"Mara?" Roxy’s voice softened. "Honey, what is it? Are you in pain?"
Because I don’t understand where this foolish talk is coming from.
"Get the pup out of ," Mara whispered.
Roxy blinked. "What?"
"Get it out!" Mara scread, her voice cracking, as if she was mad at Roxy when Roxy wasn’t the one who even gave her the child. She clawed at her stomach. "Take it out, Roxy! I don’t want it! I changed my mind! Make it stop!"
She collapsed to her knees in the dirt, sobbing hysterically.
"I saw her!" Mara wailed. "I saw the blood! I saw the tearing! She was in so much pain, Roxy! A Dragon roared in pain! If a Dragon cannot handle it... How can I? I am just a wolf! I will break! I will split in two!"
This pisses off to tears.
Roxy dropped her bag and knelt in the dirt, grabbing Mara’s wrists to stop her from scratching herself.
"Mara, stop! Look at !"
"No!" Mara shook her head, her black hair flying. "It’s a parasite! It’s getting bigger every day! I feel it moving! It’s going to kill ! I don’t want to die! Vorn... Vorn will be alone... I can’t..."
She was having a full-blown panic attack. The trauma of witnessing the brutal, high-stakes dragon birth had shattered her resolve. She wasn’t seeing a baby anymore; she was seeing a death sentence growing inside her.
"Mara!" Roxy shouted, slapping the wolf’s cheek, hard enough to bring the wolf back to her senses.
Mara froze, gasping, staring at Roxy.
"Breathe," Roxy commanded, putting her hand on Mara’s chest. "In. Out. Do it."
Mara sucked in a jagged breath.
"Listen to ," Roxy said fiercely, holding Mara’s gaze."Are you mad?"
The question burned into Mara’s skull, and Roxy was not scared to repeat, "Do you have a screw loose in your brain that is making you think such thoughts?"
Roxy was angry, but she had to calm herself.
"You want to claw it out??? And you think you won’t die too??" Roxy slapped Mara again, "Maybe this would wake you up."
Lyra was calm now, clutching her cheek in surprise as she looked back at Roxy angrily.
"Yes, glare at , let correct that stupid dog brain of yours!" She then leaned closer to Mara, placing her forehead against Lyra’s.
Let remind you about who you are!
"Lyra is a Dragon. She lays eggs. You are a Wolf. You birth live young. Soft, squishy, slippery puppies. How can you compare yourself?"
She took Mara’s hand and placed it gently back on her belly.
"It is not the sa," Roxy promised. "It hurts, yes. I won’t lie to you. It hurts like hell. But you are built for this. Your body knows what to do. Your body is cradling a life."
Mara trembled. "But the blood..."
"There is blood," Roxy admitted. "But there is also . Look at , Mara."
Roxy gestured to herself.
"I am a human. I am soft. I don’t have claws or fur or scales. And I pushed out three of them. Three! And look at . Am I dead?"
Mara sniffled, looking at Roxy. "You... you walked to the stream today."
"Exactly," Roxy said. "I walked. I yelled at my husbands. I did all sorts of things. I survived. And you are stronger than , Mara. You are a hunter. You run miles in the snow. You take down elk."
She grabbed Mara’s chin and pulled her closer to her face.
"You think a little puppy is going to take you down? After everything you’ve survived? After the starvation? After the cold?"
Mara looked down at her belly. The pup inside gave a little kick against her palm. She flinched, but she didn’t pull away this ti.
"I am scared," Mara whispered, her voice small. "I am terrified, Roxy."
"Good," Roxy said, pulling Mara into a hug. "Fear gives you just the right push. But you are not doing this alone. I will be there. I will be there to help you."
Mara let out a wet, shaky laugh against Roxy’s shoulder. "The bucket..."
Knowing the word since Roxy taught her.
"I will grease you up like a pig at a county fair if I have to," Roxy promised, stroking Mara’s hair. "You will slide that puppy out before you even know it’s happening. And Vorn will be there holding your hand, probably crying louder than you."
Mara pulled back, wiping her eyes. The panic was receding, replaced by a fragile resolve.
"He cried?" Mara asked. "Vorn?"
"He wept," Roxy confird. "When he thought you were hurt. He loves you, Mara. And he wants this pup more than anything. But he wants you more."
Roxy stood up and offered a hand to the wolf.
"Co on. Let’s get you ho. I think you need so hot cocoa and maybe a foot rub. And no more watching dragon births. It’s rated R for a reason."
Mara took her hand. She stood up, dusting off her knees. She took a deep breath, placing a protective hand over her bump.
"I will not die," Mara stated, sounding like she was trying to convince herself.
"Not on my watch," Roxy agreed.
They walked back toward the settlent, arm in arm. Roxy’s palm was burning from slapping Mara’s chin.
[TheSassyGoddess suggests you slap them more often.]
Then you will give a new pair of arms.
[TheSassyGoddess cheered and scread, ’Deal!’]
Roxy rolled her eyes, yet inside her heart was burning with warmth, the urge to return to earth slowly fading away.
***
The walk back was straining because Roxy was basically dragging her body to go ho, but when she pushed open the cabin door, the sight stopped her dead.
The house was spotless. As if no dragons and wolves were living inside.
The floor was swept, slling faintly of lavender. Kaelen stood by the stove, stirring a rich broth, looking like the perfect househusband. On the rug, Zarek sat cross-legged, ticulously gluing a broken chair leg back together, his brow furrowed in concentration.
The triplets were asleep in the bassinet. Drax was snoring on the bed, clutching a stuffed wolf Roxy had bought for him from the system shop, so he doesn’t use any of the pups as teething practice...
It was perfect. To the point of breaking Roxy, who was exhausted.
This was the life I deserved!!
Roxy walked past Kaelen and snuggled herself into the embrace of the Dragon King like a child. It was so warm and relaxing that Roxy had to sigh in relief.
"Roxy?" Zarek looked down at her form, freezing in place.
She buried her face in his chest, inhaling the scent of him, wrapping her arms around his waist.
"What happened?" Zarek whispered, carefully setting the chair down to engulf her.
"No," Roxy shook her head against his skin. "Everyone lived."
She squeezed her eyes shut. But the one thing that had to ghost her mind right now were the fingers that had teased her for nights, the touch that left her aching and empty.
The sexual frustration she had buried under since exploded, a desperate need to feel alive. To be claid.
She pulled back, her eyes dark and dilated with a feverish hunger. She traced Zarek’s jaw, her thumb brushing his lip.
Zarek stopped breathing. Kaelen froze at the stove.
"Zarek," she whispered, her voice raw, biting his earlobe hard enough to elicit a growl. She pressed her body against his.
"I want you."
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