Chapter 177: Episode 176: The Hyenas are here.

The first thing Onyx sees when he opens his eyes is Theron.

“Black hair!” the little snake boy shouted. He pointed a chubby finger right at the wolf’s nose.

Onyx blinked hard. His vision was blurry. He slept on the hard stone floor in the corner of the main hall. Rue banished him and Axel to the cold barn last night after their bloody fight, but she let them inside this morning so they wouldn’t freeze. The stone floor wasn’t much softer than the dirt. His whole body ached. His jaw throbbed with a dull, heavy rhythm.

“My hair is white, you menace,” Onyx grumbled. His voice sounded rough and raspy from sleep.

But that was a lie.

He reached up and rubbed his face. His fingers brushed against a thick, sticky patch of dried mud and dark blood clinging to his bangs. That was the black spot Theron was yelling about. Onyx let out a long, heavy sigh. He didn’t want to deal with toddlers today. He just wanted to close his eyes and hide in his dark corner.

He rolled onto his back, trying to ignore the kid.

Theron didn’t go away. The toddler sensed the grumpy, foul mood rolling off the massive warlord. To a little boy raised by apex predators, a grumpy wolf wasn’t scary at all. It was just a fun challenge.

Theron took a step forward. He slapped his bare foot right onto Onyx’s thick thigh.

“I’m climbing the mountain,” Theron announced happily.

Onyx stiffened. He opened one icy silver eye. “Get off my leg, snake.”

Theron just giggled. He grabbed the thick leather strap of Onyx’s chest armor. He hauled his small, squishy body up, using the battered warlord as a literal climbing tree.

Before Onyx could push the boy away, another tiny shadow appeared.

Mochi crawled around the edge of the heavy oak table. The little leopard girl had her fuzzy gray ears poking out of her wild silver curls. Her bright blue eyes locked onto the new game. She loved climbing. She scampered across the woven rug on her hands and knees. She reached Onyx’s side and didn’t even hesitate.

She grabbed his arm and hoisted herself up.

“Hey,” Onyx warned. He tried to wiggle away, but his ribs flared with sharp pain from where Axel kicked him yesterday. He was pinned. “Don’t do that. I’m not a toy.”

Mochi ignored him. She reached his broad shoulder and plopped herself down. She reached her chubby hands out and grabbed a huge fistful of his messy white hair. She yanked it hard, using it like a rope to steady herself.

“Ow!” Onyx hissed. He reached up and grabbed her tiny wrists. “Let go of my hair, cub.”

He bared his sharp white fangs. He snapped his teeth together right near her face, making a loud clicking sound. He let out a low, rumbling growl from the bottom of his chest. He tried his best to look like a terrifying, feral monster. He wanted to scare them away so he could brood in peace.

Mochi wasn’t scared at all. She stared right at his sharp teeth. Then she reached out and poked his nose.

She let out a loud, bubbly laugh. Theron joined in, kicking his bare heels against Onyx’s side. They thought he was playing a fun game. They thought the scary wolf was just a giant, fluffy playground built just for them.

Onyx dropped his head back against the stone floor. He gave up. He let out a long, defeated groan. He let the toddlers crawl all over him. Theron marched across his chest, pretending to fight invisible bad guys with a wooden spoon. Mochi tugged his ears and patted his bruised cheeks.

He acted super annoyed. He kept grumbling and rolling his silver eyes. He snapped his teeth a few more times just to keep up the act. But he never pushed them off. He never raised his voice. He kept his massive, deadly claws tucked safely away under his skin.

Across the room, Rue stood in the warm kitchen.

She held little Seika resting against her shoulder. The baby panther was fast asleep, her tiny chest rising and falling in a soft rhythm. Rue held a steaming clay cup of hot fruit tea in her free hand. She leaned her hip against the wooden counter, watching the messy pile of kids and wolf in the corner of her living room.

She held her breath when Mochi first climbed onto his shoulder. She remembered the fierce, unhinged look Onyx had yesterday. She remembered the brutal, bloody fight in the dirt yard. A small part of her worried he might lose his temper and toss the babies away.

But she stayed quiet. She just watched.

