Clumsy Beast, Keep Your Paws Off - Chapter 289

Chapter 289: Chapter 289: Lan Lan’s Firstborn
Su Qinglan’s breath came in ragged hitches as the second contraction rolled over her like a tidal wave, much stronger than the first.

Xuan Long, usually the coldest and most detached of the group, was the first to move.

Seeing her bite her lip so hard it began to bleed, he let out a low, pained hiss of his own.

He didn’t want her to hurt herself. He reached out with a trembling hand, gently prying her teeth away from her lip and replacing it with his own thick, calloused finger.

“Bite me, Lan Lan,” he whispered, his emerald snake eyes shimmering with vulnerability. “Don’t hurt yourself. Give the pain to me.”

On her other side, Rong Ye had shed all of his usual playfulness.

He quickly and gently removed her damp outer garments, replacing them with a fresh, warmed hide that covered her upper body while leaving her prepared for the birth. He hovered over her, his fox ears pinned back in distress.

“I’m right here,” he murmured, wiping the beads of sweat from her forehead with a soft cloth. “You’re doing so well. Just breathe with me, okay? Just breathe.”

In the fire area, the sound of wood snapping echoed through the house. Han Jue was moving like a whirlwind. He had the fire roaring in seconds, the orange flames reflecting in his intense, focused eyes.

He swung a large stone pot filled with fresh water over the heat, his muscles bulging with the effort.

WAAAAH!

Another contraction hit, sharper and longer than the last. Su Qinglan’s back arched off the bed, her fingers digging into the furs until her knuckles turned white.

Tears finally leaked from the corners of her eyes, tracking through the dust and sweat on her cheeks.

“It hurts…” she gasped, her voice breaking. “It feels like… like I’m being torn apart!”

The three men flinched as if they had been struck. Xuan Long felt her teeth sink into his finger, but he didn’t even flinch; the physical pain was nothing compared to the agony of seeing his mate suffer.

He leaned down, pressing his cold forehead against her burning one, trying to share his cooling energy with her.

“I know, I know,” Han Jue said, rushing back to the bedside. He dropped to his knees, taking her hand in his massive paw and kissing her knuckles. “The cubs are just eager to meet you. Hold on to us, Lan Lan. We aren’t going anywhere.”

Rong Ye was practically vibrating with anxiety, his tail tucked between his legs. He kept checking the entrance for Grandma Lin, his heart hammering.

Su Qinglan looked at them… Even through the haze of pain, their overwhelming love and devotion felt like a shield around her.

She squeezed Xuan Long’s hand and Han Jue’s arm, her eyes locking onto theirs as another wave began to build.

“Don’t… don’t leave me,” she managed to choke out.

“Never,” they responded in a ragged unison.

“Ahhh…fuck!” she screamed with all her might. “I felt something slip out of me!” She continues with a bewildered expression.

The house exploded into absolute chaos.

Before anyone could even process the first wave of pain, a small, wet bundle slid out with startling speed.

Su Qinglan gasped, her head falling back against the furs, stunned by how fast the first one had arrived.

Outside, Hu Yan had been sprinting like a madman. He couldn’t find Grandma Lin at her usual spot, so he had simply snatched up Lin Muyu, throwing the startled female over his shoulder.

The moment he felt the powerful thrum of his own bloodline vibrating through the air, his tiger instincts roared.

He covered the remaining distance in a blurred streak of gold, leaping through the doorway just as Rong Ye let out a high-pitched shriek.

“It’s here! It’s out! What do I do?!” Rong Ye froze, his hands hovering uselessly in the air.

Han Jue didn’t hesitate. He shoved the panicked fox aside and caught the limp, tiny bundle. His heart stopped for a second…the cub wasn’t moving. It was covered in a thick, sticky film and remained deathly silent.

“What are you waiting for?!” Su Qinglan screamed, her face flushed and sweaty.

“There’s another one coming! Wrap the first one!”

Hu Yan dropped Lin Muyu (who luckily landed on her feet) and ran toward Han Jue. His eyes were wide and watery, fixed on the tiny life in Han Jue’s hands.

“Don’t just stare at it!” Han Jue barked at Hu Yan. “Lick it clean so it doesn’t choke! It’s your scent they need to know!”

Hu Yan froze. For a heartbeat, the world around him vanished…drowned beneath the thunder of his pulse.

The tiny cub in Han Jue’s hands…

His throat tightened. His massive body trembled. This was his blood, his flesh, his life, and yet he was terrified to even touch it.

What if he hurt it?

What if his strength was too much?

His golden eyes lifted on instinct…straight to Su Qinglan.

Even through the agony of another contraction, she looked back at him.

Her face was flushed, streaked with tears and sweat, lips trembling in pain…yet when her gaze met his, something soft and steady bloomed in her eyes.

It was trust and love.

A faint, exhausted smile tugged at her lips.

Go on… her eyes seemed to say.

It’s yours.

Hu Yan’s breath shuddered out of him.

His fear melted…replaced by a fierce, primal protectiveness. His tiger roared inside his chest in devotion.

He lowered his head reverently, as if bowing before something sacred, and pressed his mouth to the tiny cub.

Only then did he begin to lick…slow at first, almost hesitant, his rough tongue trembling as it swept away the sticky birth membrane.

He was so clumsy in his desperation that he nearly sent the tiny thing tumbling, but his rough ministrations worked. A tiny, high-pitched mewl broke the silence.

The sound was like music. Han Jue let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, his heart finally unclinching. The cub was alive.