Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband-Chapter 206: The Great Botanical Battle

Being the Sovereign of a unified beast-kin empire meant dealing with a lot of complex, high-stakes political issues. But on a sunny Tuesday afternoon at the cliffside manor, my biggest problem was dirt.

I was kneeling in the soft grass of the manor’s sprawling backyard, wearing an old linen dress and a pair of sturdy gardening gloves. Next to me sat a small pouch of Moon-Blossom seeds I had purchased from an elderly goat-kin merchant at the festival. They were incredibly rare, meant to bloom only under starlight, and required a very specific, sheltered environment to grow.

"I need a greenhouse," I muttered to myself, tapping my chin as I surveyed the empty patch of grass. "Nothing too big. Just a nice glass frame, maybe some wooden planting boxes..."

"A greenhouse?"

A massive shadow fell over me. I didn’t even have to look up to know who it was. The sheer imposing presence and the faint smell of pine needles gave him away instantly.

Rurik was standing there, his hands resting on his hips. The Wolf Warlord was wearing an unbuttoned linen shirt that showed off his heavily scarred chest, looking down at my small patch of dirt with intense, glowing golden eyes.

"Little Rose, why are you digging in the dirt like a common badger?" Rurik asked, his ears twitching. "If you require vegetation, I will send my best hunters to forage the deepest forests!"

"They are delicate seeds, Rurik," I explained, standing up and brushing the grass off my knees. "They need a controlled environment. A greenhouse. Just a small glass building to keep the wind off them."

Rurik’s eyes widened, a terrifying grin spreading across his face. "A protective structure for your crops. A fortified agricultural bunker to withstand the harsh elements and potential siege! I understand completely. I shall build you a fortress of timber and glass! Nothing will breach the perimeter of your tomatoes!"

"They aren’t tomatoes, and I really don’t need a fortress—"

"Timber rots, Rurik," a cool, disdainful voice interrupted.

Cassian strolled out onto the patio, holding a cup of herbal tea. The Serpent Warlord was dressed in impeccable dark silk, looking completely out of place in a backyard. "If Primrose requires a botanical conservatory, it must be constructed with precision. A magically sealed bio-dome with a self-regulating humidity matrix is the only logical choice."

"A bio-dome sounds like a cage for weak plants!" Rurik barked, crossing his massive arms. "Plants need to be tough! They need to feel the earth! I am going to build her a Northern-style longhouse out of ironwood!"

"Your architectural knowledge is practically prehistoric," Cassian sneered gently, taking a sip of his tea. "I will draft the blueprints for a modernized, geometrically perfect glass pavilion."

"I will build it faster!"

"I will build it better."

I pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling a headache coming on. "You guys, I just wanted a few panes of glass and some pots."

But it was too late. The Warlords had engaged their competitive instincts. It was no longer about gardening; it was about proving who was the superior mate and provider.

Within an hour, the peaceful backyard had turned into a full-scale construction zone.

Rurik had actually gone into the nearby woods and carried back three massive, incredibly heavy ironwood logs on his shoulders, dumping them onto the grass with a loud *thud*. He was currently using a giant battle-axe to chop them into perfect planks, sweating in the afternoon sun and looking far too happy about it.

On the other side of the yard, Cassian had magically summoned several large sheets of reinforced, magically-tempered glass. He wasn’t sweating at all. He was simply hovering the glass panels in the air with his wind magic, calculating the exact angles with a glowing magical compass.

Naturally, the construction attracted the cubs.

"Uncle Rurik, you need a cross-beam right there!" Orion shouted, running out onto the grass with a piece of chalk. My nine-year-old son was entirely in his element, his iridescent hair bouncing as he pointed at Rurik’s timber frame. "If you don’t brace the corner, the roof is going to sag when it rains!"

"Ah! Good eye, little architect!" Rurik boomed, wiping sweat from his brow. "The pack must always reinforce the roof! Show me where to place the iron nails!"

Jasper was standing next to Cassian, holding his trusty notebook. "Father, the UV filtration spell needs a wider radius. If the sun hits the glass at a thirty-degree angle, it will scorch the Sovereign’s seedlings."

"Correct, Jasper," Cassian nodded, his eyes glowing as he tweaked the magical warding on the glass. "We must ensure optimal photosynthetic conditions without structural degradation."

Vali, meanwhile, was supposed to be digging holes for the foundation posts. Instead, the little wolf-cub had dug a massive hole and was currently trying to bury a perfectly good silver spoon he had stolen from the kitchen.

"Vali, we do not grow spoons," I sighed, walking over and plucking the silverware out of the dirt.

"I am saving it for winter!" Vali argued, his tail wagging excitedly.

