Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband-Chapter 194: The First Meeting of the Warlord PTA

The carriage ride back to the estate was entirely too loud.

Usually, when you cram four Warlords, a Sovereign, and a handful of hyperactive beast-cubs into a single enclosed space, the tension is palpable enough to cut with a knife. Today, however, the tension had been replaced by the overwhelming smell of wet dog, singed fur, and whatever chemical monstrosity Cassian had accidentally created.

I sat squished between Caspian and Rurik. Caspian was radiating a pleasant, cool dampness, his arm casually draped over the back of the seat behind my shoulders. On my other side, Rurik was practically vibrating with leftover adrenaline.

"PTA," Rurik muttered to himself, staring out the carriage window with a manic glint in his golden eyes. "Parent. Teacher. Association. A pack built entirely for the survival and dominance of the pups. It’s brilliant. Why didn’t I think of this sooner?"

"Because you thought education meant throwing a kid into the woods with a pointy stick and seeing if they came back," Cassian drawled from the opposite bench.

The Serpent Warlord was meticulously trying to wipe a stubborn spot of purple foam from his usually pristine silk robes. Next to him, little Jasper was writing furiously in his notebook, probably calculating the exact financial ruin his father’s science experiment had caused the academy.

"That is traditional Northern schooling!" Rurik barked, his ears twitching indignantly. "It builds character! But this... this PTA. This is organized warfare. We can control the curriculum. We can demand better meat in the cafeteria!"

"The cafeteria serves excellent food, Rurik. I designed the menu," I reminded him, rubbing my temples. A headache was starting to bloom right behind my eyes.

"Then we will demand more of it!" Rurik amended smoothly, entirely unfazed.

I leaned my head back against the plush velvet seat and let out a long, exhausted breath. Nine silver fox tails curled instinctively around my legs, seeking comfort. I loved these men. I loved these kids. But sweet mother of the stars, they were going to put me in an early grave.

When we finally pulled up to the grand estate we all shared—a sprawling, chaotic mansion that had somehow become neutral ground for the most dangerous men in the Empire—the kids practically exploded out of the carriage doors.

"I’m gonna go practice my howling!" Vali announced, grabbing a stick from the driveway and sprinting toward the gardens.

"I will go practice my spatial geometry," Jasper said, adjusting his glasses and marching toward the library.

Orion just gave a happy little squeak, grabbed his tactical backpack, and waddled after Vali.

Silence descended on the carriage for exactly three seconds.

"Alright," Rurik clapped his massive hands together, the sound like a thunderclap. "Living room. Ten minutes. The first official meeting of the Unity Academy Warlord Parent Teacher Association will commence."

"I am not attending that," Cassian said flatly, stepping out of the carriage. "I have a bath to draw. I smell like cheap detergent and failure."

"Attendance is mandatory for all fathers in the pack!" Rurik yelled after him.

"I am a Serpent, you flea-bitten rug! I do not have a pack!" Cassian snapped back, though he didn’t actually walk away. He just stood by the grand mahogany doors, his arms crossed over his ruined chest, looking thoroughly irritated but not entirely opposed to the idea.

I sighed and looked up at Caspian. He gave me a lazy, devastatingly handsome smile that made my heart do a familiar little flip. Even covered in a fine layer of classroom dust, the man was gorgeous.

"Should we stop him?" Caspian asked, nodding toward Rurik, who was currently trying to rip a sturdy branch off an oak tree, presumably to use as a gavel.

"Can we?" I asked tiredly.

"No," a deep, velvety voice murmured from the shadows beneath the carriage.

I jumped slightly as Lucien materialized from the darkness. The Panther Warlord brushed invisible lint from his impeccable dark suit. He looked completely unbothered, as usual, despite having spent the last hour hanging upside down in a school classroom.

"He has found a new obsession," Lucien noted quietly, his violet eyes tracking Rurik’s movements. "It is best to let him tire himself out. Like a pup with a new chew toy."

"Fine," I conceded, gathering my skirts. "But I’m making tea. If I have to sit through a PTA meeting run by a man who thinks bathing with pinecones is acceptable, I need caffeine."

Ten minutes later, the grand living room looked less like a cozy family space and more like a war room.

Rurik had dragged the massive, heavy oak dining table into the center of the plush rugs. He sat at the head of it, wearing a serious expression that did not match the smudge of flour still streaked across his nose. He had actually found a clipboard. I didn’t even know we owned a clipboard.

Cassian sat as far away from him as possible, a fresh cup of jasmine tea in his hands, looking like he was debating the legalities of poisoning the Wolf. Caspian lounged on a velvet sofa nearby, his long legs stretched out, looking thoroughly amused. Lucien was nowhere to be seen, but the shadows in the far corner of the ceiling looked suspiciously dense, so I knew he was listening.

"Meeting called to order," Rurik boomed, slamming his heavy fist against the wood. "First order of business: The sandbox in the courtyard."

"What about it?" I asked, taking a sip of my chamomile tea. I had opted for calming herbs instead of caffeine. I needed to lower my blood pressure.

