Baby System: I'm the Beast World's Only Hope!-Chapter 288: Episode 286: You cannot Trespass

Unlike the open-air courtyards of the Tiger Kingdom or the towering, exposed peaks of the Dragons, the Fox territory was very beautiful. Blossom flowers framed caves, they even had wooden cabins.

Ren stood near the center of the grand den, having shifted back into his human form. His vibrant red hair fell into his eyes, and his usually perfectly styled clothes were rumpled from his blindingly fast sprint from the Iron-Wood.

But he didn’t care about his appearance. He watched with a heavy, calculating gaze as the elders and warriors of his tribe rapidly consumed the leaf-wrapped parcels he had dropped before them.

The Wither-Rot had barely touched the deep dens, but the paranoia had been starving them. Now, as the thick, hearty chicken broth and rice filled their bellies, carrying the invisible, heavily masked cure into their bloodstreams, the collective sigh of relief that echoed through the caverns was palpable.

Ren let out a long breath, his bushy red tail swaying slowly behind him.

"The magic in the meat... it is extraordinary, My King."

Ren turned his head. Approaching him from the shadows was Silas, the oldest and most trusted Beta of the Fox Tribe. Silas’s fur was heavily streaked with silver, his green eyes sharp and knowing.

He bowed deeply before Ren, his voice kept to a low, respectful murmur so the rest of the feeding tribe could not hear.

"The Queen of the Iron-Wood has saved us," Silas continued, his gaze drifting to the empty wooden crate. "We are entirely in her debt. She is a magnificent mate for you, Ren. A true matriarch."

"She is," Ren agreed softly, a genuine, lovesick smile touching his lips. "She is the greatest blessing this world has ever seen."

Silas hesitated. The old fox shifted his weight, his silver-streaked ears twitching nervously. He looked around to ensure they were entirely isolated before taking a step closer to his King, his expression turning grave and deeply troubled.

"Which is why," Silas started, his voice dropping to a harsh, urgent whisper, "it is not good that you are hiding it from her, Ren."

The warm, lovesick smile vanished from Ren’s face instantly. The playful, trickster Fox King was entirely replaced by an aura of pure, suffocating danger.

Silas swallowed hard, but pushed forward out of loyalty to the tribe. "The elders are already whispering. You have a mate now, a powerful Queen. The tribe needs an heir to secure your lineage. We need a royal kit. But with this situation... with the true state of your..."

"Silas," Ren warned, his voice a low, lethal octave that sent a chill through the air.

"You are living on borrowed time!" Silas pleaded, his eyes shining with desperate sorrow. "If you give her a child, you already know what will happen. But if you don’t, the tribe will question your bond. You must tell her the truth before—"

"That is enough!"

Ren’s voice snapped like a whip, echoing sharply off the stone walls. Several foxes nearby paused their eating, looking over in alarm.

Ren’s green eyes burned with anger. He stepped directly into Silas’s space, towering over the older Beta. The usually easygoing Fox King grabbed the lapels of Silas’s robes, pulling him close.

"My business with my mate is my own," Ren snarled, his fangs bared in a vicious, absolute command. "The state of my soul, and the future of my bloodline are none of your concern. You will not speak of this to the elders. And if a single whisper of this reaches Roxy’s ears, I will tear your tongue out myself. Do you understand me?"

Silas wilted under the crushing, desperate Alpha pressure. He lowered his eyes to the dirt floor, his tail tucking submissively between his legs.

"I understand, My King," Silas whispered thickly. "Forgive me."

Ren stared at the old fox for a long, agonizing moment before releasing his robes with a violent shove. He smoothed his own clothes, forcibly reigning in his raging aura. He couldn’t afford to lose control. He couldn’t afford to waste a single ounce of energy.

Silas cleared his throat, stepping back into the shadows to retrieve something. He returned holding several beautifully carved wooden chests.

