Baby System: I'm the Beast World's Only Hope!-Chapter 90: Episode : A Welcome Greeting.

The wagon arrived at the final hill, and the Iron-Wood forest abruptly ended.

"At least it looked civilized," Roxy whispered.

"It is soft," Zarek grunted from beside her. His eyes scanned the shining walls with disdain. "Stone that cannot take a Dragon’s fire is just decoration."

"It smells of perfume and stagnation," Kaelen added from the driver’s seat. The Wolf King was tense, his knuckles white on the reins. "There is no scent of the hunt here. Only trade."

The massive gates of the Citadel swung open silently, balanced on precision-engineered hinges.

Two rows of guards lined the path. They were Tigers, massive, hulking men in gilded armor, but they stood perfectly still, their expressions blank and disciplined. Behind them, servants in silk robes bowed low as the wagon rolled past.

And at the end of the path, standing at the base of a grand staircase, was the King.

Torian.

He was breathtaking. If Kaelen was rugged earth and Zarek was raw fire, Torian was polished steel.

He was tall, with skin the color of warm bronze and hair like spun white that fell to his waist in a perfect, silky sheet. He wore robes of white silk embroidered with gold thread, open at the chest to reveal lean, powerful muscles that weren’t bulky like Kaelen’s, but defined and lethal.

He was dressed like a Greek god straight from manhwa.

His eyes were the most striking part. They were pale, icy blue with vertical cat-pupils, framed by white lashes.

He watched the wagon stop. He didn’t look at the Wolf driving it. He didn’t look at the Dragon glaring at him.

His gaze locked onto Roxy, and the rest of the world ceased to exist.

"Welcome," Torian’s voice was smooth, a deep baritone that purred rather than growled.

Kaelen jumped down first, moving to help Roxy. But before the Wolf could reach her. Torian moved with speed and in one second he was next to the wagon, offering his hand to Roxy.

"I have waited a lifetime to see you with my own eyes," Torian said softly.

Roxy hesitated. Kaelen snarled low in his throat, his hand going to the knife in his vest. Zarek had the same reaction.

Ready to snap Torian’s head.

"Back off, Cat," Zarek rumbled.

Torian didn’t even blink. He didn’t look at Zarek. He didn’t acknowledge the threat. He simply kept his hand extended to Roxy, his expression one of polite patience, as if a fly were buzzing in the background.

"My Lady?" Torian prompted, a charming smile curving his lips.

Roxy looked at Kaelen, giving him a small ’it’s okay’ nod. She needed to play the diplomat. She took Torian’s hand.

His skin was hot, dry, and incredibly smooth. He helped her down with a grace that made her feel weightless.

"Thank you, King Torian," Roxy said, smoothing her dress. "Your home is... magnificent."

"It is merely a setting," Torian replied, bowing his head slightly. "It lacked a jewel. Until now."

He straightened up, finally glancing at the bundle in her arms—Iris—and the two toddlers clinging to her skirt, Drax and the twins.

His nose wrinkled slightly. Just a fraction. A micro-expression of distaste.

"Your... burdens," Torian said, his tone cooling. He snapped his fingers. Two female servants rushed forward. "Nurses. Take the young ones to the nursery. Wash them. Feed them."

"No," Roxy said sharply, stepping back and pulling Drax closer.

Torian paused, looking at her with mild surprise.

"They stay with me," Roxy said firmly. "My children go where I go."

Torian’s smile didn’t falter, but his eyes grew a fraction colder. "As you wish. The nursery is adjacent to the Empress Wing. They will be close."

He gestured toward the grand staircase.

"Come. You must be weary. I have prepared the a palace for you. It faces the rising sun. The bed is stuffed with down from the Cloud-Geese. It is the only room worthy of the Mother."

He began to walk, expecting her to follow.

"And my mates?" Roxy asked, not moving.

Torian stopped. He turned slowly, finally looking at Zarek and Kaelen. He looked them up and down, his gaze lingering on Kaelen’s mud-stained boots and Zarek’s wild, windblown hair.

"Them?" Torian said, tasting the word like it was sour. "There are barracks in the lower ring. Or the stables. My guards will show them where they can wash the road off their skins."

The silence that followed was deafening.

Zarek gritted his teeth, this tiger was tasting his patience. Kaelen’s claws extended.

"We are not guards," Kaelen growled, stepping forward until he was chest-to-chest with the Tiger King. "We are her husbands. We sleep where she sleeps."

Torian looked at Kaelen. He didn’t look afraid. He looked bored.

"Husbands?" Torian laughed softly. "A Wolf who digs in the dirt?"

He looked back at Roxy, his expression pleading, like he was trying to save her from her own bad taste.

"Mother, surely you jest. These are beasts. Useful for protection in the wild, perhaps. But here? In the Citadel? You are a Queen. You do not share your bed with the livestock."

Roxy felt a flash of white-hot anger. It burned hotter than Zarek’s fire.

She stepped between Kaelen and Torian. She looked up at the Tiger King, her chin high.

"These ’beasts’ built my home," Roxy said, her voice ringing out in the courtyard. "They fed me when I was starving. They kept me warm when I was freezing. And they are the fathers of my children."

She grabbed Zarek’s arm with one hand and Kaelen’s with the other.

"We are a Pack, King Torian. We eat together. We travel together. And we sleep together."

She stared him down.

"If there is no room for my mates in your Solar Suite, then we will sleep in the wagon. It’s cozy enough."

Torian stared at her. His perfect, handsome face was unreadable. The air crackled with tension. The guards’ hands drifted to their swords.

Roxy held her breath. Was this it? Was he going to order them killed right here?

Then, Torian smiled. It was a dazzling, beautiful smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

"Loyalty," Torian mused. "A rare and admirable trait. Very well."

He bowed low, a gesture of submission that felt entirely performative.

"I would not dream of separating a Queen from her... pets. The palace is large enough. I will have extra pallets brought in for them."

He stepped aside, gesturing for them to enter the palace.

"Please. Make yourselves at home. The banquet will be held at sundown."

"Thank you," Roxy nodded, feeling a rush of relief. She thought she had won. She thought she had established boundaries.

She turned and led her family up the stairs, Drax and the twins waddling behind her, Zarek and Kaelen flanking her like living walls.

She didn’t look back.

If she had, she would have seen the smile vanish from King Torian’s face the moment her back was turned.

She would have seen his pupils dilate until his eyes were black voids. She would have seen his upper lip curl back in a silent snarl, exposing fangs that were longer and sharper than any wolf’s.

"Filthy mongrels," Torian whispered to the wind, his voice dripping with murderous intent. "Defiling her. Touching her."