We got back to the village by the time the sun rose high in the sky, its golden light painting the stone homes in warm hues of amber and honey. The warriors who had marched with us broke formation immediately, rushing toward waiting families with cries of relief and joy. They hugged and kissed their females and cubs, some finding their mothers and embracing their fathers with the desperate gratitude of those who had walked through death and returned.
I rushed to Lisa and Raon’s home the moment I stepped into the village proper, my legs aching, my arms full of sleeping cheetah cubs, my heart hammering with a need to see my own children. The moment I crossed the threshold of their home, my older cubs came running toward me, their energy boundless, their faces alight with joy at my return.
In their man form, their weight did not overwhelm me. They were still children, still small enough that I could gather them close without being trampled by the massive beast forms when they shift. I knelt, somehow managing to hold the newborns in one arm while opening the other to my sons, and they crashed into me, all talking at once, their questions tumbling over each other in their excitement.
"Momma, what is that?" Jasper asked, his curious eyes fixed on the bundle in my arms. "Who are they?"
"They are babies," I said softly, stroking his hair with my free hand. "Babies who need a mommy, just like you and your brothers."
"Are they our siblings too?" Atlas asked, his brow furrowed in that serious way he had, always trying to understand the world in its proper order. "Like Niku, Sikai, and Levy?"
I just smiled, my heart aching with the complexity of the answer. "Go play with your brothers," I said instead, kissing each of their foreheads. "Mommy and daddies have to talk to your grandpa and grandma. Can you keep an eye on your siblings for mommy?"
Atlas stood up straight with his little chest puffed out, his chin lifted with pride. "Yes," he declared, his voice firm. "Leave it to me, momma. I will protect them."
After the cubs went off to play, their laughter echoing through the stone corridors, we made our way to the meeting room. Lisa and Raon were already there, their faces grave with the weight of what they knew we would tell them. We gathered in a circle, my mates and I, and we reported what had happened. I told them about the battle, about Rina’s death, about Alara’s choice to stay and lead her tribe.
And then I told them about using my power.
"I revealed myself," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I healed them all, every clipped wing, every wound. They know what I am now."
Leon huffed beside me; his arms crossed over his chest. "And the warriors who came with us," he added, his tone bitter, "treated her like a walking plague afterward. Kept their distance, whispered among themselves. As if she were something to fear."
Lisa rose and came to me, her arms wrapping around my shoulders in a warm, maternal embrace. "They are only afraid because they do not understand," she assured me, her voice soft against my hair. "They will learn, in due time. They will see that you are the same Krys you have always been. Give them time."
Raon cleared his throat, his deep voice filling the space. "What are you planning to do with Rina’s cubs?" he asked, his eyes fixed on the three small bundles I cradled against my chest.
I looked at my mates, at each of their faces in turn, and I swallowed hard before answering. "If my mates are okay with it," I said, my voice trembling slightly, "I would like to raise these cubs as my own. They should not be punished for their parents’ evilness. They are innocent."
The silence stretched, heavy and expectant.
Then Ravin looked at me, and his smile was genuine, warm, without reservation. "If that is your wish," he said softly, "we as your mates will follow whatever you decide. We trust you."
"I love cubs," Leon said, his earlier bitterness melting away as he stepped closer to peer at the sleeping newborn cubs. "I am all for it. The more, the louder, the better."
"Whatever you want, Krys," Soryn said, his serpent eyes gentle as he coiled his tail around my ankle in support.
"Yes," Caelion agreed, his grin bright. "The more, the merrier. Our family grows."
"Let us hope these ones love bath time," Veylan prayed, his hands clasped together in mock solemnity.
I laughed, the sound breaking some of the tension. "I highly doubt that" I said.
"I will love them," Aureon said simply, his hand finding mine and squeezing. "Just as you love them, Krys. That is all that matters."
My heart swelled, warmth spreading through my chest until I thought I might burst with it. I clutched my new babies closer, pressing grateful kisses to their soft heads. "Thank you, my mates," I whispered. "For agreeing to my wish."
