Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband-Chapter 108: The Frozen Promise

The morning after,

The Solstice was over. The magic of the Tree of Stars had faded with the dawn, leaving behind a simple, dark pine tree in the corner of the living room.

The daycare was quiet. There was no festive chaos today. There was only the heavy, suffocating silence of departure.

Caspian stood by the window, staring out at the grey sky. He was fully dressed in his travel gear—a heavy coat with the royal crest—but he looked smaller than usual.

Primrose walked in, holding two mugs of coffee. She stopped when she saw him.

He wasn’t looking at the sky. He was looking at his own reflection in the glass, frowning slightly, as if he was trying to recognize the face staring back at him.

"Caspian?" she called softly.

He didn’t turn immediately. His hand twitched.

"I know this face," Caspian whispered to the glass, his voice hollow. "I know who I am. I am... I am..."

"You are Caspian," Primrose said, stepping closer, her heart hammering in her chest. "You are the King of the mermens. You are Orion’s father."

Caspian blinked. The fog in his teal eyes cleared. He turned to her, looking exhausted.

"Yes," he let out a shaky breath. "Caspian. I am Caspian."

He took the coffee from her, his hands trembling.

"We have to leave, Primrose," he said, his voice dropping to a rasp. "The Void... it is getting louder. I can hear it eating the memories. If we wait any longer, I won’t remember the way to the mountain."

Thirty minutes later, the Four Warlords were gathered in the living room. They weren’t sitting. They stood at attention, sensing the gravity of the moment.

"I travel alone with Primrose," Caspian stated firmly.

General Rajah frowned. "That is unwise. The mountain is dangerous. You need a guard."

"I am the danger, General," Caspian snapped, causing the room to flinch. He held up his hand. The grey veins of the corruption pulsed visibly, leaking a dark, smoky aura.

"If I lose control on the road," Caspian said, lowering his hand, "I will not have my son or my friends nearby. I will not massacre my own pack."

Rajah tightened his jaw but nodded. He understood.

Caspian looked at the four men.

"I leave Orion in your care," Caspian said formally. "If the cure fails... if I do not return... he is the King. You four will be his Regents."

Lord Rurik stepped forward, his usual boisterous humor gone. "The Wolf Clan will guard his body."

Archduke Cassian adjusted his monocle. "The Snake Clan will guard his mind."

Duke Lucien bowed from the shadows. "The Panther Clan will guard his secrets."

General Rajah looked at Caspian. He didn’t bow. He reached out and gripped Caspian’s shoulder.

"The Tiger Clan will guard his throne," Rajah promised. "And we will keep it warm for you. Do not die, Fish."

"I will try," Caspian managed a faint smirk.

Outside, the snow was falling softly.

Jax stood by the unmarked carriage, looking uncharacteristically serious. Finn stood beside him, his usually perky ears drooping low.

"The Sanctuary isn’t a petting zoo," Jax warned, handing Primrose a heavy, rusted iron key shaped like a skull. "This opens the Moon Gate. It’s the only way in. The Foxes... we don’t like visitors. Especially royalty."

"Why aren’t you coming?" Primrose asked, taking the key.

"I’m an exile," Jax shrugged, flipping his coin, though he didn’t check the result. "If I show my face, the Elders might seal the mountain. You have a better chance without me."

"Primrose," Finn squeaked, stepping forward. He didn’t make a joke about snacks. He just looked scared. "Please... bring yourself back too. The pantry is lonely without you."

"I will, Finn," she promised, patting his head.

Then, the door to the daycare opened.

The cubs poured out. But they didn’t run. They walked slowly, huddled together against the cold and the fear.

Clover was the first to break formation.

"Primrose!" she wailed.

She hopped through the snow and latched onto Primrose’s legs. Primrose knelt down immediately.

"Oh, sweetie," Primrose soothed.

Luna walked up behind her sister. She was trying to be the brave older girl, adjusting her scarf with shaking hands, but her eyes were red.

"You have to come back," Luna whispered, her voice cracking. "I... I can’t manage these boys by myself. They listen to you."

"They listen to you too, Luna," Primrose said softly. "You’re the strongest girl I know."

Luna let out a sob and fell into Primrose’s arms. Primrose held both bunnies tight, smelling the scent of vanilla and winter air.

Then, the boys moved in.

