Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband novel Chapter 191

Chapter 191: Operation Hairnet and The Merchant’s Regret

The cafeteria kitchen of Unity Academy was currently ruled by a terrifying Walrus-Kin named Chef Gristle. He believed that food was fuel, flavor was a distraction, and texture was optional.

He was currently stirring a pot of gray sludge labeled Stew.

"More gristle!" Chef Gristle barked at his sous-chefs. "It needs to be chewy! It builds character!"

The double doors swung open.

Primrose marched in. She wasn’t wearing her royal robes. She was wearing a white chef’s coat and a hairnet that struggled to contain her ears. Her nine silver tails were bundled awkwardly into a massive, custom-made apron that made her look like she was smuggling a sofa.

"Step away from the sludge," Primrose commanded.

Chef Gristle turned around, holding a ladle like a club. "Who are you? This is a restricted zone! No parents allowed!"

Primrose’s eyes flashed. A wave of Sovereign aura rippled through the kitchen, rattling the pots and pans.

"I am the Silver Sovereign," Primrose said, her voice echoing with authority. "But today... I am the Lunch Lady. And I am relieving you of command."

Chef Gristle dropped the ladle. "Y-Your Majesty? But... the stew..."

Primrose looked into the pot. She sniffed it. She recoiled.

"That is a crime against humanity," Primrose declared. "Jax! Secure the perimeter!"

Jax leaned into the kitchen doorway. He was wearing a Visitor badge and looking very pleased with himself.

"Perimeter secured, Ma’am," Jax saluted, his Guard instincts kicking in. "I have blocked the exit so the sludge cannot escape."

"Good," Primrose rolled up her sleeves. "Throw this out. We have forty-five minutes until the bell rings. We are making Sovereign Sloppy Joes."

While Primrose was waging war on bad food, Luna was sitting in the finest tea house in Solaris, staring miserably at a cup of expensive White Lotus tea.

Luna looked stunning. But right now, she looked like a little girl who had lost her favorite toy.

Jax sat across from her. He had joined her after helping Primrose infiltrate the school. He reached out and tapped her hand.

"Hey," Jax said softly. "You haven’t touched your macaron. And it’s pistachio. Your favorite."

Luna sighed, her long bunny ears drooping low.

"I’m a terrible sister, Jax."

"False," Jax said immediately. "I’ve run the background check. You’re a top-tier sister. You send care packages. You read bedtime stories. You threaten people who look at Clover wrong."

"I missed drop-off," Luna whispered, blinking back tears. "It was her first day. Her big day. And where was I? Stuck in a board meeting with my father, arguing about the price of imported carrots."

She clenched her fists on the table.

"Clover is so small, Jax. She’s the runt of the litter. Our parents... they focus on the business. They focus on me because I’m the heir. They forget she needs looking after. I promised I’d always be there."

Jax looked at her. He saw the guilt eating her up.

He stood up, walked around the table, and knelt beside her chair. He didn’t offer empty platitudes. He offered security.

"Luna, look at me."

She turned her wet eyes to him.

"I was a Guard for ten years," Jax said, his voice steady and serious. "My job was to assess threats. And I’m telling you... Clover is safer than you think."

"She scares easily," Luna sniffled.

"She does," Jax agreed. "But she has a squad. She has Vali, who would bite a god if it looked at her funny. She has Arjun planning her defense perimeter. And she has the backpack."

"The pink one?"

"The one with the panic button," Jax nodded. "I linked it to my personal comms. If she presses it, I will be there in three minutes. I don’t care if I have to drive the Iron Wyvern through a wall."

He took her hand and kissed the knuckles.

"You didn’t abandon her, Luna. You were working to secure her future. That’s what big sisters do."

Luna took a shaky breath. She looked at Jax—the scrappy Fox Guard who somehow understood her better than any wealthy merchant suitor ever had.

"You promise she’s okay?"

"I guarantee it," Jax grinned. "Besides, Primrose is currently infiltrating the cafeteria. Clover is about to have the best lunch in history."

RIIIING.

The lunch bell sounded like a stampede.

Hundreds of beast-kin children flooded the cafeteria. Bears, Wolves, Tigers, and Lizards. The noise was deafening.

The Seven Heirs claimed a round table in the center of the room.

Arjun laid out his napkin like a tactical map. "Sector 7 secure. Deploying lunchboxes."

Vali didn’t open his box yet. He was sniffing the air. His nose twitched.

"Do you smell that?" Vali asked.

Jasper adjusted his glasses. "I detect... tomato paste, brown sugar, and ground beef. High-quality."

Vali stood up. "That’s not school food. That’s Auntie Prim food."

He ran toward the serving line. The others followed.

Behind the counter, Primrose was working at superhuman speed. Her nine tails (still bundled in the apron) were wiggling excitedly as she slapped ladles of rich, savory meat onto buns.

"Next!" Primrose shouted. "Eat your veggies or no dessert! Move it, soldier!"

Vali reached the front of the line. He peered over the counter.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify