Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband-Chapter 197: Sun, Sand, and Structural Engineering

Packing for a weekend getaway with four Warlords and a pack of beast-cubs required the logistical planning of a minor military campaign.

"Rurik, you cannot bring a harpoon in the carriage," I said, pinching the bridge of my nose as the Wolf Warlord tried to wedge a massive, wicked-looking spear between the velvet seats.

"It is a coastal environment, Little Rose," Rurik argued, looking offended. He was wearing an unbuttoned linen shirt and looked entirely too excited. "The sea is full of monsters! What if a Kraken attacks the pups? I must be prepared to defend the pack!"

"Caspian is the former King of the Sea," I reminded him, pointing to the Merman who was currently loading a basket of fresh fruit into the back. "If a Kraken attacks, he will simply tell it to go away."

Caspian flashed a brilliant, devastating smile, the sunlight catching his silver, iridescent hair. "She’s right. The local Krakens owe me money anyway. They won’t bother us."

Rurik grumbled, tossing the harpoon to a very relieved-looking guard, but immediately replaced it with a heavy net.

On the other side of the courtyard, Cassian was supervising the loading of three massive leather trunks. He was wearing a wide-brimmed sun hat, dark sunglasses, and a silk robe that covered every inch of his skin. He looked like a glamorous, highly suspicious vampire.

"Careful with that trunk," Cassian hissed at a servant. "It contains my proprietary UV-blocking mana-potions. The sun is a deadly laser, and I refuse to let Jasper’s scales dry out."

"Father, reptiles require basking for optimal thermoregulation," Jasper pointed out, adjusting his little round glasses. He was carrying a small briefcase instead of a beach bag.

"We will bask indoors, behind tinted glass," Cassian corrected firmly.

Eventually, by some miracle, we managed to cram everyone into the carriages. The ride to Caspian’s new cliffside manor was filled with the sounds of Orion and Jasper debating water pressure, Vali howling out the window at passing birds, and Lucien occasionally tossing a shadow-puppet across the ceiling to keep Silas entertained.

When we finally arrived, the ocean breeze was instantly soothing. The manor looked just as breathtaking as it had the first time, the white stone gleaming against the backdrop of the endless blue sea.

"Alright, everyone," I clapped my hands as the cubs tumbled out onto the driveway. "Grab your bags. We are going straight down to the private beach."

"Yes!" Orion cheered. He grabbed Vali’s hand and dragged the wolf-cub toward the stone steps that led down the cliffside.

By the time we adults made it down to the pristine, white-sand cove, the kids were already in their element. Or, mostly in their element.

Cassian took one step off the bottom stair, his expensive leather shoe sinking into the soft sand. He froze. He looked down, an expression of profound disgust crossing his elegant features.

"It’s everywhere," Cassian whispered in horror. "It is granular. It lacks cohesion. It is going to get into my shoes."

"Take your shoes off, snake," Rurik laughed, bounding past him. Rurik was barefoot, his toes digging happily into the earth. "Feel the wild!"

"I would rather walk on hot coals," Cassian muttered, using his wind magic to hover exactly two inches above the ground, gliding toward the large shaded cabana I had asked the servants to set up. He lowered himself onto a plush lounger, refusing to let even a single grain of sand touch him.

I just shook my head, laying out a massive picnic blanket beneath a large umbrella. Beside me, a small, energetic bunny-kin plopped down her very sparkly, overly-stuffed beach bag.

Clover had begged to come with us the second she heard the word ’beach,’ especially since Luna and Jax were currently caught up in a chaotic meeting with the royal tailors for their wedding outfits.

"Okay!" Clover squeaked, pulling out an impressive array of pastel-colored buckets, magical floating inner-tubes, and a tiny pair of star-shaped sunglasses. Luna had clearly spoiled her. "Who wants to build a castle?"

Lucien materialized in the darkest corner of the cabana, silently accepting a glass of iced tea from me. He gave a small nod of thanks, his violet eyes watching the water.

"Mom! Look!"

I turned toward the shoreline. Orion was standing waist-deep in the crystal-clear water. With a happy laugh, he shifted. His legs merged, replaced by a magnificent, powerful tail covered in shimmering blue and silver scales that caught the light perfectly. His ears finned out, and his iridescent silver hair plastered against his forehead as he dove backward into a wave.

Caspian chuckled, pulling off his shirt to reveal the scarred, perfectly sculpted chest of a warrior king. "I suppose I should go supervise. Try to keep the wolf from eating the local crabs, will you?"

"I make no promises," I smiled, watching as Caspian waded into the water. The moment the waves hit his waist, he shifted as well, his massive, powerful tail propelling him forward with terrifying speed and grace to join our son.

Further up the beach, near the damp sand, a very serious construction project was underway.

Jasper had his briefcase open, revealing a set of miniature rulers, a compass, and a notebook. He was drawing complex diagrams in the sand. Beside him, Orion—having swam back to shore and shifted back to his legs—was nodding thoughtfully.

"If we build the outer wall here," Orion pointed a wet finger at the diagram, "the incoming tide will hit the barrier at a forty-five-degree angle, diffusing the kinetic energy of the waves."

"Precisely," Jasper agreed, pushing his glasses up his nose. "We must also dig a subterranean trench to account for water seepage. A standard moat is inefficient. We need a modern drainage system."

"I am currently constructing a fortified hydro-barrier," Jasper called out as Clover trotted over with her buckets. "Aesthetically pleasing castles lack tactical superiority, Clover."

Clover marched down to the damp sand, planting her hands on her hips. Her long bunny ears twitched with absolute authority. "A fortress without a pretty courtyard is just a boring rock, Jasper. I brought the premium sparkly shells. Make room."

