Baby System: My Mates Can Read my Mind?

Chapter 93: Episode 093: Hold the Baby

"Yeah, I miss my mates." Rue said the words plainly.

She did not try to hide the truth. She held Theron a little tighter against her chest. She really did miss them. She missed the heavy, quiet safety of Caius’s coils. She missed Knox constantly trying to feed her sweet fruit. She just wanted to go home to the people she actually knew, or rather, just the comforts of being alone.

Axel stood right in front of her in the cold stone hallway.

His icy eyes darkened instantly. The pale blue shifted into something much heavier and far more dangerous. He clearly did not like hearing about the giant panther and the deadly serpent. But he did not growl. He did not say anything negative or territorial. He kept his posture relaxed.

He just offered a very calm, perfect smile.

"Don’t worry," Axel said smoothly. "I will come with you."

Rue stared at him. Her long rabbit ears swivelled straight up in pure confusion.

"You cannot come with me," Rue told him. She tried to use basic logic. "You are the Alpha King of the North. Your kingdom needs you right now. You have to stay here."

Axel took a slow step forward. He completely ignored her logic.

"My priority right now is you," Axel stated softly. His deep voice rumbled in the quiet stone corridor. "If we are going to become a family, I should meet the others."

Rue completely froze.

Her mouth opened slightly, but no words came out. She tried to form a sentence. She tried to tell him that they were absolutely not becoming a family. She tried to tell him that she already had two mates and a baby, and she did not need a terrifying wolf joining the group.

But her brain completely short-circuited. She just stood there, entirely tongue-tied, staring at his striking black and white hair.

Ten minutes later, Rue was back inside her warm guest room.

She needed to pack for the Sunken Springs. The system gave her a mandatory quest to stabilise a rejected infant at the resort. If she wanted the warm vacation, she had to leave immediately. She walked around the giant stone bed and started pulling her thick winter dresses out of the wooden chest.

She expected to pack alone. Instead, her room was full of people.

Gianna sat heavily on the edge of the mattress. She looked exhausted, folding clothes and tossing them lazily into a large leather travel bag.

Since the mission was done, she couldn’t wait to return to the swamps.

Axel was standing right next to the wooden table. He had invited himself inside. He was too helpful. The terrifying King of the North was currently folding tiny baby blankets with absolute precision.

That made sense. She clung tightly to that logic. It was much easier than admitting he actually cared.

She walked over to the wooden chair and picked up her heavy travel cloak. The thick fur collar felt incredibly soft against her cold fingers.

Without even thinking about it, Rue lifted the cloak to her face. She firmly rubbed her chin back and forth across the soft fur.

It was a completely involuntary action. She just wanted the fabric to smell like her before she took it on a long trip. She had absolutely no idea she was doing anything strange. Her rabbit body simply needed to establish clear ownership of her space and her things.

Axel stopped folding clothes.

He turned his head and watched her. His sharp eyes tracked her every single movement. He saw the exact way she pressed her chin into the fur. A slow, highly amused smile spread across his handsome face.

He knew exactly what that specific rabbit behavior meant. She was marking her territory. She was claiming ownership of the object with the scent glands hidden under her chin. Seeing the small, fragile human girl act entirely like a wild creature was completely fascinating to him.

Rue looked up. She caught him staring directly at her.

She immediately dropped the cloak onto the chair. Her nose twitched rapidly in mild panic. Her long ears flattened entirely against her skull in deep embarrassment.

"I am just checking the fabric," Rue lied completely. Her voice was flat and totally unbothered.

Axel did not say a word. He just kept smiling that terrifying, knowing smile. He knew she was lying. He knew her body was far more honest than her mouth.

Rue turned her back to him. She completely ignored the hot blush creeping up her neck. She walked over to the stone shelves and pretended to organize a small stack of wooden toys. She needed to put as much distance between herself and the Alpha as possible.

Gianna yawned loudly on the bed. "You know, the Sunken Springs is very far away. The carriage ride will take a few days. I hope you like looking at my brother’s face, Rue. Because he never stops staring."

Rue did not answer. She just shoved a wooden block aggressively into a small pouch.

Axel ignored his sister entirely. He finished packing the last stack of baby clothes. He dusted off his large hands and walked slowly across the room. He moved with the smooth, silent grace of a natural predator.

He approached the giant stone bed.

Theron was sitting right in the middle of the thick white furs. The baby boy was completely awake. He was chewing happily on a soft leather string. He wore a tiny, warm winter tunic. His silver-white hair stuck up wildly in every direction. His big golden eyes blinked up at the ceiling. Small, iridescent scales lined his tiny shoulders, showing his unique hybrid bloodline.

Axel stopped at the edge of the mattress.

He looked down at the tiny child. He met eyes with Theron.

The room went completely quiet. The only sound was the crackling fire in the hearth.

Axel was a warlord. He commanded a massive army of violent beastmen. He tore enemies apart with his bare hands. He knew exactly how to intimidate grown men into complete submission just by looking at them.

But he didn’t know how to deal with Theron blatantly staring at him.

He stared at Theron like the child was a highly complicated puzzle. He analyzed the tiny fingers. He analyzed the golden eyes. He looked at the soft, chubby cheeks. He stood perfectly still, completely unsure of what to do next.

Theron stopped chewing on his leather string. He looked up at the giant man blocking the warm light of the fireplace.

Rue kept her back turned to them. She was still busy organizing the toys on the shelf. She trusted Axel not to hurt the child, but she did not want to watch him try to act like a father. She just wanted to finish packing and get into the carriage. She wanted to leave the freezing North behind.

Theron let out a loud, happy babble.

The baby boy did not sense any danger from the Alpha. He just saw a very tall man with highly interesting hair.

Theron leaned forward on the soft blankets. He reached his chubby little hands straight up into the air, asking to be picked up. He kicked his tiny legs and let out another demanding sound.

Axel swallowed hard. He looked over at Gianna for help. The Basilisk princess just smirked and looked away, completely refusing to save her older brother from the tiny infant.

Axel slowly reached his massive hands down. He leaned incredibly close to the baby. He moved very carefully, as if he was trying to disarm a highly dangerous trap. He did not want to break the fragile little creature.

When Axel came close enough, Theron did not wait to be picked up.

The baby reached out and grabbed a thick handful of Axel’s unusual black and white hair.

Theron yanked hard and giggled loudly.

Right across the room, Rue was still facing the stone wall. She was not even looking at them.

Suddenly, a bright blue screen flashed directly in front of her face, completely blocking her view of the wooden toys.

The system immediately exposed the Alpha.

[Target Axel heart rate: 150 BPM. He has absolutely no idea how to hold a baby.]