Vali rubbed his eyes furiously with his sleeve. "I am not crying. Wolves do not cry. It is just... eye sweat." He looked at Primrose. "You are Pack, Primrose. You cannot leave the Pack forever. It is against the rules."

"I’m just going on a hunt, Vali," Primrose smiled, wiping a tear from his cheek. "I’ll bring back a victory."

Jasper stepped forward. He wasn’t holding his notepad. He looked at his shoes. "The statistical probability of the Sanctuary trip is dangerous. But... you defy probability. So... please continue to be an anomaly."

Silas didn’t say anything. He just walked up and buried his face in Primrose’s shoulder, clinging to her coat like a shadow that refused to be separated.

Arjun stood a little apart, his arms crossed, trying to look like his father. But his tail was tucked between his legs.

"Hey," Arjun said, his voice rough. He looked at Caspian, then at Primrose. "You keep the King safe, Nanny. But... you keep yourself safe too. If you don’t come back... I will come find you. And I will bite the mountain."

Primrose laughed through her tears. "Deal."

Finally, Caspian knelt in the snow in front of Orion.

Orion was clutching his fishbowl so hard his knuckles were white. The goldfish inside swam in anxious circles.

Orion looked at his father. He didn’t try to use his robot voice. He didn’t talk about data or analysis. He was just a terrified little boy looking at his dad.

"You’re leaving," Orion whispered, his voice trembling.

"I have to fix the engine," Caspian said softly, tapping his own chest. "It’s broken."

Orion looked at the black veins on Caspian’s neck. He looked at the carriage.

"Will you forget me?" Orion asked, a tear slipping down his cheek. "Will you forget who I am?"

Caspian’s face crumpled. He pulled his son into a fierce, desperate hug, burying his face in Orion’s small shoulder.

"If I do," Caspian whispered, his voice thick with emotion, "you will just have to tell me who I am again. You are my backup drive, Orion. You hold my heart. Do you understand?"

"I understand," Orion sobbed, dropping the fishbowl into the snow (luckily, the snow cushioned it) and wrapping his arms around his father’s neck. "I’ll remind you. I promise."

Caspian stood up, wiping his eyes. He walked toward the carriage, looking like a man marching to his execution.

"Wait," Primrose said.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him to a stop in the middle of the yard.

"Primrose?" Caspian looked confused. "We are losing daylight."

"I know," she said. "But you promised me something."

She looked up at him. The snow caught in his hair.

"In my world," Primrose said, her voice trembling slightly, "there is a saying. If you dance in the first snow with the one you love... you will never be parted."

Caspian stopped. The confusion in his eyes cleared, replaced by a flash of recognition. A memory from before. From Earth.

"The First Snow," Caspian murmured, a faint, sad smile touching his lips. "I remember that. From... from home."

"This is the first snow of the journey," Primrose said fiercely. "So it counts."

She stepped closer, placing one hand on his shoulder and taking his cold hand in hers.

"Dance with me, Caspian. Just for a minute. Let’s make it true."

Caspian hesitated. Then, the tension in his shoulders dropped. He didn’t say anything. He just pulled her closer, his hand settling on her waist.

There was no music. Just the sound of the wind and the crunch of snow under their boots.

They moved in a slow, clumsy circle. It wasn’t a grand waltz. It was a desperate, quiet moment of connection. Two souls from another world, clinging to a superstition to save them in this one.

"I will not forget this," Caspian whispered against her hair. "I might forget my name. I might forget the ocean. But I will not forget this snow. Or you."

"You better not," Primrose choked out.

He stopped dancing. He leaned down and kissed her—brief, cold, but searing with intensity.

"Let’s go," Caspian whispered against her lips.

They climbed into the carriage.

The driver cracked the whip. The wheels turned.

Primrose watched through the window. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

She saw Luna holding Clover, both waving frantically.

She saw Arjun holding his wooden sword high in a salute.

She saw Vali howling at the sky.

She saw Rajah holding Orion’s shoulder as the boy watched his father disappear.

The Little Whiskers Daycare grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared behind the falling white curtain of snow.

Caspian didn’t look back. He couldn’t.

He sat back against the seat, closing his eyes, his face pale and drawn.

"Next stop," he rasped. "The Fox Sanctuary."

The Solstice was over. The game was entering its final act.