Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband-Chapter 119: The Gates of the Wolf

The heavy iron gates slammed shut behind them with a sound like a thunderclap.

The Royal Carriage rolled into the courtyard of Winter-Hold. It was less of a courtyard and more of a military staging ground. The stone was swept clean of snow, revealing grey slate stained with soot and oil.

Hundreds of Wolf-Kin soldiers stood in formation. They wore heavy steel armor lined with white fur, their faces grim and scarred. They didn’t look like the festive guards in the Capital. They looked like men who had been fighting a losing war for months.

"Welcome home," Rurik muttered darkly as the carriage stopped.

He opened the door. The cold air rushed in, smelling of forge smoke and pine.

Caspian stepped out first, his face impassive. He turned and helped Primrose down. Then, he lifted a sleepy Orion into his arms. Vali hopped out last, shaking the snow from his hair and looking around with wide, curious eyes.

"Is this where you grew up, Dad?" Vali whispered. "It’s... big. And pointy."

"It is a fortress, pup," Rurik said, placing a hand on his son’s shoulder. "Not a playground."

The soldiers parted.

A man walked toward them.

He was huge—easily as tall as Rurik, but broader. He wore the black-and-silver armor of the Clan Head, covered by a cloak made of a massive white dire-wolf pelt. His hair was the same dark grey as Rurik’s, but his face was harder. A jagged scar ran from his temple to his jaw, pulling his lip into a permanent sneer.

Marquis Konrad, Lord of the North.

He stopped ten feet away. He didn’t bow to the King. He didn’t smile at his brother. He just glared.

"You," Konrad growled. His voice sounded like grinding stones.

"Brother," Rurik nodded, keeping his posture stiff. "I have returned."

"I see that," Konrad spat. "And you brought a circus with you."

He looked at Primrose (a tail-less fox), Caspian (a foreigner), and Orion (a fish out of water).

"This is a war zone, Rurik," Konrad snapped. "Not a tourist destination for your Capital friends. Why are you here? Did you run out of soft pillows in the city?"

"I came to help," Rurik stepped forward, his fists clenching. "I felt the Crimson Howl. I know the Shrine is bleeding."

"The Shrine is my burden," Konrad snarled, stepping closer until they were chest-to-chest. "I didn’t ask for your help. You gave up your right to care about the Shrine when you left. When you chose to play Warlord for the Emperor instead of protecting your own blood."

"I left to protect the clan!" Rurik roared back. "To get us allies! To get us resources!"

"You left because you were weak!" Konrad shouted.

The soldiers around them shifted nervously. The tension was thick enough to choke on. Vali hid behind Primrose’s skirt, his ears flattened.

"Enough."

Caspian didn’t shout, but his voice cut through the shouting match like a razor.

He stepped forward, still holding Orion.

"Marquis Konrad," Caspian said coldly. "I understand you are under stress. But you are speaking to a Regent of the Empire. And you are ignoring your King."

Konrad looked at Caspian. For a second, it looked like he might snap at him too. But then, he saw the raw mana drifting off Caspian’s shoulders—the scent of the deep ocean, powerful enough to crush the mountain.

Konrad gritted his teeth. He bowed, stiffly and barely low enough to be respectful.

"Your Majesty," Konrad grunted. "Winter-Hold is honored. But we have no accommodations prepared. We are on high alert."

"We don’t need luxury," Primrose spoke up, stepping forward. She held her head high, channeling her Head Nanny energy. "We need warm rooms for the children. And we need to know why there is Black Ice on your doorstep."

Konrad narrowed his eyes at her. "And who is this? The nanny?"

"She is my partner," Caspian said, his tone daring Konrad to argue.

"Konrad! Stand down!"

A new voice rang out across the courtyard. It was sharp, commanding, and female.

A woman strode out from the keep. She was tall, with pale blonde hair braided into a crown around her head. But what caught the eye were the two pristine white wolf ears that twitched amidst the braids, blending almost perfectly with her hair. A long, fluffy white tail swished behind her blue wool dress, betraying her irritation.

Duchess Freya. An Arctic Wolf Kin.

