Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband-Chapter 188: The Princess and the Paw-blem

The Morning After

The sun rose over the Beast Empire, but for Rajah, the Tiger General, the day started with a headache.

It wasn’t a hangover. Rajah didn’t get hangovers. His metabolism was too efficient.

No, this headache was named Feelings.

He sat in the War Room of the Tiger Sector Headquarters (which was technically just a very large tent filled with maps and weapons). He was trying to plan the perimeter defense for the new Unity Academy.

But he kept getting distracted.

He looked at the map. Instead of seeing supply lines, he saw Leonora in that blue dress she wore at the wedding.

He looked at his sword. He remembered how she had laughed when he tried to teach her how to hold it, her hand smaller but surprisingly strong over his.

"Gah!" Rajah slammed his fist on the table. "Focus, soldier! You are a Warlord! You conquer lands! You do not swoon over Lionesses!"

"Dad?"

Rajah jumped. Arjun was standing in the tent entrance, holding a wooden practice sword and wearing a very serious expression.

"Report!" Rajah barked, trying to look busy.

"Mom—I mean, Princess Leonora—is outside," Arjun said. He hesitated. "She says she wants to ’kidnap’ you."

Rajah blinked. "Kidnap? Is she armed?"

"She has a picnic basket," Arjun noted gravely. "And she is wearing the yellow sundress. Threat level: Critical."

Rajah groaned and put his head in his hands. "Tell her I am busy. Tell her I am fighting a dragon."

"She knows there are no dragons, Dad," Arjun sighed, sounding like the adult in the room. "Just go. You’ve been staring at that map for three hours and haven’t drawn a single line."

Rajah walked out of the tent. He tried to look intimidating. He puffed out his chest, adjusted his shoulder pauldron, and scowled.

It didn’t work.

Leonora was waiting by the riverbank. She wasn’t wearing armor or royal robes. She was wearing a simple yellow dress that showed off her golden skin and the muscle in her arms. Her hair was loose, blowing in the wind like a lion’s mane.

She looked... soft. And dangerous.

"General," Leonora smiled, holding up a basket. "Surrender. You are coming with me."

"I have duties, Princess," Rajah grunted, crossing his arms. "The Academy security protocols won’t write themselves."

"The Academy doesn’t open for a month," Leonora countered, stepping closer. She smelled like sunflowers and hot sand. "And you have been avoiding me since the wedding."

"I have not been avoiding you," Rajah lied badly. "I have been... strategically repositioning myself."

Leonora rolled her eyes. She reached out and grabbed his wrist. Her grip was firm.

"You are a terrible liar, Stripes. Now come on. I made spicy chicken."

Rajah’s ears twitched. "Spicy chicken?"

"And mango lassi."

Rajah sighed. He was a simple man.

"Fine. I surrender. But only because of the chicken."

They walked to a quiet spot near the Twin Waterfalls. It was beautiful, peaceful, and completely devoid of other people.

Rajah hated it.

Silence meant talking. Talking meant feelings. Feelings meant vulnerability. And vulnerability was not in the Tiger Warlord Handbook.

They sat on a checkered blanket. Leonora unpacked the food. She had actually cooked it herself—roasted chicken with chili glaze, saffron rice, and cold mango drinks.

Rajah took a bite of the chicken. His eyes watered.

"It burns," Rajah choked out happily. "It’s perfect."

"I asked Primrose for the recipe," Leonora admitted, watching him eat. "She said the way to a Tiger’s heart is through capsaicin."

Rajah froze mid-chew. "Primrose talks too much."

"She also said you like poetry," Leonora teased.

Rajah turned bright red. "Slander! Lies! I read... tactical manuals! In rhyme! Sometimes!"

Leonora laughed. It was a warm, throaty sound that made Rajah’s tail thump against the grass involuntarily.

"Relax, Rajah," Leonora said softly. She leaned back on her hands, looking at the waterfall. "I’m not here to interrogate you. I just... I wanted to see you. Without the armor."

Rajah looked at her. He saw the way the sunlight hit her eyes—golden brown, like aged whiskey. He saw the small scar on her chin from when they fought side-by-side in the desert.

"Why?" Rajah asked, his voice rough. "I am a blunt instrument, Leonora. I break things. You are... you are the Lion Princess. You deserve a diplomat. Or a scholar. Someone who can discuss art without threatening to punch the canvas."

Leonora looked at him. Her smile faded, replaced by something intense.

"I’ve had diplomats," she said. "They were boring. They agreed with everything I said. They treated me like a porcelain doll."

She reached out and touched the scar on Rajah’s cheek—a claw mark from a Void Beast.

