After the move.
The group noisily returned to the house halfway up the mountain.
As soon as they entered, their ears and tails appeared.
"Ah! So much better!"
"It's best to let the tails out."
Watching this, Catriona couldn't help but marvel; who would have thought that non-humans lived in a mansion on the Capital?
But...
"Is it more comfortable to let your ears and tails show?" she asked curiously.
She looked down at her son's soft black hair. "Sweetheart, do you want to show yours too?"
Black replied, "Don't worry. The cub and the Alpha Roderick have human genes, so it's easier for them to maintain human form."
Brownie added, "Yeah, we only came down from the mountain a few years ago."
Cedric touched the top of his head, blinking his big eyes uncertainly as he looked at his mother. "Can I?"
"Of course. Just remember, whenever you're inside this house, you can show them."
Cedric nodded. He knew he couldn't show them outside.
Catriona watched her son's head curiously. Were little wolf ears about to pop out?
Under his mother's gaze, Cedric seemed a little shy, his chubby face puffing up.
His black hair shifted.
A pair of little black ears popped up, his fingers clutching at the hem of his shirt. Behind him, a small tail swayed gently, and his large, dark eyes were fixed intently on Catriona—adorable and irresistibly cute.
"Mommy."
Mommy, is she really not afraid?
The next second.
He was enveloped in his mother's embrace.
"So cute!! Baby! You're just too adorable!!" Catriona felt her heart melt completely.
She had fully accepted the fact that her son was a werewolf cub.
The more she looked, the cuter he seemed.
Black remarked in surprise, "Pure black ears, huh. I'd heard the Alpha Roderick is a rare pure black werewolf, but I didn't believe it until now."
Catriona paused, suddenly recalling that big black dog on her bed back then. She'd thought it was just a dream.
Turns out that was Roderick's wolf form, and she actually thought it was a big dog and happily petted it...
Oh my goodness!!
What on earth was Roderick thinking back then?
Catriona felt embarrassed and speechless! Who would expect to find a huge dog on a hotel bed!! And that huge dog was actually a werewolf. She wasn't scared at all in her drunken state and even petted it all over...
What kind of story is this? No one would believe it if she told them, right?
"The cub is pure black too, huh? Really beautiful," Brownie commented enviously.
"As expected of Alpha—such strong, remarkable genes."
Listening, Catriona curiously asked, "Do you all really like pure black?"
"Yeah, didn't you notice? Out of the ten or so of us wolves here, not a single one is a solid color."
"It's not that we like pure black specifically; we like pure-colored wolves. They're very rare."
Catriona glanced at their red-black and green-black tails and thought it was true.
She asked, "So, do you have pure white werewolves too?"
"Yes, there is. She's a famous beauty from the snow mountains, I heard she's coming down soon. Really want to see her."
A pure white wolf, Catriona thought. She wanted to see her too; just thinking about it sounded beautiful.
"Well, I'll go tidy up the room." She hadn't brought much, just some clothes and toys for her son.
Ruby offered to help, but she smiled and declined, "It's just a little stuff; no need, you all rest."
She rather liked this red-and-black werewolf; she was good-looking and had a big heart. Though a bit loud and boisterous, she was quite endearing.
After tidying up her room, she came downstairs to see the werewolves hauling supplies into the kitchen—a huge sack of round cabbages, at least a dozen of them. They twirled the cabbages around in their hands, casually carrying them into the kitchen with ease.
One green-black werewolf was carrying a huge bag of potatoes in one hand as if it were empty, darting into the kitchen.
"..."
Catriona stood there, dumbfounded.
She could be sure these werewolves were incredibly strong.
The words "Let me help" stayed stuck in her throat, too embarrassed to say it.
She awkwardly commented, "Do you all eat these vegetables too? I thought you only ate meat."
"We only eat meat." Black stood in front of her, carrying ten bags of potatoes without breaking a sweat, and said, "These are prepared for you."
?
Catriona was stunned.
It seemed, probably, that she wouldn't be able to eat that much, right?
"In the future, just let us know if there's anything you want to eat. The Alpha Roderick said, as the cub's mother, he's obligated to take care of your needs." After Black finished, he looked at her expression, "You're not upset, right?"
Catriona was taken aback, "Eh? No, I'm not upset. Just...really grateful."
