Chapter 172: Episode 171: Onyx Visits

Rue ran as fast as her soft legs could carry her.

Her bare feet slapped hard against the cold stone floor of the long hallway. She ignored the burning ache in her lungs. She ignored the wet, clinging fabric of her green dress. She didn’t care about the dead feral beasts outside. She didn’t care about the giant fire Drax just breathed from the sky. She only cared about her babies.

Her heart hammered a frantic, messy beat against her ribs. Fear pushed her forward. She reached the nursery and pushed the heavy wooden door open with both hands. It slammed loudly against the stone wall.

She stopped right in the doorway, gasping for air. Her pink eyes darted around the room, searching for any sign of blood or danger.

Theron and Mochi sat huddled together on the soft woven rug. The two toddlers held onto each other tight, staring at the far wall. They looked spooked, but they were perfectly fine. Across the room, little Seika slept soundly in her wooden crib, oblivious to the loud noise. The children were safe.

Rue let out a massive, shaky breath. The crushing weight fell right off her shoulders.

But a freezing mountain wind blew straight into the cozy room.

The large glass window stood wide open. The heavy iron latch was broken, dangling uselessly from the wooden frame.

Rue rushes to the nursery and finds the children safe, but standing right by the open nursery window is a massive black wolf.

The beast had thick, dark fur that seemed to swallow the light. It didn’t look like a feral monster. It looked ancient, proud, and very dangerous. Icy silver eyes locked right onto Rue’s face.

The giant beast hopped down from the wooden sill. It hit the floor without making a single sound. A thick shadow wrapped around its large body. The dark fur melted away into the cool air.

Who shifts and say, “Did you miss me?” Onyx smirks.

The tall, broad-shouldered man stood up straight. He wore scratched leather armor that looked like it had survived a hundred wars. His messy white hair fell over his forehead. He offered a cruel, twisted smile that didn’t reach his freezing eyes.

Rue felt her heart skip a beat. The raw shock froze her blood for a split second. Then, her fierce motherly instincts kicked in. She didn’t hesitate. She rushed forward across the room.

She reached the wooden crib and scooped Seika right up. She held the sleeping baby panther tight against her chest. She took a quick step backward, reaching her free hand out. She grabbed Theron’s small shirt and pulled him behind her legs. She nudged Mochi back there too. She made herself a soft, protective wall between the wild intruder and her children.

“How did you get to know here?” Rue demanded, pulling the babies behind her, and Seika into her arms.

Her voice shook, but she stood her ground. She glared at the fierce Northern warlord. He wasn’t supposed to be here. Drax told him to go back to the freezing peaks just hours ago. He told him to stay away to clear his head. Finding him sneaking through a broken window felt like a nightmare.

Onyx ignores her panic.

He didn’t answer her question. He didn’t apologize for breaking the window. He casually steps into the room, walking with a slow, arrogant swagger. He shoved his large hands deep into his pockets. He looked around the warm, cozy nursery like he just stepped into a pile of dirty garbage.

“I just came to check things out here,” Onyx lied smoothly. His harsh, grating voice echoed in the quiet room. “I got tired of looking at empty trees on the mountain. I wanted to see where the great Dragon King sleeps.”

He was lying through his teeth.

He didn’t care about the house. He cared about her. The magical mate bond dragged him down from the mountains. It pulled him through the dark woods like a heavy iron chain. His wild beast demanded he find the girl with the silver hair and the bright pink eyes. He felt sick, desperate, and starving for her scent. His blood burned hot in his veins.

But he refused to act weak. He refused to drop to his knees and beg for her attention.

He acts incredibly rude, mocking the soft toys in the nursery.

He walked over to a small pile of stuffed animals sitting near the crib. He kicked a soft, sewn rabbit with the toe of his heavy leather boot. The toy skidded across the floor and hit the wall. He picked up a smooth wooden rattle Knox spent hours carving. He looked at it, curling his lip in pure disgust.

“This is pathetic,” Onyx sneered. He tossed the wooden rattle over his shoulder. It hit the floor with a loud clatter. “You let fierce warlords play house. You turn apex predators into lazy, fat dogs. Soft toys. Warm beds. This isn’t a pack. It is a joke.”

He is completely unhinged by the mate bond and tries to mask his desperation with cruelty.

He paced across the rug, acting like he owned the place. He picked up a tiny pink blanket and dropped it on the floor, stepping right on it. He wanted to provoke a reaction. He wanted someone to fight him. The angry energy buzzing under his skin needed an outlet. He wanted to prove he was still a wild, dangerous beast, not a lovesick fool.

Rue held her breath. She squeezed Seika a little tighter. She felt Theron’s tiny hands gripping the back of her green dress.

She looked right into Onyx’s icy blue eyes. She saw the lie hiding behind his cruel words. She saw a bead of sweat roll down his pale temple. She saw the tight, painful clench of his square jaw. He was suffering. The magic was tearing him apart from the inside out. He wanted to hold her, but his stubborn pride made him lash out instead.

He was just a very sad, very angry man throwing a loud tantrum.

“You are scaring my children,” Rue whispered softly. She didn’t yell. She just stated a simple fact. “Please leave.”

Onyx flinched.

The soft request hit him harder than a physical punch. He saw the real fear in her bright pink eyes. He saw the way she shielded the babies from him. He felt a sharp, awful ache right in the center of his chest. He wanted to protect her, but he was the monster making her shake.

He opened his mouth to say something else. He wanted to take the cruel words back. He wanted to tell her he didn’t mean to scare the kids.

Before he could speak, heavy footsteps thundered down the hallway.

Drax and Axel walking into the room, smelling their brother.

The Dragon King was back in his human form. His dark clothes were covered in gray ash from the fight outside. He looked exhausted, but his dark eyes instantly locked onto the broken window. Axel rushed in right behind him, his chest heaving. The white wolf wiped a streak of dirt from his chin.

Both men stopped dead in their tracks.

They smelled the intruder instantly. The scent of bitter pine and raw panic filled the small nursery. It was a smell they knew very well.

Drax let out a low, dangerous rumble. The sound vibrated the wooden floorboards. He stepped into the room, putting himself directly between Rue and the dark wolf. His hands curled into tight fists. He was ready to fight. He just burned a whole pack of feral beasts to ash, and he had plenty of fire left for a stubborn brother who couldn’t follow simple orders.

“I told you to stay on the mountain,” Drax growled. His voice was a deadly whisper. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t throw you back out that window.”

Onyx lifted his chin. He bared his teeth, ready to fight the dragon. He wanted the pain. He wanted the distraction.

Axel didn’t growl. The white wolf just looked at his twin.

He saw the broken window latch. He saw the toys scattered on the floor. He saw Rue cowering in the corner, holding the babies tight against her chest, looking terrified of the man standing in front of her.

Axel knew exactly what Onyx was going through. He remembered the wild, blinding jealousy that gripped his own heart when he first met her. He remembered wanting to fight everyone in the room just to claim her sweet scent. But he also knew Rue wasn’t a prize to be won with violence and loud threats. She was a soft, fragile girl who needed safety above all else.

Axel didn’t raise his fists. He didn’t yell at his brother. He didn’t offer a challenge. He just looked at his twin with deep, quiet pity.

Axel sighs heavily, “If you do it like this, Onyx, she would view you as a threat.”