Chapter 113: Episode 112: Chaotic Theron
Theron thought this was the greatest game in the world.
One minute, the tiny silver snake was wrapped perfectly around Rue’s neck. He felt exactly like a cold, shiny necklace resting against her collarbone. The very next minute, his brand new serpent instincts took over his toddler brain. He realised he had a different body. He realised he could climb.
He shot off her shoulder like a tiny silver arrow. He moved fast. He slithered straight up the rough wooden wall of the cabin before anyone could even blink.
Now, he was coiled around the iron lighting hanging directly from the ceiling.
"Get down here," Knox demanded loudly.
The giant panther stood right in the middle of the room. He reached his thick arms straight up toward the ceiling. Knox was tall. He was a Beastworld predator. But the new cabin roof was built high to accommodate giant men. His thick fingers missed the cold iron metal by at least two entire feet.
Theron peeked his small, scaly head over the dark edge of the light fixture. He looked down at his frustrated father. The tiny silver snake opened his small mouth and let out a bright, happy hiss. He wiggled his shiny tail. He was having fun up there.
"He thinks you are playing a game with him," Rue said softly.
She sat flat on the soft rugs by the warm hearth. She was out of breath. Her heart beat a rapid rhythm against her ribs. The sudden pregnancy hormones made her tired all the time. She just wanted to lie flat on her back and sleep for a whole week. Instead, she had to manage a flying snake toddler who refused to listen.
Caius stood perfectly still near the wooden kitchen counter. The Serpent Alpha didn’t look panicked at all. He just looked highly annoyed. He crossed his long arms over his dark tunic.
"He is a serpent," Caius stated smoothly. His voice was calm. "He belongs in the trees. The ceiling mimics a high branch. He feels safe up there."
"He belongs exactly on the floor," Knox grumbled. He jumped up, trying to snatch the snake. He missed. He landed heavily on the floorboards. "Before he breaks the light and falls right on his head."
Mochi sat right next to Rue’s knee. The fuzzy grey snow leopard cub looked straight up at the high ceiling. She let out a tiny, confused meow. She missed her playmate. She patted Rue’s bare leg with one soft paw. She demanded that someone fix this situation right now.
"Okay," Rue sighed heavily. She pushed herself slowly up from the soft pillows. "I will get him down."
Knox immediately turned around. He held his large hands out. "No. You sit back down. You are pregnant. You should not be climbing on any furniture."
"I am not climbing the furniture," Rue said simply. She ignored the panther. She walked straight over to the quiet snake. "Caius. Lift me."
Caius didn’t argue with her at all. He never argued with her when she used that demanding, direct tone. He actually loved it when she gave him orders.
He bent his tall knees slightly. He grabbed her securely by her thin waist. He lifted her off the floor with zero effort. He settled her perfectly onto his broad shoulders. He held her legs tight against his hard chest so she wouldn’t fall backwards. His hands were perfectly cold against her warm skin. It felt nice.
Rue grabbed a firm fistful of his dark hair to balance herself.
"Walk under the light," Rue ordered.
Caius stepped smoothly across the wooden floorboards. He stopped right in the exact middle of the room.
Rue was high up now. She reached her small, bare hands straight out toward the iron fixture. Theron was exactly at her eye level. The tiny silver snake had his body wrapped tight around the dark metal. His golden slit eyes stared right at her face.
"Come here, baby," Rue coaxed softly.
She kept her voice calm. She didn’t yell at him. She didn’t reach out and grab his tail forcefully. She knew that would just make him climb higher. She just held her hands open. She rubbed her fingers together softly. She made a tiny, gentle scratching noise.
Theron tilted his small head. He recognised his mother’s voice instantly. He smelled her familiar scent.
He slowly uncoiled his shiny silver body. The cold metal clinked softly as he moved. He stretched his long neck across the space. He hovered right in the air for a single second. Then he dropped to her open palms.
His brand new scales felt smooth. They were cold. He was for such a tiny snake.
