Baby System: I'm the Beast World's Only Hope!-Chapter 246: Episode 244: I missed you, Roxann

"Did... did she just talk?"

Roxy froze, her fork halfway to her mouth. She stared down at Tanith curled on her lap. Tanith stared back, her vertical pupils wide and innocent, her small hand resting on the ruined silk of Roxy’s dress.

"Tanith?" Roxy whispered, her heart hammering. "Baby, say it again. Can you say it again?"

Tanith blinked slowly. Her bottom lip began to tremble. Her eyes filled with big, fat tears that spilled over her pale cheeks like diamonds.

"Mama!" she wailed, burying her face directly into Roxy’s chest. "Mama... bwuful!"

"Oh, my heart!" Roxy gasped, dropping her fork and wrapping her arms around the child. "Oh, sweetie, don’t cry! Mama is here! You are beautiful too! You are the smartest little snake in the world!"

She rocked back and forth, cooing softly, completely ignoring the five grown men staring at her.

Zarek let out a long, suffering exhale through his nose.

Seeing his mate, who had been gone for months, getting motorboarded by a toddler, even if it was a pack child, was pushing his dragon instincts to the breaking point.

"That is enough," Zarek grumbled.

He reached down with one massive hand and plucked Tanith off Roxy’s lap by the back of her tunic, lifting her into the air like a misbehaving kitten.

"You have legs," Zarek stated flatly, bringing the child to eye level. "Use them. Go to your father."

Tanith dangled in the air. She looked Zarek dead in the eye.

She stopped crying instantly.

Then, she took a deep breath, scrunched up her face, and let out a scream that could shatter glass.

"WAAAAAAH! MAMA!"

She reached her tiny arms out toward Roxy, her fingers opening and closing desperately.

"Zarek!" Roxy scolded, slapping his arm. "Put her down! You’re scaring her! She hasn’t seen me in months!"

"She is manipulating you," Zarek argued, though he lowered the child back onto Roxy’s lap. "She has Syris’s deceitful eyes."

The moment Tanith touched Roxy’s legs, the crying stopped. She snuggled deep into Roxy’s embrace, sighed contentedly, and then turned her head to look at Zarek.

She narrowed her eyes and gave him a look so smug, so utterly victorious, that Zarek actually growled.

"Did you see that?" Zarek hissed, pointing a clawed finger. "She mocked me."

"She’s a baby, Zarek," Roxy laughed, kissing the top of Tanith’s head. "Stop beefing with a toddler. Now, settle down, everyone. Gifts!"

She clapped her hands, drawing the attention of the table. Even Iris, who was currently chewing on a rib bone at Roxy’s other lap, looked down at the table.

"I went to the bottom of the ocean," Roxy announced, her voice filled with theatrical wonder. "And I brought back the treasures of the Deep."

She opened her inventory.

"First, for my brave wolves," Roxy said.

She pulled out two sets of armor. They weren’t metal; they were crafted from the scales of a juvenile Leviathan, iridescent, lightweight, and harder than diamond.

"Axel, Onyx," Roxy beckoned. "Leviathan Scale Vests. Arrows will bounce off you. Claws will break against you. You will be the toughest warriors in the forest."

The twins gasped, abandoning their food to run over and touch the shimmering material.

"Cool!" Axel shouted. "Thank you, Mama!" Onyx beamed.

"For Iris," Roxy cooed, pulling out a necklace made of pink, humming pearls. "Singing Pearls. If you hold them to your ear, they sing the lullabies of the merfolk. So you never feel alone."

Iris took the necklace reverently, immediately holding it to her wolf ear. Her tail wagged furiously.

"For Tanith," Roxy whispered, handing the snake-girl a folded piece of fabric that looked soft to the touch. "A cloak woven from Ghost-Jellyfish silk. When you wear it, you become invisible in the shadows. For my quiet little hunter."

Tanith’s eyes widened. Roxy draped it over her head. She vanished from the neck down and the little one cheered in joy.

"Now for the big boys," Roxy grinned, looking at her mates.

She turned to Torian. The White Tiger was trying to look disinterested, but his ears were perked forward.

"Torian," Roxy said, hefting a heavy, iron-bound chest onto the table. "I know you appreciate... liquidity."

She flipped the latch.

Inside, stacked in neat, gleaming rows, were bars of gold. But not surface gold. This was Sunken Bullion, gold stamped with the crests of lost civilizations, Roxy didn’t care how they got to be deep in the sea.

Torian’s jaw dropped. He reached out, touching a bar with a trembling finger.

"The purity..." Torian whispered, his eyes dilating. "This is... fiscally irresponsible of you to carry, but... magnificent."

"It’s for the pack funds," Roxy winked. "Don’t spend it all on luxury."

She turned to Ren. The Fox was practically vibrating.

"Ren," Roxy said, pulling out a velvet pouch. "You like business."

She poured the contents onto the table.

Black Pearls. Dozens of them. Each one the size of a robin’s egg, swirling with an inner, dark luster. On the surface, a single black pearl could buy a castle. Here was a fortune.

