After Giving Birth, All My Beast Ex-Husbands Suddenly Want Me Back-Chapter 97: A cub thief!

"Your Majesty, what do we do?"

The dragon warriors looked at Aviel expectantly, eager and restless. Their king was finally going to make a move.

Aviel lifted his chin slightly. "We’ll find an opportunity to sneak the little dragon out."

The dragon warriors nearly fell over in shock.

"Your Majesty... are you serious?" Pado asked, wondering if he had misheard.

"Of course I’m serious," Aviel replied firmly. "Tomorrow, we’ll use dragon crystals—our clan’s favorite treasure—to lure him out. Then..."

He paused.

Then he would take the little dragon somewhere quiet and properly bond with him. As long as he secured the child first, entering the cave later would be much easier.

He absolutely refused to act like that foolish tiger or that shameless fox—hovering around pitifully and pretending to be miserable just to win sympathy and be allowed inside.

He was a noble dragon.

He would not stoop so low.

Since Aviel didn’t finish his sentence, the dragon warriors misunderstood collectively.

"Your Majesty, the queen will be angry if you do that," Pado warned cautiously.

"She... probably won’t?" Aviel replied, though he felt an unexpected flicker of guilt.

"Your Majesty, why sneak? Didn’t you say before that we’d simply take him?" Viann asked in confusion.

Pado smacked the back of Viann’s head. "Do you want our king to become an abandoned mate? If we snatch the child, what if the queen refuses him forever?"

"She is not your queen," Aviel snapped stubbornly, smacking Viann’s head as well. "And you—what do you mean ’snatch’? Didn’t you hear her say she wasn’t willing?"

Viann rubbed the back of his head pitifully. "But when we first came, weren’t you the one who said we’d take the young prince back by force?"

"Yes! We’re dragons. If we want something, we take it. Are we afraid of a little female?"

"You even said you’d teach her a lesson!"

Several dragon warriors looked puzzled.

"I said we won’t snatch him, so we won’t," Aviel replied, though his voice lacked its usual force. "We’re not bandits. And when did I ever say I’d teach her a lesson? Stop making things up."

The dragon warriors exchanged looks.

You absolutely said that.

You were so fierce when we set out, but became so timid once we arrived.

"But if we sneak him away, isn’t that the same as stealing? And what about the other eggs?" Viann muttered.

"Your Majesty, have you really thought this through? If the queen gets angry, you’re finished," Pado said earnestly.

"Just do as I say," Aviel replied irritably—though deep down, he wasn’t entirely confident either.

She shouldn’t be angry... right? He just wanted to have a little heart-to-heart with his son. Strengthen their bond. Maybe persuade him to help.

Pado sighed. "As you wish."

And so the dragon warriors began planning how to "borrow" Linny.

***

The next day at noon, Nina and the others camped on an open stretch of grassland.

The phoenix males set up cooking stones for lunch while Odian, Kith, and Finch prepared ingredients nearby.

Nina placed the cubs on the grass to play.

Suddenly, she heard a series of "crack-crack" sounds. Turning her head, she found Yinny gnawing enthusiastically on a toy.

She picked him up and gently pried open his mouth. His baby teeth had almost all grown in, including several sharp little tiger fangs—adorable and slightly fierce.

He must be teething.

She purchased a proper teething stick for him to chew on and began considering introducing meat into his diet.

Setting Yinny back down beside Didi, she called Kith over.

"Yinny can probably start eating meat. Prepare some minced meat for him."

After a pause, she added thoughtfully, "Actually, chop more. Let’s make dumplings for lunch."

She hadn’t had dumplings in a long time—and suddenly she missed them terribly.

"Alright," Kith replied gently.

He informed Finch, and together they began mincing meat.

When they finished, Kith returned. "Nina, the minced meat is ready. What next?"

She examined the stone basin. "We need to season the filling. And we’ll have to make dumpling wrappers. I’ll teach you."

She demonstrated how to mix the filling, then rolled the dough and showed them how to flatten it into thin wrappers.

The cubs played nearby. Yinny and Didi fiddled with small toys while Linny flitted about, darting through the air and chasing the egg babies in playful circles.

Then—

A flash of golden light flickered in the bushes.

Linny froze mid-flight.

There, nestled among the leaves, was a gleaming golden crystal.

It shimmered enticingly.

His large eyes locked onto it instantly.

The crystal shifted slightly—then suddenly vanished with a faint whoosh.

Without thinking, Linny darted after it.

Through the bushes he flew, only to see the crystal appear farther away again.

He chased it eagerly, further and further from the campsite.

Soon, he reached a small clearing.

The crystal now rested in a male’s hand.

Linny lifted his head.

The male felt... strangely familiar. A faint pull stirred within him.

But instinct warned him otherwise.

He turned to flee, but it was too late. Dragon warriors leapt out from all sides, blocking his path. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"Linny, I’m your father," Aviel said, arms open. "Come here."

Linny bristled, furious.

"I don’t want to! You’re not my father!"

"I am your father," Aviel insisted. "You can feel it, can’t you?"

Seeing the cub refuse him irritated him—but remembering today’s objective, he forced patience.

He lifted the crystal and shook it enticingly.

"Don’t you want this dragon crystal? If you behave and listen to me, I’ll give it to you. I have many more."

Dragons adored shiny treasures—and dragon crystals contained energy that resonated irresistibly with dragon blood.

Surely the little one couldn’t resist.

Linny glared, puffing indignantly.

"You’re not my father. You’re a cub thief!"

"A what?" Aviel frowned. "Watch your words. I’m your legitimate father. I’m just here to bond with you. How could I be trafficking you?"

The dragon warriors shifted awkwardly.

Technically... weren’t they here to steal the young prince?

Linny stuck out his tongue defiantly. "I don’t want to bond with you. I want to go back to Mother!"

He scanned the circle of dragons, spotted a narrow gap, and shot forward like a golden streak.

"Catch him!" Aviel barked.

Stubborn little brat! Why wouldn’t he just talk properly? He wasn’t going to hurt him—he’d even give him treasures!

The dragon warriors lunged.

Linny was astonishingly fast.

Time and again, their grasp closed on empty air. Though they blocked his direction, they couldn’t catch him.

"Your Majesty... he’s too fast!" they admitted sheepishly.

Aviel’s expression darkened.

The brat must have awakened some special ability—otherwise Viann and the others couldn’t possibly fail.

His brows furrowed.

He released his domain ability. The air around them thickened instantly, growing heavy and oppressive.

Linny’s wings faltered.

He tried to fly—but couldn’t. Unbearable fear surged through him.

His lower lip trembled. Then... he burst into tears.

... and Aviel panicked.