"AHHHH!"
Pain wasn’t a word strong enough for what was happening to Roxy’s body. This was worse than when she was giving birth to Baby Drax.
It felt like the three pups were all trying to co out at once.
Roxy scread, her knees hitting the mud. The contraction didn’t build like a wave; it hit her like a sledgehamr to the spine. It was violent, imdiate, and utterly unyielding.
Fuck fuck! I think I am truly going to lose it today.
She wheezed.
"Roxy!" Kaelen dropped to his knees, catching her before she face-planted into the frozen earth. His face was pale, his eyes wide with terror. "The pups? Now?"
"Yes, now, you idiot!" Roxy shrieked, clutching his leather vest so hard her knuckles turned white. "They’re trying to claw their way out! Do sothing about it."
The other wolves imdiately rushed forward. They all ignored Zarek who stood before them.
Zarek watched his mate, his chest heaving. He looked like a demon summoned from the depths of hell, his golden eyes locked on Roxy’s writhing form.
He took a step forward. "What have you done to her?!"
"She is giving birth!" Kaelen snarled, snapping his head up to glare at the Dragon King. "Stay back, Monster! You brought this fear! You induced labor with your rage!"
Roxy rolled her eyes as she took steady breaths in and out.
"I ca for my wife!" Zarek roared, the ground shaking. "And I found her carrying a litter of wolves in her belly!! You took—""
"Stop it!" Roxy yelled, though it ca out as a strangled wheeze. "Stop... fighting! Get ... to the bed!"
Another contraction seized her, twisting her abdon into a knot of agony. This wasn’t like Drax. Drax was one big baby. This was three. Three distinct entities are fighting for the exit simultaneously.
[System Alert: Multiple Life Signs engaging Exit Protocols.]
[WARNING: Cervical Dilation Force is excessive.]
[Pain Level: Critical.]
[System Intervention: FAILED. Biology Override in progress.]
"My Queen!" Sera rushed forward, ignoring the terrifying Dragon King. "We must move her! The cold will seize the pups!"
Kaelen scooped Roxy up. He didn’t care about Zarek. He didn’t care about the war. He turned and sprinted for the main cabin.
"Hold the line!" Kaelen bellowed over his shoulder.
Vorn and the warriors instantly ford a phalanx between the cabin and the Dragon King. Spears were raised. Teeth were bared.
Zarek looked at the wall of wolves. He could burn them. He could turn them all to ash in a second. But his eyes were glued to Roxy’s pained face as she was carried away.
She would be angry at him once he did that. But they were the ones putting her in so much pain.
He didn’t attack the wolves. He walked through them.
When a wolf lunged, he swatted them aside like flies. He was a force of nature, drawn inevitably to the center of his universe.
"I need her," Zarek stated, his voice devoid of negotiation.
Vorn hesitated, spear raised.
"Let him in!" Roxy scread from the porch, her voice cracking. "Let him in, I need him."
Vorn stepped aside, looking terrified but conflicted at Roxy.
Kaelen kicked the door of the cabin open and laid Roxy on the bed. The room was warm, slling of pine and vanilla, a stark contrast to the violence outside.
Sera and Mara rushed in, carrying bowls of hot water and clean towels. They were the midwives now.
"Get these furs off!" Roxy panted, tearing at her robe. "It’s too hot! I’m burning!"
Kaelen stripped the heavy layers away, leaving her in a thin shift. He was shaking. He grabbed her hand, squeezing it. "I am here. I am here."
The door slamd open.
Zarek filled the fra. He stared at Roxy, sweaty, pale, legs spread, and her belly heaving.
The sight of her pain cut through his madness. But the sight of Kaelen holding her hand reignited it. They didn’t have the right to hold his mate that way; only he had that grace.
"Get your hands off her," Zarek snarled, stepping into the room. The floorboards creaked under his weight. "You have done this to her. You broke her."
"She ca to !!" Kaelen shot back, not letting go of Roxy’s hand. "I gave her a ho! What did you give her, Dragon? Fire? Fear?"
