Chapter 182 Episode 181: Took a bite for me.

Rue fell to her knees right there in the doorway.

She didn’t care about the sharp glass scattered on the floor. She didn’t care about the dead monster lying on her soft rug. She just reached her shaking arms out and pulled the two kids tight against her chest.

She held them so close her ribs ached. She buried her face in Theron’s messy silver hair. She kissed Mochi’s soft cheek. She smelled their sweet, familiar scent, mixing with the sharp, bitter smell of snake venom.

“I’m glad you guys are safe,” Rue choked out. Her voice shook, thick with heavy, wet tears.

Then, a loud, demanding wail broke the quiet moment.

Seika started crying.

The baby panther sat up in her woven basket. Her tiny face scrunched up into a red, angry ball. She hated the cold wind blowing through the broken window. She hated the awful smell of the dead hyena. Most of all, she was just really hungry.

Rue let go of the toddlers. She scrambled over to the basket on her hands and knees. She reached inside and scooped Seika up.

She held the tiny baby tight against her shoulder, rocking back and forth on the cold stone floor. She cries tears of relief as she picks up Seika. The hot tears rolled down her pale cheeks, soaking right into the baby’s pink blanket. She survived. Her babies survived. The absolute worst nightmare was over.

Outside, the fierce, deafening roars began to fade.

The battle finally quiets down. The awful snapping jaws and the high, frantic screeches slowly died away. The wind carried away the thick smell of burning pine. The heavy, suffocating tension lifted from the mountain air.

“Come on,” Rue whispered, wiping her wet face with the back of her hand. “Let’s go downstairs. We need to find your fathers.”

Theron grabbed Mochi’s small hand. The little snake boy kept his chin held high. He walked right past the dead monster on the rug without even flinching. Mochi stayed close to his side, her bright blue eyes darting toward the dark shadows.

Rue led them out of the ruined master bedroom. She walked down the pitch-black hallway. The house felt so cold and empty. The fierce war outside left her beautiful home in shambles. She stepped carefully over the broken wood and shattered clay littering the living room floor. She kept Seika bounced high on her hip, whispering soft, sweet words to calm the fussy baby down.

Just as she reached the bottom of the long hall, the heavy front doors groaned open.

The men enter the house.

They didn’t walk in like proud, victorious kings. They stumbled inside, looking battered, bruised, and exhausted. They were covered in rogue blood and dry dirt.

Knox stepped in first. The giant Southern panther had dark, wet streaks smeared across his scarred chest. He breathed hard, his broad shoulders heaving up and down. Axel walked in right behind him. The white wolf’s clothes hung in shredded ribbons. His bright blue eyes looked tired and dull. Onyx followed, his dark leather armor covered in gray ash and fresh mud.

They stopped dead in their tracks.

They saw Rue standing near the archway. She stood in her dusty green dress, holding the crying baby, with the two toddlers pressed tight against her legs.

The raw, frantic panic washed right off their faces.

They rushed for her.

Knox crossed the ruined living room in three massive strides. He dropped to his knees right in front of her. He wrapped his huge, scarred arms around her waist, burying his dirty face into her stomach. He didn’t care that he was getting rogue blood on her soft dress. He just needed to feel that she was real.

Axel dropped down right beside him. The white wolf reached out and pulled Theron and Mochi into a crushing hug. He pressed his face against Theron’s silver hair, letting out a long, shaky breath that sounded like a sob.

Onyx stood just a few feet away. He didn’t rush in for a hug, but his icy silver eyes tracked every single inch of her face. He searched for cuts. He searched for bite marks. When he saw she was unharmed, a massive wave of relief crashed over his sharp features.

Rue looked at the three men holding onto her family like a lifeline. Her heart skipped a beat. She counted them. One, two, three.

Someone was missing.

“Where is Drax?” Rue asked, her voice spiking with sudden fear. She looked at the open front doors, searching the dark yard. “Is he hurt?”

Before the wolves could answer, a heavy, solid footstep hit the wooden porch.

Drax comes into the house too.

The Dragon King had to duck his head to fit through the doorway. He looked terrifying. Thick black smoke rolled off his broad shoulders in heavy waves. His dark clothes were scorched and burned. He smelled like hot iron, ash, and roasted meat. The ancient, burning magic still pulsed under his pale skin, making his dark eyes glow with a deadly golden light.