"The tribe prepared these for the Queen," Silas said quietly, refusing to meet Ren’s eyes. "Gifts of gratitude. Please, deliver them safely."

Ren took the chests, securing them tightly to his belt and shoulders. He didn’t say another word to his Beta. Without a backward glance, Ren turned and launched himself out of the deep dens, shifting seamlessly into his massive, multi-tailed red fox form as he sprinted toward the surface.

He ran until he cleared the borders of his territory.

But as he entered the neutral forests leading back to the Iron-Wood, Ren’s blistering pace began to slow. The adrenaline of the confrontation faded, leaving behind a cold, hollow, and agonizingly heavy ache in his chest.

He slowed from a sprint to a steady, silent trot, eventually shifting back into his human form to walk the final miles through the ancient, towering trees.

Silas’s words echoed violently in his mind.

Ren leaned heavily against the rough bark of a pine tree, closing his eyes. His hand drifted up to rest directly over his heart. Beneath his ribs, he could feel the faint, incredibly warm, golden thread of Roxy’s soul, the piece of herself she had sacrificed to drag him back from the brink of feral madness.

Ren let out a ragged, trembling sigh. He thought of Roxy. He thought of the way she had looked in that lavender silk gown, her dark hair tumbling over her shoulders, her green eyes shining with fierce, protective love.

He thought of how beautiful, how dangerously alluring she had become the more he got to know the depths of her resilience.

He wanted her. God, he wanted her so badly it felt like his veins were full of fire. The primal, biological urge to bury himself inside her, to put a baby in her womb and watch her belly swell with a little fox kit who had her perfect nose and his red hair... it was an all-consuming obsession.

The fact that he had been let into her life at all, that a magnificent Queen from another world had looked at a broken, treacherous fox and chosen to love him, was the greatest blessing of his miserable existence.

But what was stopping him...

"I’m sorry, my beautiful Queen," Ren whispered into the empty, quiet woods, his voice thick with a solemn, unbreakable vow. "I swear on the soul you gave me... I will do my absolute best to be there for you, whenever you need me."

Ren pushed himself off the tree. He squared his shoulders, burying the crushing guilt deep behind his playful, charming mask. He broke into a run, closing the final distance to his home.

As he approached the shimmering green and gold illusion barrier of the Iron-Wood perimeter, he spotted a massive, familiar shadow walking up the main dirt path toward the Manor gates.

It was Zarek.

The Dragon king had already landed and shifted back into his human form. He was covered in a fine layer of mountain soot, his broad shoulders slumped slightly with fatigue, but his heavy strides were purposeful and eager.

Ren slipped through the barrier, entirely silent. He didn’t announce his presence. He didn’t throw a snarky comment at the Dragon’s back, and he didn’t try to race Zarek to the front door.

Ren simply fell into step behind Zarek, the two powerful Kings marching up the porch stairs in unified, exhausted silence, completely focused on seeing their mate.

Zarek reached the heavy oak door. He didn’t even bother knocking. He grabbed the iron handle, intending to push it open and stride directly into the room to find Roxy.

The door suddenly swung open from the inside before Zarek could even turn the latch.

Zarek and Ren both stopped dead in their tracks on the porch.

Standing perfectly centered in the doorway, entirely blocking the path of the two most lethal Kings in the beastworld, was a tiny, dark-haired figure.

Iris.

The little wolf-pup was wearing a far too large, oversized sleep shirt. Her black ears were pinned straight up in absolute, hyper-focused alertness. In her left hand, she was tightly clutching her favorite stuffed rabbit by its worn ears.

In her right hand, she wielded a slightly splintered, child-sized wooden training sword, pointing it directly at Zarek’s massive kneecap.

She looked absolutely terrifying in her own adorable mind.

Iris planted her little bare feet firmly on the floorboards, puffed out her chest, and glared up at the towering Dragon and the silent Fox.

"Stop!" Iris shouted."You cannot trespass!"