Chapter 145: Episode 144: I also want to be your peace.
"Damn, my nipples ache..." Rue muttered under her breath.
She stood in the quiet kitchen. The floor felt cold against her bare toes. The morning sun barely peeked through the clear glass window, casting long shadows across the wooden counters. She held a small wooden spoon. She pressed it hard against the bottom of a clay cup, crushing fresh red berries.
The bright juice stained the wood pink. She poured boiling water over the mashed fruit to make a sweet tea. The warm, fragrant steam rose up and tickled her nose. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Feeding a newborn panther cub all night was hard work.
Seika had a fierce appetite. Rue’s chest felt heavy and sore. Her soft rabbit body was still recovering from the intense birth.
She turned around to grab a clean white cloth from the shelf.
Axel sat right at the large wooden dining table. The white wolf rested his strong chin on his palm. His sharp blue eyes tracked her every single move. He didn’t make a sound when he walked into the room. He moved like a ghost.
Rue jumped. She pulled her loose cotton robe tighter around her waist.
"Good morning," Rue said, letting out a long, tired breath. "How long have you been sitting there in the dark?"
"Long enough to hear you complain," Axel grinned. His voice was thick and husky with sleep. He stretched his broad, muscular arms high over his head, making his joints pop. "Good morning, Rue. You look a lot like her right now. Standing there making drinks."
Rue paused. She didn’t have to ask who he meant. She knew right away. He meant his mother. Roxy. The original owner of the baby system. The woman who birthed the triplet warlords and changed the wild Beastworld forever.
Rue always felt a strange knot in her stomach when the men brought up Roxy. She felt like a small shadow standing next to a massive legend. She didn’t like talking about the former human who did everything perfectly.
She always felt like an imposter. But today, the quiet morning air made her feel different. The fear of not measuring up faded a bit. She just gave birth to Seika. She survived. She was a mother now too. She was getting curious about the woman who walked this path before her.
She reached for a second clay cup. She scooped more crushed red berries into the bottom. She poured the hot water and stirred it very slowly, watching the water turn deep pink. She walked over to the heavy dining table. She set one warm cup down right in front of the white wolf. She pulled out a wooden chair and sat down across from him.
She held her own cup with both hands. The heat warmed her stiff fingers. She met his striking blue eyes.
"Wanna tell me about her?"
Axel looked at the steaming pink tea. He wrapped his large, scarred hands around the clay. The wolf usually drank cold water or raw blood from a fresh morning hunt. Fruit tea was way too sweet for him. But he took a long, slow sip anyway, just because she made it for him.
"She was small like you," Axel started. His voice dropped to a soft, nostalgic rumble. He stared down into the pink liquid. "She had the same bright silver hair. The only difference was that my mother was much more sassy and blunt than you. She yelled at my father all the time. She threw wooden bowls at his head when he acted stupid. She never held her tongue for anyone. She demanded respect."
Rue smiled into her cup. She pictured a tiny woman throwing a heavy bowl at a giant beast. She couldn’t imagine doing that to Drax or Knox. They were terrifying men.
"She sounds very brave," Rue said softly.
"She was fierce," Axel agreed. He lifted his head and watched Rue shift in her wooden chair.
Rue winced. She rolled her stiff shoulders. Her lower back throbbed with a dull, persistent ache from sitting in the bed for so many days.
Her muscles felt tight and restless. She stretched her neck to the right side, letting out a small, painful sigh. The aches just wouldn’t leave her alone today.
Axel noticed right away. The wolf missed nothing. He set his clay cup down on the table. He stood up from his chair.
"Stay right there," Axel instructed softly.
He walked down the dim hallway. He came back a moment later holding a beautiful wooden hairbrush. Knox carved it for her a few weeks ago from a dark oak branch. The bristles were made of soft, natural boar hair. Axel stepped right behind her chair. He gently gathered her long, messy silver hair into his large hands.
Rue let her eyes flutter shut. She didn’t protest at all. She felt too tired to argue.
Axel started brushing. He began at the very ends, working out the tiny, stubborn knots with slow, careful strokes.
