Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband-Chapter 151: The Stranger in the Cell

The return to the Capital was quiet, under the cover of a moonless night.

When the group finally stumbled through the front door of the Little Whiskers Daycare, they looked like they had been chewed up and spit out by a dragon.

Rurik was waiting in the hallway, arms crossed, wearing his night-robe (which was just a bear pelt). Rajah and Lucien were playing chess by the fire.

They looked up.

"You’re late," Rurik grunted. "And you smell like swamp water."

Then, he saw it.

Primrose walked in. Behind her, three fluffy tails (White, Silver, Gold) were joined by a fourth one.

It was sleek, emerald green, and tipped with a glowing flower that shed tiny sparkles of pollen on the rug.

Rajah dropped his chess piece. "Is that... are you growing a garden?"

"Don’t ask," Primrose groaned, flopping onto the nearest sofa. "I am photosynthesizing. I need water and twelve hours of sleep."

"And what is that?" Lucien asked, his dark eyes fixing on Jasper.

The little boy was holding the baby Imugi.

"This is Pickles," Jasper announced proudly. "He is my dragon. He likes body heat and silence."

Rurik stared at the snake. The snake stared at Rurik with its three eyes.

"Acceptable," Rurik decided. "At least it doesn’t bark."

They didn’t unpack. They went straight to the basement.

The Time-Out Room (usually reserved for when Vali broke something expensive) had been reinforced with anti-magic runes.

They dumped Real Jax onto a cot. Luna tied his hands to the bedframe, her face set in a grim line.

"Wake him up," Cassian ordered.

Caspian splashed a bucket of cold water on the prisoner.

Jax sputtered, shaking his head. His wet orange ears twitched, spraying water everywhere. He blinked open his green eyes—the same eyes that Luna had fallen in love with, but without the cold, robotic haze of the Hollow Husk.

He looked around the room. He took in the terrifying Wolf Lord, the lethal Snake Lord, the imposing Tiger Warlord, the fox, and finally, the crying Rabbit.

He didn’t panic. Instead, a slow, lazy smirk spread across his face—a defense mechanism.

"Well," Jax drawled, his voice smooth and raspy. "This is a kinky welcome party. Usually, I charge extra for ropes, but for a crowd this pretty, I might offer a discount."

Luna flinched.

It was the voice. The sass. The roguish charm. It was exactly like the Jax she knew.

"Stop it," Luna whispered, her voice trembling.

Jax looked at her. He saw the pain in her eyes, and his smirk softened into something more genuine and confused.

"Hey, sweetheart," he said gently. "You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Or maybe I’m the ghost? My head feels like it." He rubbed his temple. "Last thing I remember, I was escorting a caravan near the border. It was the night of the Harvest Festival."

The room went silent.

"The Harvest Festival?" Primrose asked quietly. "That was six months ago."

Jax froze. The playful light died in his eyes.

"Six months?" He looked down at his hands, then back at them. "I... I lost six months?"

"You were captured," Cassian explained, his voice low. "Replaced. A man stole your face, Jax. He came here. He took your job. He lived your life."

Jax went very still. He looked at the group, processing the horror of it. Then, his gaze landed back on Luna. He looked at her tear-stained face, and he put the pieces together. He was smart.

"He stole my face," Jax whispered, his voice losing its edge. "And judging by the way you’re looking at me, sweetheart... he stole a hell of a lot more than that, didn’t he?"

Luna nodded, tears spilling over. "He said he loved my stew. He said... he was my family."

Jax looked at her for a long time. A strange, tragic expression crossed his face. It wasn’t jealousy; it was regret for a memory he didn’t even have.

"That’s a cruel joke," Jax murmured, leaning his head back against the wall. He looked at Luna with a sad, crooked smile. "Because if I had actually met you six months ago... I wouldn’t have needed a script to fall for you. You’re exactly the kind of trouble I like."

It was too much. The right person, wrong time reality broke her.

Luna let out a choked sob and ran out of the room.

Jax watched the empty doorway. He sighed, the charm gone, leaving only a tired soldier.

"He didn’t just steal my identity," he muttered to the room. "He used up my luck."

The next morning, the mood in the Daycare was somber.

Until the front door burst open.

Leonora stormed in. She looked magnificent and terrified. She was holding a clipboard.

"Three days!" Leonora shouted. "The wedding is in three days! The florist canceled because of unforeseen allergies, the orchestra is demanding double pay, and I still don’t have a cake!"

She spotted Primrose in the kitchen.

"Prim!" Leonora marched over and grabbed Primrose’s hands. "You. You are the only one I trust. Please. Make the cake. Make it huge. Make it taste like victory."

"Leo, I just got back from a war zone," Primrose protested. "I have a tail that grows daises when I sneeze."

"Perfect!" Leonora beamed. "Free edible flowers! Please, Prim. I can’t let a stranger do it. Not with the Boss out there. I need to know the food is safe."

Primrose looked at the Lioness. She looked stressed, but happy. She deserved this wedding.

"Fine," Primrose sighed, smiling. "But it’s going to be lemon and elderflower. And if Pickles eats the frosting, I’m not making a second one."

While the kids were in the backyard playing Siege the Castle (Vali was the castle, Jasper was the dragon commander), the men gathered in the library.

Rajah, Rurik, Cassian, Lucien, and Caspian.

The atmosphere was heavy.

"The Boss is planning something," Rajah said, pacing. "He escaped the East. He knows about the wedding. It’s the perfect stage for a grand entrance."

"We will double the guards," Rurik grunted, sharpening his sword.

"I will ward the perimeter," Cassian added. "No one gets in without an antidote."

Rajah looked at Caspian. The Merman King was looking out the window, watching Primrose help Leonora with cake designs.

"Speaking of weddings," Rajah grinned, nudging Caspian. "You and the Fox. You faced death together in the East. Saved the world. Isn’t it time to... put a ring on it?"

Caspian took a sip of his wine. He didn’t blush. He just looked thoughtful.

"I have the ring," Caspian admitted quietly.

The room went silent.

"But not yet," Caspian continued. "Not while the Boss is still out there. Not while she is still looking over her shoulder. When I ask her, I want it to be because we are free. Not because we are afraid we might die tomorrow."

"Noble," Rurik nodded approvingly.

In the corner, Lucien stood in the shadows. He hadn’t said a word.

He was watching Primrose through the glass. His dark panther eyes traced the curve of her smile, the way her new green tail twitched with happiness.

He heard Caspian’s words. Not yet.

Lucien’s hand tightened on the back of the chair until the wood creaked.

Good, Lucien thought. That means there is still time.

He didn’t say it out loud. He just turned and walked out of the room, his shadow stretching long and dark across the floor.

That evening, a courier arrived.

It was a nervous young owl-kin.

"Package for Miss Luna," the owl squeaked, dropping a box on the porch and flying away fast.

Luna was sitting on the swing, staring at nothing. Primrose brought the box to her.

"It’s wrapped in black paper," Primrose noted, her tails bristling. "Be careful."

Luna opened it.

Inside wasn’t a bomb. It wasn’t a weapon.

It was a single, pressed flower. A Blue Coast Lily.

The same flower the Fake Jax had given her months ago. The one he said reminded him of her eyes.

There was a note attached. The handwriting was elegant, sharp, and familiar.

To my favorite Rabbit,

The play is over, but the encore is just beginning.

I’ll save a dance for you at the wedding.

— An Old Friend.

Luna dropped the box. She covered her mouth to stifle a scream.