Chapter 780: Chapter 781: They know you
Inside the birth room, the first thing that happened after the third baby cried was silence.
It was strange because the room was not truly silent. The babies were crying. Isabella was breathing hard. The fire was still burning low near the stone wall. The two experienced women were moving quickly as they cleaned what needed to be cleaned and checked Isabella’s body to make sure she was no longer in danger.
But inside Isabella’s head, everything became quiet for a few breaths.
She had given birth.
Three babies.
Two boys and one girl.
All three were alive.
She was alive too.
The thought came slowly because her body was too tired to understand joy properly at first. She felt emptied out and heavy at the same time. Her legs trembled. Her throat hurt. Her whole body felt sore and open and weak in a way she had never felt before. Even breathing felt like work.
But she was alive.
Her babies were alive.
That alone made tears slip from the corners of her eyes before she even knew she was crying.
Cyrus was still behind her. His arms were around her, but his hold was loose now because he was afraid of hurting her. His body was warm against her back, and his breath brushed against her damp hair. He had been holding her for so long that his arms were stiff, but he did not move away. He looked at her first, then at the babies, then back at her again as if he could not decide where his heart was supposed to stay.
"You did it," he whispered.
His voice was rough. It sounded like he had been the one screaming for almost two days.
Isabella wanted to answer him, but her throat hurt too much. So she only turned her face slightly toward him and gave him the smallest look she could manage.
Cyrus understood anyway.
He bent his head and kissed her temple.
The older woman looked over Isabella’s body carefully and let out a slow breath. "The bleeding is steady. She is weak, but she is not in danger now."
Those words made Cyrus close his eyes.
For one moment, all the strength left his face.
He had been holding himself together by force. He had stayed calm because Isabella needed him calm. He had given her blood, poured his power into her, held her through every scream, and kept himself from breaking because if he broke then she might feel even more afraid. But the moment the woman said Isabella was no longer in danger, something in him finally loosened.
His head lowered until his forehead rested against Isabella’s hair.
"Thank you," he breathed.
Isabella’s eyes moved toward him.
Even now, he was thanking other people.
He was so pale that he looked like he might fall over if she leaned too hard against him. His arm had bite marks all over it. Some were already closing because his body healed fast, but others were still red and wet. His lips had lost color, and his pink eyes looked tired enough that Isabella felt another ache inside her heart.
This stupid snake.
He was worried about her when he looked like he was one cold wind away from fainting.
The younger woman called softly toward the door. "Bring warm water."
One of the helpers outside slid a covered wooden bucket into the room and stepped back immediately. Nobody tried to enter without permission. The attack was still happening outside, but inside this room, everything had become focused on Isabella and the babies.
Cyrus shifted carefully and helped Isabella lie back against the furs. The two women covered her lower body first, then helped arrange cloths and warm hides around her. When it was time to clean her more properly, Cyrus was the one who did it.
He did not let the women do more than they needed to.
Isabella was too weak to be shy now, but Cyrus still treated her like she was precious. He dipped the soft cloth into the warm water, wrung it out, and wiped her skin with slow careful movements. He cleaned the sweat from her neck, her chest, her arms, and the blood from places she did not even want to think about yet. His hands never rushed. He did not look disgusted. He did not look uncomfortable. He only looked focused and gentle, as if caring for her body after birth was one of the most important things he had ever done.
The older woman watched him for a moment, then nodded slightly.
A male this careful was rare even among devoted mates.
Cyrus wrapped Isabella in clean warm fur after that. He tucked the sides around her shoulders and stomach, making sure no cold air could reach her. Only when Isabella’s body was properly covered did he allow the two women to bring the babies closer.
The three babies had been cleaned too.
They were still tiny and wrinkled from birth, and they did not look like the soft round babies Isabella had seen in old-world pictures. Their little snake bodies were dark red and shiny beneath the warm cloths. Their tiny horns sat like soft buds on their heads. Their faces were scrunched up with the anger of newborns who had just been dragged into a cold world against their will.
Anyone with eyes could see that they were not exactly beautiful yet.
They were fresh from the womb and very offended about it.
But Isabella looked at them and felt her heart nearly burst.
To her, they were the most beautiful creatures in the world.
The older woman placed the first boy close to her, then the second, then the girl. Isabella reached out with shaking fingers and touched the nearest baby’s tiny hand. His fingers curled weakly around her fingertip.
Her face crumpled.
"Oh," she whispered.
Cyrus sat beside her and watched that tiny hand hold Isabella’s finger. His eyes filled again, but he blinked before the tears could fall.
"They know you," he said softly.