"Abyssal Pearls," Roxy explained. "They are rare even in the Spires. You are now the richest merchant in the Beast World, Ren. Swindle to your heart’s content."

Ren let out a high-pitched squeak. He grabbed the pearls, stuffing them into his pockets, his tunic, even his mouth. "Mine! All mine! I’m going to buy a city!"

"Kaelen," Roxy said softly, turning to the Wolf Alpha. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

She handed him a sword. The blade was dark, forged from volcanic glass found in the oceanic trenches. "Trench-Glass. Sharper than steel. It never dulls."

Kaelen took the weapon, testing its balance. He looked at her with burning devotion. "It will guard you well."

"And Syris," she handed the snake a vial of glowing blue liquid. "Venom of the Blue-Ringed Kraken. For your... study."

He would actually make a good doctor, since he was well versed in studying instead of combat and all that.

Syris took the vial, his tongue flicking. "Deadly. Exquisite. You know me well, little mouse."

"And Zarek?" Roxy turned to the Dragon holding her.

"I do not need trinkets," Zarek grumbled into her hair. "I have you."

"Good," Roxy smiled, leaning back. "Because you are all I need."

The gifts were distributed. The children were playing with their new treasures. The men were admiring their loot.

Zarek stood up abruptly.

Because he was sitting, Roxy was lifted with him. But this time, he didn’t adjust her. He simply reached down with his free hand.

He grabbed Iris by the back of her tunic. He grabbed the invisible Tanith by her arm.

He turned to the table.

"Kaelen. Syris," Zarek barked. "Retrieve your offspring."

He didn’t wait. He thrust the children toward their fathers.

Kaelen, seeing his daughter dangling in the air, rushed forward to catch her. Syris moved with snake-like speed to take Tanith.

"Zarek!" Roxy gasped. "Be gentle!"

Tanith immediately started to wail again, reaching for Roxy. "Mamaaa!"

"Shh, shh," Roxy soothed, leaning over Zarek’s arm to kiss Tanith’s tear-stained cheek. "Mama is tired, baby. I have to go rest. Papa Syris will read you a story. I’ll see you in the morning. I promise."

Tanith sniffled, looking at Roxy with big, betrayed eyes, but she settled into Syris’s arms when he rocked her calmly.

She just snuggled into Kaelen’s chest, clutching her singing pearls.

"Go," Kaelen told Zarek, a knowing smirk on his face. "We will handle the pack. Take the Queen."

Zarek didn’t need to be told twice.

He scooped Roxy up properly now, cradling her against his chest in a bridal carry. He turned on his heel and marched toward the Manor.

"Zarek, say goodnight!" Roxy laughed, waving over his shoulder at the stunned group.

"Goodnight," Zarek growled without looking back.

He kicked the front door open, strode through the living room, and kicked the Master Bedroom door open.

He walked straight to the bed.

It was a monstrosity of a bed. It was filled with furs, soft linens, and pillows. Roxy had missed it so much that her eyes could not stop looking at her.

She couldn’t wait to lay on it.

Zarek laid her down in the center.

He crawled over her, his massive frame caging her in, his arms bracing on either side of her head. His long dark hair fell forward, creating a curtain that shut out the rest of the world.

Roxy looked up at him. His eyes were burning with a mixture of relief, hunger, and overwhelming love.

She reached up, tracing the sharp line of his jaw.

"Hello, my big lizard," she grinned, her voice husky.

Zarek’s eyes softened instantly. The tension leaving his shoulders.

He lowered his head and crashed his lips against hers.

It was a reclaiming. He kissed her deep and hard, tasting the wine and the boar and the sea on her tongue. Roxy moaned, winding her arms around his neck, pulling him down.

Zarek pulled back, breathless, his hand moving to the laces of her ruined dress.

"Wait," Roxy panted, putting a hand on his chest. "Zarek... I haven’t showered. I need a bath."

Zarek paused. He inhaled her scent again.

"You smell like home," he argued.

"I smell like a swamp," Roxy corrected. "Please. Just five minutes."

Zarek growled, frustrated, but he nodded.

He didn’t let her up. He scooped her off and carried her into the adjoining bathroom.

The tub was there, a massive, stone basin that looked more like a small pool. Zarek set her down, but he didn’t leave.

He stripped off his tunic in one motion, revealing the expanse of his scarred, muscular chest. He kicked off his boots.

"Zarek?" Roxy blinked. "I said I need a shower."

"I am assisting," Zarek stated.

He stepped into the tub, the water rising instantly. He sat down, the water coming up to his chest, and pulled Roxy in with him.

She gasped as the warm water surrounded her, soaking the silk dress instantly.

Zarek didn’t care about the dress. He pulled her back against his chest, wrapping his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her wet shoulder.

He picked up a bar of soap and began to wash her arms, his touch surprisingly gentle for such large hands.

The steam rose around them, curling in the air. The silence was heavy, but intimate.

Zarek stopped washing. He pressed his face into the crook of her neck, his wet hair ticking her skin. He held her tight, as if the water might try to steal her back.

"I miss you, Roxann," he whispered, his voice cracking on her name.