She marched right up to the two massive wolf brothers and shoved Konrad aside.

"You are embarrassing us," she hissed at her husband, her white ears flattening against her head. Then, her face softened completely as she looked at Rurik.

"Rurik," she breathed.

"Freya," Rurik’s shoulders slumped. He actually smiled. "It’s been... five years."

She didn’t hesitate. She hugged him. It wasn’t a polite hug; it was a bone-crushing embrace that lifted the massive Warlord slightly off his toes.

"You idiot," she whispered. "You finally came home."

She pulled back and looked at Vali.

"And this..." her yellow eyes filled with tears. "This must be Vali."

Vali peeked out from behind Primrose. "Hi."

Freya knelt down in the snow, ignoring the cold. Her white tail gave a gentle wag. "Hello, little wolf. I am your Auntie Freya. I have heard so much about you."

She looked up at Konrad, her eyes flashing. "Well? Are you going to keep your nephew standing in the cold? Or are you going to be a Lord?"

Konrad looked at his wife. The anger drained out of him, replaced by exhaustion. He sighed, rubbing his scar.

"Open the Guest Wing," Konrad muttered to the guards. He looked at Rurik. "We will talk later. Don’t touch anything."

He turned and stormed back into the keep.

Freya led them inside.

The interior of Winter-Hold was built for survival, not comfort. The stone walls were thick, the windows were narrow slits, and the only heat came from massive fireplaces that roared in every room.

"I apologize for my husband," Freya said as she led them down a hallway lined with tapestries depicting ancient wolf battles. "He has not slept in three days. The attacks... they are relentless."

"The Black Ice on the road," Caspian said. "It was Void corruption."

"Yes," Freya nodded grimly. "It started a month ago. Small patches. Now... it surrounds the mountain. We are losing ground, Your Majesty."

She stopped in front of a heavy oak door.

"These are your quarters. I will have hot soup sent up."

She looked at Primrose. "You have a difficult job, taking care of these men."

Primrose laughed weakly. "You have no idea."

The Lonely Girl

As Freya turned to leave, a small shadow moved at the end of the hallway.

Primrose caught a glimpse of a girl, maybe eight years old. She had the same grey hair as Konrad and Rurik, tied back in a severe, tight ponytail. She wore a miniature version of the Wolf Clan armor, complete with a small practice sword at her hip.

She was staring at Vali and Orion with wide, intense yellow eyes—the exact shade of her mother’s.

"Astrid?" Freya called out. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

The girl stiffened. She immediately stood at attention, snapping a perfect salute.

"Mother," the girl said. Her voice was too serious for a child. "I was performing a perimeter check of the guest quarters. To ensure security."

"At ease, soldier," Freya sighed, a sad smile on her face. "Come meet your cousins."

Lady Astrid marched forward. She stopped in front of Caspian and bowed perfectly to ninety degrees.

"Your Majesty. Welcome to Winter-Hold. I am Lady Astrid, Heir to the Wolf Clan."

She turned to Vali.

Vali grinned and waved. "Hi! I’m Vali! Do you want to wrestle?"

Astrid looked at him like he had just suggested eating rocks.

"Wrestle?" she scoffed. "We are at war, cousin. I do not play. I train."

She looked at Orion, who was still wrapped in blankets in Caspian’s arms.

"Is the fish-boy defective?" Astrid asked bluntly.

"I am conserving energy," Orion mumbled sleepily. "And I am a Prince."

"Hmph," Astrid crossed her arms. "Weak."

She turned on her heel and marched away, her little boots clicking on the stone floor.

Primrose watched her go. She saw the way Astrid’s hand lingered on her sword hilt. She saw the tension in the little girl’s shoulders.

She’s just like Rurik was, Primrose thought. Before the Daycare.

"She is... spirited," Caspian noted politely.

"She is lonely," Primrose corrected softly. "And she thinks she has to carry the whole mountain on her back."

Primrose looked at the grim stone walls, the exhausted soldiers, and the stubborn family.

"Well," Primrose rolled up her sleeves mentally. "It looks like we have a lot of work to do."