Chapter 125: Episode 124: How Feisty.
20 days later.
Building a fortress took time they didn’t have. Drax offered that they build one close to the Ironwood Manor.
The original wooden cabin simply couldn’t hold them anymore. Axel and Knox tried to chop enough pine trees to expand the walls, but the fresh wood needed weeks to dry properly. They didn’t have weeks.
Rue’s belly grew bigger every single day. A pregnant rabbit’s body carrying a massive predator cub worked on a different timeline. So, Drax stepped in. The Dragon King didn’t ask for permission.
He just called his best builders and ordered a massive stone house erected near the Ironwood Manor. It sat in a beautiful, quiet clearing surrounded by ancient, towering trees.
Now, Rue sat in the middle of a giant circular bed in their brand new room.
The pregnancy hit the late stages hard. Twenty days felt like twenty months. Her stomach was round and tight. The pale skin stretched so far she thought she might pop like a tiny balloon. A normal human baby took nine months to grow.
A Beastworld panther cub took a fraction of that time, and her fragile prey body struggled to keep up with the violent changes.
She felt tired all the time. Her bones ached from carrying the extra weight. Her lungs felt squished. She took short, shallow breaths because the baby took up absolutely all the room inside her ribcage.
She was also constantly starving.
"I want another yellow fruit," Rue complained softly. She let her head fall back against a massive pile of grey pillows.
Drax sat on the edge of the bed. He didn’t even blink. He just turned around, picked up a fresh yellow fruit from a wooden bowl on the nightstand, and pulled out a small iron knife. He sliced the sweet skin carefully. He didn’t let her hold the knife. He didn’t even let her hold the fruit.
He was her personal shadow now.
Since the day she told him she wasn’t the magical girl from the snowy mountain, Drax changed. He stopped staring at her like a distant memory. He started treating her like exactly what she was now. A very pregnant, very tired, and very fragile girl who needed constant help.
He fed her the first slice of fruit directly from his pale fingers.
Rue chewed slowly. The sweet juice coated her tongue. She let out a happy sigh and swallowed. Drax fed her another piece. He treated her like a little baby. If she wanted to stand up, he lifted her by the waist. If she wanted to walk to the bathroom, he carried her the entire way. He absolutely refused to let her bare feet touch the cold stone floor.
"You’re spoiling me," Rue mumbled. She took a third piece of fruit from his hand. "I can still feed myself, you know."
"You need your energy to grow the cub," Drax replied quietly. His dark eyes watched her face. "I have plenty of energy to spare. I’ll feed you."
Rue didn’t argue. She honestly didn’t have the strength to argue anyway. She just leaned back and let him pamper her.
Through the large glass window across the room, she could see the b afternoon sun hitting the green grass. The Ironwood Manor grounds were beautiful. Tall ironwood trees provided thick shade. The air smelled like fresh rain and sweet flowers.
Caius stood outside near the tree line, talking quietly with Axel. The snake and the wolf were organising the new patrol routes. They wanted to make sure absolutely nothing dangerous could get within a mile of the new house.
Knox was in the main living space with the kids. She could hear the panther’s loud, booming laugh echoing through the thick stone walls. Theron was probably chasing Mochi around the new furniture.
It was a loud, chaotic family, and it was hers.
"My feet hurt," Rue whispered. She wiggled her swollen toes against the soft grey blankets.
Drax set the wooden bowl down. He moved closer, crawling onto the big circular mattress. He reached out and gently pulled the blankets away from her legs. His large hands wrapped carefully around her ankle.
His skin felt perfectly cool. The chilling touch sent a wave of relief straight up her tired leg. He used his thumbs to press firmly into her swollen arches. He rubbed her aching muscles with slow, steady pressure.
Rue let out a long breath. Her eyelids felt heavy.
"That feels amazing," she said. Her voice sounded sleepy.
"Your body is working too hard," Drax told her. He switched to her left foot, massaging the sore heel. "The panther cub is pulling a massive amount of magic from your blood. You need to rest more."
"I literally do nothing but rest," Rue pointed out. She opened one pink eye to look at him. "I sleep for twelve hours a night. I take three naps a day. If I rest any more, I’ll turn into a rock."
Drax offered a very faint smile. It didn’t reach his eyes, but it softened his sharp face. He liked her complaints. He liked her blunt honesty.
"Then turn into a rock," Drax said smoothly. "I’ll carry you everywhere."
Before Rue could answer, the wooden door to the bedroom swung open.
Knox walked in. The giant panther looked exhausted but extremely happy. He held little Theron in one massive arm. The toddler had silver snake scales covering his chubby legs today. Mochi trotted behind Knox’s boots, her tail swishing back and forth.
"We brought you a present," Knox announced loudly.
