Interstellar Beastworld: Raising A Cub With My Mummy System!-Chapter 24: HER WATER BROKE

One of his ears twitched. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

She pressed her face into his fur, breathing deep. He smelled like frost, forest and something warm underneath, the same scent she had noticed that first night in the car. It was comforting now, familiar.

The baby kicked.

Uriel’s ear twitched again. A low rumble came from deep in his chest, not quite a growl, not quite a purr. Something in between.

Lin Yue smiled against his fur.

"Good morning." she murmured.

One golden eye cracked open and looked at her.

She waved. "Hi."

The eye closed again.The rumbling continuing.

She laughed softly and stayed where she was, wrapped in warmth and fur.

[GOOD MORNING. CURRENT STATUS: NINE MONTHS. YOU ARE NOW AT FULL TERM AND CAN DELIVER AT ANY TIME.]

She blinked at the screen. "Any time?"

[ANY TIME. TODAY. POSSIBLY WITHIN THE NEXT FEW HOURS. YOUR BODY IS READY.]

Her heart skipped.

Today had finally arrived.

It was actually happening today.

[RECOMMENDATION: ARRANGE YOUR DELIVERY BAG WHERE IT CAN BE EASILY ACCESSED. ALSO, YOU MAY WISH TO BRUSH YOUR TEETH AND WASH YOUR FACE. LABOR IS DEMANDING AND YOU WILL APPRECIATE HAVING DONE THESE THINGS BEFOREHAND.]

She stared at the screen. "You want me to brush my teeth before I give birth?"

[HYGIENE IS IMPORTANT. ALSO, IT GIVES YOU SOMETHING TO DO WHILE YOU WAIT. THE WAITING CAN BE THE HARDEST PART.]

Lin Yue wanted to argue, but MS had a point. She felt groggy, her mouth tasted strange, and her face felt sticky from sleep. A few minutes of normalcy before everything changed sounded appealing.

She tried to sit up, but the weight of Uriel’s massive body made it difficult. He was draped partially over her legs, his tail curled around her calves.

"Uriel." She pushed at his fur. "Uriel, wake up. I need to get up."

One golden eye opened. He looked at her with an expression that was surprisingly human in its irritation at being woken.

"I need to use the bathroom and brush my teeth. Your giant wolf body is in the way."

The eye closed again. He did not move.

"Uriel."

Nothing.

She pushed harder. "I am about to give birth to your child and I really need to pee. Move."

That got his attention. The massive wolf shifted, rising gracefully despite his size, and moved off the bed. He landed on the floor with a soft thump and shook himself, fur flying everywhere.

Then the shifting began. It was subtle at first, a shimmer in the air around him, his form blurring at the edges. When it cleared, Uriel stood there in his human form, still dressed in the same clothes he had worn to bed. The fabric had shifted with him, adapting seamlessly to his changed shape.

He ran a hand through his white hair, pushing it back from his face. "You should have led with the need to use the bathroom."

Lin Yue swung her legs off the bed and stood carefully. Her body felt different today.

Heavier.

More settled.

Like something had shifted into place.

"I think the baby is coming today.." she said.

Uriel straightened immediately. "Then it is best we go to the hospital now. The closer we are, the better. I will contact Physician Vethra and she will oversee your delivery." He moved toward the door. "Let me get you some food as well. You will need your energy."

She blinked at his sudden efficiency. "I was just about to brush my teeth."

"Do that first. I will arrange everything else." He paused at the door. "Eat something after. Labor can last a long time and you will need the strength."

She nodded and headed for the bathroom.

When she emerged, clean-faced and minty-breathed, she found Uriel had returned with a tray of food.

The delivery bag sat by the door, ready to go. His wrist-comm was active, messages already sent.

"Vethra is waiting at the hospital." he said. "Eat what you can, then we leave."

She sat down and ate without argument. The food was good, hearty, exactly what she needed. The baby moved inside her, active and alert.

Uriel sat across from her, watching. His expression was calm, controlled, but she could see the tension in his shoulders.

"You are nervous?" she observed between bites.

"I am prepared..."

"That is not what I asked."

He was quiet for a moment. "I do not know what to expect. I have read about childbirth. I have studied the process. But reading and experiencing are different."

She reached across the table and took his hand. He looked down at it, surprised.

"We will figure it out together," she said. "That is what you said, right? Together."

His fingers curled around hers. "Together."

She smiled and went back to eating.

Everything was happening so fast.

The maids had come in to prep her, helping her into comfortable clothes, and before she knew it her water was breaking inside Uriel’s car on the way to the hospital.

Now she was really starting to feel the contractions.

"Breathe." Uriel said, his voice tight. "Just breathe. We are almost there."

She gripped the door handle so hard her knuckles went white. "You drive faster right now or I will kill you."

He drove faster.

They met Vethra at the entrance, a team of medical staff rushing forward with a gurney. Lin Yue was transferred, rolled away through bright corridors and swinging doors, Uriel’s figure growing smaller behind her.

She heard him call out. "I will be right here."

Then the doors closed and he was gone.

---

Uriel stood in the corridor, staring at the closed doors. When a nurse approached him with a tablet.

"Your Majesty, I need you to complete the admission forms and register her in our system. If you will follow me."

He wanted to refuse.

Wanted to stay right there, rooted to the spot until he knew she was safe. But the nurse was waiting, and paperwork needed to be done, and standing here would not help her.

He followed her after a moment.

The admission office was small and sterile. He filled out form after form on the tablet, inputting information mechanically while his mind remained elsewhere.

Lin Yue’s name.

Her new Citizen ID.

Her planet of origin.

The estimated due date.

The name of the physician.

Every few seconds he looked up, expecting news. None came.

The clerk processing the forms glanced at him nervously. "Your Majesty, if you would like to wait in the family lounge, I can have someone bring you updates."