Baby System: I'm the Beast World's Only Hope!-Chapter 247: Episode 245: A Confession to make.

"I miss you too, Z."

The steam rising from the stone tub was thick and scented with the lavender oils Zarek had poured in with a heavy hand.

It curled against the high, arched window where the full moon hung in the sky, a bright, silver coin watching over the Iron-Wood forest.

Roxy stared at it. For the last months, that moon had looked different. It had been distorted by miles of water, a shimmering, unreachable wobbling light. Now, it was sharp. Clear. Real.

But she couldn’t focus on the moon for long.

Behind her, the water shifted as a massive, muscular body pressed closer. Zarek’s chest, hard as granite pressed against her back.

He wasn’t moving to take her. He wasn’t rushing. Instead, he was destroying her resolve.

His lips trailed down the column of her neck, hot and wet. He kissed the sensitive spot just below her ear, then moved lower to the curve of her shoulder.

He was pressing his mouth against her skin with enough pressure to leave a mark, inhaling her scent, tasting the lingering salt of the ocean and replacing it with the fire of the dragon. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"Zarek," Roxy sighed, her head falling back against his shoulder.

He hummed a low, vibrating sound against her skin, his large hands roaming over her wet stomach, spanning her waist, mapping the changes in her body.

He was verifying that she was real, that she was solid, that she wasn’t going to dissolve into sea foam if he let go.

The problem was, his "verification" was setting Roxy’s nerves on fire.

Her sexual libido was very high, for this kind of touch to go without doing anything.

Every brush of his thumb against her hip bone, every graze of his stubble against her neck sent a jolt of electricity straight to her core.

Her body, already heightened by the System upgrades and the adrenaline of the return, was singing with need.

She whimpered, shifting her hips back against him, seeking friction. Seeking more.

Zarek froze for a second. His hands tightened on her waist, his breath hitching. But he didn’t give in. He simply growled low in his throat and resumed his slow, torturous worship of her shoulder blade.

"You’re cruel," Roxy breathed, her voice trembling. "You’re a cruel, cruel lizard."

"That’s not my fault," Zarek murmured against her skin. "You have been away too long. I must remind your skin who owns it."

Before she could argue, or beg, the heavy oak door to the bathroom creaked open.

Roxy opened her heavy-lidded eyes.

Kaelen stood in the doorway. The Wolf Alpha had discarded his tunic, wearing only loose linen trousers. The steam misted around him, softening the sharp angles of his face.

His eyes, usually so steady and calm, were dark with a hunger that matched Zarek’s.

He paused, watching them. The sight of his mate, wet and flushed in the arms of the Dragon, made his nostrils flare.

Roxy lifted a wet hand from the water, beckoning him.

"Kaelen," she whispered.

He didn’t hesitate. He crossed the stone floor in three long strides, kneeling beside the tub.

He leaned in, capturing her lips before she could say another word.

The kiss was different from Zarek’s. Where Zarek was fire and possession, Kaelen was earth and devotion.

He kissed her deeply, his tongue sweeping into her mouth, tasting her breath, grounding her. Roxy whimpered into his mouth, her fingers tangling in his hair, pulling him closer.

God, she had missed this. She had missed the variety of them. The way Zarek overwhelmed her and the way Kaelen centered her.

Kaelen broke the kiss slowly, resting his forehead against hers. He reached out, his hand cupping her wet cheek.

"You have been in the water too long," Kaelen murmured, his voice husky. He glanced up at Zarek, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Her skin will prune. She needs dry warmth, not more soaking."

"She is fine," Zarek growled, tightening his hold on Roxy’s waist. "The water is heated. I am keeping her warm."

"You are keeping her wet," Kaelen countered calmly. "And she is tired."

"Don’t fight," Roxy interrupted, turning her head to kiss Kaelen’s palm. "He is doing good work, Kaelen. The heat feels good on my muscles. The swim... it was long."

She looked at the Wolf, her green eyes half-lidded and inviting.

Kaelen looked at the water. He looked at Zarek, who gave a begrudging nod of permission. Then he looked back at Roxy.

He stood up and shucked off his trousers.

He stepped into the tub, sinking into the water opposite them. He pulled Roxy’s legs onto his lap, his hands beginning to massage her calves.

"You are tense," Kaelen noted quietly, working a knot out of her muscle.

"You try swimming fifteen kilometers," Roxy groaned in pleasure as his thumbs dug in.

For the next twenty minutes, they simply existed in the steam. Zarek washed her hair, his large fingers gentle as he massaged her scalp. Kaelen washed her legs and feet, treating every inch of her skin like it was made of glass.

