Chapter 76: Chapter Seventy-Six: the cubs arrival

Qin Mo’s silver eyes were still curled into two curved crescents of pure satisfaction as he ran his fingers one last time through Lin Wan’s hair.

The lingering sweetness of their stolen kiss hung thick on the porch, so dense that Long Zhan was practically chewing on his own tongue to keep from spitting fire at the floorboards.

"I’ll go get the fire ready," Qin Mo said, his voice dropping into that smooth, sexy purr that made her ears tingle. "I will personally skin the beast pork and reduce the glaze until it is thick enough to coat your fingers. Just sit here with the stinky dragon and do not move."

Lin Wan let out a soft, hungry hum, her stomach letting out a small, rumbling growl that made both males chuckle. "Go quickly. If I don’t see those pork chops in the next hour, I might actually eat the wooden table."

Qin Mo gave her a final, lingering look of absolute possessiveness before turning on his heel.

His white robes fluttered behind him as he glided down the steps toward the cooking huts at the back of the square, his mind already calculating the exact amount of spices needed to please her tongue.

Long Zhan, however, didn’t move an inch. He remained kneeling right there on the wooden planks, his large, calloused palms still resting near her ankles. He let out a loud, irritated snort the moment the snake was out of sight.

"Shameless," Long Zhan muttered under his breath, his violet eyes shifting up to meet hers. "He acts like a servant in front of you, but the moment my back is turned, he steals a kiss from. Do not let his soft words trick you, Wanwan. Snakes have two tongues for a reason."

Lin Wan rolled her eyes, but a fond smile pulled at her lips. "Long Zhan, you already got my promise. Are you going to keep grinding your teeth until they turn into dust?"

"I am a Sovereign Lord," Long Zhan said, his chest puffing out slightly as his grip on her ankles tightened with protective warmth. "I do not share easily. But since you have given me your word, I will tolerate his presence... for now."

He leaned forward, intending to continue massaging her swollen feet, but the moment his fingers pressed into her skin, Lin Wan’s entire body went completely rigid.

The small, teasing smile on her face vanished instantly, replaced by a sudden, deathly paleness that made her look like a marble statue.

Her fingers dug violently into the armrests of the wooden chair, the wood groaning loudly under the sudden, unnatural strength of her grip.

Her breath didn’t just catch; it stopped entirely, her chest locking up as her ribs strained against her skin.

Long Zhan’s draconic instincts screamed a red-alert warning inside his head. He dropped his hands, his face turning pale as he stood up instantly, his massive frame hovering over her. "Wanwan? What is it? Is it the old man’s energy? Is your core hurting?"

Lin Wan couldn’t even find the air to scream. Inside her lower abdomen, the three months of quiet growth had instantly shattered into a violent, churning vortex. The memory-altering pill she had swallowed earlier snapped into high gear, her mind instantly turning cold, detached, and perfectly analytical despite the agonizing white-hot pain ripping through her pelvis.

Through her internal senses, she could feel everything with terrifying clarity. It wasn’t standard labor. The three cubs inside her, the bloodlines she had carried in silence, were suddenly waking up all at once.

The raw, heavy energy of Wang’s lineage inside her womb was expanding at an impossible rate, the dormant power inside the babies stretching the walls of her uterus like a balloon filled with boiling oil.

’The cubs,’ Lin Wan thought, her mind working through the pain with the precision of an elite agent. ’They aren’t just shifting. Their energy channels are opening up simultaneously. My body can’t contain this much pressure. If they don’t come out right now, the energy will rupture my internal organs.’

A low, guttural groan escaped her lips, her knuckles turning completely white as she looked up at Long Zhan, her eyes wide with a cold, commanding focus. "Long Zhan... the babies. They are coming. Now."

Long Zhan’s heart practically stopped beating. The legendary Sovereign of the Northern Peaks, a man who could face an entire army without blinking, felt his knees go weak. "Now? But it has only been three months! The standard gestation for a high ranked male’s cub is at least five! Your body isn’t ready!"

