Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband novel Chapter 220

Chapter 220: The Eagle’s Legacy and the Shadow’s Vow

"They are usually not," Lucien confessed, his voice dropping so low it was almost a growl. "My hands were made for taking things apart, Juni. Not putting them back together."

Juni slowly turned her head, looking up at him over her shoulder. Her golden eyes were entirely fearless as they locked onto his.

"I don’t believe that," Juni said softly. "You put Pip back together when he didn’t have a family. And you put me back together today. I think your hands are exactly what they need to be."

Lucien stopped breathing. The absolute, unwavering faith in her eyes completely undid him. He wanted to pull her up from that bench. He wanted to wrap her in the shadows and hide her away from the rest of the world so nothing could ever hurt her again.

He slowly leaned down, his face just inches from hers.

"Honk!"

Lucien snapped backward, his spine turning rigid.

Pip waddled directly between them, completely ruining the heavy, romantic tension. The toddler was holding a massive, slightly squished green caterpillar in his chubby hand. He held it up proudly, offering it directly to Lucien.

"Bug!" Pip announced happily.

Juni burst into a sudden, bright fit of laughter. She covered her mouth with her hand, her shoulders shaking with pure amusement as she looked at the terrifying assassin being offered a squished insect by a baby duck.

Lucien stared at the caterpillar. He let out a long, long sigh, the deadly Panther Warlord completely defeated by a two-year-old.

"Thank you, Pip," Lucien said gravely. He reached out with his bare, calloused hand and carefully took the squished bug from his son. "It is an excellent tactical prize. I will treasure it."

Pip beamed, flapping his little yellow wings happily before waddling off to find another treasure in the grass.

Juni wiped a tear of laughter from her eye, looking up at Lucien. "You know, you are going to spoil him completely rotten if you accept every bug he hands you."

"He is my son," Lucien stated simply, though a tiny, fond smile finally broke through his serious expression. "He deserves to be spoiled."

Lucien looked down at his bare hand, holding the squished caterpillar. Then, he looked back at Juni, his violet eyes warm and bright in the afternoon sun.

"Your wings are aligned," Lucien murmured, stepping back to give her space. "You should rest. Before Cassian comes out here and lectures us both on the dangers of humidity."

Juni smiled, standing up from the bench. She felt lighter than she had in months.

"Thank you, Lucien," she said. And this time, it wasn’t just for fixing her feather.

Standing behind the curtains in the living room, I couldn’t help the massive grin spreading across my face.

Yeah. They were going to be just fine.

---

There was a very specific, deeply comforting silence that settled over the cliffside manor after midnight. It wasn’t the tense, terrifying silence of a battlefield. It was the peaceful, heavy silence of a family that was completely, unequivocally safe.

Juni stood on the stone patio, wrapping a thick, woven shawl over her shoulders. The ocean breeze was cool and sharp, carrying the scent of salt and Primrose’s blooming night-flowers. She looked out over the dark, endless expanse of the sea. The moon was bright, casting a long silver path over the water.

"You should be resting, Juni. Cassian said the night air might aggravate your joints."

The deep, quiet rumble of his voice didn’t startle her this time.

"Your mind is not quiet," Lucien observed softly, looking at her profile in the moonlight. "What is troubling you?" 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

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