Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband-Chapter 106: (Xmas Special) Secret Solstice

Day nine of the Solstice.

The Daycare was buzzing with the kind of frantic energy usually reserved for a caffeine-fueled squirrel convention.

It was Secret Solstice Day.

We had drawn names out of a hat three days ago. The rules were simple:

Buy a gift.

Do not reveal who you are buying for.

Do not buy anything that explodes (Rurik was specifically reminded of this rule twice).

The living room was transformed. The Tree of Stars (the small one we brought home) was buried under a mountain of wrapping paper.

"Okay!" I announced, standing by the fireplace in my slippers (the ones the Warlords bought me, which were basically wearable clouds). "We start with the youngest. Clover, you’re up!"

Clover hopped to the center, holding a small, crumpled package wrapped in newspaper.

"This is for... Vali!" she squeaked.

Vali gasped. "For me?"

He tore it open. Inside was a carrot. But not just any carrot. It was painted silver (with edible glitter).

"It is a Silver Fang!" Clover explained proudly. "Because you are a brave wolf!"

Vali looked at the glittery vegetable like it was the Crown Jewels. "I will treasure it forever. I will not eat it. I will frame it."

"Huh? But you could just eat it though. Framing it ...is kinda gross" Clover mumbled.

"Next!" I called.

Vali grabbed a heavy box. "This is for Arjun!"

Arjun opened it. It was a rock. A very large, very smooth, grey rock.

"It is a Tactical Rock," Vali explained seriously. "I tested it. It throws good."

Arjun nodded solemnly. "Thank you, Vali. I needed a projectile."

Arjun then handed a small velvet pouch to Ellia.

The room went quiet. The Warlords leaned forward. Rajah narrowed his eyes.

Ellia opened the pouch. Inside was a bracelet made of braided leather and a single, polished tiger-eye stone.

"I made it," Arjun mumbled, looking at the floor, his tail twitching nervously. "It matches your eyes. Sort of."

Ellia blushed pink. She slipped it onto her wrist. "It’s beautiful, Arjun. Thank you."

Rajah smirked. Good boy, he mouthed.

Ellia then handed a gift to Orion. It was a book: The Surface World: A Guide to Not Looking Weird.

"Thanks," Orion droned, flipping through it. "Chapter 4: Why we do not eat the decorative soap. Useful."

Finn handed a gift to Silas .

Silas unwrapped it slowly. It was a pair of sunglasses. Pitch black.

"For when the world is too bright," Finn grinned. "And so you look cool."

Silas put them on. He looked like a tiny secret agent. He gave a rare, small smile. "Acceptable."

Jax tossed a package to General Rajah.

"You drew me?" Rajah grunted, suspicious.

He opened it. It was a catnip mouse. But it was the size of a football.

"For stress relief," Jax winked.

Rajah stared at the mouse. He squeezed it. It squeaked.

"I hate it," Rajah said. But he put it in his pocket immediately.

Lord Rurik stood up holding a massive crate.

"I drew Archduke Cassian!" Rurik bellowed.

Cassian looked terrified. "Please tell me it is not alive."

Cassian opened the crate. Inside was a set of weights. Heavy, iron weights.

"You are skinny, Snake!" Rurik explained. "You need bulk! Lift these! Become strong!"

Cassian adjusted his monocle. "While I appreciate the concern for my muscle mass, I prefer to lift books. However... the iron content is high. I can melt this down for alchemy. Thank you, Wolf."

Cassian then handed a sleek, flat box to Duke Lucien.

Lucien opened it. It was an enchanted mirror. But instead of showing a reflection, it showed nothing. Just a black void.

"It is an Anti-Mirror," Cassian explained. "It absorbs light. So you can check your appearance without suffering the indignity of brightness."

Lucien touched the glass. "It is... comforting. Darkness greets me."

Lucien silently handed a gift to Caspian.

It was a small vial of ink.

"Kraken Ink," Lucien whispered. "For writing decrees. Or letters to the sea."

Caspian took it, his eyes softening. "Thank you, Duke. The sea feels far away today."

King Caspian stood up. He held a small, poorly wrapped box (he had used too much tape).

"I drew... Primrose," he announced.

The room went silent. The Warlords exchanged glances. Jax smirked.

I walked over and took the box. "You didn’t have to, Caspian."

"Open it," he commanded gently.

I tore the paper. Inside was a small, silver music box. It was shaped like a clam shell.

I opened it.

A tiny, holographic projection of a whale swam in the air above the box, and a melody played. It wasn’t a royal anthem. It wasn’t a sea shanty.

It was Silent Night. Or at least, Caspian’s best attempt at remembering the melody from Earth. It was slightly off-key, haunting and beautiful.

"I... I had the royal artificers make it," Caspian said quietly, his voice vulnerable. "I hummed the tune for them. I wanted you to have a piece of... home."

My eyes filled with tears. He remembered. Even as his mind was fading, he fought to remember a Christmas carol for me.

"It’s perfect," I whispered.

"Kiss him!" Finn yelled.

"DO IT!" Vali shouted.

"Tactical romance authorized," Rajah nodded.

