Baby System: My Mates Can Read my Mind?

"I can’t feel my legs," Rue complained, leaning all her weight against the white wolf.

Axel let out a low, rumbling chuckle. He wrapped his thick, muscular arms around her waist and pulled her flush against his chest. She rested her head on his solid shoulder. Her bones felt like heavy stones. The long dragon flight, the dramatic family reunion at the manor, and the wild toddler chaos took every last drop of her energy.

"You did a lot today," Axel murmured softly. His deep voice vibrated right against her ear. "Let me take care of you tonight."

He bent his knees and scooped her up into his arms. Rue did not fight him at all. She just let her head fall back against his shoulder and closed her tired pink eyes. He carried her down the long hallway, walking away from the quiet living room. His heavy leather boots made a soft thudding sound against the floorboards.

He didn’t take her to the main bedroom yet. He walked past that heavy door and headed straight for the mansion’s biggest bathroom.

Axel pushed the door open with his foot. The room was huge, built from smooth gray stone and thick polished oak. A massive wooden tub sat right in the center of the floor. It was big enough for a giant warlord, which meant it looked like a small swimming pool to Rue.

Axel set her down gently on a small wooden stool near the wall. He turned around and started working the heavy iron pumps. Hot water rushed into the wooden basin with a loud, splashing sound. Thick, white steam immediately rose into the cold air. The room quickly filled with a warm, comforting heat.

"Just sit right there," Axel told her. He grabbed a small clay bottle from a shelf and poured a sweet-smelling oil into the running water. It smelled like wild mint, crushed pine needles, and warm honey.

Rue watched him work. She felt a lazy, happy warmth spreading through her chest. He was so big and dangerous, but he was setting up a bath for her like it was the most important mission in the world.

When the tub was full, Axel turned back to her. He knelt on the cold stone floor. His rough hands reached out and gently undid the laces of her green dress. He pulled the fabric down, slipping it off her tired shoulders. The cool air hit her bare skin for just a second before he lifted her up again.

He stepped toward the tub and lowered her right into the steaming water.

Rue let out a loud, happy groan. The hot water swallowed her up all the way to her collarbone. It felt like pure magic. The intense heat sank straight into her sore muscles, chasing away the sharp aches from the long day. She closed her eyes and let her head fall back against the smooth wooden rim.

Axel didn’t leave the room to give her privacy. He stayed right there. He rolled up the sleeves of his dark shirt, revealing his thick, scarred forearms. He grabbed a soft cloth and a block of sweet-smelling soap. He knelt right beside the tub.

He started with her hair. He scooped up warm water in his large hands and poured it over her silver curls. His touch was so gentle. He worked the soap into her roots, massaging her scalp with slow, careful circles. Rue let out another long sigh. Her body went completely boneless. She felt like a puddle of warm wax melting in the sun.

"You carry too much tension right here," Axel whispered in the quiet room.

He moved his hands down to her neck. His thumbs pressed deep into the tight knots hiding under her pale skin. He rubbed her shoulders, kneading the sore muscles with a perfect, steady pressure. He knew exactly where she hurt from carrying Seika all afternoon.

Rue couldn’t help it. She made a soft, breathy sound of pleasure.

The physical care slowly started to shift. The quiet bathroom suddenly felt very small. The thick steam made the air heavy and hard to breathe.

Axel stopped talking. The loud, arrogant wolf usually filled every silence with a joke, a boast, or a teasing remark. Right now, he was unusually quiet.

Rue opened her eyes. She looked up at him through the white steam.

His striking blue eyes were dark. The bright, playful light in them was gone. He stared down at her with a fierce, hungry focus. His gaze tracked every single drop of water rolling down her bare neck. He watched the water slide over her collarbone and drip down into the bath. He watched the way the hot water made her pale skin flush a pretty pink color. He watched her chest rise and fall with her shallow breaths.

The relaxing tension in the room turned into a heavy, burning heat.

Axel leaned over the edge of the wooden tub. He didn’t ask for permission. He brought his face down to hers.

He kissed her.

It wasn’t a sweet, gentle peck on the cheek. It was deep and demanding. His mouth crashed against hers, hot and wet. Rue gasped against his lips. She lifted her wet arms out of the water and wrapped them around his thick neck. She pulled him closer, not caring at all that she was soaking his dark shirt.

He kissed her back with a raw, desperate need. His tongue swept into her mouth, tasting like mint and warm rain. His large hand slid down her wet shoulder, gripping her bare waist right under the water. His rough touch burned her skin, even through the hot bath.

They shared a very passionate kiss right there in the tub. The splashing water echoed loudly off the stone walls. Rue felt a wild flutter low in her stomach. Her heart raced.

She knows what is about to happen.

The magical mate bond hummed loud and clear in her blood, pulling them together like two strong magnets. She wasn’t just a tired mother anymore. She was a woman, and the fierce Northern warlord wanted her with a burning desperation.

Axel finally broke the kiss. He pulled back, panting hard. His chest heaved up and down. He looked at her swollen lips and her half-lidded pink eyes.

He didn’t waste another second.

He reached into the hot water and scooped her up into his arms. Water rushed off her skin in a loud waterfall, splashing all over his clothes and the floor. He didn’t care about the mess. He grabbed a massive fluffy towel from the nearby shelf and wrapped it tightly around her dripping body.

He carries her back to the large bedroom.

Rue wrapped her arms around his neck again. She rested her wet head against his chest. She could hear his heart hammering a frantic, messy rhythm against his ribs. It sounded like a loud war drum. She felt a nervous, excited thrill run straight down her spine. The heavy exhaustion was gone, replaced by a deep, burning anticipation.

Axel carried her down the dark hallway. He kicked the heavy oak door of the large bedroom open with his boot.

The room was very warm. A fire burned bright in the stone hearth, casting dancing orange shadows across the walls. The giant circular bed sat right in the center, covered in soft gray sheets and thick animal furs.

Axel walked straight to the bed. He laid her down gently in the very center of the mattress.

The soft towel fell away, exposing her warm, flushed skin to the cool air of the bedroom. Rue didn’t try to cover up this time. She looked up at the fierce Northern warlord standing over her.

Axel dropped his soaked dark shirt on the floor. His broad, muscular chest was covered in pale scars from a hundred different bloody battles. He looked like a wild beast ready to devour his prey. He crawled onto the bed, his knees sinking deep into the soft mattress.

He moved right over her, caging her in with his massive body. The heat radiating off his skin was intense. It felt like laying under a warm blanket.

Axel pins her wrists gently above her head. His rough fingers wrapped around her delicate bones, holding her securely in place. He didn’t squeeze hard. He didn’t want to hurt her soft rabbit body. He just wanted her to know he was in control right now.

He leaned down. His face hovered right over her neck. She felt his hot breath ghosting over her damp skin.

His fangs grazed her collarbone.

The tiny, sharp scrape sent a shock of pure electricity straight to her toes. Rue whimpered, her back arching slightly off the soft bed. She couldn’t hide the soft, needy sound. It just slipped out of her throat.

Axel smiled against her skin. The predatory sound of his low growl vibrated right against her throat. He lifted his head just an inch to look her right in the eyes. His blue eyes burned with a dark, possessive fire.

"Let me show you how a wolf claims his mate," Axel whispered. His voice was a rough, deadly promise meant to make her swoon.

She chuckled, "That’s so cringe."

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!