Chapter 122: Episode 121: I am not the One.
"I guess I am actually not prepared to deal with all this," Rue mutters under her breath.
The glowing blue screen hung in the air for a brief second before she swiped her small hand through the empty space.
The bright letters vanished into nothing. The system box faded, but the intrusive words stayed stuck in her head. Drax sat so close to her on the soft woven rug. His long, pale fingers still rested gently on her wrist.
His touch felt very warm. Just a few minutes ago, that warmth felt safe and grounding. Now, it felt like a dangerous trap.
She looked at the Dragon King’s face. His dark eyes held a deep, intense focus. He looked at her like she was the most precious treasure in the world. His gaze was reverent.
He sees the girl who sang for him in the snow, Rue thought. A sharp pain bloomed in her chest. He remembers a beautiful voice echoing through the dark mountains. He doesn’t see me.
I am not the same person.
She pulled her arm away from Drax.
Drax watched her face. A brief flicker of confusion crossed his sharp features. He felt her sudden spike of fear, but he didn’t understand why she was pulling away from his touch.
Rue scrambled up from the floor. Her knees shook as she stood. She brushed her dress down, refusing to meet his eyes again.
"Where are you going, little one?" Knox asked from his spot on the rug.
"I just need some air," Rue whispered.
She didn’t wait for an answer. She turned around and walked away from the warm hearth. She walked past the wooden dining table, keeping her head down. She felt scared. She wanted a family so badly, but she was terrified to invest too much emotion. If Drax realized she was just a fake, he would leave. The rejection would break her heart. She couldn’t survive that kind of pain.
She reached the front door, grabbed the iron latch, and pushed it open.
The evening air rushed inside. It felt crisp and cool against her flushed cheeks. Rue stepped out onto the wooden porch and pulled the door shut behind her. The loud snap of the latch felt like a clear boundary. She was outside. They were inside. She finally had space to breathe without four pairs of eyes tracking her every move.
She walked to the edge of the porch. The sun was just starting to set over the Beastworld. The sky turned a deep, bruised purple mixed with bright streaks of orange and red. The tall pine trees cast long, dark shadows across the dirt yard. The neutral neighborhood was very quiet tonight. Far off in the distance, she could hear the faint hum of the Convergence market, but here, there was only the sound of the wind rustling through the green leaves.
Rue sat down on the top wooden step. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms tightly around her legs. She rested her chin on her knees, watching a small beetle crawl across the dirt path.
The quiet evening did not stop her racing thoughts. A hot tear slipped down her cheek. She wiped it away fast with the back of her hand.
I’m being ridiculous, Rue scolded herself. I have a safe home. I have strong men who hunt for me and protect me. I should just be happy.
But emotions didn’t work like a simple switch. She felt fragile. The new pregnancy hormones made every single feeling ten times stronger. She just wanted to curl up in a small, dark hole and hide from the world until her heart stopped hurting.
She stared at the yard, tracing the grooves in the wooden step with her fingernail. She felt the cool breeze lift the ends of her silver hair.
Time passed slowly. The sky grew darker, turning a rich black dotted with pale stars. The cool wind turned a bit chilly. Rue shivered. She rubbed her hands up and down her bare arms, trying to generate some friction.
Then, the front door creaked open.
Soft, steady footsteps padded across the wooden porch boards. Rue didn’t need to turn her head to know who followed her outside. The temperature in the air dropped a few more degrees right before he sat down. A familiar, soothing chill washed over her back.
Caius.
He didn’t ask her why she was crying. He didn’t demand she explain her sudden shift in mood. He just walked over to the edge of the porch and sat down right next to her on the hard steps.
He reached out and wrapped one long, cold arm around her shoulders. He pulled her gently into his side, offering a silent anchor in the storm of her thoughts.
Rue let out a shaky breath. She uncoiled her tense muscles and leaned her weight against him.
Caius always knew exactly when she needed to hide. He understood her prey instincts better than anyone else in the cabin. When she felt overwhelmed, Knox always wanted to fix the problem with loud words and physical protection. Axel always tried to distract her with tasks and proud displays. Drax just stared at her with that intense, consuming obsession.
But Caius just gave her silence. He gave her a safe place to exist without asking for anything in return.
Rue rested her cheek against his firm chest. She closed her eyes. The cold radiating from his body pushed the lingering heat of her pregnancy fever away. Her erratic heartbeat started to slow down, matching the calm, steady rhythm of his breathing.
"You don’t have to figure everything out today," Caius murmured. His voice was low and smooth, vibrating right against her ear.
"I feel like a fraud," Rue confessed softly. Her voice cracked in the quiet night. "He looks at me like I’m a miracle. But I’m just me. I’m nothing special."
Caius tightened his arm around her. His cold fingers rubbed soothing circles onto her upper arm.
"You’re our mate," Caius stated simply. "You’re the mother of our children. That’s special. That’s enough."
Rue sniffled. She rubbed her nose against his dark shirt. His words helped. They grounded her in the present moment. She didn’t have to be a magical singer from the snowy mountains. She just had to be the girl sitting on the porch, holding his hand. She took a deep breath of the pine-scented air.
"Thank you," Rue whispered.
Caius rested his sharp chin on top of her silver hair. He kept his eyes open, scanning the dark yard for any hidden threats. He was the perfect guard. He provided a physical and emotional shield against the overwhelming demands of the growing pack inside the house.
Inside the warm cabin, the bright light from the hearth fire spilled through the glass window. The square of yellow light stretched across the porch boards, stopping right at their feet.
Caius turned his head slightly. He looked back over his shoulder, peering through the clear glass window.
Drax stood in the middle of the living room. The Dragon King didn’t look at the fire. He didn’t look at Knox playing with Theron on the rug. He stared straight through the glass, his dark eyes locked directly on Rue’s back. The raw, possessive hunger in his stare was clear even from a distance. Drax wanted to come outside. He wanted to claim his spot next to her. He wanted to pull her away from the snake and wrap her in his own heat.
Caius narrowed his glowing golden eyes. The Serpent Alpha didn’t flinch. He didn’t look away. He tightened his grip on Rue, pulling her just a fraction closer to his chest. It was a clear, undeniable claim.
Caius looks back through the window, shooting Drax a chilling glare that clearly says to back off for the night. Drax bawls his fist and goes off somewhere else.