They kissed her. They touched her. They worshiped her.

They didn’t rush to sex. They didn’t let their lust override the moment. It was a silent, steamy communion of relief, the Dragon king and the Alpha Wolf finally having their heart back in the center of their chest.

Eventually, the water began to cool.

They stood. Kaelen wrapped her in a massive, fluffy towel that had been warming near the fire stones. Zarek lifted her out of the tub, setting her on the bathmat.

They dried her with agonizing slowness, patting her skin dry, kissing the droplets that lingered on her collarbone. Then, they draped her in a robe of white silk, soft, cool, and smelling of the Iron-Wood breeze.

Ahh this is the life.

Roxy groaned in satisfaction.

[Must be nice.]

Roxy snickers internally.

"Come," Kaelen said, taking her hand.

They led her out of the bathroom and back into the master bedroom.

The room had been transformed. The massive bed, usually a chaotic nest of furs, had been freshly made. The fire in the hearth was roaring, casting a golden glow over the room.

Ren, Torian, and Syris were waiting.

Ren was sitting cross-legged at the foot of the bed. Torian was leaning against the bedpost, arms crossed. Syris was lounging on the chaise near the window.

When Roxy entered, flanked by her two largest mates, Ren’s eyes widened. He scrambled off the bed and trotted over, circling her.

"You changed," Ren stated, his nose twitching. "I mean, you smell like Roxy now, yes, but... look at you."

He stood straight, measuring himself against her.

"You are taller," Ren accused. "At least two inches. And your hair... it used to stop at your shoulders. Now it is down to your waist."

Roxy smiled, feeling the silk robe whisper against her skin. She reached up and grabbed a handful of her now-long, dark hair.

"The ocean changes things," she said coyly.

Hehe, with all the things I have suffered, the least the system could do is give me a good makeover.

She undid the belt of the robe just enough to loosen it, then spun around. The silk flared, revealing the silhouette of her body underneath.

"And it’s not just the hair," Roxy teased, glancing over her shoulder. "The diet in the Spires... it was very nutritious."

Meh...

She struck a pose, highlighting the fact that her waist was snatched, her hips were wider, and her chest was fuller. The evolution she had undergone had given her a glow-up that was impossible to miss.

"My assets have appreciated," Roxy winked.

Torian choked on air. The tiger pushed off the bedpost, his dark eyes raking over her curves with blatant, unmasked appreciation.

"I... I would like to verify these assets," Torian rumbled, reaching out a hand toward her hip.

Roxy swatted his hand away, laughing.

"Access denied, you slimy tiger" she grinned. "I am not interested right now."

"You are cruel," Torian grumbled, though his eyes were burning. "You walk in here looking like a goddess and expect us not to touch?"

"Blame them," Roxy pointed a thumb at Zarek and Kaelen. "They spent an hour in the tub getting me all worked up and then put me in a robe. I am frustrated, horny, and tired. It’s a dangerous combination."

"We were cleansing her," Zarek stated defensively, leading her to the bed.

"You were marking her," Syris corrected from the chaise, his tongue flicking. "I can smell your musk on her from here, Dragon."

Roxy climbed onto the massive bed. She crawled to the center, sinking into the mountain of pillows. She sighed, a long, happy sound. This was it. Her nest. Her boys.

Zarek climbed in after her. He sat against the headboard, extending his legs. He patted his thighs.

"Sit," he commanded gently.

Roxy shuffled back, leaning her back against Zarek’s chest, settling between his legs. It was her favorite spot, protected, warm, and central.

Kaelen sat on the edge of the bed to her left. Torian sat to her right. Ren flopped onto his stomach at the foot of the bed, resting his chin on his hands. Syris glided over and draped himself elegantly on the corner.

They were all looking at her.

The playful atmosphere began to fade, replaced by a heavy, expectant silence.

Zarek wrapped his arms around her waist, his chin resting on top of her head.

"You evaded the question outside," Zarek rumbled, his voice vibrating through her back. "Iris said you smelled like a fish. You said you were a fish."

"Where were you, Roxy?" Kaelen asked softly. "Really?"

Roxy swallowed. Her heart gave a nervous flutter.

"I married a merman."

A/N: I had to come here and make a single shout out, Drax is very much alive, he was just out on errands for his father in the mountain peaks, that even I had forgotten to write about him in 242 to 245. That was until I saw a comment that asked me about Drax, so in the next Chapter you will see a fix of that. Thank you for reading <3