Surprisingly, Jasper didn’t argue. He actually moved his intricate trench-diagram over a few inches to let Clover set down her pink bucket.

The three smart cubs set to work, packing the wet sand with a level of precision that frankly terrified me. They were creating perfect ninety-degree angles. It didn’t look like a castle; it looked like a fortified bunker, just with a very nicely decorated shell-lined courtyard in the center.

Vali, meanwhile, had a completely different approach to the beach.

"I FOUND A ROCK!" Vali roared, running past the cabana holding a large, slimy piece of kelp.

"That is a sea-vegetable, pup!" Rurik shouted from the shallows, where he was currently knee-deep, intensely stalking a school of minnows. "Bring it here! We shall use it as bait for the Great Leviathan!"

"There are no Leviathans in this cove, Rurik," Cassian drawled from his lounger, flipping a page in his book. "I had the perimeter magically scanned. The most dangerous thing in that water is your lack of hygiene."

"You just lack the hunter’s spirit!" Rurik shot back, splashing water toward the cabana. It hit Cassian’s invisible wind-shield and scattered into mist.

I laughed, leaning back on my hands and letting the sun warm my face. My nine silver tails fanned out behind me on the blanket, soaking up the heat.

It was perfect. Just loud, chaotic perfection.

A shadow moved beside me, and Silas quietly sat down on the edge of the blanket. The little panther-cub didn’t say much, as usual. He just opened his hands, and a tiny, perfectly formed crab made entirely of solid shadows scuttled across the blanket, snapping its little dark claws.

"That’s beautiful, sweetheart," I praised softly, handing him a sweet-roll. Silas gave a tiny, shy smile and took a bite, making the shadow-crab do a little dance.

Suddenly, a loud wail echoed down the beach.

I sat up quickly.

Down by the water, disaster had struck. Vali, in his excitement to show Rurik a particularly shiny shell, had sprinted blindly across the beach... right through the middle of Jasper, Orion, and Clover’s highly engineered fortress.

The outer wall was breached. The drainage trench had collapsed.

"My infrastructure!" Jasper gasped, dropping his plastic shovel in horror.

"Vali!" Orion yelled, his teal eyes wide with betrayal. "You ruined our kinetic wave diffuser!"

"It was in my way!" Vali argued, his furry wolf ears pinning back. "Wolves run in straight lines!"

"Wolves are a menace to urban planning!" Jasper hissed, stepping forward.

Before a full-scale cub brawl could break out, Clover stepped right into the middle of it. She didn’t look scared of the growling wolf-pup or the hissing snake-cub. She just pointed a tiny, sandy finger right at Vali’s chest.

"Vali," Clover said firmly, using her best ’older sister’ voice. "You squished my premium pink conch shell. That was the centerpiece of the royal garden."

Vali froze. His ears pinned back, and the fierce, wild glint in his eyes vanished, replaced by instant guilt. Out of all the Warlords and all the cubs, no one could make Vali feel worse about being clumsy than Clover.

"I didn’t see it," Vali whined, his tail tucking between his legs.

"Well, now you have to help us fix it," Clover demanded, crossing her arms. "And you have to find me three *new* shiny shells. The really good ones near the reef."

"Yes, ma’am," Vali mumbled.

Crisis averted. I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.

Caspian, who had surfaced nearby to intervene, chuckled and rested his arms on the shallow sand. "She has the wolf entirely trained. Rurik could learn a thing or two from her."

"She is a merchant’s sister," Cassian noted approvingly from his lounger, flipping a page in his book. "She understands how to leverage guilt for free labor. Excellent strategy."

"They are getting better at conflict resolution," a voice murmured beside me.

I looked up to see Lucien stepping out of the shadows, offering me a plate of perfectly sliced, chilled fruit. He sat down next to me, his dark eyes watching the boys begrudgingly follow Clover’s orders to fix the wall.

"They are," I agreed, popping a piece of mango into my mouth. "Though I think Jasper is still going to bill Vali for the damages eventually."

By the time the sun began to set, painting the sky in brilliant shades of orange, pink, and gold, we had a roaring fire going in the massive stone firepit near the cabana.

Rurik had actually managed to catch a remarkably large tuna, which he presented to me with the pride of a conquering hero. I quickly got to work, slicing the fresh fish, marinating it in soy and ginger, and grilling it over the open flames alongside skewers of vegetables and sweet glaze.

The smell of the barbecue drifted over the beach, drawing everyone in.

Cassian finally deactivated his wind shield, deciding the evening air was acceptable, and delicately ate his grilled fish with a silver fork he had brought from home. Rurik and Vali were eating straight off the skewers, while Jasper carefully cut his food into symmetrical squares.

By the fire, Clover was meticulously teaching Silas how to roast the perfect marshmallow. The little panther-cub was watching her intently, holding his stick over the flames. When his marshmallow caught fire, he panicked, but Clover just blew it out for him and helped him slide the gooey mess onto a sweet biscuit. Silas gave her a tiny, rare smile, his violet eyes glowing happily in the firelight.

Caspian sat beside me on a large piece of driftwood, pulling me close to his warm side. Orion was curled up in his lap, sleepy and content, his iridescent hair drying into a wild, fluffy mess.

"Good day?" Caspian asked softly, kissing the top of my head.

"The best," I murmured, resting my cheek against his chest.

I looked around the fire. The Warlords were arguing about something ridiculous—probably whether a wolf could out-swim a panther—and the cubs were laughing at Silas’s sticky fingers.

It wasn’t a quiet life. It certainly wasn’t a normal one. But as the sound of the ocean waves mingled with the warmth of my family, I knew I wouldn’t trade a single chaotic second of it.