I Was The Only Omega In The Beast World-Chapter 168: CP: Resting during Pregnancy Is Important

The stones remained stubbornly cold beneath Alex’s palm, but the life growing inside him answered with increasing insistence.

A soft, rolling flutter moved across his lower belly — not the strong kicks he remembered from the snakelings when they’re active, but something lighter, more curious. Like tiny hands exploring the barrier of his skin from the inside. The sensation made his breath hitch, and another wave of nausea crested, forcing him to swallow hard against the metallic taste rising in his throat.

Lucas’s hand settled over his immediately, large and warm, fingers threading between Alex’s. "They’re moving?"

"Exploring," Alex managed, voice a little strained. He shifted on the rock, trying to find a position that didn’t make his lower back scream. The dull ache had sharpened into something more insistent, a constant pull that radiated down into his hips. His breasts felt heavier than they had even an hour ago, the nipples tight and overly sensitive against the loose fabric of his shirt. Even the gentle brush of air made them ache.

Naga’s coil tightened supportively around his waist, one loop sliding higher to cradle the underside of the swell. "Your scent is shifting again," the serpent lord murmured, tongue flicking out to taste the air near Alex’s belly. "Sweeter. Richer. Your body is working harder than it shows."

Leo landed lightly beside them, ears folding as he crouched in front of Alex. Golden eyes narrowed at the way Alex was pressing his free hand into his lower back. "You’re hurting. Don’t lie."

"It’s just the usual stuff," Alex said, even as another flutter made his belly tighten and a fresh spike of nausea rolled through him. "Backache. Tenderness. The morning sickness that apparently doesn’t care what time of day it is." He tried for a smile, but it felt wobbly. "Pregnancy round two is... enthusiastic."

Zale’s sphere drifted closer, cool mist brushing Alex’s flushed cheeks. The mer-prince’s voice was gentle but firm. "You’re pale. Your hands are trembling. And I can see the tension in your shoulders from here. Sit back. Lean on Naga. Let us handle the stones for now."

Alex wanted to protest — he had come here to try, to see if proximity to the valley or the new lives inside him might wake the artifacts — but his body was already voting against him. The nausea surged again, stronger this time, and he had to close his eyes and breathe through his nose until it passed. When he opened them, Lucas was holding a waterskin to his lips, and Leo had produced a small cloth dampened with cool spring water to press against the back of his neck.

"Drink slow," Lucas said. "Small sips."

Alex obeyed, the cool water helping settle the worst of the queasiness. The heartbeats inside him fluttered again, responding to the touch of his mates, to the voices around him. He could almost feel them leaning into the contact — curious, alive, already attuned to the family surrounding them.

"They like it when you’re close," he said quietly, resting his hand over Lucas’s where it still covered his belly. "All of you. The movement gets stronger when you touch me."

Naga’s coil shifted, the cool scales pressing more firmly against the swell. "Then we stay close." His voice dropped, soft and possessive. "All of us. Every day. You are not doing this alone. Especially when you’re carrying our children."

Leo’s tail curved around Alex’s plumped hips, warm and sheltering. "And no more long walks without one of us carrying you when it gets bad. I saw the way you were favoring your right hip on the path."

"I can still walk—"

"You can," Zale agreed calmly, "but you don’t have to. Your body is already building four — or more — new lives. Let us carry the weight where we can."

Alex leaned back into Naga’s coils and Leo’s wing, letting the combined support take some of the strain off his back. The tenderness in his chest flared again as he breathed deeper, a sharp, heavy ache that made him wince. Lucas noticed immediately, large hand moving from Alex’s belly to gently cup one swollen breast through the shirt, thumb stroking soothingly over the sensitive nipple.

"These are heavier too," the wolf lord observed, voice low and rough with concern. "Tender?"

Alex nodded, cheeks heating despite everything. "They started aching more this morning. Feels like... too much, too fast."

"We’ll find softer wraps for you," Lucas promised. "And salves. Sally mentioned something about cooling herbs."

From a short distance away, Sally looked up from her notebook, eavesdropping while keeping the snakelings occupied. "I have a whole list. Cooling compresses, ginger for the nausea, loose tunics that won’t rub, extra cushions for your back and hips. I’ve been reading everything I can find in the wolf archives about beastman pregnancies. You’re not suffering in silence this time, big brother."

Alex managed a weak laugh that turned into a small groan when another dull throb rolled through his lower back. "I’m not suffering. I’m just... pregnant. Very pregnant. Very quickly pregnant."

River had slithered over during the conversation, pressing his small head gently against the swell beside Alex’s hand.

"They’re listening," the quiet snakeling said. "Not with ears. With feeling. They like when we talk."

Siddy, who had finally been coaxed down from his ledge by Jade’s stern insistence, immediately draped himself across Alex’s lap beside Ripple. "Can they hear me if I shout? HELLO NEW SIBLINGS. I’M YOUR BIG BROTHER SIDDY AND I WILL TEACH YOU HOW TO CLIMB AND HOW TO BITE AND—"

"Siddy," Alex groaned, but he was smiling despite the fresh wave of nausea the sudden movement caused. "Inside voice. And maybe don’t teach biting on day one."

The snakelings settled into a warm, scale-covered pile around and against him — careful of his belly, but clearly fascinated by the new development. Their combined weight and warmth helped ground him, even as the pregnancy symptoms continued their slow assault: the persistent lower-back ache, the tender heaviness in his chest, the queasiness that refused to fully leave, the faint swelling in his ankles that made his boots feel tighter than they had yesterday.

Naga’s tongue flicked against his temple. "You need to rest more. Although four mates bonds are enough to provide you energy, you’ll still go through pregnancy symptoms. The little ones are taking what they need, and your body is giving it willingly. But it costs you."

"I know." Alex closed his eyes, letting the sounds of his family wash over him — Leo’s low murmur as he spoke with Lucas about patrol routes, Zale’s quiet suggestions about adjusting the spring temperatures near the sleeping alcoves, Sally’s laughter as she tried to mediate a stone-tossing game between Sterling and Onyx.