Sometimes she found it a bit hard to understand the way these werewolves thought.
Preparing food for her, why would she be upset? Where would the anger come from?
"It's just, if it's just me and my child eating, it's way too much." After thanking him, she gently suggested, "Could you let me know next time before shopping?"
Black scratched his head, "So we bought too much, huh. Alright, next time, you decide how much to get."
Just then, Ruby walked by with two big bags of noodles, letting out a howl.
Catriona: "..."
Potatoes and noodles could be stored, but vegetables and fruit were trickier.
Luckily, it was just this once; otherwise, it would be too wasteful.
But what to do with so many tomatoes, cabbages, and cucumbers?
"Do you all really not eat vegetables at all?"
"We can eat them, but we much prefer meat."
So...
Catriona began working in the kitchen.
Ruby let out a howl, exclaiming, "Wow, wow, Catriona's cooking! She said we could eat too!"
Brownie scoffed, "Yeah, right. You wish. The Alpha Roderick hasn't even tasted her cooking himself."
Black added, "Exactly, and vegetables don't even taste good. I'm not eating that."
Yet, somehow...the smell from the kitchen was getting more and more tempting...
As Roderick returned home from work, he saw a group of werewolves crowded at the kitchen door, their tails wagging while the air filled with the aroma of human food.
"Alright, alright, you can take the dishes out now. Be careful, don't burn yourselves," a woman's clear and pleasant voice rang out.
"Take it slow; it really hurts to get burned."
Why speak so gently? Roderick pursed his lips, a trace of displeasure in his eyes.
Those few worthless werewolves—so fond of that pure human. Could they actually be interested?
The werewolves came out carrying huge bowls piled high with food—chunks of beef stewed with tomatoes and potatoes.
Even the cucumber salad had chunks of cooked meat mixed in.
There was a big dish of fried eggs.
And three large bowls of cabbage and sausage soup.
Roderick sat on the sofa, one leg crossed over the other, arms folded, his expression cold as he stared at them.
Black turned and nearly lost his grip on the food, startled—Catriona's cooking smelled so good, he hadn't even noticed the Alpha Roderick's presence.
Human food is truly terrifying; it can distort the senses.
They quietly placed the food on the table.
Catriona was the last to come out. When she saw Roderick, she froze for a moment, "Um, Mr. Nightblade, you're back? Would you like to eat?"
This person spoke so harshly, but she didn't mind—her son still needed him to provide the medicine.
Roderick stared at her, a slight tug at his lips. "You're quite diligent."
In such a short time, she'd clearly gotten close to these clan members, bonding with them and even cooking for them.
Was she hired as a cook? Making food? Well, do they need her? These werewolves don't have hands or feet?
She reeked of Black and the others—disgusting.
Roderick thought, damn that wolf pack possessiveness flaring up again.
He felt a bit annoyed.
These male werewolves—how old were they now, and still didn't know how to conceal their scent?
In the silence, Roderick spoke up indifferently.
"Black, how old are you?"
The Alpha Roderick suddenly showing interest, Black wagged his tail happily and replied, "Alpha Roderick, I'm twenty-one!"
"So, are you useless then?" Roderick said mercilessly, sneering coldly. "Werewolves can control their scent by the age of eight, can't they? If you can't do it properly, I suggest you head back to the snowy mountains and relearn."
He stood up, ready to turn and leave.
"Awooo!" A tiny yet fierce cub's growl suddenly rang out.
Roderick turned his gaze.
The cub stood behind the corner of the table, a pair of small wolf ears atop his head, baring his little sharp teeth and growling at Roderick like a fierce wolf. "Awooo!!"
He had already warmed up to the other werewolves in the house.
But this tall, aloof wolf—he'd seen him once yesterday. Roderick always looked at him with a cold gaze, not as friendly as the other werewolves. And so, the cub had taken a dislike to him.
The cub thought he was a threat.
Roderick's gaze shifted away from the cub.
The cub rejected him, he disliked the cub's mother, and the rest of the werewolves were foolish—he couldn't stand staying another second and turned to go upstairs.
"Wait!" Catriona called after him, "When should the child drink the cold spring water?"
Without looking back, Roderick replied, "Every night before bed."
"Oh, okay." Knowing the time was enough; whether Roderick ate or not didn't matter.