He stopped in the middle of the living room. He looked at Rue. The golden light faded from his eyes instantly. The fierce monster vanished, leaving just a tired, devoted father behind.

“I am right here, little rabbit,” Drax rumbled. His deep voice vibrated the broken wooden beams above them.

He walked over to her. He didn’t kneel. He just reached out and placed his large, hot hand gently on top of her head. He smoothed her messy silver curls down.

“Where did you go?” Rue breathed out, leaning into his warm touch. “There were so many of them. They just kept coming.”

“I found out where they were coming from,” Drax told them. His voice turned cold and hard as stone. “They had a dark magic portal hidden in a ravine near the mountain base. They thought they could hide from me.”

He pulled his hand away and looked at the ruined state of his home. His jaw clenched tight.

“I burned their den to the ground,” Drax stated flatly. “I turned the portal and every beast inside it to ash. There’ll be no hyenas from now on. They’re gone.”

Rue let out a sharp gasp.

She was surprised, but a massive wave of pure, happy relief washed over her. She didn’t have to look over her shoulder anymore. She didn’t have to worry about a rogue beast snatching her kids from the yard. The Dragon King fixed the problem forever. He wiped the threat right off the map.

“You did it,” Rue whispered. She offered them a bright, tearful smile. “You guys did a good job. You fought so hard. I’m so proud of you.”

Knox looked up at her from his spot on the floor. He offered a weak, tired smile. “We promised we’d keep you safe, little one.”

Rue shook her head. She shifted Seika higher on her hip.

“You aren’t the only ones who fought today,” Rue said.

She nudged Theron forward with her knee. The little snake boy stood tall, puffing his small chest out.

“A hyena broke through the master bedroom window,” Rue told them. Her voice turned serious. “It got inside the safe room. I wasn’t there. I was trapped in the kitchen. But Theron shifted. He killed the hyena all by himself. He protected his sisters.”

The living room went dead silent.

Knox slowly let go of Rue’s waist. He sat back on his heels, staring at the tiny boy in pure shock. Axel and Onyx snapped their heads up. Even Drax froze, his dark eyes going wide.

They looked at Theron. The boy barely reached their knees. He was just a baby. He still played with wooden blocks and chewed on his shirts.

“You killed a rogue beast?” Knox asked. His rumbling voice sounded breathless.

Theron nodded. “I bit his neck. Just like Caius taught me. I didn’t let him touch Mochi.”

The warlords are incredibly proud.

Knox reached out and ruffled Theron’s silver hair. Axel offered a fierce, bloody grin, bumping his fist against the boy’s tiny shoulder. Drax let out a low, impressed hum, looking at his son with deep, burning respect. They raised a warrior. The wild blood ran hot and strong in his veins.

But the reality of the danger leaves a heavy shadow over the pack.

The smiles faded fast. The awful truth sank into their bones. A monster got inside the safest room in the house. It stood inches away from the babies. If Theron missed his strike, if he hesitated for even a single second, the hyena would have torn them apart. They came so close to losing everything they loved.

The cold mountain wind blew through the broken front door, making Rue shiver.

She looked around at her messy, bleeding family. She needed to get them clean. She needed to wrap them in warm blankets and feed them.

She looked at Onyx standing quietly near the dining table.

That’s when Rue notices that Onyx was bleeding on his arm.

It wasn’t just a small scratch. Deep, jagged puncture wounds ripped right through his thick leather sleeve. Dark, thick blood poured freely from the bite mark, dripping off his fingertips and forming a messy puddle on the stone floor. His face looked sickly pale. His breathing sounded shallow and wet. He stood swaying slightly on his feet, refusing to say a single word about the pain.

Rue gasped. She quickly handed Seika to Knox.

“Onyx, your arm!” Rue cried out. She rushed over to the moody white wolf. She reached her hands out, afraid to touch the awful, torn skin. “You’re bleeding so much. You got bit.”

Onyx looked down at his ruined arm like it belonged to someone else. He blinked his icy silver eyes, trying to focus on her face.

“It isn’t bad,” Onyx slurred. His voice sounded thick and heavy.

Axel pushed himself up from the floor. The white wolf limped over, holding his own bruised ribs. He looked at his twin brother. He didn’t look angry. He didn’t look proud. He looked deeply, profoundly shaken.

Axel grumpily says, “The foolish one took a bite for me.”