Baby System: My Mates Can Read my Mind?

"I think it’s better the men leave," Tanith suddenly says.

The Swamp Queen stands at the foot of the large stone bed. She rests her hands on her hips and looks around the crowded room. She sees Drax, Knox, and Caius hovering close to the mattress. They are large, dangerous predators. They take up too much space in the small area. Tanith wants a clear room to work. The scent of the broken water is sharp in the air, signaling that the real work is about to start.

Rue groans as a fresh wave of pain grips her stomach. She grips the gray sheets until her knuckles turn pale white. She hears Tanith’s suggestion and shakes her head fast.

"No," Rue gasps out, her voice tight with strain. "They stay right here. I need all of them to be here so they can see the exact pain they put me through."

Gianna stands near the open wooden door. The youngest sister pauses and blinks her dark eyes.

"Wow," Gianna mutters. She sounds very impressed by the bold demand. She claps her hands together and looks down at the two toddlers sitting near the wall. "Alright, you two. Let’s go outside and help Axel build that fort. Mama is busy right now."

Gianna gently herds Theron and Mochi out into the hallway. She gives Rue one last encouraging smile before she shuts the thick wooden door. The room feels a bit quieter without the children, but the tension remains very high.

The cabin feels different without the toddlers babbling. The focus is solely on Rue now. Tyara stands near the large wooden water bucket. The tiger princess nervously wrings out a wet cloth. She looks at the cold water splashing into the bucket, then looks back at Rue’s pale face. Tyara remembers when Iris helped Roxann deliver babies years ago. Iris knew exactly what herbs to use and how to calm the mother down.

"I really wish Sis Iris was here," Tyara whispers, chewing on her lower lip. "She’s much better with midwife duties than us two. She always knows what to do."

Tanith just shrugs her shoulders. The Swamp Queen refuses to show any fear. She walks closer to the bed and rolls up her long sleeves.

"Iris is in the North," Tanith states firmly. "We are here. We have to help as much as we can. We are a pack. We take care of our own."

Right at that moment, a bright blue light flashes in the corner of Rue’s vision. A familiar glowing screen pops up right above her knees, cutting through the dim candlelight of the bedroom.

[Ding!]

[New Mission: Birth the child without complications. Reward: Special bloodline trait to benefit the host and the newborn cub.]

Rue stares at the floating text. A special reward for her baby sounds wonderful. She knows this world is dangerous. A protective trait could keep her child safe from rival packs and wild beasts. But the word ’complications’ makes her heart race with fresh fear. Her rabbit biology is soft and fragile. Birthing a wild predator cub is a dangerous task on a normal day. She wants the reward, but she’s scared she might fail. She swipes her hand through the air, dismissing the screen before the men can notice her distraction. The blue light fades, leaving her alone with the mounting pressure in her body.

"Okay," Rue breathes out, trying to focus. "What do I do?"

"When the next contraction hits, you push," Tanith instructs calmly.

Tyara plays the dutiful nurse. The young tiger girl fetches fresh towels and brings them to the bed. She gently dabs the sweat from Rue’s forehead. Drax works right beside her. The terrifying Dragon King doesn’t care about his royal status tonight. He takes the clean white cloths from his sister and hands them to Tanith. He carries the wooden bucket closer so Tyara doesn’t have to walk as far. Drax feels a deep, helpless anger brewing in his chest. He can burn down cities and conquer mountains, but he is powerless to stop his mate’s suffering. He moves with quick, silent purpose, acting as a humble servant for her.

Knox kneels right beside Rue’s pillow. The Southern King holds her left hand in both of his scarred hands. The giant panther looks exactly like a devastated puppy. His golden eyes are wide and full of unshed tears. His lower lip actually trembles. You would never think a scarred, battle-hardened warlord could make such a sad face. But right now, seeing Rue in so much pain breaks his heart.

"I’m so sorry, sweet girl," Knox babbles, pressing her knuckles to his forehead. "I’m sorry I did this to you. I wish I could take the pain. I would take all of it if I could."

