I Was The Only Omega In The Beast World-Chapter 176: CP: You’re Body Is Working Hard Everyday, Let Us Help You

The days that followed fell into a new, careful rhythm.

Alex spent most mornings in the courtyard or the ridge edge, the seven stones arranged before him while he rested against a growing mountain of cushions Sally kept adding. The artifacts continued to warm—slowly, steadily. The Bronze stone glowed faintly whenever Granite sat nearby. The Water stone shimmered brighter in Zale’s presence. The obsidian Void stone pulsed with shimmery darkness when Naga touched it.

And always, the small lives inside Alex responded.

They had grown noticeably in their fourth week. The swell of his belly was impossible to hide now—a firm, rounded curve that pulled at his lower back and made his hips ache by mid-afternoon. His breasts had become heavier and more tender, requiring softer wraps and frequent cooling compresses. The nausea came in unpredictable waves, sometimes mild, sometimes strong enough to send him leaning against Naga’s coils while he breathed through it. His ankles swelled by evening, and a new, persistent pressure had settled low in his pelvis—the feeling of his body making room, stretching, preparing faster than it had with the snakelings.

His mates adapted without complaint.

Naga carried him when the backache became too much. Lucas massaged his lower back and hips every evening with warm treesap oil. Leo brought extra furs and soft leathers and adjusted perches so Alex could rest higher up if he wanted a change of view. Zale kept the air around him cool and fresh, adjusting the spring flows so the pools near the sleeping alcove stayed at the perfect temperature for aching joints and swollen ankles.

The snakelings were fascinated and protective in equal measure.

Jade had appointed himself "guardian of the belly," checking on Alex multiple times a day with solemn questions about how the new siblings were doing. River sat quietly beside him for long stretches, listening to the heartbeats with his small serpent head pressed gently against the swell. Ripple and Onyx brought "gifts"—shiny stones, soft leaves, anything they thought might help. Sterling kept careful count of how many times Alex had to sit down during the day. Siddy... Siddy had decided the best way to help was to steal eggs from nearby bird nests for the future siblings, which ended up making him enemies of all feathery creatures in one mile radius.

Sally documented everything in her notebook, her "not-posted blog" growing thicker by the day. She brewed leftover batches of ginger tea and when supplies ran low she used whatever edible leaves she can find to brew more tea for her brother, mixed cooling salves, and threatened anyone who tried to make Alex walk more than necessary.

Granite carved additional tunnels and soft play areas in the eastern meadow, muttering about "room for more cubs" while his massive paws shaped the earth with surprising gentleness.

Drakar remained mostly at the perimeter, but he had begun spending quiet evenings near the courtyard, his massive form curled like a living wall while he listened to Alex describe the stones’ slow awakening.

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One quiet afternoon, Alex sat in the courtyard with all seven stones arranged in a circle on his lap. The swell of his belly was prominent now, the skin stretched tight and warm beneath his loose tunic. He pressed the stones gently against it, feeling the immediate flutter of at least three — possibly four — tiny bodies reaching back.

The light from the stones brightened.

A faint image shimmered in the air above them — clearer than before. The ancient threshold door appeared again, its carved surface pulsing with the same rhythm as the heartbeats in Alex’s womb. Behind it, the shadow waited — patient, formless, watching.

But this time, something was different.

The Shadow Lord stood beside the darkness, solid and real. His eyes were fixed not on Alex, but on the glowing stones and the rounded curve of Alex’s belly. There was something almost... hungry in his expression. Not for Alex himself, but for what he carried.

"The babies," Alex whispered. "He wants the babies. Or what they can do with the stones."

Naga’s coils tightened protectively around him. "He will not have them."

"None of them will," Lucas growled, his hand covering Alex’s on the swell.

Leo’s tail lashed once, golden eyes narrowing. "If the threshold opens because of the little ones, then we control when and how it opens. Not the shadow. Not its ’child.’"

The image faded slowly, the stones dimming back to their steady, warm glow.

Alex let out a long breath, one hand resting on the firm dome of his belly where the small lives had grown noticeably more active after the vision. The pressure in his pelvis had increased again today, a constant, heavy ache that made sitting for long periods uncomfortable. His lower back throbbed in steady rhythm with his heartbeat, and his breasts felt even heavier than they had that morning, the nipples tight and overly sensitive against the soft fabric.

Naga noticed everything, as always. One coil slid higher to cradle the underside of the swell more securely while another gently massaged the base of Alex’s spine. "Enough for today. You’re tired. Your scent is tipping toward discomfort again."

"I’m okay," Alex started, but the lie dissolved when another dull throb rolled through his lower back and made him wince. He shifted, trying to ease the pressure in his pelvis, and felt the distinct weight of his growing belly pull at his hips.

Lucas was already moving behind him, strong hands kneading the aching muscles with practiced care. "You’re not okay. You’re carrying at least three of our children and your body is working harder every day. Let us take care of you."

Leo brought more cushions, arranging them so Alex could recline with better support for his back and hips. Zale’s cool mist washed over him, easing the persistent nausea and the low-grade heat that seemed to radiate from his skin lately.

Sally appeared with fresh tea and a small bowl of mashed fruit. "Drink. Then rest. I’ll keep the snakelings occupied so they don’t climb all over you for at least an hour."

The snakelings, who had been watching the entire scene with wide-eyed fascination, immediately began negotiating exactly how long "at least an hour" actually meant.

Naga’s coils support the weight of his belly, let Lucas’s hands work the knots out of his back, let Leo’s tail drape over him like a warm golden vine, let Zale’s cool presence soothe the discomfort that came with carrying new life so quickly. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

As evening fell and the courtyard filled with the soft sounds of his family — the snakelings’ excited chatter, Sally’s laughter, Granite’s low rumbles, the distant flap of Drakar’s wings overhead — Alex rested his hand on the firm, rounded curve where at least three tiny hearts beat in steady rhythm with his own.