I just shook my head, retreating to the safety of the patio to watch the madness unfold.

A shadow shifted beside my chair, and Lucien quietly materialized. The Panther Warlord didn’t say a word. He simply placed a plate of chilled fruit and a fresh glass of lemonade on the small table next to me, giving me a silent, knowing look before melting back into the shade of the patio awning.

"Thank you, Lucien," I murmured gratefully, taking a sip of the cold drink.

By mid-afternoon, the two structures were actually taking shape. And, to my absolute shock, they were both incredible.

Rurik had built a beautiful, rustic wooden frame that looked strong enough to withstand a hurricane. The wood was carved with intricate, sweeping Northern runes that smelled like pine and earth.

Cassian, on the other hand, had assembled a flawless, elegant dome of crystal-clear glass that practically shimmered with protective magic.

The problem was, they were both half-finished, sitting awkwardly next to each other in the yard.

"My glass dome is ready for installation," Cassian announced, dusting off his hands. "Move your primitive sticks out of the way, wolf."

"My timber frame is the foundation!" Rurik growled, hefting his axe. "Put your fragile little windows inside my ironwood, snake, or they will shatter in the first storm!"

Before a magical brawl could break out over the grass, the sound of slow, sarcastic clapping echoed from the edge of the cliffside stairs.

Caspian walked up from the private beach. The Merman King was wearing loose linen trousers, his chest bare and glistening with ocean water. He ran a hand through his damp, silver hair, his teal eyes taking in the two over-engineered, half-finished greenhouses.

"It seems I cannot leave you land-dwellers alone for two hours without a war breaking out in my backyard," Caspian drawled, his voice a smooth, deep rumble that instantly commanded attention.

"Dad!" Orion cheered, running over. "We’re building a greenhouse! But Uncle Rurik wants a wood roof and Uncle Cassian wants a glass dome!"

"I see," Caspian said, walking over to inspect their work. He trailed a hand along Rurik’s sturdy wood frame, then tapped Cassian’s magical glass.

"They are both useless without the most important element of life," Caspian noted, a smug, devastatingly handsome smile spreading across his face.

"And what is that?" Cassian asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Water," Caspian said simply.

He raised his hand. His magic flared, deep and powerful, tasting like ozone and sea salt.

From the moisture in the air, Caspian pulled a continuous, shimmering stream of pure, fresh water. He directed it upward, wrapping it around Rurik’s wooden beams and threading it perfectly through the joints of Cassian’s glass dome. With a flick of his wrist, the water crystallized into permanent, beautifully glowing ice-pipes that would never melt.

"A self-sustaining irrigation system," Caspian declared. "It will pull moisture from the coastal air and provide a gentle, continuous mist to the plants inside. No watering cans required."

Rurik and Cassian stared at the glowing, magical water system. Neither of them could argue with it. It was flawless.

"Fine," Rurik grumbled, crossing his arms. "The fish has a point. We must combine our efforts for the Sovereign."

"Agreed," Cassian sighed, though he looked slightly impressed. "The timber frame will support the glass dome, and the hydro-system will regulate the interior."

For the next hour, they actually worked together. Rurik used his raw strength to lift the heavy glass panels, while Cassian used his magic to seal them perfectly into the wooden frame. Caspian routed the water lines, and Orion excitedly mapped out where the planting boxes should go.

When it was finally finished, I walked down the patio steps to get a closer look.

It wasn’t just a greenhouse. It was a masterpiece. It looked like a tiny, magical palace made of dark wood, shimmering glass, and glowing blue water lines. It was entirely too big for one small pouch of seeds, but it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

"Well?" Rurik asked, suddenly looking a little nervous as his tail gave a small twitch. "Is it acceptable, Little Rose?"

I reached out, resting my hand on the smooth ironwood frame. "It’s perfect. All of you. Thank you."

Cassian adjusted his cuffs, looking incredibly pleased with himself. "Naturally. It was mathematically engineered for success."

As the other Warlords and the cubs went inside to wash the dirt off, Caspian lingered behind. He stepped into the warm, humid air of the new greenhouse, wrapping his arms around my waist from behind and pulling me against his damp chest.

"You know," Caspian murmured, pressing a soft kiss to my temple, "now that you have this massive botanical fortress, you are going to have to buy a lot more seeds."

"I think I can handle that," I smiled, leaning back against him. "As long as I have my Chief Architect and my King to help me build the planters."

"Always," Caspian promised, his voice low and full of that heavy, endless love.

I looked around my over-engineered, completely ridiculous, absolutely perfect magical greenhouse. Dirt and all, this life was exactly where I was meant to be.