Baby System: I'm the Beast World's Only Hope!-Chapter 278: Episode 276: What is wrong Torian?

Roxy woke up to a blaring, neon-blue light practically burning through her closed eyelids.

She groaned, her entire body aching with the heavy, thoroughly satisfied soreness of a woman who had spent the entire night keeping a massive, feral White Tiger entirely to herself. Every muscle in her legs felt like jelly, and her skin was incredibly sensitive.

She forced her heavy eyelids open. Hovering inches from her face, exactly where she couldn’t ignore it, was a System window.

[Quest Complete: Conceive an Heir with the White Tiger.]

[Status: Confirmed. Gestation initiated.]

[Reward: 5,000 LP. Passive Buff ’Tiger’s Vitality’ unlocked.]

Roxy stared at the glowing blue text. The words blurred for a second before the reality of it slammed into her brain.

She had actually done it. She was pregnant.

The relentless, primal marathon Torian had put her through last night hadn’t just been to satisfy his jealousy, he had successfully planted his legacy.

Slowly, carefully, Roxy lifted a heavy arm. She pressed her open palm flat against her lower stomach. It didn’t feel any different yet, but a sudden, overwhelming rush of warmth flooded her chest.

Beside her, the mattress shifted.

A massive arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her back flush against his chest. Torian buried his face in the crook of her neck, his white hair tickling her jaw. He let out a low, sleepy rumble, intending to pull her back to sleep.

But as his nose brushed against the sensitive skin beneath her ear, he completely stiffened.

The rumble died in his throat. Torian’s entire massive frame went rigid against her back. Beastmen had senses far sharper than any human, and the Tiger Alpha was an apex predator.

He didn’t just smell the lingering, heavy scent of their marathon session; he smelled the immediate, fundamental shift in her. The sudden spike in her hormones. The distinct, entirely new scent of his own bloodline taking root inside her.

Torian flipped her over onto her back so suddenly that Roxy winced because of her aching hips..

He hovered over her, his dark eyes blown wide, his pupils swallowing his irises until his eyes were entirely pitch black. He leaned down, sniffing the air directly above her stomach, then moving up to her chest, and finally her neck.

His breathing turned incredibly jagged. He looked down at her, his broad chest heaving, his gaze sweeping over her messy hair and her thoroughly wrecked, cum-stained body.

"You are pregnant?" Torian asked, his deep voice cracking into a raw, breathless whisper.

Roxy looked up into his wide, desperate eyes and nodded her head fervently. "Yes, Rian. I am."

Torian let out a sound that was half-roar, half-sob.

Finally! His mate was with his heir!

He collapsed over her, entirely mindful of his massive weight, and began peppering her with frantic, desperate kisses. He kissed her forehead, her cheeks, her jaw, her shoulders. He kissed down her collarbone, dragging his lips over the sticky mess on her stomach, completely worshipping the vessel that was carrying his cub.

"My cub," Torian rumbled, his voice vibrating violently against her skin. "My legacy. You gave me a legacy, Roxy."

He moved so fast she barely had time to blink. Torian scrambled off the massive bed, his thick tiger tail thrashing wildly behind him. He stood completely naked in the middle of the room, his heavily scarred, muscular body radiating pure, explosive Alpha energy.

"I have to tell the pack!" Torian announced, already marching toward the bedroom door.

"Torian, wait!" Roxy shouted, grabbing the heavy furs and pulling them up to her chin. "Get dressed first! You can’t just run downstairs naked!"

Torian paused, looking down at himself as if he had completely forgotten he possessed a body. He grunted, quickly grabbing a pair of dark linen trousers from the floor and pulling them on. He didn’t bother with a shirt. He turned back, scooped Roxy entirely out of the bed, furs and all, and carried her out the door.

Oh this fucking big headed tiger!

***

Torian marched right to the center of the room and sat down on the large sofa, keeping Roxy firmly cradled in his lap. He had her tucked securely against his chest, his thick arms wrapping around her like an impenetrable fortress.

Zarek walked in from the kitchen, holding a steaming mug of black tea. The Dragon Alpha saw Roxy awake and immediately headed toward the sofa, completely intending to take his mate from the Tiger to get his morning worship session. Zarek reached his massive hands out to lift her.

A deafening, feral snarl ripped through the living room.

Torian’s upper lip curled back, exposing his elongated canines. He snapped his teeth directly at Zarek’s reaching hands, his dark eyes flashing with lethal, territorial warning.

