Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband-Chapter 202: The Great Cliffside Sleepover

I stood in the entryway of our beautiful, peaceful cliffside manor and stared at the mountain of luggage.

"It is one night," I said, crossing my arms as my nine silver tails swished behind me in disbelief. "They are staying for exactly fourteen hours. Why does it look like they are moving in?"

"Preparation is the key to victory, Little Rose," Rurik declared proudly, dropping a massive, heavy canvas sack onto the marble floor. It clanked ominously. "I have packed Vali his hunting knife, a whetstone, and a raw elk flank in case he gets hungry at midnight."

"He is six, Rurik. He does not need a hunting knife for a sleepover," I sighed, picking up the heavy sack and handing it directly to a nearby guard to hide.

Next to Rurik, Cassian was levitating a pristine, leather-bound trunk. The Serpent Warlord looked entirely stressed. He had cast a localized warming spell on Jasper, who was currently wearing three layers of wool despite the pleasant coastal weather.

"I have packed Jasper’s portable dehumidifier, his sterile silk sleeping bag, and a collection of mathematical puzzles to keep his mind sharp in case the other cubs try to engage him in foolish games," Cassian instructed, adjusting his cuffs. "Do not let him sleep near an open window. The sea breeze is entirely unregulated."

"Noted," I smiled patiently.

Finally, General Rajah stepped forward, placing a very practical, camouflage-patterned tactical backpack next to Arjun. "There are three emergency flares, a compass, and a first-aid kit in the side pocket. Secure the perimeter before you sleep, son."

"Yes, Father," Arjun saluted, looking incredibly serious for a nine-year-old.

"And I brought the matching pajamas!" Clover announced cheerfully, hopping into the entryway.

The little bunny-kin was holding a basket overflowing with pastel-colored flannel. She marched right up to the boys, completely ignoring the terrifying Warlords and Generals hovering over them. She pointed a tiny, bossy finger at Vali. "You are wearing the blue ones with the little stars. And you have to brush your teeth. I asked my sister to pack the strawberry toothpaste."

Vali bared his sharp little wolf teeth, looking rebellious. "Wolves don’t wear stars! We wear dirt!" 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"You will wear the stars, or I will not let you have any of Sovereign Primrose’s dessert," Clover threatened smoothly.

Vali instantly folded. "Okay. I like stars."

I caught Caspian’s eye across the room. My husband was leaning against the grand staircase, his arms crossed over his chest, a deeply amused smile playing on his lips. His iridescent silver hair caught the sunlight pouring through the windows. He looked completely unbothered by the chaos invading his peaceful home.

"Alright, fathers, you are dismissed," I announced, shooing the massive, powerful men toward the door. "Go enjoy a quiet night at the estate. We will see you tomorrow."

Cassian looked like he wanted to leave a twelve-page manual on Jasper’s care, and Rurik looked like he was fighting the urge to howl a warning to the local wildlife, but eventually, the heavy oak doors closed.

Silence descended on the manor for exactly three seconds.

"Follow me!" Orion yelled, grabbing his friend’s hands. "Dad and I built the best room ever!"

The stampede of small, energetic beast-cubs echoed through the halls. I quickly followed them upstairs, smiling as Orion threw open the double doors to the guest wing.

When Caspian and I had designed the manor, Orion had insisted on drawing the blueprints for the "Cub Barracks."

It was a massive room with large, reinforced glass windows overlooking the ocean. But the best part was the beds. Instead of normal furniture, Orion had designed built-in wooden bunks that looked like a multi-level fortress, complete with climbing ropes, a wooden bridge connecting the top bunks, and a slide that led directly into a pile of plush floor cushions.

"Whoa," Vali breathed, his golden eyes wide. He immediately sprinted forward, scrambling up the wooden ladder to the highest bunk. "I claim the sniper tower!"

"It is not a sniper tower, Vali," Orion corrected proudly, tapping the wooden post. "It’s a high-altitude sleep station. I made the railings extra thick so nobody rolls off. Jasper, look at the joints! We didn’t even use metal nails; we used interlocking wood pieces!"

Jasper adjusted his glasses, walking over to inspect the wooden joints with a highly critical eye. He poked the frame. "The weight distribution is incredibly efficient, Orion. This structure could easily withstand a minor earthquake. Or Vali."

"Exactly!" Orion beamed, showing off his sharp little Jiaoren teeth. "I put the beds on the bottom for Silas and Clover so they don’t have to climb. And Arjun gets the bunk near the door so he can watch the hallway."

"Excellent tactical placement," Arjun nodded approvingly, immediately dropping his heavy backpack on the designated bed.

"Okay, everyone unpack!" Clover clapped her hands, taking complete control of the room. "Pajamas under the pillows. Toothbrushes in the bathroom. If you leave your socks on the floor, I am throwing them out the window!"

Leaving Clover to organize the troops, I headed back down to the kitchen to start the most important part of any sleepover: the snacks.

I decided to make something fun. I whipped up a massive batch of sweet-and-spicy glazed chicken skewers, miniature cheese tarts, and a giant bowl of honey-roasted nuts.

By the time I carried the heavy silver tray up the stairs, the sun had set, and the manor was bathed in the soft glow of mana-lanterns.

I heard the commotion before I even reached the door.

*Thwack!*

"Incoming projectile!" Arjun shouted.

