Baby System: I'm the Beast World's Only Hope!-Chapter 48: Episode : Three Heartbeats.

Time in the Beast World ran as fast as it could. Roxy, who was used to clocks and years, couldn’t catch up. All she knew was that she was still breathing as she woke and slept. And apparently, wolf biology ran the 100-meter dash.

It had been four weeks since the "Marathon" in the cabin. Just one month.

In human terms, Roxy should have been dealing with morning sickness and maybe a slight bloating that could be mistaken for a large burrito lunch.

Instead, she looked like she had swallowed a basketball.

Roxy sat on the edge of the bed, staring down at her stomach. The curve was undeniable. It was high, firm, and protruding enough that she hadn’t seen her toes since last Tuesday.

Her back was aching.

"System," she muttered, poking the bump. "Are we sure this is normal? I feel like I’m inflating."

[Wolf Gestation Analysis: Normal.]

[Growth Rate: Accelerated due to Alpha Bloodline potency.]

[Estimated Time to Delivery: 2 Weeks.]

"Two weeks?" Roxy wheezed. "I just got used to walking with this thing!"

She tried to stand up. Immediately, a shadow fell over her. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"Do not move," a deep voice commanded.

Kaelen was there before she could even shift her weight. He scooped her up effortlessly, cradling her against his chest as if she were a little injured cat.

"Kaelen," Roxy sighed, resting her head on his shoulder. "I have legs. They work. I was just going to pee."

"The floor is cold," Kaelen stated, carrying her toward the bathroom Roxy had installed last week. "You could trip."

"I’m pregnant, Wolfy, not drunk," Roxy argued, though she didn’t fight him. His arms were warm, and frankly, her lower back was screaming in protest of her bloated stomach.

"You are the Moon Mother," Kaelen corrected, setting her down gently on the plush rug outside the bathroom. He waited, arms crossed, staring at the door like a bouncer. "I will guard you."

****

It wasn’t just Kaelen. It was the entire pack.

Since the news of the conception and Mara’s subsequent pregnancy, Roxy had been elevated from "Queen" to "Living Deity."

When she walked through the settlement, wolves bowed. If she looked at a heavy basket, three warriors would sprint over to carry it for her. If she shivered, she was instantly buried under a mountain of furs.

It was that bad.

Roxy was already getting tired of the worship.

"Moon Mother! Careful of the pebble!" Rax shouted, diving to kick a small stone out of her path as she walked to the dining hall.

"Moon Mother! Is the sun too bright? We can build a shade!" Sera offered, running over with a parasol made of leaves.

"Guys, seriously," Roxy laughed, accepting a bowl of yogurt Vorn shoved into her hands. "I’m fine. I’m just heavy with a child."

Not just heavy with a child, I think the whole football field is inside there.

But the wolves didn’t see it that way. To them, she was the breaker of the curse. Her swelling belly was visual proof that they weren’t doomed to extinction. Every inch she grew was a victory against the silence of the last decade.

They brought her gifts. Not gold or jewels, but things wolves valued.

Smooth river stones. The softest down feathers from geese. Choice cuts of meat. One young wolf even brought her a live squirrel, looking incredibly proud until Roxy gently explained that she didn’t eat things that were still looking at her.

"They love you," Kaelen murmured, appearing at her side. He was always at her side. He had basically abandoned his throne to become her full-time shadow.

"They’re suffocating me with love," Roxy smiled, leaning back into him. "But I can’t say I hate the snacks."

Kaelen chuckled, a low rumble that vibrated against her spine. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, his large hands settling on her bump, as he lifted it up for her so she could breathe well. He did this constantly, touching, checking, connecting.

Roxy loved every action he did to her, and he only hoped it wouldn’t change.

"The pup is active today," he noted, feeling a strong kick against his palm.

"He’s doing karate," Roxy groaned. "Or remodeling. I think he’s trying to add a skylight to my ribs."

Kaelen frowned, his protective instincts flaring. "He hurts you?"

"It’s just crowded in there, Z—I mean, Kaelen," she corrected herself quickly.

Kaelen stiffened at the slip-up, but he didn’t pull away. He knew the Dragon was closer to her than he was, but he didn’t mind because he knew he still occupied her heart in some way.

This made him cling tighter to her.

"Come," he said softly. "You need rest. "

"Grooming" was Kaelen’s favorite activity.

Back in the cabin, he settled Roxy into a nest of pillows. He sat behind her, armed with a hairbrush she had bought.

He brushed her hair patiently. Long, slow strokes that sent shivers down her scalp. Then, he moved to her hands, massaging lotion into her skin. Then her feet.

I could live like this forever.

She purred in satisfaction.

"You are beautiful," he whispered, kissing her swollen ankle. "You are like a flower that blooms at the edge of the stream."

"Of course! Do you think it’s easy to see a beauty like me anywhere?" Roxy snorted, eating a pickle she had summoned from the shop.

"It was never easy," Kaelen chuckled.

He moved up the bed until he was lying beside her, his face level with her stomach. He lifted her shirt, exposing the tight, stretched skin of her belly.

He laid his cheek against her. He closed his eyes, listening.

It was his ritual. He would listen to the heartbeat of his son, syncing his own breathing to the tiny rhythm. He smiled, a look of pure peace on his face.

But then, he frowned.

He shifted his head, pressing his ear to the left side of her stomach.

Then he moved to the right side.

Roxy frowned.

He pulled back, looking at Roxy with confusion. "Roxy. Their heartbeat is strange."

"What?" Roxy asked, pausing mid-pickle crunch. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Kaelen shook his head. He pressed his ear down again, closing his eyes tight, focusing his Alpha senses. Wolves had hearing keen enough to hear a mouse heartbeat under three feet of snow.

He listened.

Thump-thump. (Center). Thump-thump. (Left). Thump-thump. (Right).

As if they were chorusing in response to his prodding. Kaelen’s eyes snapped open. He looked at Roxy, his eyes wide in shock and fear.

"Three," he whispered.

Roxy blinked. "Three what? Three days left?"

"Three... hearts," Kaelen choked out. "I hear... three hearts."

Roxy dropped the pickle. It landed on the fur with a wet plop.

"Excuse me?" she squeaked. "Did you say three?"

"One here," Kaelen pointed. "One here. And one deep... here."

Roxy stared at him. Then she stared at her stomach. Before she could call for the system, the blue screen flickered to life, looking almost smug.

[Ding!]

[Update: Fetal Scan Complete.]

[Subject: Wolf Heirs.]

[Count: 3]

[Analysis: Congratulations, Host! You are carrying Triplets. Alpha genetics are potent.]