He walked over to the bed and set Theron down on the edge of the mattress. The toddler giggled and crawled as fast as he could toward Rue.
"Careful," Drax warned instantly. The Dragon King stiffened behind her, ready to catch the baby if he tripped.
"I know, I know," Knox grumbled. "He’s fine. He just wants to see his mama."
Theron reached Rue’s side. The baby boy didn’t jump on her round stomach. He seemed to understand that she was fragile now. He carefully patted her arm with his small hands. He let out a string of happy, messy babbles.
Rue smiled bly. She forgot about her aching back for a second. She reached out and stroked Theron’s messy silver hair.
"Hi, my sweet boy," Rue cooed. "Did you have fun playing with Papa Knox?"
Theron nodded his head violently. He reached into his tiny pocket and pulled out a smashed, bruised yellow flower. He held it up to her face like it was the most valuable diamond in the entire world.
"Flower!" Theron shouted proudly.
Rue’s heart melted. She took the ruined flower from his tiny fingers and held it to her chest.
"It’s beautiful," Rue told him. "Thank you so much."
Knox grinned proudly. The panther crossed his huge arms over his dark shirt. "He picked it himself. Walked into the dirt yard and yanked it out of the ground. Caius almost had a heart attack because he thought the boy grabbed a bug."
Knowing fully well Rue would kill him if anything happened to Theron.
Rue let out a genuine laugh. She pictured the cold, collected Serpent Alpha panicking over a tiny garden bug. The image made her feel warm.
Mochi hopped up onto the end of the bed. The fuzzy snow leopard cub sniffed Drax’s leg cautiously. Drax just stared at the cat with a blank expression. Mochi decided the Dragon King was too cold for a nap, so she curled up next to Rue’s swollen ankles instead.
"You guys need to let her sleep now," Drax said after a few minutes. His voice was calm but firm. "She ate her fruit. Her feet are resting. She needs quiet time."
Knox didn’t argue. He knew the pregnancy was taking a massive toll on Rue’s rabbit body. The panther stepped forward and scooped Theron back up into his arms. The toddler whined a little bit, but Knox bounced him gently to keep him quiet.
"We’ll be in the main hall," Knox said softly. He leaned over and pressed a warm kiss directly to Rue’s forehead. "Sleep well, little one. Tell me if you need absolutely anything."
"I will," Rue promised.
Knox carried the baby out of the room, shutting the wooden door securely behind him. The bedroom went quiet again. The silence wrapped around them like a thick, comfortable blanket.
Drax shifted behind her, adjusting the massive pile of pillows so they supported her lower back perfectly.
"Lean back," Drax instructed softly.
Rue followed his direction. She let her body fall back directly against his broad chest. He wrapped his arms around her sides, resting his large hands gently on top of her round stomach.
His cool touch felt so nice against her hot skin. The pregnancy fever still flared up every afternoon. The baby inside her ran extremely hot, taking after Knox’s aggressive panther biology. Having Drax close by helped balance the temperature.
"Does the heat bother you?" Rue asked quietly. She rested her head back against his shoulder.
"No," Drax answered. He rested his chin on top of her silver hair. "Nothing about you bothers me. Stop worrying about my comfort."
"I can’t help it," Rue mumbled. "I feel like a giant, sweaty burden."
Drax’s hands flexed gently against her belly. "You aren’t a burden. You’re the absolute centre of this pack. We built this entire stone house just to keep you safe. Axel spends all day hunting the best food for you. Caius patrols the borders all night so you can sleep in peace. Knox built every piece of furniture in this room with his own hands so you’d be comfortable. I’m sitting here making sure your feet don’t hurt."
He kissed the top of her head.
"You’re a queen," Drax whispered. "Act like one."
Rue closed her eyes. A tiny tear leaked out and rolled down her flushed cheek. The pregnancy hormones made her cry over absolutely everything. She felt so loved it physically hurt her chest.
She didn’t know how she got so lucky. A few months ago, she was just a lonely girl trapped in a broken body. Now, she had four incredible men obsessed with her happiness. They built a literal fortress just to give her a quiet place to give birth.
She reached down and placed her small hands on top of Drax’s large fingers.
They sat there in total silence for a long time. The afternoon sun slowly moved across the stone floor, painting b yellow squares over the woven rugs. The house stayed peaceful. The sound of Knox playing with the kids in the other room turned into a low, comforting hum.
Rue felt herself drifting off to sleep. Her breathing slowed down. Her aching muscles finally started to relax under Drax’s cold touch. She felt safe.
Then, out of absolutely nowhere, the baby moved.
It wasn’t a soft flutter. It wasn’t a gentle roll.
Rue feels a sudden, sharp kick against her ribs that steals the breath out of her lungs. She chuckles, "How feisty."