132: 3.72 The Baby Moves

3.72 The Baby Moves

"Oh my God!" Oliver hastily retracted his hands, his flushed cheeks drained of colors. "I—I'm so—"0

Lu Yizhou pressed his finger on the omega's lips. "No sorrys between us."

Oliver's heart was still galloping with panic. Ever since the bombing incident, they hadn't really talked about the Alpha's broken horn. His fractured wings were another matter altogether because apparently his healing ability was exceptional enough to repair the broken tissues within a week, returning them to their former majestic and luscious feathers. But his horns… Oliver hadn't got much knowledge about antelope, but he at least knew that unlike deers, antelopes didn't need to shed their horns during winter. It meant that the damage on the Alpha's horn was… permanent. The thought always made Oliver's heart seize painfully because he kept on being reminded that Lu Yizhou's otherwise perfect appearance turned out like this because of him. 

The Alpha surprised him by suddenly grabbing his hand to put it back on his horns. "Oliver, you can touch."

"But—"

"It's not your fault." Lu Yizhou's lips tugged into the barest of smiles but on him, it was like a full beam. Oliver wanted to cry seeing that precious and rare smile. "I would break my horns thousand times over if I can shield you from harm." And Oliver would have burst out into tears right at that second — seriously, what kind of luck had he gathered in his past life to get this kind of sweet Alpha?! — if not for Lu Yizhou's next sentence. "Anyway, it's heavy and often makes my neck sore. Should I just cut them off?"

Oliver gaped. He sought Lu Yizhou's eyes for the slightest hint of joke yet found none. Lu Yizhou never joked. Oh God, he was really serious about this… 

Other beastmen had to pray every single day so that their children would be born with prominent beast signs but his Alpha on the other hand…wanted to get rid of it?! It was such an unprecedented idea that Oliver couldn't help but break out into a fit of laughter. "A—Altair…! You're going to kill me! How can you be so adorable?!"

The Alpha's brows knitted ever so slightly. Oliver could read between those lines. Which aspect in him could be considered adorable? It was the most bizarre and uncanny word to be used on him. 

But it was exactly that aspect of him that made him the most adorable! That frown, that deadpan face and dubious look! Oliver squealed inwardly and gathered the Alpha's face between his palms to plant a smacking kiss on his lips. "You're the cutest Alpha in the world! My Alpha!"

Lu Yizhou showed a helpless expression. 

Oliver hung his arms loosely around Lu Yizhou's shoulders and batted his lashes. "Now, will my Alpha bring me to the bathroom so I can wash up? It's sticky and uncomfortable…"

"As you wish." Lu Yizhou let out an amused huff and slipped his arm under Oliver's knee, the other around his waist as he lifted the omega easily and carried him to the bathroom. He let Oliver sit on the toilet lid for a while as he went to draw a bath, making sure that the temperature was perfectly as how the omega liked it. Then he threw a bath bomb in there to make the water turn into a soft, creamy pink color. It smelled heavenly, the mixture of rose and milk, Oliver's favorite because it reminded him of the Alpha's pheromones.

With the Alpha's help, Oliver sank into the bathtub with a blissful sigh and smiled. "Only you can draw a perfect bath. How can I live without you from now on?" He pouted his lips and asked in a teasing tone.

Lu Yizhou stripped himself of clothes before joining Oliver in the bath, settling himself behind the omega so that he could cuddle him. He answered in a serious tone. "Oliver doesn't need to think about that."

Oliver blinked. "Why?"

"Because I will draw a bath for you forever."

Oliver gasped. "You—" He turned to offer Lu Yizhou a glare with red rimmed eyes. "I told you! You can't suddenly say something like that! My heart can't take it!"

Lu Yizhou merely hummed and started to scrub Oliver's body, focusing on his waist and shoulders where he exerted a little bit of strength and turned it into a body massage. As he expected, Oliver turned putty and melted into his embrace, his eyelids struggling to keep open. He let out a quiet gasp when Lu Yizhou washed his belly. 

"What's wrong?" Lu Yizhou asked. "Do you feel uncomfortable?"

"No, it's just—" Oliver blinked a few times, slightly confused. He grabbed Lu Yizhou's palm that was splayed across his belly and dragged it to the side. "Here, it feels a bit weird and hard—oh!" He tensed and suddenly sat up straight. Lu Yizhou nearly hauled him out of the bath when Oliver turned to meet his gaze. "Can you feel it?" He whispered in awe and wonder, voice wobbling as if he was going to cry soon.

Lu Yizhou frowned. Feel what? It was at that time that he felt a little movement under his palm which Oliver was currently holding onto. His eyes moved to track the source of the movement but alas, the creamy water rendered him unable to see anything. But that was… There was a little nudge and this time, Lu Yizhou felt it vividly on the side of Oliver's belly.

Oliver gasped and bent down to hug his stomach. "Oh my God," He blinked, then blinked again. Tears slipped down his cheek as he laughed wetly. "Our baby just kicked me… Altair, you can feel it, right? She's so strong. Ugh, she kicked again… Do you think she's going to be an Alpha? Wow, a female Alpha, she will be so badass!"

Lu Yizhou instinctively rubbed the place where he had just felt the sudden movement as if trying to soothe the creature within. He had no idea how to describe what he was feeling right now. He meant, he had always known that Oliver was pregnant, that a baby would be born out of him but it wasn't until now that the reality sank into him so deep. Here they were, a pair of parents-to-be basking in the pivotal moment of their baby's first move. 

