Chapter 131: Episode 130: Pregnancy Cramps
"Did she just say Mama?!" Rue gasps in surprise.
Mochi sat still on the soft blankets. The little leopard girl patted Rue’s nose again with one small hand. She blinked her bright blue eyes, tilting her head to the side. Her silver curls bounced around her face.
"Mama," Mochi babbled again. Her voice rang out sweet and clear in the quiet bedroom. She didn’t just mimic a sound. She looked into Rue’s pink eyes, recognising the person who fed her and kept her warm.
Rue burst out crying. She couldn’t hold back the emotion. The sudden rush of late-stage pregnancy hormones made her chest ache with pure joy. She covered her mouth with both hands and sobbed. She felt so much love for this little grey cub. Mochi shifted into her human form minutes ago, and her very first word was for Rue.
Theron sat near the top of the bed. The silver snake boy watched his mother cry. He didn’t understand happy tears at all. He saw water falling from her eyes and assumed the worst. He thought the new grey cat hurt his favourite person in the world.
The toddler stood up on his chubby legs. He frowned deeply. His golden eyes narrowed into sharp slits, showing a flash of his deadly serpent lineage. He pointed a strict, tiny finger right at the leopard girl.
"Bad cat!" Theron growled. His voice shook with real anger. He didn’t just hiss this time. He used real human words to defend his mother.
Then, his brave anger faded into pure sadness. He looked at Mochi sitting in Rue’s lap. He realised he lost his spot as the only baby getting all the attention. The fear of being replaced crushed his tiny heart. He dropped back down onto the mattress and started crying loudly. Fat, shiny tears rolled down his pale cheeks. He rubbed his eyes with his fists, letting out a pitiful wail.
Rue wiped her own wet face quickly. She ignored the dull ache pulsing in her lower back. She reached out and pulled her son close.
"Oh, come here, my sweet boy," Rue cooed softly. She tucked Theron into a warm hug against her chest. She kissed his messy silver hair over and over. "Don’t cry. Mama is right here. I’m not going anywhere."
She rocked him gently back and forth. Rue decided to soothe him cutely the best way she could remember. She started singing a very soft, simple lullaby from her old life in New York. The quiet tune floated through the stone bedroom, cutting through the tension. Theron sniffled against her dress. He rested his head near her collarbone, his loud sobs slowing down to soft hiccups. He gripped the fabric of her sleeve tight.
Mochi watched them closely. The little leopard girl flattened her fuzzy gray ears against her silver curls. She didn’t want to be a bad cat. She didn’t want her playmate to cry. The feral instincts inside her urged her to establish dominance, but the gentle magic she absorbed from Rue urged her to be kind.
Mochi crawled slowly across the sheets. She moved with careful precision. She stopped right next to Theron’s feet. She reached out and patted his ankle.
"Sorry," Mochi babbled.
Theron gasped. He lifted his head from Rue’s chest and stared at the girl in pure shock. His golden eyes went wide. He didn’t expect the feral cat to use human words. He definitely didn’t expect an apology. He looked at her suspiciously, waiting for a trick.
Mochi decided to apologise further by giving him a very sweet, bright smile. She crawled a little closer. She wrapped her short arms around his shoulders and pulled him into a tight hug. She buried her face into his neck and let out a loud, rumbling purr. The sound vibrated against his skin.
Theron was shocked that she apologised and let Mochi hug him. He even patted her back awkwardly with one hand, accepting the truce.
Watching this feels like a lethal heart attack to Rue’s heart. She couldn’t handle the cuteness. She clutched the fabric of her skirt, biting her lower lip to keep from squealing out loud.
They were still toddlers, yet they could understand each other?! They built their own tiny bond right in front of her eyes. She felt a profound sense of peace settling over her wild, chaotic life.
"You guys are going to make me cry again," Rue laughed through her remaining tears. She hugged them both at the same time, burying her face into their soft hair.
She played with them on the bed for the next hour. Knox brought over a small wooden box filled with carved blocks. The giant panther sat cross-legged on the floor, leaning his elbows on the mattress. He built a tall tower out of the wooden squares.
