The warm, radiant smile completely drained from Roxy’s face.
It was as if all the ambient heat in the sprawling northern gardens had been suddenly, violently sucked into a vacuum. A cold, suffocating dread pooled in the very bottom of her stomach, instantly reigniting the terror she had felt during the System’s cryptic crimson warning that morning.
She looked down at the little Basilisk. Tanith’s bright green eyes were entirely innocent.
"What do you an, sweetie?" Roxy asked, her voice trembling slightly. "What slls wrong?"
But Tanith did not answer. The toddler’s incredibly short attention span completely hijacked the devastating mont. Baby Tyara, whose striking blue eyes were tracking a glowing firefly near the velvet cushions, let out a clumsy, aggressive little squeak and batted her hands at Tanith’s dress.
Instantly distracted, Tanith giggled, her bouncing pigtails swaying as she imdiately dropped to her knees to play with the one-month-old tiger cub.
Before Roxy could gently pull Tanith back and demand an explanation, the boys arrived. Axel and Onyx bounded over the frosted grass, their matching blue eyes shining with endless, chaotic energy as they threw themselves onto the cushions, instantly turning the quiet corner into a wrestling match.
Iris joined them, her violet eyes crinkling with bright laughter as she protected Tyara and Zale from the tumbling twins.
Roxy was left entirely alone with the chilling revelation. She looked across the garden. The lanterns cast a warm, flickering glow over the Alpha Kings. Ren’s vibrant red hair stood out amongst the dark shadows. The Fox King was throwing his head back, laughing brightly at sothing Torian had said again.
His brilliant green eyes were crinkled in absolute joy.
But looking at him now, Roxy couldn’t shake it. She had a terrible, sinking feeling about this. And now, Tanith’s ancient sensory warning. Sothing was fundantally, catastrophically broken, and they were all keeping her in the dark.
A heavy shift in the grass beside her broke her spiraling thoughts.
Teenage Drax ca to sit beside her on the sprawling velvet cushions. The dragon-shifter folded his long legs, he looked at her, his own brilliant green eyes, so strikingly similar to hers and Ren’s, narrowing with quiet, stoic observation.
"Mum, are you okay?" Drax asked, his voice dropping into a deep, mature octave that sounded terrifyingly like his father’s.
Roxy physically jerked toward him, completely startled. Her first instinct was to vigorously shake her head, to grab her eldest son and demand he tell her what the family was hiding.
But she caught herself. Drax was still a drake. He was her child. What would he know?.
Instead, Roxy swallowed the heavy lump in her throat. She forced a bright, entirely unconvincing smile onto her face and nodded her head.
"I’m perfectly fine, Drax," Roxy lied softly, reaching out to gently smooth a wrinkle on his sleeve. "Just a little tired. It has been a very long day."
Drax studied her face for a mont, his green eyes calculating, before a soft, genuinely fond smile broke through his usual warlord facade.
"Mother, I wanted to speak to you about sothing," Drax murmured, his tone shifting into sothing surprisingly formal and deeply respectful.
Roxy cocked an eyebrow, grateful for the distraction from her own spiraling anxiety. She tucked a stray dark curl behind her ear. "Of course, baby. What would you want to speak about?"
Drax took a slow breath, his gaze drifting across the garden until it locked onto the towering, incredibly imposing figure of the Dragon Alpha. Zarek stood near the edge of the hot springs, his golden eyes scanning the periter with absolute, uncompromising vigilance.
"I love how Dad is," Drax started, his voice thick with profound, unadulterated awe. "He is so incredibly strong. He is so respected—feared, even—across the entire Beastworld. Only his presence is enough to protect you wherever you go. I know he was the first to find you, but it’s like he is your final mate. He commands the room, and he commands the sky."
Drax looked back at Roxy, his posture straightening with intense pride. "I would like to be exactly like him, Mother."
Roxy’s heart fluttered. She was incredibly touched by his words. The sheer adoration the teenage drake held for his terrifying father was a beautiful testant to the family they had built. She smiled warmly, her hand coming up to gently cup his cheek.
You can never see Zarek saying this though.
Roxy complained in her mind.
"You already are like him, Drax," Roxy praised softly. "You are strong, and you are brave. But where are you getting at with this?"
Drax leaned into her palm for a microsecond before sitting back, his expression turning entirely serious.
"I want to go to the Dragon Peaks," Drax declared, dropping the absolute bombshell with complete draconic bluntness. "I want to start taking my responsibilities seriously. The Manor is safe, but my true strength lies in the high altitudes."