I pushed the door open to find a full-scale war zone. The cubs had discovered the pillows.

It wasn’t a normal pillow fight. When you give beast-kin children projectiles, it becomes a military exercise. Arjun was taking cover behind a heavy armchair, executing perfect combat rolls before launching a fluffy white pillow with terrifying accuracy.

Vali was parkouring across the bunk beds, howling as he dive-bombed Jasper from above.

"If we build a dome out of the floor cushions, the structural integrity will block Vali’s aerial attacks!" Orion yelled, dragging a massive velvet cushion across the floor to build a fort. "Jasper, calculate the angle of the roof!"

"I need three more cushions to complete the defensive arc!" Jasper yelled back, throwing a pillow at Vali to buy them time.

In the corner, Silas was quietly sitting on a stool. The little panther-cub wasn’t throwing pillows. Instead, he was using his magic to create solid shadow-hands that caught the pillows mid-air and tossed them back at the boys.

"Alright, pause the war!" I called out, setting the heavy tray down on a wide wooden table. "Snack time!"

The fighting stopped instantly. The promise of food was the only thing stronger than their competitive instincts. The boys scrambled out of their forts, completely out of breath, and swarmed the table.

"You guys made a mess," Clover scolded, though she happily took a cheese tart from the tray. She was already wearing her pink pajamas, her long bunny ears tied back with a silk ribbon. "You have to clean this up before bed."

"We will," Orion promised around a mouthful of chicken. He looked up at me, his teal eyes shining. "Mom, this is the best sleepover ever."

"I’m glad, little prince," I smiled, ruffling his messy, iridescent hair. "But after you eat, it’s time to settle down. Do you want a story?"

"Ghost stories!" Vali cheered, his tail wagging excitedly.

Ten minutes later, the lights were dimmed. The cubs were piled together in the center of the massive floor cushion fort they had built. Clover had successfully forced all the boys to put on their matching pajamas, so they looked like a small, chaotic army of flannel stars.

I sat on the edge of a bottom bunk, preparing to tell a mild, completely un-scary story about a clumsy forest spirit.

But Silas had other plans.

As I started talking, the little panther-cub opened his hands. The shadows in the room began to stretch and twist, manipulated by his magic. When I described the dark, spooky woods, Silas made tall, jagged shadow-trees grow across the walls.

"And then," I continued, slightly impressed by his magical visual aids, "they heard a noise from the bushes..."

Silas made a massive, terrifying shadow-monster with glowing white eyes loom over the ceiling. It opened its dark mouth, looking incredibly realistic.

Vali gasped, his fur standing on end. He dropped into a defensive crouch, growling at the ceiling. "I’ll bite it! Nobody eat my pack!"

"It’s just a shadow, Vali," Jasper sighed, though he pulled his blanket a little tighter around his shoulders. "Shadows possess no physical mass. It cannot consume us."

"The ocean is much scarier than the woods, anyway."

We all jumped. Caspian stepped out from the darkened hallway, ducking his tall frame into the room. He walked over, sitting on the floor right next to Orion’s fort, leaning his back against the bedframe.

"Dad!" Orion crawled over, resting his chin on Caspian’s shoulder. "Tell us a sea monster story!"

Caspian chuckled, a deep, rumbling sound that instantly made the room feel safe. "Alright. Have you ever heard of the Ghost-Squid of the Abyssal Trench? It lives so deep in the dark that it doesn’t have eyes. It just glows... waiting for foolish little fish to swim too close."

Caspian’s voice was mesmerizing. Even Silas dropped his shadow-puppets to listen, his violet eyes wide. By the time Caspian finished the story, detailing how the brave Jiaoren guards chased the squid away, the cubs were completely captivated—and thoroughly exhausted.

The sugar rush had finally crashed.

"Alright, into the bunks," I whispered, clapping my hands softly.

There was a half-hearted grumble, but they were too tired to fight. Clover aggressively tucked Jasper into his sterile sleeping bag, while Arjun did one last sweep of the window locks. Vali tried to climb back up to the "sniper tower," but he fell asleep halfway up the ladder, forcing Caspian to pick him up and gently place him in a bottom bunk.

Orion crawled into his own bed, pulling the thick quilt up to his chin. I walked over, leaning down to kiss his forehead.

"Goodnight, my little architect," I whispered.

"Goodnight, Mom," Orion mumbled sleepily, his eyes already closing. "The fort held up great..."

Caspian and I walked quietly to the door, stepping out into the hallway and leaving the doors cracked just an inch.

I leaned back against the wall, letting out a long, exhausted sigh. "They are going to sleep like rocks."

Caspian smiled, stepping close and wrapping his arms around my waist. He pulled me against his chest, resting his chin on the top of my head. The quiet sound of the ocean waves drifting through the open hallway windows was a perfect backdrop to the peaceful silence of the house.

"You survived your first warlord-cub sleepover," Caspian murmured, pressing a soft kiss to my silver hair. "You make an excellent general, Little Rose."

"I just bribed them with cheese and chicken," I laughed softly, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"Whatever works," he chuckled, his teal eyes full of warm, overwhelming affection. "Though, I think tomorrow morning, we should let them test out that slide into the pool."

I groaned playfully, hiding my face in his chest. "Let’s just survive the night first."