Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband novel Chapter 134

Chapter 134: The Feast of Victory pt2

The feast lasted until the moons were high in the sky. But eventually, the carriages were brought around. It was time to go back to the Capital. The Little Whiskers Daycare couldn’t stay in the North forever.

The farewells took place in the courtyard, under the aurora borealis.

Rurik and Konrad stood face to face near the sleds.

"So," Konrad said, his breath puffing in the cold air. "You are leaving."

"Got a daycare to run," Rurik shrugged. "Can’t let the Fox handle all the brats alone."

Konrad looked at his younger brother. For the first time, he didn’t see the reckless failure he had exiled five years ago. He saw a Warlord. A father. A man who had built a family out of chaos.

"You were right," Konrad said quietly.

Rurik blinked. "About what? I’m right about a lot of things. My hair is great. My sword is cool."

"About the Shrine," Konrad interrupted. "About fear. I tried to lock everything away to keep it safe—Astrid, the secrets, you. But walls don’t keep monsters out, Rurik. They just keep help from getting in."

He extended his hand.

"You are always welcome here," Konrad said. "You, your son, and your strange, chaotic pack. Winter-Hold is your home."

Rurik looked at the hand. He grabbed it, pulling Konrad into a rough, back-slapping hug.

"Don’t get soft on me, brother," Rurik laughed, his voice thick with emotion. "And fix the heating. Seriously. It’s ridiculous."

Near the carriage, the kids were saying goodbye.

Vali was hugging Vivi so hard her face was turning blue.

"Bye Vivi!" Vali yelled. "Don’t get kidnapped again! If you see a shadow, bite it!"

"I will!" Vivi squeaked.

Astrid stood in front of Orion. She looked awkward. She was kicking the snow with her boot.

"So," Astrid said. "You’re going back to the ocean place."

"The Capital," Orion corrected. "Though we do go to the coast on weekends."

"Right," Astrid nodded. She reached into her pocket and pulled out something. It was a small, hand-carved wooden wolf. It was rough, clearly made by a child, but it had a little scarf painted on it.

She shoved it into Orion’s hands.

"Here," she grunted. "Souvenir."

Orion looked at the little wooden wolf. He ran his thumb over the painted scarf.

"This is... nice," Orion said, his cheeks turning a little pink. "Did you make this?"

"Maybe," Astrid crossed her arms. "I got bored during history lessons. Just take it."

Orion tucked it carefully into his pocket. He reached into his own bag and pulled out a small, smooth, glowing blue stone. A Sun-Stone from the southern reefs. It was warm to the touch.

"Take this," Orion said, handing it to her. "It stays warm. It’ll keep your hands from freezing on patrol."

Astrid took the stone. She squeezed it. It was like holding a piece of sunlight.

"Okay," she whispered. "Thanks."

"I’ll write you letters," Orion stated firmly. "I’ll tell you if your snow forts are structurally sound. So you don’t get crushed."

"I’ll send you diagrams of how to do a push-up," Astrid shot back, grinning. "So you don’t stay a noodle."

They looked at each other. A Warrior and a Scholar. A Wolf and a Fish.

"Bye, Astrid," Orion said.

"Bye, Orion," Astrid replied.

The sleds took off, gliding over the snow toward the southern pass where the carriages waited.

Primrose sat in the back of the lead sled, wrapped in furs, with Caspian beside her. Vali was asleep on Rurik’s lap in the front, snoring loudly. Orion was dozing against Primrose’s side, clutching his new wooden wolf.

The North was fading behind them. The jagged peaks of Winter-Hold looked peaceful under the starlight.

"It is powerful magic," Caspian mused. "The Frost Essence. It will take time to settle." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

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