​The constant, pathetic murmuring was starting to grate on my nerves.

​I frowned, the easy, carefree swing of my legs stopping instantly. The boring atmosphere of the morning was officially gone, replaced by a massive headache. Seven days from delivery, and I had to deal with this screeching vixen? Give me a break.

​"If you have something to say, Veyra, say it to my face," I said, my voice echoing cold and clear through the vaulted stone ceiling.

​Veyra flinched as if I had physically slapped her again, her breath hitching. She clutched her swollen belly, shrinking back, but her eyes still burned with that venomous, pathetic jealousy.

​Noah stepped back, his eyes moving from Veyra’s scarred, sneering face up to me, his voice low and cautious.

"Arinya... who are these beastmen?"

​"Oh, just some old acquaintances, Noah," I said, letting out a dry, humorless chuckle as I leaned back against the cushions. "Allow me to introduce them. This is the Stormhole tribe. And the old man in the front? That’s my father, Chieftain Rakan. The one trying to hide her face is my sister, Veyra. And the one who looks like he’s seen a ghost is my big brother, Kaelor. And those two over there, I don’t remember their names, but they’re my brothers as well."

​I paused, letting the words sink into Noah and Thalor’s heads.

​"They’re the ones who kept me in a dark cave, starved me, let rats eat my heels, threw rocks at me, and treated me like a rabid animal for years," I continued, my voice terrifyingly casual as I ran a hand over my belly. "The ones who believed every single lie Veyra spun to make me out to be a criminal. And now, they’ve come to beg the West Way for a place to sleep."

​Thalor’s expression instantly turned incredibly dark. The warm, welcoming air around him vanished, replaced by the freezing, dangerous aura of the deep sea.

He looked back at Rakan and the brothers, his violet eyes turning incredibly cold.

​Noah’s jaw tightened, his golden eyes flashing with a dangerous, protective heat as he looked at the dirty, trembling tigers.

He didn’t say a word, but his posture shifted, his broad shoulders squaring as he stepped up the dais to stand in front of me, joining the wall of absolute protection.

​Rakan looked like he wanted to weep. "Arinya... we... I did not know..."

​"Of course you didn’t know," I cut him off, my voice dropping any hint of warmth. "You never knew anything, Chief. You only knew what Veyra wanted you to know."

​I leaned forward, looking down at the entire, pathetic line-up.

​"So," I smirked, my eyes glinting with the absolute pinnacle of sweet, delicious revenge. "You wanted an audience with the rulers of this Utopia? Well, you’re looking at them. What was it you wanted to beg for again?"

The heavy tension in the room was so thick it was practically suffocating, but apparently, my children did not get the memo. Or, more accurately, they decided this was the perfect stage for their grand debut.

​Damar’s scaly tail, which had been forming a protective barrier around the three of them, had uncoiled when he tensed up to glare at Kaelor. And with their father’s scaly walls gone, the triplets saw their opportunity.

​Especially Lyra.

​She was the undisputed ringleader of the three, possessing a double dose of my stubbornness and her father’s predatory instincts.

Ah, and I used to think she wouldn’t give me trouble.

She has a skillful way of making me worry.

The moment she saw a crowd of dirty, strange tigers standing in our beautiful hall, her little eyes lit up.

​She scrambled forward on all fours, her little silver-and-gold striped tail swishing with absolute, chaotic energy.

Close behind her came Raiden and Phina, tumbling over each other like a pair of clumsy, heavy-pawed cubs even in their baby form, eager to see what their sister was up to.

​"Lyra, get back here," Fenric muttered under his breath, his terrifying, frosty growl instantly cracking as he reached down to grab her.

​But Lyra was too fast. She dodged his hand with a sleek, fluid maneuver that she definitely inherited from Damar, and marched straight to the edge of the dais.

She stood tall on her little legs, puffed out her chest, and let out what she clearly believed was a bone-chilling, apex-predator roar.

​"Squeeeak!"

​It sounded like a wet squeaky toy.

​Phina and Raiden finally caught up, tumbling into her from behind and sending all three of them into a chaotic, rolling pile of soft fur, silver scales, and chubby cheeks right at the feet of Thalor and Noah.

"Now look at this mess," Noah exclaimed, bending down to pick up Raiden and Phina while Thalor picked up Lyra, but Damar was there in an instant to take his daughter back.

He was still jealous, but there was no hiding that proud smile that came from Lyra’s performance.

​Down below, the Stormhole tribe stared in absolute, paralyzed shock.

​Rakan’s eyes watered as he looked at the three healthy, beautiful, chubby children rolling around on the polished stone floor.

They weren’t like the thin, sickly, half-starved cubs of the Stormhole winter caves. These children were spotless, glowing, and clearly pampered like royalty.

​"They... they have different colors," Zevak whispered, his voice trembling as he stared at the cubs’ unique color patterns—a perfect, gorgeous blend of tiger, wolf, snow tiger, and serpent.

​"And... are pretty," Ashren muttered, his jaw dropping as he watched my children.

​Veyra’s face beneath her woolen wrap twisted into something so ugly and envious it looked physically painful. She clutched her own pregnant belly, looking at her scruffy, dull-furred mates, and then at my three perfect, high-fidelity triplets.

The contrast was a brutal, merciless slap to her remaining pride.

Her cubs could never compare.

​Lyra untangled herself from her brothers, shook her head, and glared down at the Stormhole tigers. She bared her tiny, undeveloped fangs, hissed a tiny, adorable hiss, and then pointed a chubby little finger directly at Veyra.

​"Shoo!" Lyra squeaked, from her father’s arm. "Shoo, dirty!"

Apparently, she’s picked up more words in the time she’s spent with her aunties.

It was the first time I was seeing her so active since every other time, anything that made her leave her alone time was a hassle she would rather not deal with.

​I couldn’t help it. A genuine, victorious laugh bubbled up from my chest, echoing loudly through the silent, stunned hall.

​"You heard the lady," I said, leaning back against my throne and wrapping my arms comfortably over my massive belly. "My daughter doesn’t like the smell of unwashed tigers in her palace."