Chapter 110: Episode 109: Rue’s Changed
She expected the snake to be jealous.
Caius stood perfectly still in the wooden doorway. The bright morning sun hit his dark clothes, but he didn’t look warm at all. He looked like a very quiet, very cold statue carved out of solid ice. His bright golden eyes were locked on her flat stomach. He didn’t blink. He didn’t say a single word.
Rue stayed wrapped tightly in Knox’s arms for another long second. The giant panther was still breathing hard. His massive chest heaved up and down with pure, unfiltered happiness. He just screamed to the entire pine forest that he was going to be a father. It was a massive, life-changing moment for him. He practically vibrated with wild energy.
But Rue’s brain felt different right now.
A strange warmth flooded straight into the very centre of her chest. It wasn’t the scary, urgent heat from yesterday afternoon in the woods. It was something new and overwhelming. Her fragile rabbit body was hijacked by brand new pregnancy hormones. She didn’t feel rational. She didn’t feel like a normal, calm girl from New York anymore.
She felt needy.
Her pale skin literally ached for contact. She wanted Knox to keep holding her, but she also desperately wanted Caius to touch her right now. She didn’t want either of them standing far away. She wanted undivided attention from both of her giant mates at the exact same time. The biological urge to be surrounded by her protectors was impossible to ignore.
She wiggled her thin shoulders.
Knox loosened his tight grip immediately. He let her bare feet touch the wet, cold grass. He looked down at her with giant, happy golden eyes. His dark face was split into a massive, goofy grin.
"I need to go to Caius," Rue said softly.
Knox didn’t look hurt at all. He just nodded his big head quickly. He understood how their pack dynamics worked. He got his happy, loud moment out in the yard. Now it was the quiet snake’s turn to process the massive news.
Rue turned around. She pulled her thick woollen shawl much tighter around her thin shoulders to block the crisp morning wind. She started walking straight across the yard toward the cabin porch.
The wet green grass brushed softly against her bare toes. She kept her pink eyes locked on Caius the entire time.
The Serpent Alpha didn’t move a single muscle as she approached. His sharp face was blank. He hid his true emotions perfectly behind his dead, calculating predator stare. But Rue knew him too well now. She knew exactly how to read the tiny, hidden details. She saw the tight, hard lines around his pale mouth. She saw the way his cold hands gripped the rough wooden doorframe. His knuckles were white from the pressure.
He already had a son. Theron was a perfect, powerful little snake. Now Knox was getting a baby. Caius expected to feel left out today. He actively prepared his mind to just step back and let the loud panther take up all of her time and energy. He thought she would want space from him.
He was wrong.
Rue didn’t stop walking. She stepped right up the small wooden stairs and onto the porch. She walked directly into his personal space, leaving ly no distance between them.
Caius looked down at her flushed face. He opened his mouth to say something perfectly polite. He probably wanted to offer his formal congratulations. He probably wanted to tell her he was happy for the strength of their growing pack.
Rue didn’t let him speak a single word.
She dropped her thick woollen shawl right onto the wooden floorboards. She reached both of her small hands straight up. She grabbed the smooth fabric of his dark tunic. She pulled him down firmly by his collar, stood up on her tiptoes, and kissed him squarely on the mouth.
Caius froze.
His cold lips parted in shock. He didn’t expect this physical contact at all. He expected a quiet, careful conversation. He expected her to be tired and overwhelmed. He definitely didn’t expect his fragile little mate to aggressively demand a kiss the second she found out she was pregnant with another man’s child.
He stayed frozen for exactly one second. Then his intense snake biology took over.
His large, cold hands slammed directly onto her waist. He pulled her flush against his hard, flat chest. He kissed her back with a deep, desperate pressure. He tasted like cold, fresh water and sharp mint. He smelled like the deep, safe swamp and green candles.
Rue melted against him.
Her rabbit body loved the sharp, extreme contrast between her two mates. Knox was hot, loud, and rough. Caius was perfectly cold, quiet, and smooth. She needed both of them to survive. She needed both of them to feel whole.