"My body is ready!, it has to be!" Lin Wan barked, her voice dropping into a sharp, authoritative tone that completely shocked the dragon. The elite agent’s memories were fully in control now, guiding her breathing, overriding her natural fear. "Stop rambling and pick me up! Take me into the cottage! Go get Qin Mo, and do not let anyone else near this house!"

Long Zhan didn’t waste another second. He slid his large arms under her knees and back, lifting her heavily pregnant body with absolute gentleness despite the panic roaring in his chest.

He kicked the front door open, rushing into the bedroom and laying her down onto the soft furs of the bed.

"Qin Mo!" Long Zhan roared, his voice carrying the full force of his draconic core, shaking the dust from the ceiling of the entire village. "Get your scrawny tail in here right now! Wanwan is giving birth!"

Far out in the cooking square, the wooden spoon in Qin Mo’s hand snapped into kindling. A silver blur tore through the courtyard, the wind pressure lifting the dirt as the Teng Snake King materialized inside the bedroom in seconds.

His face was completely devoid of color, his silver hair flying wild as his eyes landed on Lin Wan, who was already tearing at the collar of her tunic to get air.

"How can she be giving birth?" Qin Mo demanded, his smooth voice cracking with pure terror as he rushed to the opposite side of the bed, grabbing her hand. His palms were sweating. "The core hasn’t stabilized! The herbal doctor said—"

"Forget the herbal doctor!" Lin Wan interrupted, a sharp groan ripping from her throat as another massive contraction slammed her lower back into the mattress. She squeezed Qin Mo’s hand so hard the snake’s bones clicked. "Listen to me, both of you. The energy inside my womb is clashing with the air outside. The babies are too strong. Qin Mo, your presence is too cold right now, your beast aura is suppressing me. I need you to go to the porch. Monitor the perimeter. Long Zhan, stay here."

Qin Mo’s silver eyes widened with hurt and panic. "Wanwan, I can’t leave you. ... "

"Go!" Lin Wan ordered, her eyes flashing with a terrifying, iron-willed discipline. "The energy from this birth is going to leak out. If any wild beasts or rogue clans sense it, they will swarm the hill. You are the King of the Beast City, use your authority and keep the perimeter locked down! Long Zhan’s dragon fire is the only thing that can keep the temperature in this room stable enough for the cubs! Move!"

Qin Mo stared at her, completely stunned by the absolute authority and military precision in her voice.

He had never seen this side of her, this cold, analytical leader who was calculating survival vectors while in the middle of severe labor.

Recognizing the truth in her words, he ground his teeth, leaned down to plant a fierce, worried kiss on her forehead, and turned around.

"If anything happens, I will break this house down," Qin Mo hissed to Long Zhan, his eyes flashing with warning before he vanished out the front door to guard the porch.

Inside the room, the air was getting increasingly heavy. Long Zhan knelt beside the bed, his large hands holding hers, his violet eyes swimming with a mixture of terror and deep, raw reverence.

He began to channel his energy, letting a soft, invisible wave of draconic heat radiate from his skin, warming the bedroom until it reached the exact, sterile temperature Lin Wan’s body needed.

"I am here, Wanwan," Long Zhan whispered, his large frame trembling as he watched her face twist in agony. "I am right here. Lean into my strength."

Lin Wan didn’t speak. She focused entirely on her breathing, counting the seconds between the contractions using her new mental clock. ’First cub is dropping,’lin wan said calmly, she couldn’t let the pain distract her, and could never trust another person to help her with the birthing. ’Position is correct. Birth canal is open. Push.’

With a loud, agonized cry that tore through the walls of the cottage, Lin Wan threw her head back, her muscles contracting with immense, violent force.

A sudden, brilliant wave of pure, pearlescent energy erupted from her body, illuminating the dim bedroom like a flash of lightning.

Long Zhan watched with wide, breathless eyes as the first cub slid into the world. He quickly reached out with his large, steady hands, his movements coordinated by his instinct.