Baby System: I'm the Beast World's Only Hope!-Chapter 281: Episode 279: A Craving

Roxy’s voice was softer than silk, her violet eyes wide, shimmering, and completely devastating. She tilted her chin up just a fraction, the absolute picture of a fragile, exhausted, entirely adorable Queen.

Zarek was completely, utterly powerless.

He melted. A deep, defeated groan vibrated in his chest. He squeezed his eyes shut, cursing his own catastrophic weakness when it came to his mate, before leaning down to press a hard, bruising kiss to her pouty lower lip.

"You fight dirty, Roxann," Zarek grumbled roughly against her mouth. He pulled back, his eyes blazing with a mixture of immense irritation and profound devotion. "Fine. But the Tiger doesn’t leave this room. If she lifts anything heavier than a pillow, Torian, I will roast you on a spit."

Torian simply grunted, waving a massive, dismissive hand as if swatting away a fly.

With one last lingering look at Roxy, Zarek tore himself away from the bed and stomped out of the master bedroom, his heavy boots thudding against the floorboards as he headed downstairs.

After he had told them of Roxy’s plan, the living transformed immediately into a massive relief center.

The kitchen was blazing hot, filled with the rich, mouth-watering aroma of simmering chicken, roasted garlic, and savory spices. Kaelen, the undisputed master of the Manor’s hearth, had his sleeves rolled up to his biceps. The Wolf Alpha was in his absolute element, barking out orders with the precise, military efficiency of a general directing his troops.

"More water in the second cauldron!" Kaelen shouted over the din, wiping a smudge of flour from his forehead. "The broth needs to be thick enough to hold the rice, but liquid enough to mask the abyssal ink! Where is my firewood?"

"I don’t need firewood, Wolf," Zarek grumbled as he strode into the kitchen.

The Dragon Alpha marched directly over to the massive, iron cauldrons that had been hauled in from the outdoor roasting pits. He held his bare hands beneath the heavy iron bottoms, his palms glowing white-hot.

A localized, perfectly controlled stream of fire erupted from his skin, instantly bringing the massive vats of broth to a rapid, rolling boil.

Syris slithered while he held a large glass dropper, carefully measuring the exact, perfect ratio of Kraken venom, abyssal ink, and Torian’s blood into the bubbling chicken broth.

"Keep the heat steady, Zarek," Syris commanded, his green eyes narrowed behind the steam. "If the temperature fluctuates, the venom proteins will denature. Stir it, Kaelen. Deep, circular motions."

Zarek growled, he hated being told what to do.

The scale of the operation meant it was an all-hands-on-deck situation.

Even the children had been drafted into the war effort, and they were taking their jobs incredibly seriously.

"Incoming!" Drax announced. The teenage dragon-shifter marched into the kitchen with his massive wings tucked tight. He was carrying three hundred-pound sacks of raw grain rice stacked effortlessly over his broad shoulders.

He dumped them gently near Kaelen’s prep station, his chest puffing out proudly at his own strength.

Over by the massive stone sinks, chaos reigned. Axel and Onyx were up to their elbows in cold water. Their fluffy wolf tails were wagging so hard their entire lower bodies shook, splashing water all over the floorboards. Their vital mission was to wash the massive, waterproof green leaves that Kaelen used to wrap travel rations.

"You missed a spot, Onyx!" Axel barked, scrubbing a leaf furiously.

"Did not! You’re just splashing me!" Onyx yipped back, tossing a handful of water at his twin.

"Boys, focus!" Iris scolded them from the drying rack. The little wolf-girl was standing on her tiptoes, her black ears perked in deep concentration. She took the clean, wet leaves from her brothers, shook them off, and stacked them into perfectly neat, uniform piles on the wooden counter, ready for packaging.

And right in the center of the kitchen, moving faster than the eye could track, was Ren.

The Fox Beastman was a blur of red hair and flashing steel. He had abandoned his usual illusion magic in favor of pure, physical agility.

Wielding dual hunting daggers, Ren was chopping mountains of carrots, celery, and cooked chicken breasts at a blinding speed. The diced ingredients piled up perfectly on his cutting boards, ready to be swept into the boiling vats.

Roxy had taught them well.