"It is entirely inadequate," Rurik declared, tapping his clipboard with a terrifyingly large pen. "Vali attempted to dig a proper defensive trench yesterday, and he hit the bottom in less than three feet. How are the pups supposed to learn siege tactics if they can’t even dig a proper moat?"

"It is a sandbox, Rurik," Cassian sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "It is meant for building small, structurally unsound castles. It is not a military training ground."

"Everything is a training ground if you aren’t soft, snake," Rurik shot back. "I propose we replace the sand with dirt and rocks. And perhaps add a few low-level training golems."

"Denied," I said immediately. "No golems at the elementary school."

Rurik looked betrayed. "Little Rose, you are stifling his potential."

"I am stifling his emergency room visits," I countered smoothly. "Next item."

Rurik grumbled, crossing something off his clipboard so hard the paper ripped. "Fine. Item two. The upcoming Spring Bake Sale."

I perked up at that. Finally, something in my territory. "I can handle that. I can whip up some dragon-breath pastries, maybe some frosted sugar cookies..."

"No, no," Rurik interrupted, waving his hand. "That’s too small scale. If the PTA is going to raise funds, we need to show dominance. I say we hunt a Great Horned Boar, roast it in the school courtyard, and charge the other parents ten gold coins a plate."

Caspian choked on his drink. "Rurik, you can’t slaughter a monster in the middle of a primary school."

"Why not? It’s educational!" Rurik argued. "They learn anatomy, cooking, and economics all at once!"

"Absolutely not," I said firmly, giving him my best ’Sovereign’ glare. "We are bringing cupcakes. Normal, non-bleeding cupcakes."

Cassian sneered. "If we are raising funds, we simply need to optimize their revenue streams. I can have Jasper run a statistical analysis on the local merchant guilds and forcefully acquire their assets through a series of legal loopholes. We would have enough gold to build a second academy by Tuesday."

"We are not extorting the local businesses for a bake sale!" I yelled, tossing a decorative pillow at Cassian’s head. He dodged it effortlessly, looking entirely too pleased with himself.

"You are all missing the point of a PTA," I groaned, leaning forward and resting my elbows on the table. "It’s about community. It’s about making the school a better place for the kids, not showing off how terrifying you all are."

The room went quiet.

Rurik looked at his broken clipboard. Cassian stared down at his tea. From the corner, a soft, shadowy purr echoed into the room.

It was funny, really. To the rest of the Empire, these men were nightmares made flesh. They had toppled kingdoms, commanded armies, and held the power of life and death in their hands. But right here, sitting around my living room table, they just looked like a bunch of scolded fathers trying to figure out how to do the right thing.

They were trying. In their own twisted, violent, over-the-top way, they were trying to be good dads. And it melted my heart entirely.

I let my voice soften, a fond smile touching my lips. "Look. I know you all want to protect the kids. And I know you want them to have the best. But they don’t need siege trenches or extorted gold."

I stood up, walking around the table. I placed a hand on Cassian’s shoulder, feeling the cool, smooth silk of his robe. He leaned ever so slightly into the touch, his tense posture relaxing just a fraction.

Then I walked over to Rurik and gently plucked the clipboard out of his massive hands. I smoothed back the messy silver hair from his forehead. He practically leaned into my palm like a giant, overgrown puppy, his tail giving a soft, involuntary thump against the chair.

"They just need us," I said quietly. "They need us to show up. To not blow up the classroom. To cheer for them even when their howling sounds like a squeaky toy, or when their science experiments overflow." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Caspian stood up from the sofa and walked over, wrapping his strong arms around my waist from behind. He rested his chin on the top of my head. "She’s right, you know. We did good today. We survived without casualties."

"Speak for yourself," Cassian muttered, though there was no real bite to his words. "My favorite beaker is in a thousand pieces."

"I will buy you a new beaker, snake," Rurik grumbled, finally cracking a small smile. He looked up at me, his golden eyes filled with an intense, unwavering devotion that still took my breath away sometimes. "So... no boar roasting?"

"No boar roasting," I laughed, reaching out to cup his cheek. "But... I suppose we could look into expanding the sandbox. A little bit."

Rurik’s face lit up like he had just won a war. "Ha! I knew you’d see reason, Little Rose! I’m going to order a shipment of premium gravel immediately!"

As he bolted from the table to find a messenger bird, Cassian sighed heavily, though the corner of his mouth was ticking upward. Caspian chuckled against my hair, holding me just a little bit tighter.

And from the shadows above, a single, perfectly formed dark rose dropped gently onto the table in front of me.

I picked it up, feeling the cool, solid shadow-magic against my fingers. I looked up at the ceiling and smiled.

We were a mess. We were chaotic, dangerous, and completely out of our minds. But as the sounds of the cubs playing outside echoed through the open windows, and the warmth of the men surrounded me, I knew one thing for certain.

We were family. And heaven help anyone who tried to mess with this PTA.