Mochi swished her grey tail, let out a tiny rawr, and knocked the tower down instantly. Theron giggled and tried to stack the blocks back up before the cat could ruin them again. Rue clapped her hands, cheering for both of them.
Knox carved each block by hand. They had small animals etched into the wood. Mochi liked the ones with birds. She picked up a wooden bird block and chewed on the corner. Theron tried to take it away, pointing out that blocks were for building, not eating. They communicated through serious grunts and pointed fingers. Rue watched them negotiate their new friendship.
They are growing up so fast, Rue thought. She rubbed her stomach, feeling the panther cub shift inside her. Soon, there will be three of them running around this room.
Axel sat near the edge of the bed. The white wolf tossed a small cloth ball up in the air for Mochi to catch. Every time the little girl caught the ball, Axel praised her hunting skills. Caius leaned against the wall, his golden eyes tracking his son’s every move. The Serpent Alpha made sure Theron didn’t fall off the edge of the blankets.
Drax watched them, his eyes going soft as he remembered his mother, Roxy, when she played with his younger siblings. He stood quietly in the corner of the room. He leaned his broad shoulder against the cool stone wall and let the scene wash over him.
The loud laughter bouncing off the stone walls triggered a deep memory inside his mind. He pictured Roxy sitting on a woven rug many years ago, surrounded by her children.
He remembered the exact way Roxy smiled when Tanith and Iris chased each other around the grand halls of their childhood home. He remembered her bright laugh when Axel and Onyx wrestled in the dirt outside, acting like wild pups. He remembered little Zale splashing in the water while Tyara and Fedor ran circles around them, causing endless trouble.
Roxy built a real family from a broken world. She took terrified, feral beasts and taught them how to love. She unlocked their bloodlines and gave them a future they never dreamed they could have. She was the anchor that kept the most dangerous predators grounded.
Now, Rue was doing the exact same thing. She was a fragile human soul from another world, but she held this feral pack together with a soft smile and a gentle touch. She didn’t fight with swords or fangs. She fought with pure, undeniable warmth. She made the cold Serpent Alpha care deeply. She made the violent Southern panther gentle. She made the arrogant Northern wolf stay close to home.
Drax looked at Rue’s silver hair shining in the morning sunlight. He looked at her round belly carrying the panther cub. He remembered the dark cave where he spent his youth, chained by his own mind. He remembered the first time he heard the original owner of Rue’s body singing.
But as he looked at Rue now, the memory of that old song faded. He didn’t want the ghost from his past. He wanted the blunt, fragile girl from New York. He wanted the woman who complained about her swollen feet and cried over a baby saying her name. She was real. She was right here.
A sudden, fierce desire bloomed right inside his chest. The mate bond hummed with raw power. He envisioned having his own dragon heir with her.
He pictured a tiny boy with dark hair and bright pink eyes running across the stone floor. He pictured holding a baby who possessed the raw power of a dragon and the sweet, gentle heart of a rabbit. He wanted to give her a child. He wanted to tie his bloodline to hers forever. He wanted to watch her sing lullabies to a little dragon.
The thought made his dragon blood burn hot. He took a slow breath, forcing his feral instincts to calm down. He couldn’t rush her. She already struggled to carry one predator cub. Her body took a brutal beating from the magic required to grow a beast. He just had to wait his turn. He would wait a hundred years if he had to.
The sun climbed higher in the sky outside the thick windows. The room grew warm. Caius kept the floor chilled with his ice magic, but the active playing made Rue feel overheated. The pregnancy fever flared up, making her pale skin flush. All the laughing left her throat feeling very dry. She needed a drink of fresh water.
She looked over at the clay pitcher resting on the wooden table across the room. The cool condensation dripping down the side of the clay looked very inviting. She craved the freezing liquid.
"I’ll be right back," Rue whispered to the kids. She patted Mochi’s soft ears one last time.
She placed her hands flat on the mattress to support her weight. She pushed herself up very slowly. Her legs felt stiff. The extra weight of the baby pulled her balance forward, making her feel clumsy and unbalanced. She shifted her knees toward the edge of the bed. Her breathing turned shallow. The effort required just to move her own body felt like climbing a steep mountain.
Rue tries to leave the bed to get water.
A sharp cramp makes her gasp, "Ugh..."