Chapter 103: Episode 102: I will have you
The glowing blue bird didn’t stop there. It fluttered its magical, translucent wings and kept projecting Iris’s highly annoyed voice directly into the quiet stone cave.
"You are a King. You have an entire pack to run. Skoll just woke up, and he is terrified. He needs his Alpha right now. You can’t just abandon your people to sit in a swamp and stare at a girl who already has a family. Come back to the North. Now."
The magical parrot snapped its bright beak shut. It burst into a sudden shower of tiny blue sparks and vanished into thin air.
The cave went incredibly silent.
Little Theron clapped his chubby hands together and giggled loudly at the pretty blue sparks. Mochi didn’t even wake up. The tiny snow leopard just curled into a tighter grey ball on the bed and kept sleeping.
Rue blinked her pink eyes. She filed Iris under the clinical label of a highly effective sister.
Axel stood frozen near the wooden table. His jaw locked tight. The thick muscles in his broad neck ticked visibly under his pale skin. He looked incredibly angry. His icy blue eyes stared at the empty space where the bird just disappeared. He didn’t say a single word. He just stood there, breathing heavily through his nose.
Knox snorted. The giant panther crossed his massive arms and leaned his broad back against the cold stone wall.
"Your sister has a great point, wolf," Knox said softly. A highly satisfied grin spread across his face. "You don’t belong down here in the mud. You should go home."
Axel shot a dark, lethal glare at the panther. He looked ready to rip the wooden table in half.
But he didn’t argue. He couldn’t argue with Iris. He knew his sister was right. He was the Alpha King of the freezing North. His people needed him to lead. He built his entire kingdom on duty, strength, and survival. He couldn’t just throw all his responsibilities away because his wild animal instincts desperately wanted to stay near the small rabbit sitting on the bed.
Axel closed his eyes. He took a very slow, incredibly deep breath.
When he opened his eyes again, the raw, violent anger was gone. Only a cold, hard determination remained in his gaze.
"Fine," Axel said softly.
He turned his back on them. He walked over to the dark corner of the cave where he had dropped his winter travel bag. He started packing his gear. He moved with slow, deliberate grace. He didn’t rush his movements at all. He carefully folded his thick white furs and pushed them neatly into the large leather sack.
Rue watched him from the absolute safety of the stone bed. Her long silver ears stood straight up, tracking his every single movement.
A sudden wave of intense relief washed right over her. She didn’t want him staying here. His constant, intense staring made her incredibly nervous. She just wanted her quiet, normal life back. She wanted to eat sweet fruit and complain about her weird baby system in total peace.
A bright blue screen popped up right in front of her nose.
[Target Axel’s departure confirmed. Host stress levels are decreasing. Please remember to stay hydrated.]
"Shut up," Rue whispered under her breath.
She swiped her small hand right through the glowing blue text. The screen shattered into tiny digital pixels and vanished.
She watched Axel pull the leather straps tight on his bag. Her brain was thrilled that he was leaving. But as she watched him prepare to walk out the door, her rabbit body betrayed her relief.
Her heart started beating a little faster against her ribs. Her nose twitched rapidly, picking up the faint, clean scent of winter pine coming off his clothes. A tiny, totally illogical part of her felt a weird, sharp sting of sadness. Her wild instincts actually liked the giant white wolf. Her prey’s body recognised him as a highly powerful protector.
She forced that warm feeling deep down into a dark box in her mind and locked it tight. She labelled it as biological confusion. She was fine. She didn’t care that he was leaving.
Caius stood right next to the bed. The serpent beastman didn’t move a single muscle. His golden eyes watched Axel carefully.
You are shaking, Little Bunny. Caius’s smooth, cold voice echoed directly inside her mind.
Rue jumped slightly. She forgot he could do that. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs.
I am just cold, Rue thought back at him. She kept her face perfectly flat and unbothered.
Caius didn’t argue with her. He knew she was lying. He reached down and gently pulled a thick, warm fur blanket over her small shoulders. He didn’t point out that her ears were drooping. He just stood there, offering a quiet, steady presence.
Axel finally finished packing. He slung the leather bag over his broad shoulder.
He didn’t walk toward the dark tunnel exit.
Instead, he turned around and walked straight toward the stone bed.
He was incredibly massive. The closer he got, the more terrifying he looked. His boots made soft, rhythmic thuds against the stone floor. His striking black and white hair caught the warm green light from the aromatic candles burning on the shelves. He looked like a wild force of nature stepping right into her safe space.
Rue’s breath caught in her throat.
Her prey instincts screamed at her to move. Her long white ears flattened instantly against her silver hair. Her body reacted on its own, bypassing her logical thoughts.
She scrambled backwards on the mattress. She didn’t even plan it. She just moved incredibly fast. She scrambled right behind Caius’s tall, dark frame. She grabbed handfuls of his thick black coat and hid her face against his back.
When Rue ducked behind him, Caius didn’t hesitate for a single second.
He shifted his weight and planted his feet firmly on the ground. He blocked Axel’s path to the bed. Caius’s calm golden eyes instantly bled into a dark, highly dangerous red. A low, terrifying hiss started building deep inside his throat. He didn’t say a word. He just stared at the wolf, his entire body perfectly still, ready to strike and kill.
Knox pushed off the stone wall. The giant panther took two steps forward, his sharp claws slowly extending from his fingertips.
The entire cave felt like it was going to explode into violence.
Axel stopped walking. He stood just three feet away from the deadly serpent.
He looked over Caius’s broad shoulder. He saw Rue hiding behind the thick black coat. She peeked out at him with wide, frightened pink eyes. Her nose was twitching frantically.
Axel didn’t look angry anymore. He didn’t look ready to fight the other men. He just looked incredibly hungry.
He stared right into Rue’s eyes. He ignored the deadly hissing sound coming from Caius. He ignored the giant panther sneaking up behind him. He only cared about the small, fragile rabbit girl shivering on the bed.
He slowly reached his large hand up. Caius tensed his muscles, prepared to rip the wolf’s arm off.
But Axel didn’t try to touch Rue. He just tapped his own chest, right over his beating heart.
Axel leans down, his icy blue eyes dark. "I am leaving today. But I will have you, little rabbit. No matter what it takes."