Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband novel Chapter 38

Chapter 38: The Bad End

The water was a living thing. It was cold, black, and violent.

I tumbled through the darkness, the roar of the current deafening in my ears. I didn’t know which way was up. I just knew I was spinning, slamming against rough stone, swallowing mouthfuls of vile, freezing water.

Swim, my brain commanded. Swim, Chef!

I kicked. My limbs felt heavy, weighed down by my sodden dress and the freezing temperature. I saw a faint, murky light above—the exit? The moon?

I clawed toward it. My lungs burned. My chest felt like it was being crushed by a giant fist.

Almost there. Just... one more... stroke.

I reached up, my fingers brushing the surface tension.

And then, something snagged my ankle.

It wasn’t a hand. It felt slimy, tangled, and heavy. Old fishing nets? A cluster of sewer vines? It didn’t matter. It was an anchor.

No.

I kicked frantically, but the tangle tightened. The current surged, grabbing me and yanking me down.

The light above drifted away. The surface retreated.

My mouth opened in a silent scream, and the water rushed in.

I sank.

As the darkness closed in, time seemed to slow down. My survival instincts finally shut off. There was no more fighting. There was only the cold.

My thoughts drifted, fragmented and strange.

The cubs.

Who was going to make sure Vali ate his vegetables? He’d go back to biting people. He’d forget how to be "gentle."

Who would ground Arjun when he vibrated too hard? He’d burn himself out trying to be a hero.

Who would listen to Jasper’s logic? Who would see Silas’s drawings?

And Clover... she was so small. She needed her safety rock. She needed me.

Luna. She was just starting to be brave. Who would tell her she was worthy of a Fox?

And the Dads.

Rurik. The idiot Wolf who brought me raw meat. He’d blame himself. He’d tear the world apart and leave nothing but ruins.

Rajah. The loud Tiger. He’d stop smiling.

Cassian. He’d close his heart and go back to counting gold.

Lucien. He’d retreat into the shadows forever.

Is this it? I wondered, watching the last bubble of my breath float away.

Is this the Bad End?

If I die here... do I wake up in my old apartment? Do I go back to being a lonely top chef?

Or do I just... die?

It felt so unfair. All that cooking. All that fighting to survive. I had built a family from scratch. I had tamed the monsters.

And now, I was going to drown in a sewer outlet, tangled in trash.

I don’t want to go back, I thought, a tear lost in the ocean water. I want to stay with them.

My vision went black. The cold seeped into my heart.

Then... I felt it.

Something touched my arm.

It wasn’t a tangle of weeds. It wasn’t debris.

It was a hand.

It was cold—colder than the water—and strong. Long, clawed fingers wrapped around my wrist. A powerful arm hooked around my waist.

I was yanked upward. Not with the frantic flailing of a human swimmer, but with the terrifying speed of a torpedo.

I tried to open my eyes, but they were too heavy. I couldn’t see who—or what—had grabbed me. I just felt the rush of water, the speed, and the strange sensation of scales brushing against my skin.

Then, the darkness took me completely.

The storm had broken over the ocean. Rain slashed down in sheets, mixing with the salt spray of the crashing waves.

The massive iron grate of the Old Aqueduct outlet stood at the base of the cliffs, spewing dark, murky water into the churning sea.

A flash of lightning illuminated the beach.

He swam toward a dark mass floating in the chop. He grabbed it. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

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