Zarek froze, his golden eyes narrowing in sheer shock. Torian had never challenged him so openly without provocation.

Before Zarek could respond to the blatant disrespect, Roxy’s stomach violently lurched.

A wave of intense, dizzying nausea washed over her.

"Move," Roxy gagged, scrambling frantically out of Torian’s arms.

She bolted off the sofa, her bare feet slapping against the floorboards as she sprinted straight down the hall to the first-floor bathroom. She slammed the door shut and collapsed to her knees, violently emptying the contents of her empty stomach into the basin.

When she finally emerged a few minutes later, she felt entirely drained. Her legs were shaky, a cold sweat coated the back of her neck, and her skin was paler than usual.

Torian was instantly there. He didn’t say a word. He just scooped her weak body back into his arms, carrying her gently back to the living room sofa and tucking her securely against his chest, his chin resting protectively on top of her head.

By now, the commotion had drawn the rest of the pack. Ren and Kaelen emerged from the stairs, and Syris slithered in from the hallway, his green eyes sharp.

Torian looked at the gathered Alpha Kings. He puffed his broad chest out, his tail thumping heavily against the cushions.

"She is carrying my cub," Torian announced loudly, his voice thick with overwhelming, arrogant pride. "She is pregnant for me."

The room went silent for exactly one second.

Ren broke the silence with a bright, genuine laugh. The Fox Beastman stepped forward, his bushy red tail wagging furiously. "A Tiger cub? That’s incredible news, Torian! Congratulations!"

Zarek crossed his massive arms over his chest. He looked at Torian, then down at Roxy’s pale, exhausted face. The Dragon Alpha didn’t throw a tantrum, and he didn’t look jealous. He simply offered a nonchalant, accepting nod.

"It was only a matter of time," Zarek stated flatly, his tone slipping immediately into his authoritative cadence. "Take care of her, Tiger. She is vulnerable now. Do not let her strain herself."

Kaelen, on the other hand, was entirely quiet. The Wolf Alpha’s blue eyes swept over Roxy’s shivering form, assessing her sudden nausea and extreme fatigue. He didn’t offer loud congratulations. Instead, he simply turned and slipped back into the kitchen.

A few minutes later, Kaelen returned carrying a small wooden tray. He set it gently on the table next to the sofa. On it was a plate of dry, toasted bread and a steaming cup of ginger and mint tea.

"Eat," Kaelen instructed softly, brushing a dark curl away from Roxy’s sweaty forehead. "It will settle your stomach."

Roxy gave Kaelen a weak, grateful smile. Even though just the thought of food made her feel slightly queasy, she knew she needed the energy. She leaned forward in Torian’s lap, taking a piece of the dry toast and taking slow, deliberate bites.

The ginger tea worked absolute wonders, slowly washing away the sour taste in her mouth and settling the violent rolling of her stomach.

As she finished the last bite of toast, the cold, terrifying reality of their situation crashed back down on her.

She was pregnant. She was exhausted. But the Wither-Rot was still marching toward their borders, entirely uncaring of her new condition.

Roxy placed the empty cup back on the tray. She took a deep breath, forcing the lethargy out of her limbs. She turned her head, looking past the sofa toward the Snake Beastman laying quietly near the wall.

"Syris," Roxy called out, her voice slightly hoarse but entirely determined, as Syris groggily woke up. "We need to go to the medical room. We need to figure out the cure. I have the Kraken venom and Nerissa’s ink. We can’t waste any more time."

She placed her hands on Torian’s thick forearms, pushing lightly so she could stand up and get to work.

Torian didn’t let go.

Instead of loosening his grip, the White Tiger’s arms clamped down around her waist like heavy iron bands. He pulled her back flush against his chest, locking her securely against him. A low, continuous, chest-rattling growl began to vibrate against Roxy’s back.

Roxy frowned, trying to pry his fingers apart. "Torian, let me up. I need to go with Syris."

Torian’s grip only tightened, completely immovable. The growl deepened, turning darker and distinctly feral.

Roxy twisted around in his lap, looking up into his face.

Torian’s jaw was locked. The fiercely protective, entirely instinctual biology of an apex predator had completely hijacked his brain. He had a pregnant mate, there was a plague outside, and his beast was absolutely refusing to let her out of his grasp.

Roxy stared at his terrifying, unblinking expression, her heart giving a sudden, anxious flutter.

"Torian?" Roxy asked, her voice dropping to a nervous whisper. "What’s wrong?"