Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband-Chapter 29: The Toad’s Bargain.

The atmosphere in the Thistle family parlor was thick enough to choke on. It smelled of swamp water, cheap perfume, and fear.

Marquis Grieve sat on the velvet settee, his mottled green skin glistening with slime. He was eating a bowl of flies—candied, imported flies—one by one, his long tongue darting out with a wet thwip sound that made Cassia gag.

The Thistle family stood before him, looking like they had been dragged through a hedge backward. Because they had.

They were covered in mud. Lupin’s face was still puffy from the hives. Barnaby was trembling. Petunia was weeping silently.

"So," Grieve croaked, swallowing a fly. "Let me understand this correctly. You went to the capital. You found my bride. And instead of bringing her back... you got chased out by a cook?"

"She has allies!" Barnaby wailed, ringing his hands. "Powerful allies! The Wolf Marquis! The Tiger General! Even the Argentis Archduke! They... they blacklisted us, My Lord! We can’t buy bread!"

Grieve’s yellow eyes bulged. "Powerful allies? For a tail-less runt? Don’t make me laugh."

He shifted his bulk, the wood of the settee groaning. "You have failed. You promised me a Thistle bride to clear your debts. I have paid the dowry. I have been... patient."

His gaze slid slowly, wetly, over to Cassia.

"If the failed fox is out of reach," Grieve wheezed, "then I suppose I must settle for the defective inventory. But... a fox with two tails is better than nothing."

Cassia shrieked. She threw herself behind her mother. "No! Father, don’t let him! He’s a toad! Literally!"

"A deal is a deal," Grieve said, standing up. He wiped his sticky fingers on his velvet pants. "Prepare the girl. I will take her with me to the Swamp Estate tonight."

"Wait!"

Lupin stepped forward. His face was swollen, his pride was shattered, but his cunning—the one thing the Thistle family actually excelled at—was firing on all cylinders.

"My Lord," Lupin said, his voice shaking but desperate. "Why settle for second best? Primrose... she is the one you paid for. She is the one who humiliated us. Don’t you want to... tame her?"

Grieve paused. The word "tame" appealed to his cruel streak. "She is surrounded by guards, boy. You said so yourself."

"At the shop, yes," Lupin said quickly, his mind racing. "But... the Harvest Moon Festival is in two weeks."

Grieve blinked. "The street festival?"

"It’s chaotic," Lupin pressed, a nasty smile forming on his bruised lips. "Crowds. Masks. Noise. Even the best guards get distracted in a crowd like that. And Primrose... she’s running a business now. She’ll have to be there. To sell her... treats."

Lupin stepped closer, lowering his voice.

"Why wait for the Snow Ball? Why wait for legalities? You paid the dowry, My Lord. By the laws of the old clans, she is already your property. You aren’t kidnapping her. You’re just... collecting your wife."

Grieve listened. His throat sac puffed out.

"Collect her," Grieve mused. "In the crowd."

"We can lure her," Lupin promised. "We know her weaknesses. She thinks she’s safe. She thinks she won. We lure her away from her ’bodyguards’... and you take her."

Grieve smiled. It was a terrifying sight. Rows of small, sharp teeth glistened in the lamplight.

"I have a cage," Grieve croaked softly. "At my estate. A beautiful, golden birdcage. I had it built for her. It suppresses magic. It stops... running."

He looked at Cassia, who was sobbing in relief, then back at Lupin.

"Fine," Grieve grunted. "I will listen to what you have said. But if this fails, boy... I won’t just take your sister. I’ll take your tails."

Lupin swallowed hard, instinctively clutching his three tails. "It won’t fail, My Lord."

The Toad Marquis laughed, a wet, gurgling sound.

"Good. I look forward to... breaking her."

The "Little Whiskers Daycare" was officially closed for business—at least, the childcare part.

With the Harvest Moon Festival only two weeks away, my shop had transformed from a playroom into a high-stakes production kitchen. I was drowning in prep lists. I had Sun-Root dough rising in every corner, vats of glaze bubbling on the stove, and enough pastries to bake to feed a small army.

I was deep in the zone, covered in flour and stressing about oven temperatures.

I didn’t have time for naps, I didn’t have time for breathing, and I certainly didn’t have time for—

WHAM.

Wood splintered.

I looked down. A massive, serrated hunting knife was currently sticking out of my cutting board, effectively murdering a pile of perfectly sliced carrots.

Attached to the blade was a crumpled, grease-stained note.

I twitched. That was mahogany.

It wasn’t an invitation. It was a summons.

