Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband-Chapter 56: The Roar of the Khan

The inside of the tower was a nightmare of rusted gears, ticking pendulums, and shadows.

Silas moved like liquid ink, disabling the tripwires on the stairs. Jasper counted the intervals of the grinding gears to find the safe path. Vali took point, sniffing for ambushes.

But Arjun led the charge. The Tiger Cub wasn’t bouncing anymore. His stripes were glowing with a faint, pulsing golden light.

They burst through the heavy iron doors at the top of the tower.

The room was vast, dominated by the massive clock face. Rain lashed against the glass.

In the center of the room, inside a suspended iron cage, were the hostages.

Clover was huddled in the corner, holding her long ears, trembling.

Standing in front of her, clutching the bars with small, dirty hands, was Finn.

He looked exactly like a miniature Jax. He had the same messy orange hair, the same oversized fox ears, and a patched cap pulled low over his eyes. He was skinny, scrawny, and clearly terrified, but he was standing between Clover and the danger, trying to look tough.

"Don’t worry, Bunny," Finn whispered, his voice shaking. "My brother is coming. He’s the best thief in the city. He’ll steal the key."

Guarding the cage was a mountain of muscle. A Bear-kin mercenary, clad in heavy plate armor, holding a war hammer the size of a tree trunk.

"Intruders," the Bear grunted, his voice deep and rumbling. He swung the hammer, smashing a wooden crate to splinters. "Boss said no visitors."

Jax stepped forward, daggers drawn. "Let them go, Brutus. This is between me and the Boss."

"Fox," the Bear laughed. "You brought... puppies?"

He looked at the cubs and sneered.

That was a mistake.

"Charge!" Arjun yelled. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

The cubs didn’t hesitate.

Vali blurred into motion, darting between the Bear’s legs and slashing at his hamstrings. Silas threw a shadow-shuriken that extinguished the lanterns, plunging the room into half-light to confuse the enemy.

"Math Attack!" Jasper shouted, throwing a bag of marbles directly under the Bear’s pivoting foot.

The Bear stumbled, roaring in annoyance. "Pests!"

He swung the massive hammer. WHOOSH.

Jax dove, pushing Vali out of the way. The hammer clipped Jax’s shoulder, sending the Fox flying into a pile of gears.

"Jax!" Finn screamed from the cage. "Big Bro!"

The Bear turned his eyes to the cage. "Too loud," he grunted. He raised the hammer, aiming not at the cubs, but at the cage support chain. "I’ll just drop the brats."

"NO!" Clover screamed.

Arjun froze.

He saw Jax down. He saw Vali scrambling to get up. He saw the hammer rising. He saw the terror in Clover’s eyes.

Something inside the Tiger Cub snapped.

It wasn’t fear. It was the ancient, primal instinct of the First Tiger. The King of Beasts. The Guardian.

Arjun’s heart hammered against his ribs like a war drum. His stripes ignited, burning with blinding golden light. The air in the clock tower grew heavy, vibrating with immense pressure.

Arjun opened his mouth.

He didn’t scream like a child.

ROAR.

A shockwave of pure, golden sound blasted from the small boy. It wasn’t just noise; it was physical force. It was the King’s Command.

The glass face of the clock shattered outward. The rain stopped in mid-air.

The massive Bear-kin eyes went wide. He didn’t just hear the roar; he felt it in his bones. It was a command that said: KNEEL.

The shockwave hit the Bear like a cannonball. The massive mercenary was lifted off his feet and blasted backward, smashing through the brick wall and tumbling out into the stormy night.

Silence fell over the tower.

Arjun stood there, panting, the golden light fading from his stripes. He blinked, looking at his hands. "Whoa. Did I do that?"

Then, his eyes rolled back, and he tipped over, snoring before he hit the floor. Instant nap.

"Arjun!" Vali rushed to Arjun’s side. "He’s okay! Just sleeping!"

Jax, clutching his bleeding shoulder, scrambled up and picked the lock on the cage.

Finn threw himself at his brother. "Jax!"

Jax caught him, burying his face in Finn’s messy hair. "I got you, kid. I got you."

Clover crawled out, shaking. She looked at the sleeping Arjun. She walked over and gently patted his head. "Good kitty," she whispered.

"We need to move," Jasper announced, looking at the structural damage Arjun’s roar had caused. "The tower is unstable."

Silas tapped Jasper and pointed.

In the shadows, a figure sat in a high-backed chair, watching them. The Boss.

Jax spun around, putting Finn behind him. "It’s over! We have the kids! Show your face!"

Jax threw a dagger. It struck the figure in the chest.

Thud.

The figure didn’t bleed. It fell over stiffly.

It was a mannequin wearing a tuxedo.

Attached to its chest was a glowing magic crystal—a recording device.

The crystal crackled to life. A voice—distorted, deep, and mocking—filled the room.

"Bravo. You saved the pawns. And the Tiger Cub has awakened. Impressive."

Jax snarled. "Where are you?"

"Far away, little Fox," the voice continued. "You think you’ve won? You think saving this bakery matters?"

The voice dropped an octave, dripping with malice.

"Tell Primrose.’... that she cannot fix this world. I know who she is. I know what she is hunting for. And I will burn everything she loves before I let her find the Truth."

"Run along now. The fuse is lit."

TICK-TOCK-TICK-TOCK.

The sound of the clock gears sped up frantically.

"Self-destruct sequence!" Jasper screamed. "Run!"

Jax grabbed Finn. Vali grabbed the sleeping Arjun. Silas grabbed Clover.

They bolted for the window where the clock face used to be.

"Jump!" Jax commanded.

They leaped into the rain just as the top of the Old Clock Tower exploded in a fireball of gears and stone behind them.

They free-fell for a terrifying second, before a massive Shadow Net caught them. Silas, straining with effort, lowered them gently onto the wet grass of the cliffside.

They were safe. Wet, bruised, and exhausted. But safe.

Finn looked up at Jax, adjusting his cap. "So... that was cool. Are these your friends?"

Jax looked at the four panting Warlord cubs. He looked at the burning tower.

"Yeah," Jax smiled, ruffling his brother’s hair. "Yeah, Finn. This is the Pack."