Interstellar Beastworld: Raising A Cub With My Mummy System!-Chapter 23: THE OFFER WAS WAY TOO TEMPTING

He glanced down at her. "Is that a complaint?"

She thought about it. "...No. Not really."

He almost smiled.

She yawned again, a huge, jaw-cracking yawn that made her whole face scrunch up. Her hand moved to rest on her stomach, rubbing slow circles over the rounded bump.

"Tomorrow," she murmured, her eyes fluttering. "Tomorrow I finally get to meet the little one."

He said nothing, just walked.

"I wonder who they will look like." Her voice was getting sleepier. "I hope they take after you. You have those pretty features. Ethereal, almost. If they look like you, they will be beautiful."

His steps faltered slightly. He did not know what to say to that.

"Either way," she continued, her words slowing, "they will have amazing genes. You are a prince. I am... me. That has to count for something."

She fell asleep mid-thought, her body going limp against him, her breathing evening out into soft, rhythmic puffs.

Uriel looked down when he heard her snore.

It was a tiny sound, barely there, but unmistakable. She was completely unconscious, utterly trusting, sleeping in his arms like it was the most natural thing in the world.

He stood there for a moment, in the middle of the mall, holding a sleeping pregnant woman and a dozen bags of baby supplies, and felt something shift in his chest.

She hoped their child looked like him. Thought he was ethereal. Fell asleep trusting him to keep her safe.

He started walking again, slower now, more carefully.

At the central checkout, the clerk began scanning their purchases. Uriel shifted Lin Yue slightly to access his wrist-comm, careful not to wake her.

The clerk glanced at the sleeping woman, then at him, and wisely said nothing.

When the transaction completed, he gathered the bags and carried them and Lin Yue back toward the car. She slept through all of it, snoring softly against his chest.

He settled her into the passenger seat as gently as he could, buckling the seatbelt around her. She mumbled something unintelligible and turned her face toward him, still asleep.

Uriel stood there for a moment, looking at her.

Then he got in and drove them home.

She woke briefly when he carried her into his quarters, lifting her from the car and through the corridors. The guards at the door pretended very hard not to notice.

"Mm." she mumbled. "Home?"

"Almost." He laid her on the bed and pulled a blanket over her. "Sleep."

"You should sleep too." Her eyes were already closing. "It’s been a long day."

"It was."

She reached out and caught his hand before he could move away. Her grip was weak, sleepy, but there.

"Thank you.." she whispered. "For today. For everything."

He looked at her hand on his, small and pale against his skin.

"Rest, you don’t have to thank me." he said quietly.

She smiled, just a little, and let go. Within seconds she was asleep again.

Uriel stood there for a long moment, watching her breathe.

Then he pulled up a chair and sat down beside the bed. He had reports to review, plans to make, a cousin to deal with. But for some reason he couldn’t leave.

Sitting here watching her sleep, while peaceful, was not productive.

He stood carefully, pulling the blanket up higher around her shoulders.

"Uriel?"

Her voice was sleep-heavy, barely a whisper. He looked down to find her eyes half-open, watching him.

"Don’t go." She shifted slightly, her hand reaching out toward him. "Stay the night. Do you not want to sleep with your baby?"

He looked at her hand.

Looked at her face.

At the way she was already drifting back to sleep even as she spoke.

He could have listed all the reasons he should leave.

Work.

Security.

The strangeness of sharing a bed with someone he still barely knew.

But she had asked him to stay. And if he was honest with himself, even if she had not mentioned the baby, even if she had simply asked him to stay, he would have.

The offer was way too tempting.

He climbed onto the bed carefully, moving slowly so as not to disturb her.

The bed was large enough that he could keep distance between them, but when he settled, she immediately rolled toward him, her hand landing on his chest.

She was already asleep again.

Completely unconscious.

Utterly trusting..again

Uriel lay still for a long moment, feeling the weight of her hand, the warmth of her body close to his.

Then he reached down and placed his palm gently on her stomach.

The baby moved immediately, a soft kick against his hand.

He smiled in the darkness.

"We are waiting for you, little one," he whispered. "Do not keep us waiting much longer."

The baby kicked again.

Acknowledging his words.

Uriel closed his eyes and let himself rest.

Morning light filtered through the windows when Lin Yue woke.

The first thing she noticed was warmth. A solid, massive warmth pressed against her side, radiating heat like a furnace. The second thing she noticed was fur. Soft, thick fur covering something huge that was definitely not a person.

She froze, her eyes still closed, her brain struggling to process.

What was she touching? Why was it hairy? Had something gotten into the room during the night?

She forced her eyes open and turned her head slowly.

A wolf?!

A gigantic wolf lay beside her, taking up most of the massive bed. Its fur was pure white, so bright it seemed to glow in the morning light. Its head rested on its massive paws, eyes closed, breathing slow and deep. It was easily the size of a small horse, powerful and majestic and utterly terrifying if she did not know better.

But she did know better.

This was Uriel.

In his beast form.

Lin Yue stared, her heart pounding not from fear but from sheer awe. She had heard about beastfolk shifting, had known theoretically that Uriel could transform, but seeing it was something else entirely.

He was beautiful.

No, beautiful was not the right word. He was magnificent. His fur was so white it looked like fresh snow, each strand catching the light and shimmering. His ears were tall and tufted, twitching slightly in his sleep. His tail, huge and fluffy, was curled partially around her legs.

She reached out slowly, hesitantly, and touched his side.

The fur was impossibly soft. Like clouds. Like the most luxurious blanket she had ever imagined. She sank her fingers into it and felt warmth radiate through her palm.

He was like a giant plushie.

A living, breathing, deadly giant plushie.

"You are the prettiest wolf I have ever seen," she whispered.