Roxy’s breath completely hitched. The warm, maternal smile instantly vanished from her face, replaced by a surge of sheer, suffocating panic.
"Drax, absolutely not!" Roxy gasped, her maternal instincts violently flaring. "You are still a child! The Dragon Peaks are freezing, brutal, and entirely unforgiving! You can’t just leave ho!"
Drax let out a deep, booming laugh that rattled his chest, sounding exactly like Zarek.
"Mother, I am a hybrid," Drax explained smoothly, completely unfazed by her panic. "Dad told that in draconic terms, my physical and magical maturity is already more than a decade old. I am not a helpless pup. And I would love to receive training from Malcor."
"Malcor?!" Roxy shrieked, her green eyes blowing wide. That Elder that was absolutely rude and knee deep into pride?
But Roxy knew he was actually a good teacher.
"I have already talked to him," Drax confessed, rubbing the back of his neck slightly sheepishly. "And I have discussed it with Dad, Kaelen, and Torian. They all think it’s a very good idea for my developnt."
The betrayal hit Roxy like a physical blow to the chest. Her lower lip actually trembled, the overwhelming emotions of the new pregnancy violently amplifying her shock.
"You guys left out of this discussion?" Roxy asked, her voice cracking as a thick layer of hot tears imdiately welled up in her green eyes. She looked at her son, feeling entirely sidelined by the Alpha Kings.
Drax’s stoic facade instantly crumbled. Seeing the tears spill over his mother’s dark lashes sent a spike of pure panic through his teenage heart. He scrambled closer, imdiately shaking his head as he wrapped his arms around her.
"No! Don’t cry, Momma, please!" Drax pleaded, his voice cracking with genuine distress. He hugged her tightly. "We didn’t an to exclude you, I just wanted to have the logistics secured. It is a good thing! Who knows, the next ti you see , you won’t even be able to tell the difference between Papa and I!"
The attempt at comfort completely backfired.
Roxy pulled back, her green eyes wide with renewed, absolute panic. "The next ti I see you?! So you won’t be coming to visit?!"
Drax offered a sheepish, slightly arrogant smile. "I thought it would be better if I don’t show up for a while. I am planning to completely surprise you with my new combat forms!"
"Absolutely unacceptable," Roxy scolded fiercely, her tears montarily pausing as her strict, uncompromising matriarchal authority snapped into place. She pointed a sharp finger directly at his chest. "You listen to , Drax. You will visit your mother. You will fly back to this Manor regularly, or I will personally march up the Dragon Peaks, drag you out of Malcor’s cave by your ear, and ground you for a century. Do you understand ?"
Drax physically flinched under the sheer weight of her glare. The terrifying Queen of the Iron-Wood had spoken. He imdiately surrendered, holding his hands up in defeat.
"Yes, Mother," Drax conceded quickly, offering a breathless nod. "I will be visiting you. Frequently."
"Good," Roxy sniffled, wiping a stray tear from her cheek. "And I promise to visit you, too. When... when are you going to go to the Dragon Peaks?"
Drax’s expression softened into sothing incredibly tender and devoted. He reached out, his large hands gently resting over her flat stomach where his new sibling was currently growing.
"I will leave after you give birth," Drax swore softly, his green eyes shining with unwavering loyalty. "I want to be with you for as much ti as possible. I will not leave this territory until I know you and the new baby are completely safe."
She hugged him with a desperate, crushing strength, her hands gripping his armored shoulders. She began kissing him all over his face, his cheeks, his forehead, his jaw, ignoring his embarrassed, teenage grumbles.
She kissed him as if she wanted to physically, permanently brand her very soul into those kisses, terrified of the rapidly approaching future and desperately clinging to the present.
"I love you so much, Drax," Roxy whispered against his skin. "You are my brave, perfect boy."
"I love you too, Mum," Drax murmured, his arms wrapping securely around her trembling fra, burying his face in her dark curls.
They held each other for a long, heavy mont amidst the chaotic, joyful noise of the garden. Slowly, the adrenaline of the argunt faded, leaving a quiet, profound peace between them.
Drax finally pulled back just enough to look directly into her tear-filled green eyes. The teenage drake’s expression was unreadable, entirely calm, but holding a weight far beyond his years. He reached up, gently wiping a tear from her cheek with his thumb.
"Don’t worry about Daddy Ren. He is a strong King."
User Comments
0 comments from readers