Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband

Chapter 222: The Cub Summit and the Missing Bunny

While the adults were busy dealing with the new refugee camp, politics, and the incredibly obvious romantic tension currently suffocating the manor, the Warlord-cubs were holding a highly classified meeting.

The location is a low, sturdy branches of the ancient oak tree in the courtyard.

Arjun, the nine-year-old tiger-cub, sat on the highest branch, acting as the tactical lookout. Below him, swinging his legs back and forth, sat Orion. Jasper was leaning against the trunk with his notebook, and Silas was comfortably perched on a thick branch wrapped in cool shadows. Vali was hanging upside down by his knees, his silver wolf tail completely relaxed.

From their vantage point, they had a perfect view of the gardens. Down below, Lucien was currently carrying a large basket of blankets for Juni, hovering around her like a massive, deeply intimidating bodyguard.

"Look at him," Arjun whispered, his tiger ears twitching. "The Lord of Shadows is carrying laundry. The recruit’s mother has completely dismantled his command structure."

Silas watched his older brother down in the grass. A small, genuinely happy smile spread across the little panther-cub’s face.

"I am glad," Silas said softly, his violet eyes shining. "Lucien was always so quiet. He just sat in the dark and sharpened his knives. I think his heart was very cold. But now... he isn’t going to be lonely anymore. Pip and Juni make him warm."

"It is a highly efficient development," Jasper agreed, pushing his round glasses up his nose. He flipped a page in his notebook, letting out a heavy, annoyed sigh. "Statistically, pair-bonding increases lifespan and reduces stress. I have presented this data to Cassian multiple times."

"What did the snake say?" Vali asked, his voice muffled since all the blood was rushing to his upside-down head.

"He said that a mate would disrupt his sanitization protocols," Jasper grumbled, crossing his arms. "He claims romance introduces unnecessary germs and that another person would misalign the books in his library. He actually wants to be single forever. It is deeply annoying. How am I supposed to study Warlord wedding logistics if my guardian refuses to participate?"

Orion laughed, tossing an acorn at Jasper’s shoe. "At least he’s honest about it. Before Uncle Caspian met Auntie Primrose, he was just... sad. He would sit in the ocean for days and ignore the whole kingdom. A house needs a heart to keep it standing. Auntie Primrose is the heart."

Vali let out a loud huff, finally swinging himself upright and sitting normally on the branch. He scratched his fuzzy wolf ear, looking a little thoughtful.

"My dad is never going to find another woman," Vali stated, matter-of-factly.

"Never?" Arjun asked, raising an eyebrow. "Wolves usually seek out a pack mother."

"Dad already found the one he wanted," Vali shrugged, his golden eyes entirely innocent. "He really liked Sovereign Primrose. He brought her the biggest slabs of meat and everything! He probably still likes her. But King Caspian won the territory dispute."

The rest of the cubs nodded sagely. The unspoken rules of the Warlords were complicated, but the cubs understood the basics.

"So what does Rurik do now?" Orion asked curiously.

"He just chops a lot of extra wood," Vali explained simply. "And he wrestles bigger bears. He says his battle-axe is his only true companion now. But I think he’s okay. He gets to eat Auntie Primrose’s food every day, and he gets to yell a lot. Dad is simple."

"A tactical retreat into bachelorhood," Arjun noted approvingly.

Vali puffed out his chest. "Exactly! Wolves don’t mope. We just eat more bacon."

Vali looked around the circle of branches, his tail giving a sudden, confused wag. He sniffed the air, his golden eyes scanning the grass below.

"Wait," Vali frowned, his ears standing straight up. "Where is the merchant-cub? Clover was supposed to be at the tactical meeting."

"She said she had to conduct an inventory audit," Jasper replied without looking up from his notes.

"An audit? Without me as her bodyguard?" Vali gasped. He immediately scrambled down the rough bark of the oak tree, his claws giving him perfect grip. "What if she gets lost? What if someone tries to steal her ledger? I have to go secure the perimeter!"

Before the other cubs could even reply, Vali hit the dirt and sprinted off, his nose to the ground as he tracked the familiar scent of strawberries and fresh paper.

He didn’t have to go far.

He found Clover sitting on a stone bench near the edge of the newly built Duck-kin pavilion. The little bunny-kin was wearing a pristine yellow dress with a tiny white apron. She had her small, leather-bound ledger open on her lap, and she was aggressively chewing on the end of a charcoal pencil, her long ears twitching with intense concentration.

Vali slowed down, immediately dropping into a "cool" walk. He puffed out his chest, slicked his messy silver hair back, and sauntered over.

"Hello, Clover," Vali said, leaning casually against the stone bench. He tried to look like a hardened mercenary, but his tail was wagging so fast it was basically a blur. "Are you doing business? I am very good at business. Do you need me to intimidate a customer?"

Clover looked up, pulling the pencil out of her mouth. She didn’t look intimidated; she looked like a girl who had just struck gold.

"Vali," Clover whispered, her eyes wide and sparkling. She patted the empty spot on the bench next to her. "Sit down. Quickly. Look at this."

Vali happily bounded onto the bench, scooting as close to her as he possibly could. He peered down at her ledger. It was filled with tiny, neat numbers.

"Look out there," Clover pointed a small finger toward the Duck-kin camp.

Several of the adult bird-kins were grooming themselves in the morning sun. As they preened, a few loose, molted feathers naturally drifted down into the grass.

"Do you know what those are?" Clover asked, her voice hushed with reverence.

"Feathers?" Vali guessed. "They belong to the sky-people."

"Not just feathers, Vali. Silver-tipped flight feathers," Clover corrected, tapping her pencil against her ledger. "Auntie Primrose says they shed them naturally when they are stressed or healing. Do you have any idea how much high-society nobles in the Capital will pay for authentic, ethically sourced silver feathers for their winter hats?"

Vali blinked. "A lot?"

"A fortune," Clover breathed. "But we can’t just take them. That’s stealing. We have to make a trade agreement. The Duck-kins lost everything in the poacher attack, right? They need supplies. Blankets, toys for the babies, good seeds."

Vali’s golden eyes widened as he finally understood. "You want to trade them our extra toys and blankets for the feathers they drop on the ground!"

"Exactly!" Clover beamed, looking incredibly proud. "It’s a mutually beneficial economic alliance! But... they are very shy. And I am just a bunny. I need someone brave to help me carry the trade goods and show them we are friendly."

She looked at Vali through her eyelashes, her nose twitching. "Do you think the Alpha of the pack could help me?"

Vali practically stopped breathing. The Alpha of the pack. She had called him the Alpha.

Vali jumped up from the bench, his golden eyes blazing with absolute determination. He slammed his fist against his chest.

"I am the bravest wolf in the Empire!" Vali declared loudly. "I will carry all the trade goods! I will carry the whole basket! I will protect you from the scary sky-people, Clover! Let’s go do business!"

Clover smiled, a genuine, warm smile that made Vali’s heart do a weird, floppy flip in his chest. She closed her ledger and hopped off the bench.

"Thank you, Vali," Clover said softly, smoothing her apron. "You are a very good partner."

Vali felt like he could fight a dragon right then and there. He marched proudly by her side toward the supply closet, ready to haul as many blankets as it took to make the bunny-kin smile again. The adults could have their messy, complicated romances. Vali knew that true love was built on carrying heavy things and making a really good profit.