DINNER. TONIGHT. WE NEED TO DISCUSS PROTEIN. -R

I knew who sent this.

So, like a dutiful employee (and a terrified fox in a wolf’s den), I went.

The Jaeger dining hall was essentially a stone cavern lit by roaring fireplaces. The table was long enough to land a plane on. At one end sat Lord Rurik Jaeger, looking devastatingly handsome in a loose white tunic with the sleeves rolled up, revealing forearms that looked like they could strangle a bear.

There was no Vali. No Balthazar. Just me, the Wolf Lord, and a lot of red meat.

"Sit," Rurik grumbled, pointing to the chair directly to his right. Not across from him. Next to him.

I sat. "So, about Vali’s protein intake—"

"Forget the cub," Rurik cut me off. He poured me a goblet of wine that smelled like spiced blood-oranges. "Drink. You’re too tense. You smell like... anxiety. And flour."

"I am a chef, Lord Jaeger. Flour is my natural scent."

"Hmph." He leaned closer. Much closer. "I prefer it when you smell like... prey."

My heart did a double-flip.

Rurik didn’t pull back. He was staring at me with those icy-blue eyes, but the coldness was gone. It was replaced by a simmering, golden heat that made my breath hitch.

"You have no tail," he murmured, his voice dropping to a rough, vibrating purr. "No protection. You are small. Weak."

"I... I have a ladle?" I offered weakly, pressing my back against the chair. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"You need a Pack," Rurik stated. He reached out, his rough, calloused hand cupping my jaw. His thumb brushed my lower lip. "You need an Alpha."

Rurik leaned in. He buried his face in the crook of my neck. I froze.

He inhaled deeply, a long, shuddering sniff that vibrated through my entire body. Then... he licked the sensitive skin right under my ear.

"Mine," he growled against my skin.

He shifted, his large body caging me in, his mouth moving toward mine, his teeth grazing my jawline. He wasn’t asking. He was taking.

"I LEFT THE OVEN ON!"

I didn’t think. I scrambled under the table, ducked past his legs, and sprinted for the door.

"Primrose!" Rurik roared, sounding more confused than angry. "Wait! I wasn’t finished scenting you!"

"NOPE! NOPE! TOO MUCH WOLF!" I yelled, fleeing down the hallway.

I rounded the corner, chest heaving, face burning, and nearly tripped over a small figure sitting on the stairs.

Vali Jaeger.

He was sitting there in his pajamas, holding a half-eaten jerky strip. He looked at me—flustered, red-faced, and running for my life. Then he looked back toward the dining room, where his father was currently growling in frustration.

Vali sighed. A deep, long-suffering sigh that sounded exactly like Balthazar.

Rurik stormed into the hallway, looking wild and frantic. "Primrose! Get back here! I was just showing—"

He stopped when he saw Vali.

Vali stood up. He shook his head slowly.

"Too much tongue, Dad," Vali stated flatly. "You went straight for the grooming. You gotta let ’em sniff your hand first. You scared her."

Rurik froze. He looked at his five-year-old son. He looked at me (hiding behind a suit of armor).

"I..." Rurik blinked, the feral haze clearing from his eyes. He looked genuinely baffled. "I was establishing a bond. It is required."

"It’s creepy," Vali corrected. "You gotta be gentle. Like with a bunny. If you pounce too fast, they squeak and run away."

Rurik narrowed his eyes. He looked at his son with sudden, sharp suspicion.

"Vali," Rurik said slowly, his eyes narrowing. "You seem to understand this... very well."

"Yeah," Vali shrugged, his tail twitching nervously. "It’s basics."

"Vali," Rurik took a step forward, his voice dropping to a dangerous dad-tone. "Who... exactly... did you try to groom?"

Vali’s pink eyes went wide. His ears flattened against his silver hair.

"Uhh..." Vali looked at the ceiling. "Nobody!"

"Was it the little Bunny?" Rurik demanded, stepping closer. "Did you lick the Bunny, Vali?"

"GOTTA GO! BEDTIME!" Vali yelled.

The Demon Cub dropped to all fours and scrambled up the stairs, claws clicking wildly on the stone.

"VALI!" Rurik roared, chasing after him. "GET BACK HERE! YOU ARE NOT TO LICK THE BUNNY OR ESTABLISH ANY BOND! YOU ARE TOO YOUNG!"

I slipped out the front door and ran all the way back to the safety of my shop.

Never accept a dinner invitation from a Wolf during a full moon. Or a Tuesday. Or ever.