Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband novel Chapter 209

Chapter 209: The Shadow Panther and the Duckling

The cliffside manor was usually filled with very loud, very distinct sounds. You could always hear Vali howling in the yard, Orion and Jasper arguing over structural measurements, or Rurik chopping wood with unnecessary force.

But on a quiet Thursday morning, the sound that caught my attention was a very small, very polite *quack*.

I was standing at the kitchen island, chopping fresh strawberries for breakfast. I paused, my knife hovering over the cutting board. My silver fox ears twitched.

"Did someone drop a squeaky toy?" I murmured to myself.

I wiped my hands on my apron and walked around the counter. Standing in the doorway of the kitchen, looking completely serious, was six-year-old Silas. The little panther-cub was holding his hands cupped together against his chest.

"Good morning, sweetheart," I smiled softly, kneeling down to his eye level so I wouldn’t startle him. Silas was the quietest of the cubs, preferring to speak through his shadow-puppets rather than words. "What do you have there?"

Silas didn’t say anything. He just slowly, carefully opened his hands.

Sitting in his palms was a tiny, incredibly fluffy yellow duckling. It had bright black eyes, a tiny orange beak, and it looked completely unbothered by the fact that it was currently being held by an apex predator.

*Quack.* "Oh, my goodness," I breathed, my heart instantly melting into a puddle. "Where did you find him, Silas?"

"In the tall grass near the cliffs," Silas whispered, his large violet eyes looking up at me nervously. "He was all alone. The mother bird was gone. He was crying."

The little duckling ruffled its fuzzy yellow wings and let out a soft peep, snuggling deeper into Silas’s warm hands.

"You did a very good job bringing him inside," I praised, gently petting the top of the duckling’s head with one finger. It was impossibly soft. "He’s very little. He needs to stay warm."

Silas bit his lip. "Can I keep him? I will share my breakfast."

"Well," I said, tapping my chin thoughtfully. "I think that’s a wonderful idea. But, you have to ask your older brother first. Having a pet is a big responsibility."

Silas nodded seriously. He turned around, carefully cradling the duckling, and padded silently toward the living room. I followed closely behind, entirely too curious to see how the terrifying Panther Warlord was going to handle a baby bird.

Lucien was sitting in his favorite dark leather armchair in the corner of the living room. He was wearing an immaculate black suit, a cup of black coffee resting on the table beside him. He looked like a dangerous, elegant assassin resting between missions.

Silas walked right up to the armchair and stopped.

Lucien opened his eyes, his violet gaze locking onto his little brother. "Morning, Silas."

Silas held out his hands.

Lucien blinked. He looked at the tiny yellow puffball. He looked at Silas.

*Quack,* the duckling announced boldly.

"It is an avian creature," Lucien noted, his voice completely deadpan.

"He is lost," Silas whispered. "I want to be his pack."

I stood in the doorway, holding my breath. Lucien was a creature of the shadows. He dealt in stealth, espionage, and lethal precision. A bright yellow, noisy duckling was the exact opposite of everything the Panther Warlord represented.

Lucien leaned forward. He didn’t smile, but his eyes softened entirely. He slowly reached out one gloved hand, holding it flat. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

The duckling looked at Lucien’s terrifying, leather-clad hand. Without a second of hesitation, the tiny bird hopped out of Silas’s palms, landed softly on Lucien’s glove, and immediately sat down, tucking its little beak under its wing to go to sleep.

Lucien froze. He stared at the sleeping duckling in his hand as if it were the most precious, fragile artifact in the entire Empire.

"It has chosen the shadows," Lucien whispered, his voice dropping into a deadly, fiercely protective register. "I will slaughter anyone who tries to harm it."

"No slaughtering before breakfast, please," I laughed, stepping into the room. "But I think that means you have a pet, Silas."

Silas gave a tiny, bright smile, his panther ears perking up happily.

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