This is mine and Oliver's child, a part of his heart soared. 

They spent a moment longer to soak in the bathtub before Lu Yizhou deemed it long enough and lifted Oliver out, rinsed his body and covered him in a fluffy towel as he went to fetch the pajamas. After he had rinsed himself and drained the tub, he proceeded to cuddle with his mate, acting as a big spoon as he curled against Oliver from behind. The baby had ceased its movement but Oliver still kept Lu Yizhou's hands there, safely tucked against the swell. Oliver's eyes were burning so bright, so dazzling with happiness as he commented on how their baby girl was going to be a great beastwoman like his Alpha father, how they were both going to spoil her rotten and how she was going to be the luckiest beastwoman in the world.

Lu Yizhou closed his eyes and relished in the sound of Oliver's laughter, his breath and every single heartbeat. He couldn't ask for anything more.

Maybe… Yes, maybe the peace he thought was impossible for him to own might not be that out of reach anyway.

.

.

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Mini theater

Rosemane was dead, Ryan thought blankly as he stared at the empty cell opposite him. Peter was the first to die and now, Rosemane had followed. Next, would it be his turn?

He had no idea how Emperor Bernard would decide his punishment after Ryan had messed with the Elite Guards that were supposed to be on the shift on Prince Oliver's wedding. Ryan had made sure not to kill them but still… going against the Emperor's chosen guards were akin to going against the Emperor himself. Ryan groaned, damn it, why was he so stupid?!

A series of footsteps brought him out of trance and his ears twitched. It sounded different than the officer who usually came down to bring him food and it didn't sound like any other warden either. These footsteps… it set a steady pace, firm and all certain. Ryan could instantly imagine what kind of person it might be. Powerful, imposing. Could it be someone from the Elite Guard who was sent down to finally seal Ryan's fate into the coffin?

He trained his gaze on the door, heart thumping as he waited for the visitor to show himself. And when they finally did, Ryan almost choked on his breath. "You… What are you doing here?"

It was Altair Versatine, the bane of Ryan's existence. He looked just like how Ryan remembered him to be. Impassive silver eyes, lack of expression, all cold and hard lines. A man that seemed to have been carved out of ice. Or so he thought, until he saw Altair's interaction with Oliver. It was a wonder how such a cold man could turn into a completely different person when Prince Oliver was involved.

Ryan almost laughed at the sight of his broken horn if he hadn't been reminded that even though Altair's appearance wasn't as perfect as he used to be, he was still way, way better than Ryan was now; inmate uniform, messy and oily hair which he hadn't washed for days, sunken cheeks and yellowish complexion. Ryan's cheeks burned in shame. This was the worst way ever to face your nemesis, he grimaced. The last person he wanted to meet with his current situation was Altair. Fine, he was the loser, but it was so embarrassing when the truth was shoved into his face like this!

Lu Yizhou directly got to the point. "Ryan, I have an offer for you."

Ryan observed him warily, taken off guard by the sudden proposition. "...An offer?"

"Yes. Do you want to be freed of death punishment or lifetime imprisonment? Do you want your sentence to be reduced? Do you want to be forgiven for your crimes?"

Ryan's eyes couldn't go impossibly wider. W—What did he say? How— He stuttered, eyes fusing with hope. "You have a way…to get me out of here?"

"Do you want to?" He asked again.

Well, fuck it all. Ryan didn't care what kind of enmity they had in the past, what kind of grudge he held toward this beastman or what his goal was. He threw it all to the back of his mind and answered with a resounding echo. "Yes! Yes yes yes! I will do anything to get out of here! I don't want to die yet! What should I do?" He scrambled to stand in front of Altair and would have thrown himself over in eagerness if he hadn't been looking forward to being electrocuted.

"Very well." The winged beastman nodded curtly. "You have made the right decision. I will inform you of the rest later. One thing I can assure you is… you won't regret it, Ryan." Without any further elaboration, he turned to walk away.

"W—Wait!" Ryan called out.

Lu Yizhou halted in his tracks without looking back.

"Why… Why are you doing this?" Ryan stammered out the question he had been itching to ask since just now. If he was being completely honest… he would hate himself very much if he were in Altair's position. First, he had provoked Altair by approaching his omega, challenged him to a fight in front of thousands, then collaborated with the rebels to crash his wedding. The more Ryan thought about it, the more ashamed he was. God, he was such an awful person! 

No matter how he pondered about it, he couldn't think of a reason why Altair would offer him an olive branch.

"It's not me." Lu Yizhou replied quietly.

"Huh…?"

"It's not me who makes this decision." He let out a long, helpless sigh. "You should thank Oliver because — as he had said — unlike his sister Rosemane, you are not unrepentant."

It took a few moments for Ryan to register the words and he hastily shot back before the winged beastman could take his leave. "And you?"

"Me?" Lu Yizhou looked surprised as if he didn't expect Ryan to ask that kind of question.

"Yes. What do you think of that?" Ryan averted his gaze. His body tensed as he waited for the answer. Damn it, why was he nervous?! No, why did he ask this kind of question in the first place?! He had no idea why it bothered him so much! But Ryan needed to know. He needed to know what Altair thought of him. "Do you also think that… I am not unrepentant?" He grimaced at the words.

There were a few beats of silence before Ryan could get his answer. "I agree with Oliver." He snapped his head up but all he could see was the other's receding back. "Everyone deserves a second chance. It's just a matter of whether you want to take it or not."

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