"You don’t treat me like a doll," Leonora whispered. "You gave me a sword. You let me fight. You looked at me covered in mud and blood and called me ’Warrior’."

Rajah leaned into her touch. He couldn’t help it.

"You are a warrior," Rajah murmured. "The fiercest I’ve ever seen."

Just as the moment was getting perfect—just as Rajah was leaning in, his heart hammering against his ribs—a massive splash erupted from the river.

SPLASH.

Rurik emerged from the water like a very wet, very hairy submarine. He was holding a fish in his mouth.

"GLARGH!" Rurik spat the fish out. "Sorry! Didn’t see you there!"

Rajah jumped back, his hand instinctively going for his sword (which he had left in the tent).

"Rurik!" Rajah roared. "What are you doing here?!"

"Fishing," Rurik shrugged, shaking himself dry and spraying water all over their picnic. "Hand-fishing. It’s meditative. Oh, is that spicy chicken?"

He eyed the basket.

"Go away, Wolf!" Leonora shouted, throwing a mango pit at him. It bounced off his forehead.

"Ow," Rurik rubbed his head. "Fine. Hostile territory. I’m leaving."

He grabbed his fish and waded downstream, muttering about crazy cats.

Rajah and Leonora looked at each other. They looked at the soggy rice. They looked at the dripping wet blanket.

And they burst out laughing.

"Unbelievable," Rajah wiped a tear from his eye. "I am going to put him on latrine duty for a month."

"He ruined the mood," Leonora giggled. "But he didn’t ruin the chicken."

The sun began to set, painting the sky in shades of purple and orange.

They packed up the basket.

"Rajah," Leonora said, standing up. "I’m tired of waiting."

Rajah stiffened. "Waiting for what?"

"For you to realize that we are already a team," Leonora said. She stepped closer to him. "We fight together. We lead together. Even our kids are best friends."

She grabbed the lapels of his tunic and pulled him down to her level.

"I don’t need a courtship, Rajah. I don’t need flowers. I need to know if you’re in."

Rajah looked into her eyes. He saw the challenge there. The Lioness daring the Tiger to make a move.

His fear vanished. It was replaced by the same adrenaline he felt before a charge.

"I’m in," Rajah growled. "I’m all in."

He didn’t kiss her gently. He kissed her like he fought—with passion, intensity, and a complete lack of subtlety.

Leonora kissed him back just as hard, her hands tangling in his hair.

When they finally broke apart, breathless, Rajah rested his forehead against hers.

"I don’t have a ring," Rajah realized, panic flaring again. "I should have brought a ring. Or a pelt. Or something."

"You have this," Leonora reached into her pocket.

She pulled out a small, braided cord made of gold and black leather. It was a warrior’s bracelet.

"I made it," Leonora said shyly. "While you were staring at your maps."

Rajah took it. He tied it around his wrist. It fit perfectly.

"It’s better than a ring," Rajah said, his voice thick with emotion. "It’s a promise."

They walked back to the camp hand-in-hand.

When they arrived at the Tiger Tent, Arjun was waiting outside. He was holding a clipboard.

"Patrol report," Arjun announced. "Subject: Dad. Status: Returned. Condition: Smiling weirdly."

He looked at Leonora. "Did he survive the kidnapping, Princess?"

"He did," Leonora winked. "He even surrendered peacefully."

Arjun nodded, making a note. "Good. Because Auntie Prim sent a message. She says: ’If Rajah doesn’t ask her out by sunset, I am sending Ophelia to yell at him’."

Rajah paled. "Ophelia? The ghost-fox?"

"The very same," Arjun grinned. "But I think you’re safe now, Dad."

Rajah looked at the bracelet on his wrist. He looked at Leonora, who was squeezing his hand.

"Yeah," Rajah smiled, a real, genuine smile that softened his sharp features. "I think I’m safe."

"Come on," Leonora pulled him toward the campfire where the other Warlords were gathering. "Let’s go tell them the good news. Before Rurik tells everyone we fell in the river."

As they approached the campfire, the other Warlords looked up from their mugs and strategy boards. The chatter slowly died when they noticed Rajah’s hand laced firmly with Leonora’s. A knowing grin spread across Arjun and Vali’s face, while Rurik, still damp, raised a victorious fist. "Finally!" he barked.

Rajah growled, but didn’t let go. Leonora squeezed his fingers, her confidence steadying his nerves. The firelight danced across their faces, painting them in warm gold. For the first time since the war, Rajah felt something stronger than victory. He felt home, and he realized, with startling clarity, that he wanted to stay.