He didn’t pull or yank. He was so gentle. Then he moved the brush up to her scalp. He didn’t just drag the bristles down her back. He pressed the soft brush right into the roots of her hair. He moved his hands in slow, small circles. He found a tense spot right at the base of her skull and pressed his warm thumb against it.
"Oh my god," Rue groaned loudly. Her head fell straight back against his firm stomach. "That feels so good."
Axel hit another sweet spot right behind her long rabbit ears. The heavy tension melted out of her neck like warm honey spreading over hot bread. She sighed again, leaning all her weight back into his strong frame. She was very surprised. She expected a wild, feral wolf to be rough and clumsy with a brush.
"How do you know exactly where to press?" Rue asked. Her voice turned into a lazy, happy mumble.
Axel let out a low chuckle. The sound was raspy and raky, vibrating right through his broad chest and against the back of her head.
"I pay attention," Axel murmured near her ear. "I studied the female body in-depth, Rue. I don’t just read maps and trade scrolls for my sister. I read medical texts from the old healers. I read thick books about human anatomy."
Rue opened her pink eyes. She looked up at him upside down, her silver hair spilling over his hands.
"You read medical books?" she asked.
Axel kept brushing. His hands were so steady and rhythmic. "Yes. I know how your fragile joints connect. I know where the nerves bundle up in your neck and your lower back. I know when your period comes in because your scent changes three days before it happens. I know when you have stomach issues or when your back hurts before you even say a single word. I keep track of it all. I watch your breathing patterns when you sleep."
Rue was shocked. Her mouth parted slightly. She knew Caius was smart and calculating. She knew Drax was old and wise. But Axel always acted like the arrogant, playful warrior. He played silly pranks on Knox.
He complained about boring pack meetings. She never realized he spent his free time studying her biology just to make sure she was safe and comfortable.
A warm flush spread fast across her pale cheeks. It was strange to know a man tracked her cycle and her aches, but it wasn’t creepy at all. It was deeply caring. He just wanted to keep her healthy. He wanted to understand her soft prey body. She smiled, letting him talk.
"I like taking care of you," Axel said, moving the brush smoothly down the long silver strands. "I want to be useful. I want to show you I am more than just the smart guy who reads the maps or the brute who fights the border wars."
The house was very quiet around them. The morning sun climbed higher, brightening the kitchen with warm light. Axel kept brushing her hair. He started talking again, his voice slow and soothing.
He talked to her about the Northern mountains. He shared stories he usually kept tightly guarded behind his arrogant smile. He told her about the freezing winter storms that buried the tall pine trees in deep, white snow. He described the sharp smell of the frost and the clear, bright stars over the peaks.
He told her about the first time he learned to hunt in the snow. He was just a small pup. He chased a white rabbit and fell face-first into a frozen river.
He laughed at his own memory. He told her about his sister, Iris. He explained how she used to hide in the deep ice caves when she got mad at their father, forcing Axel and Onyx to search the mountain for days.
Rue listened to every single word. She felt the cold wind of the North in his voice. She saw the icy peaks through his childhood memories. She realized he was giving her a rare piece of his soul. He was letting his heavy guard down. He was a wild, dangerous wolf offering his soft underbelly to her.
He didn’t brag about his bloody fights. He didn’t boast about his raw physical strength. He just told her about the quiet, hidden parts of his life. He wanted her to truly know him.
Rue felt her heart swell inside her chest. The sore aches in her chest and her back didn’t matter right now. She just felt safe. She felt loved by a man who took the time to study the very bones in her body.
Axel finally finished brushing her hair. The silver strands looked smooth and shiny. They cascaded over the back of the wooden chair like a waterfall of bright light. He set the wooden brush down on the dining table.
He didn’t step back. He stayed right behind her chair. He leaned down, burying his face in the soft crook of her neck. He breathed in her scent. The smell of sweet berries, warm milk, and fresh morning rain.
Axel sets the brush down and kisses the back of her neck. "I also want to be your peace... Rue."