She broke the deep kiss very slowly. She stayed right inside his secure arms. She rested her flushed forehead directly against his sharp, pale jawline. She let out a soft, highly pathetic whine.
It wasn’t a sad sound. It was a purely needy, demanding sound.
"Hold me," Rue demanded quietly.
Caius blinked his bright golden eyes. The deadly Serpent Alpha looked confused. He looked right past her head, staring out at the yard. He saw Knox standing in the wet grass, grinning like a massive, happy idiot. Caius looked right back down at the soft girl clinging to his neck.
"You are pregnant," Caius stated slowly. His deep voice rumbled nicely against her cheek. "You should be resting quietly in bed. Are you feeling sick?"
"No," Rue said. She squeezed her small arms even tighter around his neck. She refused to let go. "I just want you to hold me. I want you to pay attention to me right now."
She rubbed her cheek firmly against his shirt. She didn’t care if she sounded like a spoiled, whiny baby. The pregnancy hormones were running the show today. She wanted physical affection, and she wanted a massive amount of it immediately.
Caius let out a very long breath. The tight, anxious lines around his mouth vanished. The cold tension drained straight out of his broad shoulders. He finally realised she wasn’t pushing him away to make room for Knox. She was literally demanding his presence.
He loved it.
His cold hands rubbed slowly up and down her spine. He traced the delicate line of her back with his smooth thumbs. He pulled her even closer, wrapping her up in his quiet strength.
"I will always hold you," Caius promised softly. "Whatever you need. You just have to ask me."
"I want to sit down," Rue mumbled deeply into his chest. "My feet are very cold. And I want food. I want a lot of sweet things right now."
She turned her head slightly. She looked right past Caius’s broad shoulder and faced the green yard. She yelled out as loud as she could.
"Knox!" Rue called out. Her voice wasn’t scared or timid at all. It was highly demanding. "I’m hungry! I want fruit!"
Knox laughed loudly in the yard. The giant panther didn’t mind being ordered around at all. He actually loved it when she acted bossy. It meant she felt safe with him. It meant her terrified prey instincts were gone, replaced by pure comfort.
"I’m on it, little one!" Knox yelled back happily. "I’ll get ly everything we have!"
He turned around immediately. The giant, terrifying Southern warlord literally jogged toward the back storage room of the cabin to raid their fresh food supplies. He looked exactly like a very large, overly excited puppy eager to please his owner.
Rue sighed happily. She turned her face back into Caius’s chest. She closed her eyes and just listened to his steady heartbeat.
"He’s going to be so loud today," Rue complained softly. She wasn’t actually mad. She just wanted to whine a little bit more to get extra sympathy.
"He’s going to be unbearable for the next nine months," Caius agreed smoothly.
Caius ran his cold, smooth fingers right through her messy silver hair. He untangled the soft strands very gently. He ly loved this brand new side of her. He spent long weeks watching her tiptoe carefully around them. She used to flinch if they moved too fast. She used to hide her real feelings because she was terrified they would hurt her or reject her.
Now she was standing bravely on his front porch, demanding deep kisses and ordering a giant panther to fetch her sweet snacks.
She wasn’t a scared prey animal anymore. She was exactly where she belonged. She was the centre of their entire world.
Inside the quiet cabin, Theron let out a loud, happy babble. The tiny snake was finally waking up. Mochi purred loudly in response, ready to start the day. The house was filling up with noise, life, and so much love.
"My feet are still cold," Rue pointed out again. She wiggled her bare toes on the wooden floorboards just to prove her point.
She didn’t want to walk back inside by herself. She felt the sudden burst of emotional energy drain from her small body. She just wanted to lie down on the soft rugs by the warm hearth and be pampered for the rest of the day.
Caius didn’t say a single word.
He smoothly leaned down. He hooked one thick arm right behind her knees. He placed his other cold hand securely on her back.
Caius smoothly picked her up, confused but thrilled, while Knox walked back inside holding a massive pile of fresh strawberries.