Theron lost his balance on Onyx’s chest. He tipped sideways. Onyx’s large, scarred hand shot out instantly, catching the boy by the back of his shirt before he hit the hard floor. He set Theron right back on his feet, giving him a gentle shove.

Then Mochi made a mistake.

The little girl tried to stand up on Onyx’s collarbone. Her bare foot slipped on the smooth leather of his armor. She lost her grip on his white hair. She fell backward, letting out a tiny gasp of surprise.

Onyx moved faster than lightning.

He shifted his broad shoulders, catching her soft body right in his arms. He didn’t squeeze her tight. He didn’t yell at her to be careful. He cradled her gently against his chest, making a safe, secure cage out of his thick arms.

“Careful, little cat,” Onyx murmured softly. His harsh voice dropped into a warm, gentle rumble. “You’ll crack your head open on the stones.”

Mochi didn’t cry. She just snuggled into his warm chest, resting her fuzzy ear against his dark shirt. She liked the steady thump of his heartbeat.

Rue took a slow sip of her sweet tea. The warm liquid chased away the morning chill.

A soft, genuine smile spread across her face. Her pink eyes crinkled at the corners. She felt a deep, overwhelming wave of relief wash over her. She finally saw past the tough, angry act. She saw the real man hiding underneath the heavy leather and the bad attitude.

He had a soft core.

He spent his whole life fighting bloody border wars. He spent years guarding a freezing mountain peak all by himself. He built high walls around his heart to survive the cold. He acted like a feral beast because he thought that was the only way people would respect him. But underneath all that anger, he was just a lonely, hurt man who didn’t know how to ask for a hug.

He protected the babies without even thinking about it. He complained, he grumbled, but he kept them safe. He let them pull his hair because he secretly liked the company.

Rue felt glad she gave him an ultimatum yesterday. She was glad she didn’t just cast him out into the dark woods. He belonged here, right on the living room floor, buried under a pile of giggling toddlers.

The morning slowly melted into a lazy afternoon.

The bright sun climbed high in the sky. It cast long, warm beams of golden light through the glass windows. The dust motes danced slowly in the air. The house felt peaceful. It felt like a real, solid sanctuary.

Drax came inside to check on the fire. The Dragon King walked past the corner, carrying a pile of dry oak logs. He saw Onyx sitting with the toddlers. Drax didn’t growl. He didn’t glare. He just threw the wood onto the hearth and walked back out into the yard.

Even Caius left the wolf alone. The cold snake warlord sat at the dining table, quietly reading a thick book. He ignored the happy squeals coming from the corner.

The loud, chaotic fortress settled into a comfortable quiet.

Onyx finally relaxed. He stopped snapping his teeth. He leaned his heavy head back against the cold stone wall. His icy silver eyes fluttered shut. His breathing slowed down, matching the even, steady rhythm of the sleeping baby on Rue’s shoulder.

Theron wore himself out. The snake boy curled up right on Onyx’s leg, using the wolf’s thigh as a pillow. He fell fast asleep. Mochi was already snoring softly against Onyx’s chest.

The fierce Northern warlord turned into a warm, fluffy bed for the cubs.

Rue set her empty clay cup on the counter. She walked over to the padded chair near the fire and sat down. She kept Seika close, resting her chin on the top of the baby’s soft, dark hair. She felt safe. She felt deeply happy.

She didn’t need to worry about ancient magic today. She didn’t need to stress over the system missions or the fated mate bond. She just got to sit back and enjoy her messy, beautiful family. She closed her eyes, letting the heat of the fire warm her skin.

The peace felt heavy and perfect.

It didn’t last.

The silence shattered in a single second.

A loud, piercing howl tore through the calm afternoon air.

It didn’t sound like a normal wolf. It wasn’t Axel or Onyx. It was a high, frantic, bone-chilling shriek. It sounded like pure madness and rotting meat. The awful noise echoed off the tall mountain peaks outside, multiplying until it sounded like a massive, starving army surrounding the house.

Onyx’s silver eyes snapped wide open.

The soft, relaxed man vanished instantly. The wild killer returned. He carefully shoved the sleeping toddlers off his lap, making sure they didn’t hit the stone floor. He sprang to his feet. His hands curled into tight, deadly fists. He looked out the large glass window, his face draining of all color.

The hyenas are here.