"Just hold my hand," Rue groans, her back arching.

"Squeeze my hand," Knox begs softly. He kisses her fingers over and over again. "Break my bones if you need to, little one. I’m right here."

Caius stands near the stone wall. The Serpent Alpha usually keeps a very cold, smooth exterior. Nothing rattles him. But tonight is a very different story. He wasn’t there for Theron’s birth. He missed that long night in the dark cave. He only found her after the fact, small and bloody on the dirt floor. This is his very first time watching Rue go through this raw, violent process from the beginning. He is genuinely surprised by how much pain she has to endure. The sheer force of her contractions makes him flinch. His glowing golden eyes track her every wince. His pale hands shake at his sides. He hates feeling useless. He commands ice and winter storms, but his magic can’t fix this.

The pain spikes again. It tears through Rue’s lower back like a hot knife, wrapping around her stomach in a tight, crushing band.

"Push now!" Tanith orders.

Rue bears down. She squeezes Knox’s hand with all her might. She squeezes her pink eyes shut. The pain is a sharp fire burning through her muscles. She pushes until she has no breath left in her lungs. She falls back against the pillows, gasping for air. Her silver hair sticks to her wet forehead.

"Good job," Tanith encourages. She checks Rue’s progress carefully. "Rest for a second. Get ready for the next one."

Time stretches out in the quiet cabin. Minutes turn into agonizing fractions of an hour. The room smells like sweat, clean water, and fear. The only sounds are Rue’s harsh breathing and the soft crackle of the fireplace. The wax candles burn down lower, casting dancing shadows across the ceiling.

Rue tries to be brave. She thinks about the system reward. She thinks about the tiny panther cub waiting to meet his father. She wants to be a strong mother. When the next wave of pain hits, she pushes again. She bears down, gritting her teeth until her jaw aches. She gives it all her strength.

But the baby doesn’t want to move down. Her soft rabbit body is struggling to accommodate the dense bones of a Southern panther cub. The physical mismatch makes every single push harder than the last.

An hour goes by.

The room is tense because nothing is working. The cheerful encouragement from Tanith slowly fades into worried silence. The Swamp Queen shares a very nervous look with Tyara. Tyara paces near the water bucket, wringing her hands together in distress. Drax stands as still as a statue, his dark eyes filled with dread.

Rue feels her strength draining away fast. Her arms feel like wet sand. Her head spins. The sweet grapes she ate earlier sit like cold stones in her stomach. Every muscle in her body aches with a deep, throbbing exhaustion. She feels like she is drowning in a sea of pain.

Another sharp contraction hits her stomach, peaking with a fierce, tearing sensation.

This time, Rue doesn’t push. She just cries. Hot tears spill down her flushed cheeks and soak into the gray pillows.

"I can’t," Rue sobs, shaking her head from side to side. "I’m too tired. It hurts too much."

"You have to try, Rue," Tanith says, her voice losing its calm edge. The Swamp Queen looks very worried now. "The baby needs you to push. Just one more big push."

"I can’t do it!" Rue cries harder. She lets go of Knox’s hand and covers her own face. She feels small and weak. She is just a human soul from a hospital bed in New York. She isn’t a strong magical beast. She doesn’t have the energy left to finish this.

Knox whines deep in his throat. The panther doesn’t know how to fix this. He leans his head against the mattress, his broad shoulders shaking with his own quiet tears.

The tense silence stretches. The fear in the room grows thick and suffocating.

Then, the air near the bed turns freezing cold.

Caius leaves his spot by the wall. The Serpent Alpha glides to the right side of the bed. He ignores the messy sheets. He reaches out and grabs her other hand. His cold, scaled skin sends a sharp, grounding shock through her burning fever.

He leans down until his pale face is right in front of hers. His glowing golden eyes pierce straight through her panic. He refuses to let her give up.

"Look at me, Rue."