Baby System: My Mates Can Read my Mind?

"Don’t scold them, they are just kids."

Caius closed his mouth. He was just about to tell his son and the leopard cub how much trouble they were in. He wanted to give them a strict lecture about rules and quiet time. But he stopped. He looked at Rue. She gave him a tired, pleading smile from the pillows.

He let out a soft sigh. He could never say no to her when she looked like that.

The Serpent walked closer to the bed. He kept his footsteps very quiet on the stone floor. He looked down at the two toddlers sitting on the messy gray sheets.

"You both need to let your mama sleep some more," Caius told them softly. His voice lacked its usual cold bite. He sounded calm and gentle. "She is very tired. The baby is tired too. Go back to the nursery now. Walk softly."

Theron nodded fast. The silver snake boy understood the assignment. He grabbed Mochi’s small hand. Mochi blinked her bright blue eyes and gave a quiet purr of agreement. The children willingly obeyed. They climbed down from the tall mattress with clumsy, wobbly grace. They scrambled across the woven rug. Theron looked back over his shoulder one last time, making sure his mother was safe. Rue gave him a tired wink. He smiled and hurried out the thick wooden door, leaving Caius alone with Rue.

Drax was still fast asleep behind her, snoring very softly. The Dragon King stayed anchored to her back, providing a steady wall of warmth.

Caius sat on the very edge of the mattress. He handed the cold clay cup to Rue.

"Drink," Caius instructed.

The sweet scent of crushed strawberries filled her nose. Rue took the cup with both hands. The clay felt wonderful against her warm palms. She took a long, slow sip. The cold, fruity liquid coated her dry throat. It tasted like fresh summer berries and raw honey. Caius used his ice magic to keep it perfectly chilled. She let out a soft groan of pure relief.

"This is so good," Rue whispered. "Thank you."

She drank half the cup and handed it back. She shifted her weight against Drax’s sleeping chest. She let out a sharp hiss of pain. She rubbed her lower spine with one hand, her face twisting in sudden discomfort.

"My back hurts so much," Rue complained. She frowned down at her own stomach. "It feels so weird. I still feel like I am carrying a child. My belly feels tight and full. I thought my stomach would just go flat right away. This is very uncomfortable."

Caius set the clay cup on the wooden nightstand. He reached out and rested his cool palm against her sore lower back. His freezing touch sank deep into her tired muscles. It numbed the sharp ache instantly. His magic was always so precise. He knew exactly how much cold to apply without making her shiver.

"It is normal," Caius explained softly. "Your body went through an intense trauma today. Birthing a beast cub is not a simple task for a soft rabbit frame. The physical stress pulls your muscles past their normal limits. Your bones had to shift to make room. It takes time for your insides to realize the baby is gone. Your body needs to heal. You just need to rest and let the healing herbs do their work."

Rue leaned into his cold hand. She closed her pink eyes for a brief second. She liked his calm, logical explanations. They always helped quiet her racing thoughts. He never made her feel weak for complaining. He just fixed the problem.

"Have you considered what you are going to name her?" Caius asked.

He looked down at the tiny bundle resting on Rue’s chest. The newborn baby girl looked so small. Her dark curls stood out against Rue’s pale skin.

Rue opened her eyes. She let out a soft chuckle.

"I am not good with names," Rue admitted freely. "I named your son Theron because it sounded strong. I named the leopard Mochi because she looked like a sweet treat. If I name this one, I might call her Apple or something silly like Berry. I will leave it to Knox when I finally wake up. She is his daughter. He deserves to pick. He will probably spend hours thinking about it."

Caius offered a rare, genuine smile. The corners of his mouth tilted up. "Knox will probably pick something terrifying. He will want a name that sounds like a war cry. Something that makes rival packs tremble in fear."

"I know," Rue smiled back, a soft giggle escaping her lips. "But I will just give her a cute nickname behind his back. He will act mad when he hears it, but he will secretly love it. He always acts tough, but he is just a giant softie on the inside."

She looked down at the little one. The newborn was sleeping fondly. Her tiny chest rose and fell in a steady, peaceful rhythm. Her fuzzy, round panther ears twitched every few seconds, listening to the quiet sounds of the room even in her sleep. She kept her small face tucked safely against Rue’s collarbone. She hasn’t opened her eyes yet, so we can’t see what color of eyes she has yet.

Rue wondered about those eyes. Maybe they would be bright golden, just like the Southern King. The golden eyes would look fierce on a little girl. Maybe they would be soft pink, just like her own. It was a beautiful little mystery waiting to be solved. She traced the baby’s pale cheek with her thumb. The skin felt softer than silk.

The soothing cold from Caius’s hand worked its magic on her spine. The sweet strawberry punch settled warmly in her stomach. Rue felt her eyelids growing very tired again. The adrenaline from the birth was long gone. Her body demanded rest.

She couldn’t fight the exhaustion anymore. While Rue watched the new born, she too fell asleep. Her breathing slowed down. It matched the steady rhythm of the tiny baby and the sleeping dragon behind her.

Caius stood there and watched the both of them.

He felt a strange tightness in his own chest. He was a creature of ice and logic. He spent his youth manipulating enemies and planning cold strategies in the dark. But looking at this fragile woman and her new child made him feel a profound, quiet warmth.

She was just a human soul from a distant world, yet she managed to tame the wildest hearts in this realm. She brought light into their dark corners. She made them all want to be better men. She gave them a real family.

He reached out and gently adjusted the magical heat blanket over her legs. He made sure she was perfectly warm and safe. The system blanket hummed with faint magic, keeping her temperature stable. He brushed a stray silver curl from her sleeping face, letting his cold fingers linger on her cheek for just a second.

"Sleep well, my queen," Caius murmured to the quiet room.

He turned around. He walked softly across the stone floor. He slipped out of the bedroom and pulled the thick wooden door shut with a quiet click.

He walked down the dim hallway. The stone walls felt cool. He entered the main living hall. The large fire in the hearth burned low, turning into glowing orange coals. The house was very peaceful. Axel was probably in the nursery with the toddlers, building the fort he promised them.

After a while, he went out of the room and found Knox spacing out.

The giant Southern panther sat at the large wooden dining table in the center of the hall. Knox had his broad shoulders slumped forward. He rested his scarred hands flat on the rough wood. He stared blankly at the far wall. He didn’t blink. He didn’t twitch his round ears. He just sat there, looking lost in his own mind.

Caius stopped in his tracks and frowned. He has never done that before.

Knox was always moving. He was always loud, always full of fierce energy, always ready to fight or argue about something silly. He was a force of nature. Seeing him frozen like a carved stone statue was deeply unsettling. He looked like a man who just got hit by lightning and didn’t know how to fall down.

Caius walked closer to the table. His dark boots made no sound. He leaned his hip against the wood and crossed his pale arms. He studied the panther’s blank expression.

"Why are you spacing out?"