Baby System: I'm the Beast World's Only Hope!-Chapter 244: Episode 242: Cook Together!

The Iron-Wood Manor had visibly changed since the last time she saw it.

And right now to Roxy, gasping for breath as she broke through the final line of trees, it was the most beautiful castle she had ever seen.

Better than the Pearl Wing. Better than the Coral Palace. It was home.

[WELCOME HOME, HOST!!]

The system cheered at her, as if it was not her fault she was gone for so long in the first place.

[Why are you blaming me? You were the one who followed a stranger to a cliff!"

Yea yea, I don’t want to hear it.

"Last one there eats raw boar!" Axel shouted, sprinting past her with a burst of wolf-speed.

"No fair!" Roxy laughed, clutching a stitch in her side. "You have four legs!"

She stumbled into the clearing, her bare feet hitting the packed dirt of the yard. She was a mess, her hair wild and her face streaked with dirt, the Imperial Silk dress torn at the hem.

But she was smiling so hard her cheeks hurt.

The front door of the Manor creaked open.

A small, fierce shadow appeared on the porch.

Iris.

The little wolf-girl froze. She dropped the wooden toy sword she had been holding. Her nose twitched, picking up a scent that she had only smelled in dreams for the last eight months.

Her violet eyes went wide.

"MAMA!"

Iris leaped off the porch, her tiny legs pumping furiously as she charged across the yard.

"Iris!" Roxy cried, dropping to her knees just in time to catch the cannonball of affection.

They collided in a heap of silk and fur. Iris buried her face in Roxy’s neck, inhaling deeply, her small hands gripping Roxy’s dress as if she were trying to anchor her mother to the earth.

"Mama, is it really you?!" Iris accused, sobbing into Roxy’s shoulder. "I missed you!"

"Yes it’s me, baby," Roxy wept, peppering Iris’s hair, face, and ears with frantic kisses. "I’m here. I miss you too, my little flower. I missed you every single day."

Above them, the canopy of the great oak tree that shaded the house shook violently. Leaves rained down like confetti.

Roxy looked up.

Descending from the branches with a heavy, powerful grace was a shadow that blocked out the sun.

Zarek.

He dropped to the ground, landing silently despite his size. He straightened up, his broad shoulders filling Roxy’s vision. He looked... tired. There were new lines around his eyes, and his beard was thicker, unkempt. He looked like a King who had spent every waking moment watching the horizon.

Roxy felt extremely guilty as tears gathered in her eyes again.

He stood there, frozen, staring at the woman kneeling in the dirt with his daughter. He didn’t speak. He didn’t breathe. It was as if he was afraid that if he moved, the mirage would vanish back into the ocean.

Roxy slowly stood up, hitching Iris onto her hip.

She looked at him. Her Dragon. Her first love in this wild world.

The dam broke.

"Zarek," she choked out.

Zarek moved instantly. He crossed the distance in a single stride, his arms wrapping around her and crushing her against his chest. He lifted her right off the ground, burying his face in her hair.

"Roxy," he groaned, the sound rumbling from the deepest part of his chest. "You came back."

"I told you," Roxy sobbed, clinging to his neck. "I told you I would."

Maybe because he had experienced her depart from him before, but he was the one that didn’t take this good like the others.

She pulled back just enough to see his face. His dark eyes were swimming with unshed tears.

"My big, big dragon," she whispered, cupping his rough cheek.

She kissed him.

A very deep kiss that was grounding, and filled with longing. Zarek kissed her back with a desperate hunger, his growl vibrating against her lips, claiming her, marking her, verifying that she was real and solid and his.

"Welcome home, darling," he murmured against her mouth, his forehead resting against hers.

"Mama! Too tight!" Iris squeaked from between them.

Roxy laughed, a wet, teary sound, loosening her grip slightly but refusing to let go of Zarek. "Sorry, flower. Mama just needs to hold on."

"Move over, lizard! My turn!"

A flash of red hair darted into her vision. Ren.

The Fox Beastman didn’t wait for an invitation. He wedged himself under Zarek’s arm, hugging Roxy from the side.

"You’re alive!" Ren wailed, sniffing her arm. "And you’re skinny! Did they starve you? I knew it! Fish don’t know how to cook!"

"I’m fine, Ren," Roxy managed to say, freeing a hand to ruffle his messy red hair. "I missed you, you chaotic fox."

"I kept the kitchen clean!" Ren babbled. "Mostly! And I taught the twins to skin rabbits!"

Behind Ren, a tall, silent figure approached.

Kaelen.

The Wolf Alpha stood with his hands at his sides, his eyes soft and shining. He looked at her with a devotion that made her knees weak.

"Roxy," he said simply.

Roxy reached out, pulling him into the huddle. She kissed him sweetly, savoring the steadiness of him. "Kaelen. My little wolfy!"