I looked down at the three boys in my arms, studying them properly for the first time. I was not sure which of them was older, but judging by their size, I made my best guess. The biggest, whose chest rose and fell with strong breaths, I touched his forehead gently. "I will name you Zarek," I said softly.
The second one, slightly smaller but not by much, his pink muzzle twitching in his sleep, I stroked his cheek. "Your name will be Kaizen," I whispered.
The last one was the smallest, his breathing more fragile than his brothers. I held him closer, offering him more warmth, more protection. "I will name you Tavren," I said, my voice thick with emotion.
I kissed each of their little heads in turn, breathing in their scent, committing them to my heart. "You will be mama’s babies from now on," I promised them, the vow sacred and binding. "I will love you. All of you. Forever."
---
Leon carried our three younger cubs, Levy nestled against his chest with her usual regal patience, while Niku and Sikai squirmed and batted at each other from their perch in his massive arms. I carried our newest addition, Zarek, Kaizen, and Tavren bundled securely against my chest in a woven sling, their tiny hearts beating in synchronized rhythm against my own. My four older cubs walked alongside us, smiling and laughing at everything, their energy seemingly boundless despite the long journey.
Then Jasper got lazy.
He stopped walking, his lower lip pushing out in a pout that would have made a professional actor proud and turned his wide amber eyes toward Soryn. "Daddy Soryn," he wheedled, his voice dripping with artificial sweetness, "my legs are so tired. They might fall off. I think I need you to carry me or I might die right here on this path."
Soryn, my serpent who had survived centuries and wars and countless betrayals, melted like snow in summer. "Of course, my little one," he said immediately, shifting his serpent form to make room. He lifted Jasper onto his coils, settling the boy comfortably against his scales. "Rest your legs. Daddy Soryn will carry you."
"You’re spoiling him," I said, though I could not help smiling at the sight of my fierce warrior mate reduced to a doting father all because of Jasper’s pout.
"It is okay," Soryn said serenely, his tongue flicking out to taste the air with contentment. "My Jasper just loves me. I will carry him as long as he wants me to. Until he is grown and has cubs of his own. I do not mind."
Leon growled from where he walked beside us, his face contorting with mock disgust. "That is why Jasper always gets his way with you. The boy has you wrapped around your finger, and you do not even see it. He played you like a string, snake."
Soryn’s eyes narrowed, his head swiveling to fix Leon with a look of mock offense. "You are just jealous," he said smugly, his coils tightening slightly around Jasper in a protective hug. "Jasper loves me best. That is why he asked me and not you. You are too loud, too rough. The children can sense that you are trying to hard."
"I am not," Leon roared, his black hair standing on end. "I am the most fun. I just have standards. I do not fall for every pout and whimper like some soft hearted reptile who has never been a father before."
"Standards," Soryn scoffed, hissing the word like a curse. "You have standards, yet you let Atlas convince you to let him skip his training last week because his paw supposedly hurt. Do not speak to me about manipulation, lion. You are just as weak as I am."
"That was different," Leon sputtered, his tail lashing. "Atlas was actually limping. Probably. I was being a good father."
"Probably," Soryn repeated, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Yes, I am sure he was limping. You are hopeless."
"Okay, you guys," I interrupted, laughing despite my exhaustion, my arms aching from the weight of three newborns and my legs trembling from the journey. "Let us get home so we can finally rest for today. I am so tired I might actually fall over and sleep right here on this path."
"Would you like me to carry you too, my love?" Soryn offered immediately, his attention shifting from his rival to me with whiplash speed. "I have room. You are small. I could carry you and Jasper both."
"I am not small," I protested, though the offer was tempting. Only you guys think I’m small. I’m chunky as shit and after pregnancy my mommy pouch is more stubborn to lose. I thought miserably.
"You are compact," Soryn amended, ever the diplomat when it suited him.
"She is perfect," Leon growled, shouldering past the serpent to walk closer to me, his tail brushing against my leg in a show of solidarity. "And she can walk on her own two feet like the capable female she is."
And so we walked home, bickering and laughing, our family grown larger and stranger and more beautiful than I had ever imagined possible.
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