Baby System: My Mates Can Read my Mind?

Rue stared at the tiny gray furball eating a piece of lettuce too aggressively.

The snow leopard cub held the green leaf down with both of her fuzzy white paws. She ripped tiny chunks off the edges with her sharp baby teeth. She growled the time she chewed. She sounded exactly like a tiny, vibrating engine.

Rue sat on the large stone bed in the middle of Caius’s cave. The deep swamp outside was quiet. The green candles burned softly on the stone shelves, filling the dark room with the familiar scent of pine and herbs. It was incredibly warm.

She pulled her thick winter cloak off her shoulders and let it drop onto the mattress. She was finally home.

Right across the room, the three most dangerous men in the Beastworld stood around the wooden table.

They were having a conversation. It was a very strange, terribly calm conversation. Nobody was yelling. Nobody was throwing punches or breaking the stone furniture. Knox and Caius stood shoulder to shoulder, presenting a united front. Axel stood on the opposite side of the table, his arms crossed over his broad chest.

"You need to understand something right now," Knox said. The giant panther kept his voice very low and steady. "Little Rue isn’t ready to have another mate just yet. We just got her back. She is tired."

"I am not little!" Rue shouted dramatically from the back of the room.

Knox didn’t even turn his head. Caius didn’t blink. They ignored her outburst and kept staring directly at Axel.

Caius nodded slowly. His golden eyes locked onto the white-haired wolf. "She needs peace. She does not need a Northern warlord crowding her space and demanding her attention. You are a guest in my swamp."

Rue stopped watching the cub. She looked up at the three giant men.

"She is very fragile," Knox continued smoothly, acting like Rue hadn’t spoken at all. "She gets cold fast. She gets scared easily. You can’t just follow her around and expect her to accept you."

Rue let out a loud, frustrated huff. Her long rabbit ears flattened right against her silver hair. She hated when they talked about her like she was a delicate piece of glass. She was a grown woman.

She crossed her arms and pouted. She gave up on joining the conversation. She reached down and scooped little Theron into her lap instead. The baby boy giggled and grabbed a handful of her silver hair.

At the table, Axel held his ground. He didn’t look intimidated by the two swamp predators. He just looked highly stubborn.

"I am her mate," Axel said quietly. "The bond is already recognized. I am not leaving her behind."

"You will leave if she tells you to leave," Caius replied. His voice was soft, but it carried a deadly edge. "You will sleep near the cave entrance. You will not crowd her. You will prove you are actually useful, or you will go back to the snow. Your staying here depends on her comfort and your abilities. Do we have an agreement?"

Axel looked at Caius. He looked at Knox. Then his icy blue eyes flicked across the cave and landed directly on Rue.

He saw her sitting in the soft furs. She was safe, warm, and beautiful. He watched her gently pry Theron’s chubby fingers out of her hair.

"We have an agreement," Axel finally said.

The tension in the stone room slowly started to fade. The immediate threat of a bloody fight vanished. Knox uncrossed his massive arms and let out a long breath. Caius turned his back on the wolf and walked over to the stone hearth to check the fire.

The cave actually became peaceful. The quiet domestic life settled back into place.

Knox walked over to the stone bed and sat down right next to Rue. The mattress dipped heavily under his massive weight. He reached out and poked the tiny gray cub with one large finger.

The snow leopard stopped chewing her lettuce. She hissed at Knox and tried to bite his fingernail.

"Feisty," Knox grumbled. He pulled his hand back. "We need to call it something if it stays in our house. We can’t just keep calling it the cat thing."

Rue nodded. She rubbed the cub’s soft ears until the tiny animal stopped hissing and went back to eating. "You are right. She needs a proper name."

Knox grinned widely. He leaned forward, looking highly excited. "I have some great ideas. How about Fang? Or Bloodripper? Bonecrusher is a very strong name for a predator. It commands respect."

Rue stared at him blankly. Her nose twitched in pure disbelief.

"She is the size of a potato, Knox," Rue said softly. "I am not calling a baby animal Bonecrusher. She would get a complex."

Knox frowned. He looked deeply offended. He thought Bonecrusher was a fantastic name. He crossed his arms and muttered something under his breath about how nobody respected good panther traditions anymore.

Caius walked over from the hearth. He held a small wooden cup of fresh water. He handed it gently to Rue before looking down at the gray cub.

"She needs a title that reflects her origins," Caius said smoothly. He always liked things to sound elegant and organized. "She is a creature of the cold. We should call her Lady Snow of the Southern Peaks. Or perhaps Guardian of the Frost."

Rue took a slow sip of her water. She looked up at the serpent beastman.

"Caius," Rue said patiently. "That is way too long. I can’t yell Guardian of the Frost every single time she steals my socks."

Caius tilted his head slightly. He clearly thought his suggestions were highly logical and appropriate. He didn’t argue, though. He just gently touched Rue’s shoulder and waited for her to decide.

Rue looked down at the tiny, round furball. The cub finished her lettuce and curled up into a perfect, fuzzy circle on the blanket. She looked incredibly soft and squishy.

"Mochi," Rue said quietly.

Knox blinked. "What is a mochi?"

"It’s a sweet, squishy treat from my old world," Rue explained. She reached down and poked the cub’s round belly. "It fits her perfectly. She is small, round, and squishy. Her name is Mochi."

Theron clapped his chubby hands together. "Mo-mo!" the baby boy babbled happily. He agreed with his mother’s choice.

The cub opened one blue eye, let out a soft purr, and went right to sleep.

"Mochi," Knox repeated slowly. He sounded out the word like it was a foreign language. He sighed heavily. "Fine. It isn’t a warrior’s name, but I guess it fits her."

Caius just nodded. He didn’t care what the animal was called as long as Rue was happy.

Rue smiled. She leaned her head against Knox’s warm shoulder and let out a content sigh. This was nice. She missed this easy, quiet banter. She loved her little family.

But the relaxed vibe didn’t last very long.

Rue glanced toward the front of the cave. Axel was still standing still by the wooden table. He looked out of place. He was a giant, terrifying warlord surrounded by domestic softness. He watched Knox and Caius sit closely with her on the bed. His jaw was clenched tight. His icy eyes tracked every single casual touch.

His presence ruined the peaceful atmosphere. He was like a dark storm cloud trapped inside a warm living room.

Rue shifted uncomfortably. Her ears drooped a little. She didn’t know how to handle the silent, brooding wolf. He refused to leave her side, but he clearly had absolutely no idea how to fit into her life.

She opened her mouth to ask him if he wanted to sit down.

Before she could speak, a bird flew right through the window,

It was a large parrot. It flapped its wings silently, crossed the room in a second, and landed directly on Axel’s broad shoulder.

Axel jumped slightly in surprise. The blue parrot turned its head. It looked right into Axel’s face.

It opened its glowing beak.

When it spoke, it didn’t squawk. It sounded exactly like a highly annoyed young woman.

"Axel, return right this instant and leave little Rue alone!"