Noah looked completely at peace, the lingering scent of our shared week still faint and comforting on his skin.
A sudden, rapid rustling sound drew my attention to the grass.
Marina and Kaito, our four-month-old terrors, were currently demonstrating why r-folk genetics are completely terrifying.
They were crawling across the thick adow grass with the speed of high-speed projectiles, their little knees and hands moving in a blur. Because they had been born in human form with those smooth, pale limbs, they didn’t have the clumsy bulk of a tiger cub. They were sleek, fast, and entirely silent.
But hold on a sec, why were they this fast on land? Am I missing sothing?
Marina reached the edge of my fur blanket first, digging her tiny fingers into the soft wool to pull herself up. Her deep purple hair was a wild, static halo around her head, and those fierce, glowing amber-gold tiger eyes locked onto mine.
"Up!" she demanded, her baby tone sharp and clear.
r-folk babies rarely cried—a trait Thalor said kept them safe from predators in the deep trenches—but they certainly knew how to issue commands.
"You just got down, Marina," I chuckled, but instinctively, my arms reached out and scooped her solid little body into my lap. She instantly snuggled against my chest, her silver scales along her arms cool and comforting against my skin.
Thalor had asked not to wear the twins’ layers like the triplets. They do not feel cold with the kind of blood they have, and if they were too bundled up, they’d feel suffocated. So I improvised and got them sothing that would allow their flexible movent and let them feel ventilated.
It’s why we call singlet in my old world, after all. This ti, I asked Robin specifically to weave them and watched the entire process to make sure the texture was light enough.
A second later, Kaito bumped against my thigh, his little mouth turned down in a pout as he looked up at his sister.
"Sad," he muttered, a tiny, lodic coo that would have broken anyone’s heart.
To anyone else, it probably just sounded like standard baby babble, but I instinctively understood exactly what he ant. ’Sister got up first, and now I’m left behind.’
How adorable.
"Co here, you little rascal," I said, using my other arm to haul him up beside his sister.
The mont Kaito was settled, his tiny hand reached out, and his fingers grabbed tightly onto my index finger. His grip was remarkably strong—strong enough to get my skin prickly, even without teeth.
Marina followed suit, her small fingers wrapping around my thumb, locking in place.
I sat there, frozen under the weight of my two youngest, gazing down into their intense, gold-slit eyes. They were beautiful.
A profound, suffocating sense of wholeness washed over my chest, and I hugged them closer.
In my old life as Stephanie, the concept of family had been sothing I read about or watched through a screen. My parents in that life looked at like I was invisible. The world has walked past and didn’t even know I was there.
I had no hope for a happily ever after with the man of my dreams. How could I, when no one sees ?
In this body’s past, family had been a dark cave, cold shoulders, and a sister who wanted ruined.
Family... Family... It had been so disappointing.
But here? In this sunlit adow, surrounded by four powerful n who would dismantle the world for , and five healthy, brilliant children... I had everything.
This was my family.
Gosh, I wish I could take a picture, I thought, a bittersweet pang hitting my chest. If I had my phone, this would be the photo I’d keep forever. The purple hair, the silver scales, the autumn sun, the chaos... everything.
"They are looking at you like you are the center of the sea, Arinya," Thalor said softly, kneeling down on the edge of the blanket.
He reached out, his long fingers gently smoothing down Marina’s wild purple locks. His violet eyes were soft, completely srized by the sight of his children holding onto .
"They’re just waiting for their hourly milk, Thalor, don’t romanticize it too much," I cracked a joke, though my voice was a little thick with emotion.
Damar slid over, his long silver-scaled tail curling loosely around the periter of our blanket like a protective wall, keeping the toddlers from wandering too far into the high grass. "Let them look, Ari. They know who the real boss of this kingdom is."
"Shoo, dadda!" Lyra’s little voice interrupted, as she marched over and tried to push Damar’s massive shoulder out of the way so she could get closer to the twins. "My turn to watch!"
Oh my. So even her loving dadda is her end now when it cos to the twins. I never thought I’d see the day. Damar looks like he could jump off a cliff now to commit suicide.
Wait, no, he’s turned to stone. He can’t jump off.
Fenric let out a booming laugh from across the mat, setting down a platter of dried venison. "Looks like your general is ready to take over, wife."
I grinned, leaning my head back against Noah’s shoulder as the twins continued to clamp down on my fingers, their golden eyes blinking sleepily in the warm autumn air.
"See, Damar? I told you she’s the general," I laughed, watching my daughter plant her tiny feet firmly on the plush blanket, completely ignoring her father’s tragic expression.
Damar looked utterly defeated, his green eyes staring blankly at the grass as if questioning every life choice that had led him to being bullied by his nine-month-old treasure.
I guess she’s in that rebellious phase already. Welp.
Noah chuckled behind , his chest vibrating against my back as he tightened his arms around my waist, pulling closer into his warmth.
"Don’t worry, snake," Fenric smirked, tossing a piece of dried fruit into his mouth. "You still have fifty days to make a kid who actually likes you."
"Unless it’s mine," Noah interjected smoothly, a dangerous, competitive glint returning to his dark eyes. "The wolf blood doesn’t sit back quietly during an Estrus, Little Tiger. We’ll see who she starts craving for in a few weeks."
I rolled my eyes, though my heart did a little flutter. "Can we please not discuss the genetics of my unborn children while the current ones are trying to chew on my fingers?"
As if on cue, Kaito let out a tiny, soft yawn, his little purple head dropping against my chest, his grip on my index finger loosening just a fraction as the warm autumn sun finally did its job.
Marina wasn’t far behind, her fierce tiger-gold eyes blinking heavily before her eyelids fluttered shut, her tiny arms relaxing against my lap.
My treasure, my joy, my family... my paradise.
And in this little enclosed paradise?
My family was completely invincible.
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