I Was The Only Omega In The Beast World-Chapter 177: CP: They Like It When You All Are Close

Three weeks later, Alex couldn’t remember what it felt like to move without weight.

The small lives inside him had become unmistakably, undeniably present.

Four of them. They’d confirmed it last week, when the stones had pulsed brightly enough to cast shadows and the image of four tiny heartbeats had shimmered in the air above Alex’s belly. Four cubs—not snakelings this time, but something else. Something furrier. The vision was too blurry to pinpoint what exactly they were but the shapes had been distinctly mammalian. Rounded ears. Tiny tails. Paws that curled and stretched against the inside of his womb.

The word four changed everything and nothing at the same time.

Four.

The number settled over the sanctuary like a new layer of stone in the walls—solid, heavy, impossible to ignore. Four small lives growing inside Alex, already moving with enough force that the swell of his belly shifted visibly when they rolled or stretched or pushed against each other. Four heartbeats that the stones now responded to with increasing brightness, as though the artifacts had decided these unborn children were the key they had been waiting for all along.

Alex could no longer pretend he was only "a little pregnant."

His belly was unmistakably round and firm, the skin stretched tight and warm, the curve prominent even under the loosest tunics Sally kept altering for him. The weight pulled constantly at his lower back and hips, turning every step into a careful negotiation. His breasts had grown heavier, plumpier, full and tender, the nipples dark and overly sensitive; he now wore soft, wrapped bindings most of the day and relied on Zale’s cool mist and Sally’s herbal compresses to keep the ache bearable. The nausea had mostly retreated, but it left behind a deep, bone-weary fatigue that made him drowsy by mid-afternoon. His washroom trip has increased by tenfold as the babies sit and jump on his bladder. His ankles and feet swelled every evening no matter how much he rested, and the pressure low in his pelvis had become a constant, heavy ache—the unmistakable feeling of his body stretching and preparing for four lives at once.

He moved slower now. He had to.

The days of climbing to the ridge edge without help were long gone. Now, when he needed to go somewhere, one of his mates carried him—usually Naga, whose coils could support the full weight of his belly without putting pressure on his spine, or Lucas, who simply lifted him like he weighed nothing and carried him wherever he needed to go. Leo had taken him to short distance tour around the sanctuary to catch his breath on his back when Alex felt too stuffy, his beast form steady despite the extra weight. Zale had learned to create a water-lift from the springs, a gentle current that could float Alex from the sleeping alcove to the courtyard without him having to walk at all.

The snakelings had adapted with the resilience of children who were thinking of proper ways to welcome their new little siblings.

Jade had become Alex’s constant shadow, not hovering but present, always within sight. He’d stopped asking "are you okay" and started asking "what do you need," which Alex found both touching and slightly unsettling—when had his eldest become so perceptive? River spent hours with his head pressed against the swell of Alex’s belly, listening to the four heartbeats with an expression of deep concentration. He’d started reporting on their activity patterns—"the smallest one is most active after midday meal," "the one with the strongest heartbeat likes it when Leo talks"—with the clinical detachment of a natural scientist.

Ripple had become fiercely protective, hissing at anyone who approached Alex too quickly, including Granite (who had looked genuinely wounded) and Drakar (who had looked genuinely amused). Onyx and Sterling had formed what Sally called "the support committee," taking turns bringing Alex small comforts—cool cloth wrap for his forehead, soft leaves for his pillows, interesting feathers they’d found. And Siddy... Siddy had been told repeatedly that he could not, in fact, climb the swell of Alex’s belly like a mountain, and had taken this prohibition as a personal challenge.

"The babies need to get used to me," Siddy had explained, after being removed from Alex’s lap for the fourth time. "I’m going to be their big brother. They should know my face before they’re born." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"That’s not how it works," Jade had said.

"It could be," Siddy had insisted. "We don’t know. We’ve never had siblings who weren’t snakes before."

He had a point, which was infuriatingn yet it made Alex chuckle softly, the sound turning into a small groan as one of the cubs gave a particularly strong kick low in his pelvis. The pressure made him shift, and Lucas’s hands immediately adjusted, pressing firmer into the aching spot.

"Easy," Leo appeared behind Alex and murmured while supporting his shoulder. "They’re getting stronger."

"They’re getting crowded," Alex said, rubbing slow circles over the tight dome of his belly. The skin there felt hot and stretched. "Four of them. No wonder I feel like I’m about to tip over."

Naga’s tongue flicked out, tasting the air near the swell. "Your scent is very rich today. The largest one is most active. The other three seem calmer, but they respond when you speak or when one of us touches you."

Sally looked up from her ever-growing notebook, quill pausing mid-stroke. "Four cubs. You’re basically a walking den at this point." Her tone was light, but her eyes were soft with worry and affection. "How’s the back today?"

"Aching," Alex admitted. "Hips too. And my chest..." He glanced down at the noticeable fullness beneath the loose wrap. "My body is hurting everywhere. Heavy."

Sally said. "I found some softer binding cloth in the wolf stores. You should take a bath."

Leo’s tail tightened gently around him. "You’re not walking anywhere after this. If you need the pool or the springs, one of us carries you."

" It’s just few steps away I can still—"

"You can be carried," Zale interrupted calmly, cool mist brushing over Alex’s swollen ankles. "Your body is doing extraordinary work. As your mates, let us do our work. "

Alex leaned his head back against Naga’s coils, letting the combined care wash over him. The small lives inside him settled a little, responding to the voices and touches around them. One particularly bold cub gave another firm push against his palm, and he smiled despite the discomfort.

"They like it when you’re all close," he said quietly. "The movement gets stronger, but calmer. Like they know they’re safe."

"They are safe," Lucas growled softly, his oiled hands continuing their steady massage. "And so are you."