Free Web NovelChapter 26: Episode 026: I know you are awake.
’Give him a chance,’ her mind echoed.
Absolutely not, Rue decided instantly.
The very next morning, Knox tried to take that chance anyway. The Black Panther King walked up to the bedroom door holding a massive, carved stone bowl.
Caius did not even let him cross the threshold. The Left General of the Swamps stepped squarely into the doorframe. Caius took one look at Knox, hissed aggressively, and slammed the door right in the panther’s face.
Rue watched from the bed. She did not object. Caius being a massive, overprotective wall was highly convenient.
But convenience never lasted long in the Beastworld. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
An hour later, a Swamp Kingdom guard arrived at the fortress. The poor snake beastman was completely terrified of the jungle, his green tail shaking as he bowed in the doorway. Queen Tanith summoned her general back to the Swamps immediately.
Caius argued. He yelled at the messenger. He absolutely refused to leave his mate and his newborn son in a fortress full of giant cats.
Rue placed a small hand on his arm. "Go. Tanith is your Queen. I will be fine here for a few hours."
Caius hated it. His golden eyes bled into a frantic red. He kissed Rue’s forehead, then kissed Theron’s tiny silver hair. He walked out into the stone hallway, grabbed Knox by the front of his dark leather vest, and slammed the panther against the wall.
"If you touch her," Caius snarled, his voice a lethal vibration, "I will skin you alive and burn this jungle to the ground."
Knox shoved the snake away, adjusting his vest with a dark scowl. "Just leave, snake."
Caius left. The fortress fell completely quiet.
Exactly ten minutes later, the brass handle of the bedroom door turned.
Knox walked in. He did not kick the door this time. He stepped inside very carefully, holding the same massive stone bowl from earlier. He stopped at the foot of the bed. He looked at Rue, then looked down at the bowl, then back at her.
"I brought food," Knox announced. His deep voice was unnecessarily loud in the quiet room.
Theron whimpered in his sleep at the sudden noise.
Rue covered the baby’s ear. "Use an inside voice."
Knox paused. He cleared his throat and lowered his volume. "I brought food."
Rue looked at the bowl. It was the size of a small bathtub. Knox had clearly gone out of his way to ask someone what rabbits actually liked to eat. The bowl was entirely full of crisp green lettuce, bright orange carrots, and fresh red apples.
It was a very nice gesture. But it was entirely wrong.
The carrots were massive, completely unwashed, and still covered in thick clumps of wet jungle dirt. The lettuce heads were entirely whole, completely uncut. And sitting right on top of the fresh fruit was a massive, raw, dead fish.
Rue stared at the dead fish. Her flat expression did not change.
"What is that," Rue asked.
Knox puffed out his broad chest proudly. "I asked the market vendors what prey females eat. They said leaves and roots. So I got the best roots in the dirt. And I added the fish."
"Why did you add the fish."
"Because it is protein," Knox explained, pointing a thick, clawed finger at the scaly carcass. "And the oils make your fur shiny. My sister eats fish for a shiny coat. You are too pale. You need shine."
Rue blinked.
[Potential Mate is attempting to provide. Affection points pending.]
Shut up.
Rue looked Knox directly in his golden eyes. She spoke to the massive, terrifying apex predator exactly like she was explaining basic math to a toddler.
"I am a rabbit," Rue corrected bluntly. "I am not a panther. I do not eat raw fish. The smell makes me want to vomit. Take the fish away."
Knox frowned deeply. The thick silver scar over his eyebrow twitched. He was the King. Nobody told him what to do. He opened his mouth, clearly preparing to argue or roar about his generosity.
"Also," Rue continued, completely cutting him off. "I am not a horse. I do not eat dirt. You have to wash the carrots in clean water. And you have to chop them into smaller pieces. I have a small mouth."
Knox stared at her. His jaw hung open slightly.
He waited for her to flinch. He waited for her to realize she just gave orders to the most dangerous beast in the Nightwhisper Jungle.
Rue did not flinch. She just stared back at him with absolutely zero expression, waiting for him to fix the salad.
Knox actually closed his mouth. He looked down at the dead fish. He looked at the clumps of dirt on the carrots. For the very first time in his entire life, the King of the Panthers didn’t just react with blind, violent pride. He actually listened.
Without saying a single word, Knox turned around and walked out of the room.
Twenty minutes later, he returned.
He held the stone bowl out. The raw fish was completely gone. The lettuce was torn into manageable pieces. The carrots were completely scrubbed clean of all dirt and chopped into uneven, very jagged chunks. He had clearly used his sharp claws to chop them, but they were bite-sized.
Rue picked up a carrot chunk. She popped it into her mouth and chewed. It was sweet and incredibly fresh.
"Thank you," Rue said simply.
Knox’s dark face flushed a furious, dark red. He quickly sat down on the cold stone floor, crossing his long, heavily muscled legs. He kept a respectful distance from the bed, but his golden eyes never left her face.
For the next hour, Knox tried his absolute best to hold a conversation. It was a complete disaster. He kept trying to brag about how many beasts he had killed, how large his territory was, and how many strong Panther children she could breed for him.
Rue kept rejecting him. She chewed her lettuce and shot down every single pitch.
"I don’t care about your territory," Rue stated, picking up an apple slice. "I don’t like blood. And I already told you I am not having your children. You have anger issues."
"I do not have anger issues!" Knox growled loudly.
Rue just raised a single, pale eyebrow and looked at him. freeweɓnovel.cøm
Knox stopped. He took a very slow, deep breath, forcing his broad shoulders to drop. He unclenched his fists. "I am working on my temper."
Rue chewed her apple. He actually listens. That is new.
The afternoon stretched on. Rue completely ignored the giant panther sitting on the floor. She shifted her silk wrap and guided the baby to her chest.
She turned her body slightly away for privacy, gently rocking her son. The soft, quiet sounds of the baby feeding filled the room.
Knox went perfectly still. He was a creature built for violent war and absolute dominance. He had never seen anything so quiet, so delicate, and so incredibly peaceful. He watched the way her small, pale hand supported the baby’s head. He watched the way her silver hair fell in a soft curtain over her shoulder.
He was entirely entranced. The loud, arrogant King vanished, leaving behind a man completely captivated by a tiny rabbit and a child that wasn’t even his.
He thought he was being stealthy. He thought his predator instincts masked his presence perfectly as he lurked near the edge of the doorway, watching them in the dim candlelight.
Rue didn’t even look up from Theron’s small face.
"I know you are awake, Knox,"
