Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband-Chapter 51: The Voice in the Water

It was a rainy Thursday. The mood inside the daycare was heavier than a wet wool blanket.

Lord Rurik stood at the kitchen counter, holding a tiny, delicate teacup that looked ridiculous in his scarred hands. He was glaring at it as if it had offended his ancestors.

General Rajah was sitting on the floor, letting Arjun use his tail as a jump rope. The Tiger Lord looked exhausted.

Archduke Cassian was pacing near the window, his golden eyes scanning the horizon, looking for a signal that never came.

Duke Lucien was in the corner, blending into the shadows, but the shadows were twitching nervously.

And the cubs? They were a mess.

Vali was pacing (copying Cassian).

Jasper was re-calculating the odds of survival for the 100th time.

Clover was curled up in a ball on the rug, clutching her safety rock so tight her knuckles were white. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Suddenly, a sound cut through the gloom.

Gurgle. Hiss.

The kitchen sink began to glow. A soft, white light pulsed from the faucet, filling the room with a magical hum.

"Magic signature detected," Jasper announced, his ears perking up. "It’s from the Deep Sea."

Rurik dropped the teacup. Smash.

"Quiet!" Rurik roared.

From the glowing water, a voice filled the room. It was crackly, distant, and sounded like it was traveling through miles of pressure. But it was unmistakable.

"Hey. It’s me. Primrose."

The room froze. Arjun stopped jumping. Clover’s head snapped up. Luna, who had been trying to organize the pantry, dropped a box of crackers.

"I’m alive. I’m safe. I... I washed up in a place where I can’t leave just yet, but I’m okay. Please don’t burn down the ocean looking for me. I promise I’ll be back soon."

Rajah let out a breath that sounded like a sob. "She lives," he whispered.

The voice continued, listing names.

"Vali, stop biting people. Arjun, don’t break the furniture. Jasper, stop calculating the odds of my death. Silas, keep drawing."

The cubs all smiled and nodded.

"Clover my sweet bunny, keep your safety rock close, okay? Be brave for me. And Luna... you’re in charge of the daycare. I know you can do it. Watch over them."

Luna straightened her spine. Her long bunny ears stood straight up. The fear in her eyes vanished, replaced by a steel-like determination. She put me in charge.

"Keep the oven warm for me. I miss you guys. I will be back soon so just wait for me."

The light faded. The water stopped glowing.

Silence.

Then, Rurik turned around. He wasn’t holding a cleaver, but he was holding a butter knife with lethal intent. He slowly placed it on the counter.

"She is safe," Rurik grunted, his voice rough. He wiped a hand across his eyes, pretending he wasn’t crying. "She gave orders. We hold the position."

"No invasion?" Rajah asked, looking hopeful. "I had the fleet ready."

"She said ’don’t burn the ocean’," Cassian noted, adjusting his glasses to hide his own relief. "If we invade, we void her request. We wait."

"We wait," Lucien echoed from the shadows.

While the Dads collapsed into chairs, relieved that their Chef wasn’t dead, the Cubs gathered in a tight circle on the rug.

It was time for a strategy meeting.

Vali stood in the center. He looked at the group with serious, pink eyes.

"Okay," Vali declared. "You heard the Boss. She’s alive. But she’s watching us. Somehow."

He pointed at the ceiling suspiciously.

"Operation: Be Good starts now," Vali commanded. "If she comes back and finds out Arjun broke the lamp, she might leave again."

"I didn’t mean to break it!" Arjun protested, his tail twitching. "It was in my way! I was practicing my sword moves!"

"No more sword moves inside!" Vali barked. "From now on, we are perfect. We are angels. We are..." He looked at Jasper for a word.

"Efficient," Jasper supplied, pushing his glasses up. "Statistically, if we reduce property damage by 100%, Primrose’s stress levels will decrease upon return."

"Right. Efficient Angels," Vali nodded.

Luna stepped forward. She was holding the clipboard. It was almost as big as she was.

"I have the schedule," Luna announced, her voice trembling slightly but gaining strength. "Primrose said I’m in charge. So... first item. Nap Time."

The room erupted.

"No!" Arjun whined. "I’m not tired! I have Tiger energy!"

"Nap time is inefficient," Jasper argued. "I could be reading."

"Sleeping is boring," Vali crossed his arms. "Wolves hunt. We don’t nap."

Clover stood up. She walked over to Vali. She held up her safety rock.

"Prim said be brave," Clover whispered. "But she also said... sleeping makes you grow."

She looked at Vali with huge, watery olive eyes.

"If we don’t nap... we stay small. And if we stay small... we can’t protect her when she comes back."

Vali froze. The logic was flawless.

"Fine," Vali grumbled, his ears drooping. "We nap. For growth. Not because I’m tired."

Ten minutes later, the Dads watched in bewilderment as the Cubs tried to enforce Nap Time on themselves.

It was a disaster.

Arjun was trying to force himself to sleep by squeezing his eyes shut so tight his face turned red. "AM I ASLEEP YET?" he shouted.

"Shhh!" Vali hissed, hitting him with a pillow. "You’re napping too loud!"

Jasper had arranged his blanket in a perfect geometric square. He lay down stiff as a board, holding a pocket watch. "I will allocate 45 minutes for rest. Commencing... now."

Silas, the silent Panther cub, had simply vanished. Upon closer inspection, he was sleeping on top of a bookshelf, looking like a melted puddle of ink.

Clover was tucked in next to Luna. Luna was reading a storybook to the group, but she was holding it upside down because she was so nervous about being In Charge.

"And then..." Luna read, improvising, "...the brave bunny made everyone eat vegetables. The end."

"That’s a scary story," Arjun whispered.

From the kitchen doorway, Rajah watched them. He leaned against Rurik.

"They are trying so hard," Rajah chuckled softly.

"They are terrified she won’t come back," Rurik muttered. He looked at Vali, who was pretending to sleep but clearly keeping one eye open to watch the door.

"We keep the routine," Cassian said quietly, joining them. "We keep the daycare running. We keep them fed. And when she walks through that door..."

"We never let her leave again," Lucien finished, materializing beside them.

For the first time in a month, the gloom lifted from Little Whiskers. It was still chaotic. It was still loud. But the hopelessness was gone.

Primrose was coming home. They just had to survive the "Good Boy" phase until she did.