Chapter 133: She sleeps with me tonight
Her shoulders slowly straightened.
The smugness returned to her face almost instantly.
Swanly walked toward her.
Selka lifted her chin.
"You cannot touch me now."
Swanly smiled.
"You are carrying a cub. Congratulations."
Selka’s smile widened.
"You are still a prisoner."
It vanished.
"You will remain restrained. You will remain guarded. You will receive proper food and medicine because your cub is innocent."
Selka’s claws flexed.
"But you are not free."
Selka’s lips curled.
"For how long?"
Swanly paused.
Selka leaned closer.
"You know better than anyone how valuable a pregnant female is now."
Swanly’s smile disappeared.
"Valuable is not the same thing as innocent."
Selka went silent.
Swanly walked away.
Raku grinned.
"I enjoyed that."
Night finally came.
The cubs were tucked into their small sleeping hollow behind a woven reed partition.
Swanly was exhausted enough to collapse where she stood.
She headed toward the place she normally shared with Kael.
A white tail slid across her path.
"She sleeps with me tonight."
Kael stopped.
"No."
Swanly closed her eyes.
Not tonight.
Please.
Soren looked at Kael.
"She is my female too."
"She sleeps with me."
"You have had every night."
Kael’s face changed.
"Had?"
Soren went still.
Kael laughed once.
There was nothing amused about it.
"You speak as though those nights were something I took from you."
His golden eyes burned.
"I slept beside my mate before you ever knew her scent."
Soren’s tail tightened.
"And now she is mine too."
"I KNOW!"
Kael’s roar struck the cave walls.
Swanly flinched.
Kael saw it.
His anger died instantly.
Horror flashed across his face.
He had frightened her.
That hurt him worse.
His claws slowly withdrew.
"I know," he repeated, quieter.
His gaze dropped.
"Every time I look at her, I know."
Swanly’s chest tightened.
"Kael..."
He looked at Soren again.
"Sleeping beside her is one of the only things that still feels the same."
Soren’s expression shifted.
Only slightly.
But the smugness disappeared.
Kael continued.
"She wakes beside me. The cubs come looking for us. For a few breaths, I can pretend nothing changed."
Swanly swallowed.
Soren’s voice lowered.
"I am not trying to erase you."
Kael laughed bitterly.
"You wrapped yourself around her in front of the entire settlement."
"She is my female."
"She was mine before you touched her."
Swanly stepped between them.
"Stop."
Neither male looked at her.
Soren’s voice cooled.
"You behave as though mating her first means she can never belong to anyone else."
Kael’s claws appeared.
"She is the mother of my cubs."
"And mine."
Kael went completely still.
The words struck exactly where Soren should not have aimed.
Swanly felt something inside her snap.
"I said STOP!"
Her shout cracked through the sleeping hollow.
Both males finally looked at her.
Her eyes were wet.
She hated that.
She wiped them angrily.
"You are both so busy deciding who I belong to that neither of you asked where I want to sleep."
Silence.
Kael’s face changed.
Soren’s tail lowered.
"I am pregnant. I am tired. I am confused. I still have not even figured out what having two mates means to me, and you are already fighting over nights like I am a blanket."
"Swanly," Kael whispered.
"No."
Her voice cracked.
"I spent all day worrying about food, shelters, infected, strangers, cubs, Selka, another pregnancy, and whatever gigantic nightmare might wake up outside tomorrow."
She rubbed her face.
"Can I have one peaceful fucking night?"
Neither male answered.
Swanly turned.
"I am sleeping with the cubs."
She walked away.
Neither followed.
She pushed through the reed partition.
Three little heads popped up instantly.
Kairo sat upright.
"Mama?"
Nilo’s eyes immediately moved to her face.
Miko’s ears dropped.
"Mama crying?"
Swanly’s mouth trembled.
"No."
Three cubs stared.
She sighed.
"A little."
Miko threw his blanket aside.
He ran so quickly he tripped over it, hit the ground, scrambled back up, and crashed straight into her.
Kairo followed.
Nilo crawled against her other side.
"Who hurt Mama?" Kairo demanded.
"No one."
Miko looked toward the entrance.
"Papa?"
"No."
"Snake?"
"No."
Kairo narrowed his eyes.
"Both?"
Swanly stared at him.
"...Go to sleep."
Kairo looked very satisfied with himself.
Nilo did not ask another question.
He simply reached up.
His tiny thumb wiped one tear from Swanly’s cheek.
"Mama tired."
Swanly’s throat closed.
Adults kept demanding answers from her.
