Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband-Chapter 61: The New Kid and the Jealous Wolf

Little Whiskers Daycare (One Week Later)

The morning sun filtered through the windows of the daycare, illuminating dust motes and the peaceful silence of the play area.

BANG.

The front door flew open.

Arjun stood in the doorway, striking a pose with his fists on his hips. He was wearing his newly repaired daycare uniform and a grin that threatened to split his face.

"I AM BACK!" Arjun yelled, his voice echoing off the walls (thankfully, without the magic shockwave this time). "Who missed me? Did you cry? It’s okay to admit it!"

He waited for the applause. The cheers. The parade.

Jasper didn’t look up from his book. "Welcome back. You were absent for exactly six days, four hours, and twelve minutes."

Silas, who was drawing in the corner, simply gave a thumbs-up without turning around.

Vali was busy stacking blocks and just grunted, "You’re blocking the light, Stripes."

Only Clover reacted with the appropriate enthusiasm. She dropped her crayons and hopped over.

"Tiger!" she cheered, hugging him. "You’re back! Did you learn how to whisper?"

"Sort of!" Arjun beamed, patting her head. "I learned how to blow out candles! Thousands of them! It was super boring!"

---

The door chime rang again.

Jax walked in, looking much cleaner than the night of the tower explosion. He was wearing a fresh shirt (courtesy of Luna) and his security badge. Beside him walked Finn.

Finn was officially a student now. He had a new backpack that looked slightly too big for him, and his patched cap was pulled low over his eyes.

"Alright, kid," Jax said, ruffling Finn’s hair. "Be good. Don’t pick any pockets. And listen to Luna."

"Yeah, yeah," Finn grinned, adjusting his straps. "I got this."

Finn strolled into the room like he owned the place. He looked at the other cubs.

He saw Arjun (The Muscle), Jasper (The Brains), and Silas (The Ninja).

"Cool crew," Finn muttered.

Then, his eyes landed on Clover. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

The little bunny was sitting on the rug, arranging a collection of shiny pebbles around her glued-together Safety Rock.

Finn walked over, his tail swishing confidently.

"Nice rock," Finn said, squatting down beside her. "Is that granite? Or just really hard dirt?"

Clover looked up, her olive eyes sparkling. "It’s a Safety Rock! It protects me from monsters. It got hurt, but Luna fixed it."

"Cool," Finn reached into his pocket and pulled out a shiny, polished piece of blue sea glass he’d found on the beach. "I have this. It’s a Luck Glass. Want to trade? Temporary loan?"

Clover gasped. "So pretty! Like the ocean!"

Within two minutes, they were giggling, trading treasures, and whispering secrets.

Across the room, Vali was watching.

The Wolf Cub was building a tower, but his red eyes were locked on the Fox and the Bunny. His grip on a wooden block was so tight the wood was starting to splinter.

Why is he sitting so close? Vali thought, his inner Alpha bristling. Why is she laughing? She usually laughs at my jokes. Well, she usually screams at my jokes, but that counts.

Vali wanted to bite Finn. He really wanted to bite him. But he heard Jasper’s voice in his head: Rule #4.

So, instead of biting, Vali stood up and marched over. He squeezed himself directly between Finn and Clover, knocking over their pile of rocks.

"I am building a fortress," Vali announced loudly, ignoring Finn completely. "Clover, you are the Queen. Sit here."

"But I was talking to Finn about—"

"Fortress!" Vali barked, his ears flattening.

---

Later, Luna brought out a tray of carrot muffins and juice boxes.

"Snack time!" she called out happily.

The cubs gathered around the low table. Jax leaned against the wall, watching with amusement as Luna handed out napkins.

"Here you go, Finn," Luna smiled. "Welcome to the table."

"Thanks, Boss Bunny," Finn winked.

Finn sat down. He purposefully took the seat right next to Clover.

Vali, who was about to sit there, froze. He growled low in his throat and sat directly across from them, glaring daggers at the new kid.

The table was quiet, except for the sound of chewing.

Finn took a bite of his muffin, then looked at Vali. He chewed slowly. He swallowed.

"So," Finn said casually, wiping crumbs from his mouth. "You like her, don’t you?"

SCREECH.

The sound of a chair scraping against the floor.

The entire room froze.

Arjun stopped chewing, his cheeks full of muffin. Jasper pushed his glasses up, calculating the probability of a fight (100%). Silas paused his drawing.

Even Clover froze, a piece of carrot hanging from her mouth.

Over by the counter, Jax snorted into his coffee. Luna bit her lip to keep from giggling, hiding her face behind a tray.

Vali’s face turned a shade of red that matched his eyes.

"What the heck!" Vali spluttered, slamming his juice box down. "Why would you say that out loud?"

Finn smirked, leaning back in his chair. "So, you’re not denying it?"

Clover looked between them, blinking her big, innocent eyes. "Like? Like... like a best friend? I like Vali too! He’s fuzzy!"

"See?" Vali said quickly, looking panicked. "She likes me because I’m fuzzy! Shut up, Fox!"

"I don’t know..." Finn tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Clover is pretty cute. And she’s a prey animal. Maybe she’ll grow up and like someone softer. Someone with big ears... like another rabbit. Or hmm... maybe a Fox like me?"

Finn leaned closer to Clover. "We Foxes are very loyal, you know."

SNAP.

Vali moved faster than the eye could follow.

He lunged across the table, grabbing Finn by the collar of his shirt.

"You better shut up," Vali growled, his voice dropping an octave into a true Wolf’s snarl.

"Make me," Finn teased, dangling in Vali’s grip, completely unafraid. "Or just admit it. You like her."

"Fine!" Vali roared, his eyes shifting from pink to a glowing, deep crimson. "I like Clover! I like her very much! So you better stay away!"

The confession hung in the air like a thunderclap.

The room was dead silent.

Clover’s mouth formed a perfect O. She looked at Luna. "Luna? What does very much mean?"

Luna couldn’t answer. She was burying her face in Jax’s shoulder, shaking with silent laughter. Jax was grinning so hard his fangs showed.

Finn looked at the furious Wolf holding him. Then, he grinned.

"I was just joking, buddy," Finn laughed. "Man, you are so easy to fool. You reacted instantly!"

Vali blinked. The red faded from his eyes. "What?"

"I was pranking you," Finn wiggled free from Vali’s grip. "I don’t want your girl. I just wanted to see if you’d admit it."

Vali stood there, processing. He realized everyone was looking at him. He realized he had just screamed his feelings in front of the entire class.

His ears burned. His pride crumbled.

Vali’s eyes narrowed.

"I will kill you," Vali whispered.

Finn yelped. "Uh oh."

The Fox cub scrambled backward, vaulted over the table, and took off running.

"GET BACK HERE!" Vali shouted, chasing him.

They zoomed around the room, knocking over blocks and cushions.

Arjun watched them go. His eyes lit up.

"Running?" Arjun cheered. "Tactical Pursuit! I want to join!"

Arjun stood up, ready to unleash his Tiger speed.

"Stand down, Tiger," Jasper said firmly, grabbing the back of Arjun’s shirt. "Stand down. Let them resolve their hierarchy dispute. Statistically, Vali needs to catch him at least once to restore his honor."

Arjun sat back down, pouting. "Fine. But next time, I’m chasing the Fox."

Clover went back to eating her muffin, looking very confused but happy that everyone was having fun.

"Boys are weird," she whispered to her rock.