"Got him," Rue breathed out heavily. She relaxed her tense shoulders.
Theron immediately slithered right up her arm. He curled perfectly around her wrist. He looked exactly like a shiny, expensive bracelet. He buried his tiny head under her thumb and went still. He was exhausted from his climbing adventure.
Caius felt her body relax. He bent his knees again. He brought her down very carefully. He didn’t just drop her on her feet. He let her slide slowly down his chest until her toes touched the wooden floor safely. He kept one cold arm firmly around her waist to support her.
"Never do that again," Knox told the tiny snake. The giant panther poked Theron’s silver head gently with one thick finger.
Theron just slept. He didn’t care at all.
Rue let out a yawn. It cracked her jaw. Her pink eyes watered slightly.
"I am exhausted," Rue complained softly. She leaned her head against Caius’s shoulder. "I want to eat. Then I want to sleep ."
Knox walked straight into the kitchen area. He grabbed the iron pan sitting by the fire. He didn’t make them wait. He brought a wooden bowl full of hot stew directly to the low table by the hearth.
The stew smelled incredible. Thick chunks of roasted meat floated perfectly in a rich, dark broth. Soft root vegetables soaked up all the salty flavour. Knox handed her a wooden spoon.
They sat down together on the soft woven rugs.
The cabin was quiet now. The loud chaos from the ceiling rescue faded away. The only sound was the warm fire and the soft clinking of their wooden spoons.
Rue ate her food very slowly. She was hungry, but her body felt. The pregnancy hormones made her brain feel fuzzy and warm. She finished half her bowl. She set it down on the floor.
Caius took the bowl away instantly. He didn’t want her to spill anything on her clean clothes.
She curled up right on the soft rugs. She pressed her back against Knox’s hot side. She draped her tired legs over Caius’s lap. The tiny silver snake slept perfectly on her chest. Mochi crawled over and curled up right behind her knees.
She was wrapped in a pile of wild animals.
Rue stared directly at the wooden ceiling. The firelight danced warmly across the dark logs. She listened to the steady breathing of the two giant men protecting her.
She remembered her old life in New York. It was quiet. It was sterile. She never had to deal with flying toddlers. She never had to deal with giant panthers fighting over personal space. She had zero stress. She also had zero love.
She closed her eyes. A small, genuine smile pulled at her mouth.
She admitted to herself that she actually likes her messy, chaotic life here. She loved the loud noises. She loved the constant feeding. She loved being spoiled by two terrifying warlords who treated her exactly like a fragile queen. She wouldn’t trade a single second of this madness for anything else in the entire world.
She drifted off to sleep. Her pack surrounded her.
Hundreds of miles away in the freezing North, the world was different.
There was no warm fire. There was no soft laughter. There was only the brutal, screaming wind.
The Northern Kingdom sat buried under thick sheets of solid ice. The dark sky dropped snow violently onto the stone castles.
Axel stood on a snowy balcony, staring directly at the snowy plains.
The King of the North didn’t wear a coat. His thick white hair blew wildly in the freezing wind. The sharp ice crystals cut directly against his pale skin. He didn’t flinch. He didn’t even blink. He just stared straight ahead into the total darkness.
He wasn’t looking at the snow. He was looking past it. He was looking all the way south. He was looking directly toward the warm swamps.
He could still smell her. The sweet, intoxicating scent of her sudden heat was burned into his brain. He remembered the exact way she hid behind the serpent. He remembered her wide, frightened pink eyes. His chest ached violently. The mate bond pulled at his heart with brutal force. He felt empty.
Heavy boots crunched softly in the deep snow behind him.
Iris walked out onto the freezing balcony. The fierce Northern princess wrapped her thick furs tightly around her shoulders. She looked directly at her older brother. She saw the tension locking his broad shoulders. She saw the dark, miserable look covering his handsome face.
She stopped right next to him. She didn’t look south. She looked directly at his face.
"Are you sure you want to give it up?" Iris asked him.