Roxy felt like she was being pounded from head to toe, from the noise of labor, and the amount of contractions she was having was sothing no normal human being would have taken on a normal scale.
Of course, that was because these weren’t human triplets but wolf triplets.
"I gave her a Kingdom!" Zarek roared. He lunged, grabbing Kaelen by the throat. Kaelen didn’t back down. He released Roxy’s hand to claw at Zarek’s arm, his own eyes flashing into gold slits.
The wrath of an Alpha.
They were going to kill each other. Right there. Over her deathbed. With all the rage of everything, Roxy’s mind snapped.
"SHUT UP!"
The scream tore from Roxy’s throat, louder than the dragon’s roar.
She grabbed the nearest object, a wooden basin of water, and threw it with all the strength she could muster. It smashed against Zarek’s chest, soaking him and Kaelen.
Both Kings froze, dripping wet, looking at her in shock.
They felt insulted.
"Are you insane?!" Roxy shrieked, tears streaming down her face. "I am pushing three human-wolf hybrids out of a body that was not designed for this! My pelvis feels like it is being ground into dust! And you two want to have a dick-asuring contest right now?!"
The fuck is wrong with both of them?! Can’t they see their mate giving birth here!
She pointed a shaking finger at Zarek.
"You! Sit your ass down! If you try any other stunt again, I will kill myself!"
She pointed at Kaelen.
"And you! Stop fighting him! Hold my damn leg! If I have to push these babies out alone because you two are busy wrestling, I will kill you both myself!"
The room went dead silent.
Zarek blinked. The red haze in his eyes receded slightly, replaced by the sheer force of Roxy’s command.
Zarek looked like a scolded child who also happened to be a weapon of mass destruction.
"Sit," Roxy hissed, another wave of pain hitting her. "Now!"
Zarek sat. He grabbed a stool and sat on the other side of the bed. He looked at Kaelen with pure hatred, but he didn’t move.
Kaelen scrambled back to the bed, grabbing Roxy’s legs and lifting them. "I will hold."
"Good," Roxy wheezed, falling back against the pillows. "Now... oh god. Here it cos again."
[System Alert: Contraction Peak.]
[Pelvic Integrity: 60%. Passive Healing Active.]
"Push, Moon Mother!" Sera urged from the foot of the bed. "The first one is crowning!"
Roxy bore down. She gritted her teeth so hard she felt a molar crack. She squeezed Kaelen’s hand on one side and... she realized she had grabbed Zarek’s hand on the other.
Zarek stiffened. He looked at his hand, engulfed by hers. He felt her strength. He felt her agony.
He squeezed back.
"Push," Zarek whispered, his voice rough. "You are strong. You are a Dragon Queen. Push."
"I’m trying!" Roxy cried.
Zarek let out a growl and then quickly sat at the head of the bed, pulled Roxy up, and let her lie on him to aid her delivery.
He was repeating the sa thing he did for her when she was giving birth to baby Drax.
Roxy didn’t have ti to thank him.
She roared in agony. It felt like she was being split in two. The System buff was working overti; she could feel the tingling of it trying to knit her flesh back together even as it tore, but it wasn’t enough to mask the sensation.
"Head is out!" Mara shouted. "One more!"
Roxy scread. A wet, squelching sound filled the room, followed by a tiny, high-pitched wl.
"It is a boy!" Sera announced, lifting a small, wriggling bundle.
The pup was covered in slick fluids. He had human skin, but his ears were pointed, coated in soft silver fuzz.
Kaelen let out a sob. "A son."
Zarek stared at the thing. It was a wolf. A dog. It was the enemy. But it was Roxy’s.
He watched as Mara cleaned the pup quickly and placed it on Roxy’s chest. Roxy kissed the baby’s head, sobbing with relief.
"Hi," she whispered. "Hi, little guy."
Roxy didn’t have the ti to rest before she felt another resistance below. She groaned. Oh, for fuck sake!
"The second is coming!!" Sera warned, her voice tight.
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