He leaned into her touch, closing his eyes. "The pack is whole again."

"Not quite," a sibilant voice hissed from the porch.

Roxy looked over Zarek’s shoulder.

Syris was leaning against the railing, in his arms was Tanith who was growing to be a very fine toddler.

"Syris!" Roxy called out.

He slithered down the steps, joining the group hug with a rare, genuine smile. "You took your time, little mouse. The winter was cold without you."

Roxy kissed his cheek, then looked down at Tanith.

The snake-girl had grown so much. She wasn’t a baby anymore; she was a young toddler

"Tanith," Roxy whispered, reaching out. "Look at you."

Tanith gushed babbling in baby language and Roxy giggled.

Roxy pulled her into a hug, kissing the top of her head. "I have so much to tell you guys. I have... I have gifts."

"Gifts?" Ren’s ears perked up. "Food? Weapons? Shinies?"

"Everything," Roxy beamed, looking around at her mates and children. The twins, Axel and Onyx, had finally caught their breath and were leaning against Kaelen. Torian had just walked into the clearing, dropping the massive boar carcass with a heavy thud.

"I brought pearls," Roxy announced, her voice ringing with happiness. "I brought gold. I brought weapons made of dragon-bone from the deep. And... we are going to have a feast!"

She pointed to the boar Torian had dropped.

"Fresh pork!" she cheered.

A cheer went up from the group.

"I’ll start the fire!" Ren shouted. "I’ll skin it!" Axel volunteered.

They started to move toward the house, a chaotic, happy swarm.

But Zarek walked to the large stump near the fire pit, and sat down heavily. He pulled Roxy down with him, settling her firmly on his lap. He wrapped his arms around her waist like iron bands, locking her in place.

Iris, who was still clinging to Roxy, found herself sandwiched comfortably between her parents.

"Zarek?" Roxy asked, leaning back against his broad chest. "We need to prep the food."

"No," Zarek grumbled, resting his chin on her shoulder. "I don’t want you to go anywhere."

He glared at the others.

Axel and Onyx, filled with the energy of the hunt, came bounding over. "Mama! Look! I found a beetle!"

A low, menacing growl ripped from Zarek’s throat. His eyes flashed dragon-red.

The twins skidded to a halt, their ears flattening.

"Back," Zarek warned, his voice rough. "Mine."

"Zarek!" Roxy scolded lightly, slapping his arm. "Don’t growl at the children! They just want to show me a beetle."

"They are loud," Zarek huffed, tightening his grip.

He was in full possessive mode. He had lost her twice before, he wasn’t going to let go of her for a second, not even for his own sons.

However, a moment later, Tanith approached.

The toddler walked up to Zarek’s knee and looked at Roxy with wide, vertical-slit eyes.

Zarek watched her. Instead of growling, the twin boys felt jealousy, thinking he was doing favoritism.

"Tanith?" Roxy asked softly.

Zarek grunted, shifting his leg to make space. "She is quiet. She can stay."

Tanith smiled, a toothy smile and as she got pulled into Roxy’s arm and started playing with the pearls on her dress.

Roxy’s heart melted. She stroked Tanith’s hair, looking up at the men standing around the fire pit.

Ren was holding a knife. Kaelen was holding a cleaver. Syris was holding a bag of spices. Torian was rolling up his sleeves.

They were all staring at the boar. And then at each other.

"I am cooking," Ren declared, waving the knife.

"You will burn everywhere," Torian stated flatly. "I carried the beast. I should prepare the roast."

"It requires finesse," Syris hissed. "Snake venom tenderizes the meat perfectly."

"Absolutely not," Kaelen interjected. "We are not poisoning the welcome feast. I will grill it. Simple. Hearty."

"Simple is boring!" Ren argued. "She’s a Queen! She needs flavor! I have truffle oil!"

"I paid for that oil," Torian reminded him. "Therefore, I should dictate its use."

They stood there, four powerful Alpha males, bickering over marinade and cooking temperatures while the dead boar lay ignored in the dirt.

Roxy watched them from her perch on Zarek’s lap. She felt the warmth of the dragon behind her, the weight of Iris in her arms, and the soft breathing of Tanith on her left thigh.

She threw her head back and laughed. It was the sound of pure, unadulterated relief.

"You guys are ridiculous," she gasped.

The men stopped arguing and looked at her. They looked at her glowing face, her happy tears, the way she fit perfectly back into the puzzle of their lives.

"We just want it to be perfect," Kaelen said softly.

Roxy smiled, a wicked glint entering her eyes. She patted her stomach, which was rumbling loudly.

"You want it to be perfect?" she asked.

She swept her arm out, encompassing the entire group.

"Why don’t you all cook," Roxy declared, her voice ringing with the authority of the Matriarch of the Iron-Wood. "And I will eat them all? After all, we are a large family!"