What would she do?
Whom would she choose?
Where would she sleep?
What did the new mating mean?
The smallest people in her life were the only ones who seemed to understand that she did not have answers yet.
"Yes," she whispered.
"Mama tired."
Kairo puffed out his chest.
"Then Mama sleep."
Miko climbed directly into her lap.
"Cubs protect."
Swanly laughed through her tears.
"You three?"
Kairo nodded seriously.
"We strong."
Nilo nodded too.
"Very dangerous."
Miko showed every tiny tooth in his mouth.
"Very."
A tear slipped down Swanly’s cheek.
Miko saw it.
His little ears lowered.
Before she could wipe it away, he leaned forward and licked the tear straight from her face.
Swanly froze.
Then another tear slid down.
Miko licked that one too.
A broken laugh escaped her.
"Miko!"
He pulled back and blinked innocently.
Swanly laughed harder through the tears.
"I thought you stopped that habit?"
Miko shook his head.
"No."
"You haven’t licked me in days."
He looked deeply offended by this accusation.
"No time."
"No time?"
He cupped her cheek with both tiny hands.
"No time lick Mama tears."
Swanly’s heart nearly gave out.
"You only lick me when I’m crying now?"
Miko nodded seriously.
"Tears bad."
"And licking them fixes it?"
"Yes."
Obviously.
He leaned in and gave her cheek one more determined lick.
"There. Gone."
Swanly covered her mouth, laughing and crying at the same time.
"You disgusting little baby."
Miko smiled proudly.
"Mama happy."
That was his entire logic.
If Mama cried, remove tears.
If tears were on Mama’s face, lick them away.
Problem solved.
Swanly pulled him against her and kissed the top of his head.
"You are impossible."
Miko hugged her neck.
"Love Mama."
Her eyes burned again.
"Oh, don’t start."
Miko immediately pulled back in alarm.
"No cry!"
Swanly laughed.
"Fine. Fine."
She lay down.
Kairo immediately took her left side.
Nilo claimed the right.
Miko crawled straight onto her chest.
"Miko."
"Yes?"
"You are heavy."
"No."
"You are literally on me."
"Miko little."
"You ate four pieces of meat."
"Still little."
Kairo pulled the hide blanket over Swanly.
It covered her face.
"Kairo."
"Sorry."
He pulled it down.
Nilo carefully tucked one edge beneath her shoulder.
Miko patted Swanly’s cheek.
Once.
Twice.
Then he kissed her nose with a loud little smack.
"Mama no cry."
Swanly’s eyes burned again.
"You are going to make me cry more."
Miko panicked.
"No!"
He grabbed her face with both tiny hands.
"Stop!"
Swanly laughed.
Kairo immediately kissed one cheek.
Nilo hesitated, then kissed the other.
Miko stared.
Then kissed her forehead.
"Fixed."
Swanly pulled all three close.
Outside the partition, Kael stood silently on one side.
Soren stood on the other.
Neither dared enter.
Kael heard his sons giggling softly.
Then Swanly laughed.
His eyes closed.
Soren looked toward him.
For once, neither male challenged the other.
Inside, Miko curled beneath Swanly’s chin.
Kairo held one of her hands.
Nilo wrapped both arms around her other wrist.
Miko’s eyes were already closing when he whispered with absolute seriousness,
"Cubs guard Mama tonight."
Kairo nodded sleepily.
"Nothing get Mama."
Nilo tightened his tiny arms.
"Not even bad dreams."
Swanly closed her eyes.
For the first time that day, she felt safe.
...
Author: sighs while staring at Ironwood Basin
"Everything is too peaceful..."
Kairo: slowly turns around
"Author."
Author: "Hm?"
Kairo: points tiny finger
"No do bad thing."
Author: "I didn’t say I was going to do anything."
Nilo: narrows eyes suspiciously
"You sighed."
Author: "People are allowed to sigh!"
Miko: runs over and grabs Author’s leg
"No! Author sigh means monster come!"
Author: "That is not true."
Miko: "Last time true!"
Lumi: hides behind Kairo
"Author, leave us alone."
Author: "Wow."
Kairo: protectively spreads his tiny arms in front of everyone
"We happy now."
Author: "And?"
Kairo: "Go bother Selka."
Miko: immediately nods
"Yes! Trouble bitch!"
Author: "MIKO?!"
Miko: covers mouth
"Papa word."
Meanwhile Kael slowly turns toward the author.
Soren also looks over.
Author: "...You know what? Peace is beautiful." 😭
...
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