Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband novel Chapter 28

Chapter 28: The Blacklist

The room went dead silent.

We all turned.

Standing in the doorway, blocking the sun, was Lord Rurik Jaeger. He wasn’t wearing his uniform. He was wearing casual hunting leathers, his sleeves rolled up, revealing scars and muscle.

And he looked murderous.

"You," Rurik growled, his voice a low rumble that vibrated in the floorboards. "Touched. The. Chef."

Behind him, General Rajah Khanda cracked his knuckles, grinning a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "And you threatened the cubs."

Archduke Cassian stepped into view, checking his pocket watch. "And you damaged my property. The floorboards are imported."

And in the corner of the room, the shadows stretched and twisted. Duke Lucien didn’t speak. He just let the darkness curl around Barnaby’s ankles.

My family huddled together, terrified. They realized, too late, that they hadn’t walked into a daycare.

They had walked into a dragon’s den.

"Who..." Petunia squeaked. "Who are you people?"

Rurik walked forward, towering over Lupin. He picked up a Sour-Root dusted muffin from the floor.

"Eat it," Rurik commanded.

Lupin trembled. "W-what?"

"You seasoned it," Rurik said, his icy-blue eyes glowing. "Eat it."

Lupin ate the muffin. He choked. He gagged. And then, he started scratching.

"Leave," I said, stepping forward. I put a hand on Rurik’s arm to stop him from actually killing them. "And don’t come back."

My family scrambled over each other to get out the door, Lupin scratching wildly, Petunia weeping, and Barnaby hyperventilating.

As they fled down the street, chased by a few helpful shadows from Lucien, I slumped against the counter.

"Are you hurt?" Rajah asked immediately, rushing to my side.

"I’m fine," I said. "Just... tired."

I looked at the cubs. Vali was looking proud. Jasper was looking smug. Arjun was still holding the baguette.

"Good job, team," I whispered.

"We protected the Chef!" Vali cheered.

I smiled. But inside, I knew this wasn’t over. My family had failed, but Marquis Grieve wouldn’t give up that easily. And now, he knew exactly where I was.

"Gentlemen," I said, looking at the Four B.A.D.s. "We need to talk. About the Snow Ball."

The shop was quiet. The Junior Search Party had been ushered into the reading nook by Alistair, who was currently bribing them with un-poisoned chocolates to keep them distracted.

I sat at the small table in the center of the room. Across from me sat the Four B.A.D.s.

They weren’t bickering. They weren’t posturing. They were sitting in a semicircle of terrifying, deadly silence, waiting for me to speak.

"So," Archduke Cassian broke the silence, his golden eyes cold as liquid nitrogen. "That... rabble. That was your family?"

"Unfortunately," I said, wrapping my hands around a mug of tea to stop them from shaking.

"And they tried to poison my son," Lord Rurik growled, his hand resting heavily on the hilt of his dagger. "To get to you."

"They wanted to ruin my reputation," I explained, looking down at the tea leaves. "If the daycare failed, if the noble heirs got sick... I would be chased out of the capital. I’d have no money. No protection."

"And then?" General Rajah asked, his voice unusually soft, though his jaw was tight. "Where would you go?"

I took a deep breath. It was time to lay the cards on the table.

"I would have to go back to them," I said quietly. "And then, they would sell me."

The air in the room dropped ten degrees.

"Sell you?" Duke Lucien’s voice whispered from the shadows behind my chair.

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