the circular bed. He looks at Rue’s face. He sees her completely awake and smiling brightly. He sees the tiny newborn eating peacefully against her chest. A rare, totally genuine smile touches his sharp features.
Then, he looks down.
He sees Theron and Mochi sitting right on the gray sheets.
Caius stops walking completely. He raises one dark eyebrow. He left the toddlers safely in the nursery with Axel and Knox. He specifically told the other men to keep the kids out of the main bedroom so Rue could rest in total peace. Yet, here they are, sitting right on her bed.
He looks at the children.
"So you guys were here..."