"This is actually quite brilliant," Ren commented cheerfully, tossing a piece of cooked chicken over his shoulder into Kaelen’s waiting pot without even looking. "The Southern Tribes are so paranoid right now, they would stab anyone who offered them a medicinal potion. But drop a hot, wrapped meal of chicken and rice from the sky? They’ll inhale the cure before they even realize what it is."

"That is exactly why she is our Queen," Kaelen agreed, his golden eyes shining with immense pride as he stirred the massive vat. "Now keep chopping, Fox. We have thousands of portions to package before nightfall."

It was a beautiful, chaotic, deeply unified effort. The pack was working as one massive, flawless machine to save the Beast World. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

While the ground floor was a symphony of shouting, chopping, and boiling broth, the atmosphere in the upstairs master bathroom was the exact opposite.

It was a sanctuary of quiet, steamy tranquility.

Torian had drawn a deep, warm bath in the massive stone tub. The White Tiger, usually a terrifying, feral force of nature on the battlefield, was treating Roxy as if she were made of the thinnest, most fragile glass in existence.

Roxy sat submerged in the warm water, her eyes closed in pure, exhausted bliss, while Torian knelt behind her.

His large, heavily scarred hands were impossibly gentle. He worked a fragrant, lavender-scented soap into a rich lather, carefully massaging it into her scalp.

His thick fingers worked away the deep tension in her neck and the lingering ache at the base of her skull. He didn’t speak; he just communicated his absolute, overwhelming devotion through his touch.

After rinsing the saltwater and the stress completely from her hair, Torian wrapped her in a massive, fluffy towel. He lifted her out of the tub entirely, carrying her into the bedroom so her bare feet didn’t have to touch the cold floor.

He dried her with painstaking care, his eyes continually dropping to the flat plane of her stomach with a look of absolute, starry-eyed awe.

He couldn’t wait till her stomach started showing.

Once she was dry, Torian reached into the wardrobe. He bypassed Zarek’s heavy cotton shirts and pulled out a stunning, deep lavender silk gown that Roxy had purchased from the System shop months ago. It was incredibly soft, light as a feather, and glided over her skin like cool water. He carefully slipped it over her head, his calloused fingers grazing her shoulders to adjust the delicate straps.

"There," Torian rumbled, his deep voice thick with emotion. "Beautiful."

He scooped her up one final time and laid her gently in the very center of the massive, freshly made bed. Torian didn’t leave to sit in a chair. The Tiger Alpha climbed right into the bed beside her, his massive frame instantly surrounding her, trapping her in a cocoon of warmth and safety.

Roxy curled into his side, letting out a long, contented sigh as the exhaustion finally settled into her bones.

But Torian wasn’t done worshipping her.

He leaned down, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to her temple. Then he trailed his lips down her jawline, pressing another kiss just beneath her ear. He kissed her shoulder, the soft slope of her collarbone, and the delicate pulse point of her wrist. He was peppering her with a relentless, gentle shower of affection.

Roxy didn’t bother with it as she was too sleepy.

Finally, Torian shifted downward. He rested his cheek lightly against the lavender silk covering her stomach. He pressed a reverent, lingering kiss right over her womb.

"Thank you," Torian whispered into the silk, his voice vibrating against her skin, his dark eyes shining with an emotion so pure it made Roxy’s chest ache. "You gave me everything I ever wanted, Roxy. You gave me a future."

Roxy smiled, her fingers tangling in his stark white hair. She felt incredibly safe, incredibly loved, and incredibly tired.

But as she looked at Torian’s massive form, a sudden, very pregnant craving for ultimate comfort washed over her.

"Torian?" Roxy murmured softly, a sleepy, devious little smile playing on her lips.

The Tiger Alpha instantly popped his head up, his dark eyes wide and attentive. "Yes, my Queen? Are you hungry? Are you cold? I can—"

"No, I’m perfectly fine," Roxy interrupted, her hand sliding down to cup his rough cheek. She looked into his eyes, her request completely serious. "I want you to shift for me."

Torian blinked, utterly confused. "Shift?"

"Yes," Roxy nodded, pulling the heavy furs back slightly to make room. "I want you in your full, feral tiger form. Right now. I want to snuggle into your fur."