I laughed, wiping my tears, and stood on my tiptoes to kiss Caspian’s cheek. "Thank you."

Caspian beamed, looking prouder than he had when he conquered the Southern Isles.

"Wait!" Rurik shouted. "There is one more gift!"

He pointed to a large box in the corner that had no tag.

"Who is that for?" Arjun asked.

"It is for... The Daycare," Jax said, stepping forward. "From the Parents."

I looked at the Warlords. They looked smug.

"Open it, Tutor," Cassian urged.

I walked over and lifted the lid.

Inside was a plaque. A heavy, gold-and-obsidian plaque.

It read:

Little Whiskers Daycare

Royal Warrant Holder

Sanctuary of the West Wing, The North Pack, The South Scales, and The East Shadows.

Protector of the Cubs.

And underneath, a smaller note:

The lease has been paid for the next 100 years. - The Council.

I stared at it. I looked at the Warlords. They were all trying to look nonchalant.

"You... you bought the building?" I gasped.

"We secured the perimeter," Rajah corrected. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"We made a sound investment," Cassian added.

"We wanted to make sure you never leave," Rurik said simply.

I burst into tears. Real, ugly, happy tears.

"Group hug!" Vali screamed.

And they did. The Warlords, the cubs, the King, the Fox... they all piled onto me. It was heavy. It was suffocating. It smelled of pine and cologne and wet fur.

It was the best gift I had ever received.

The Solstice wasn’t just about the sun returning. It was about finding a place where you didn’t have to face the dark alone.

And looking around at my weird, chaotic, dangerous family... I knew I was home.

The group hug finally broke up when Rurik complained that his arm was falling asleep.

We wiped our tears. The plaque was placed proudly on the mantelpiece.

"Now," General Rajah cleared his throat, adjusting his collar. "That concluded the mandatory Secret Solstice game. However... we also conducted a tactical acquisition mission earlier this week."

"We went shopping," Caspian translated, looking smug.

The Warlords reached behind the sofa and pulled out the bags from Chapter 101.

Father to Son

Rurik dumped a sack onto the floor. Dozens of indestructible rubber balls bounced everywhere.

"For Vali!" Rurik roared. "Infinite fetch!"

Vali’s eyes went wide. "My dreams have come true!" He immediately grabbed three balls and tried to fit them all in his mouth.

Archduke Cassian handed the complex puzzle box to Jasper.

"It requires 400 moves to open," Cassian noted. "It contains a single mint. Work for your dopamine, son."

"Challenge accepted," Jasper adjusted his glasses, already twisting the gears.

Duke Lucien handed the book of Spooky Bedtime Stories to Silas.

"For the nights when the shadows are quiet," Lucien whispered.

Silas hugged the book. "I will read it under the bed."

General Rajah handed Arjun the wooden practice sword. Arjun swung it immediately. Whoosh.

"And..." Rajah hesitated. He pulled out the Tiger Onesie. "This. It is... tactical camouflage. For stealth operations in... orange environments."

Arjun held up the onesie. It had a tail. It had ears on the hood.

"Dad," Arjun grinned. "It’s pajamas."

"It is tactical gear!" Rajah insisted, blushing under his fur.

"I love it," Arjun said, and he immediately put the hood on.

Caspian knelt down in front of Orion. He held up the bag with the fishbowl.

Inside, the single, grumpy goldfish floated motionless.

"For you, Orion," Caspian said solemnly. "A companion from the sea. Or... a very small lake."

Orion stared at the fish. The fish stared at Orion.

"He looks angry," Orion noted.

"He is," Caspian agreed. "We shall call him General."

From across the room, General Rajah choked on his cider. "I object to this naming convention!"

"Objection overruled," Caspian smirked.

Finally, the Warlords turned to me.

I was still clutching the music box and staring at the plaque. "Guys, really, this is too much. The building... the music box..."

"We have one more," Jax grinned, leaning against the wall. "The one they fought over for twenty minutes."

Caspian stepped forward. He held out the bag from the market. It wasn’t wrapped in gold paper or velvet. It was wrapped in brown paper that had gotten a bit crumpled in the snow.

I opened it.

First, I pulled out the slippers. They were fluffy, wool-lined, and looked incredibly warm.

"For your feet," Caspian said softly. "The floors are cold."

I slipped off my shoes and put them on. They were heaven. "Oh my god. These are amazing."

Then, I pulled out the mug.

It was a cheap ceramic mug. It said Worlds Okayest Nanny.

But someone (clearly Caspian) had taken a glitter pen, crossed out Okayest, and scrawled BEST in messy, sparkling letters.

I looked at it. It was cheap. It was silly. It was completely at odds with the million-dollar deed to the house sitting on the mantel.

And I loved it more than anything.

I laughed, tracing the glittery letters.

"You guys..." I shook my head, smiling at the four terrifying Warlords and the King. "You really are the worst."

"The best," Rajah corrected, clinking his glass against the mug. "To the Best Nanny."

"To Primrose!" the room cheered.

I stood there in my fluffy slippers, holding my glittery mug, surrounded by my family.

The Solstice was perfect.