Chapter 413: The sweet revolution of the West Way

​The tension was broken by a sudden, high-pitched ’gaga’ and frantic light steps on the stone. From behind a limestone pillar, three balls of cuteness came barreling toward me.

​Phina, Raiden, and Lyra were headed towards me, and they weren’t crawling. They were... My heart nearly stopped as I watched them. They wobbled, their little legs shaking, but they didn’t tumble. They were actually taking steps—real, shaky, upright steps—toward me.

​"Look at you!" I gasped, kneeling down as best as my belly would allow.

I scooped up Lyra, who was the first to reach me, her silver hair shimmering. She let out a victorious little smirk and nuzzled into my neck.

​Holding her, I couldn’t help but notice how much more solid she felt. I looked at their chubby faces and felt a pang of realization—I really needed to start thinking about weaning them soon. If they were walking and growing this fast, breastfeeding triplets while carrying more children was going to turn me into a husk.

​Kael was watching the cubs with a strange, unreadable expression. "They are strong," he muttered, his golden eyes softening just a fraction. Ah, if even he says that, then my kids must be the strongest in the world.

I didn’t take that guy as someone who gives compliments, you know.

"They have the fire of life in them," Kael added.

​"They have the fire of their mother," Damar added, stepping up to place a protective hand on my shoulder, his emerald eyes warning Kael not to get too close.

I left my attention on the kids. Lyra made it to me first, and then Raiden was next, but Phina was still on the way.

"Gaga," She said, finally getting words out of her cute milk tooth mouth.

Wait, milk tooth? My eyes widened, and I checked again. I checked Lyra and Raiden, and they had milk toots too. My neck immediately turned to Thalor.

"When did this happen?" I asked, panicked and excited at the same time. They didn’t even get sick. Don’t babies get sick when they start teething? Where’s the annoying pooing that comes with the process?

Thalor walked over, his violet eyes warming with that soft, slightly amused look he always got when I started spiraling over the kids.

He knelt beside us, his long fingers gently catching Raiden’s chin as the little boy tried to test his new teeth on my sleeve.

"They are beast cubs, Arinya," Thalor said softly, his voice a soothing contrast to my rising panic. "Their bodies strengthen much faster than you think. They do not suffer from the fever or the belly aches of the fragile, thin-furred prey species. The tiger’s blood in them makes the transition swift and clean."

"Swift is an understatement!" I wheezed, adjusting Raiden on my hip while he tried to grab my hair. "Yesterday they were tumbling over their own paws, and today they’re walking around with a full set of weapon-grade milk teeth!"

I definitely have to think of weaning if I want to save my precious nipples.

"And they will need solid food soon," Damar murmured from behind me, his hand still resting warm and heavy on my shoulder.

His gaze flicked briefly to the front of my sea-silk dress, his emerald eyes holding a look of quiet, protective concern.

"You cannot keep giving them your own milk, Ari. Not when the ones inside you are drawing so much of your strength already."

He was right. I looked down at Phina, who had finally wobbled her way to my knees, her little tiger ears twitching as she let out another proud "gaga" and flashed those tiny, razor-sharp new teeth. If I didn’t start weaning them now, these three were going to literally drain me dry before the new babies even had a chance to arrive in twenty-two days.

"Solid food it is," I muttered, scooping Phina up with my free arm. "No more milk bar for you guys, but don’t worry, you’ll still get your occasional goat milk you like so much. But you’re predators, so we’re moving on to minced meat, soft broth, and mashed tubers."

Kael, who had been standing a few paces back, let out a low, rough chuckle. "A tiger queen who panics over tiny milk teeth but threatens a pride of Sun-Stalkers without blinking. You are a strange female, Arinya."

"I am a mother with a deadline, Kael," I said, turning my head to shoot him a pointed look. "Which means I don’t have time to waste. Thalor, can you take the kids to Talia for a bit? I need to make sure our new ’guests’ find their way to the ridge before they start trying to melt my palace pillars just to prove a point."

Thalor smiled, his eyes lingering on my face for a tender second before he gathered the wriggling, giggling trio into his arms.

"Go," he whispered. "I will watch over them."

I stood up slowly, pressing a hand to my lower back as the dull ache flared up again.

"Alright, Kael," I said, my Queen’s face locking back into place as I looked at the scarred Alpha. "Let’s get you up to the ridge. We’ve got an empire to heat."

And so it began, the sweet revolution of the West Way.

The merfolks were working hard on the wall along with our builders. The marketplace was buzzing. And the Caracals were getting settled next to the forge so they could use their fire as much as they wanted.

I had Oryn take them around and tell them exactly what I wanted them to do. And just so Kael wouldn’t feel like we were ordering him around, I told him that all this was so we could use their abilities on the most difficult process and see how they succeed.

I’m good with my words, I know.

But it’s not my fault he’s a prideful sucker who wants to prove a point. In the end, it all works out.

Alright, laws are set, tokens are made, coins are on the way, and the walls are a week away from reaching their peak. The sea king even brought more merfolk for the wall’s sake, and I have a feeling that after it’s done, he’ll be visiting very often.

Now, time to finish up the heating system in the nursery and the rest of the palace.

Kael, I choose you. Let’s do the hard stuff together.