Nine o'clock.
Catriona closed the shop, and Black drove her and her son back to Luna Palace.
The werewolves howled cheerfully, greeting her and bringing all sorts of little trinkets for Cedric.
"Cub, I saw this on the street today. How about it? Do you like it?" Lightblaze shook a wooden carved rabbit in his hand.
"Little one, this wind chime is for you! Humans are really clever, aren't they? They can make anything," one of the werewolves said.
"Look, little one, do you know what this is?" another chimed in.
The group of werewolves, tails wagging, surrounded her son, each offering small gifts. Watching this, Catriona couldn't help but smile gently.
The wolves here adored her son, and it warmed her heart.
When she was young, she'd felt like a ball being kicked around, unwanted and unwelcomed. No one ever liked her, let alone celebrated her presence.
Instead, she had been a burden.
But here, things felt truly different. This place... it was good.
Just then, the clothes from the designer arrived—all beautiful, elegant dresses, perfect for picking up and dropping off her son at Kindergarten.
And she'd saved quite a bit of money in the process.
It was half of ten.
She finished washing up and stepped out, noticing her son was already lying in bed, nearly asleep. She picked up her phone and sent a message.
Catriona: [Mr. Nightblade, you can come over now.]
Roderick: [Mm.]
She opened the door and stood aside, giving him space.
Roderick stepped into the room, glanced at her without a word, and walked straight to the bedside.
The cub looked up at him with wide eyes, a hint of curiosity in his gaze.
In previous nights, he'd been so sleepy he'd drunk it in a daze, hardly glancing at his father.
Today, he fought to stay awake.
He wanted to look at this person...
Still carrying the cold air of the ice chamber, Roderick ruffled the cub's hair. "Since you're awake, drink it yourself."
"Oh." The cub took the small bottle, drank it all in one go, then licked his lips, savoring it.
Leaning against the balcony door and watching the father and son by the bed, Catriona softly smiled and said, "Cedric, have you thanked Daddy yet?"
Cedric looked up at his dad and mumbled softly, "Thank you, Daddy."
"Go to sleep."
Roderick's gaze lingered on Catriona for a second before he turned and left the room.
Cedric pursed his little lips and drifted off to sleep.
The next day.
Catriona slipped into the dress made by the designer—a white, cinched-waist gown. The fabric was soft and comfortable against her skin, with a graceful drape that fell just above her knees.
Wearing high heels, her fair, long legs swayed beneath the dress, drawing attention.
At the top of the stairs, she met Roderick, who was about to go down.
She curved her eyes in a smile and said, "Good morning, Mr. Nightblade."
Catriona looked down at the dress she was wearing, smiling softly. "The dress you had the designer make—I really like it. Thank you."
To her surprise, Roderick shivered slightly, as if snapping out of a daze. He pressed his lips tightly, turned, opened the nearest room, and shut the door with a bang.
On the other side of the door.
Roderick stood by the door, his face dark. He reached up with a slightly trembling hand to touch his ears.
His amber eyes widened in disbelief.
He'd lost control again.
The second time. He hadn't managed to control it.
Was he losing his mind?
It seemed so.
She was the cub's mother, and that role affected him deeply.
He had seen more beautiful women in the snowy mountains and the human world, and never had he lost control.
So, it had nothing to do with liking her—it was only because of her role.
This... special, ambiguous role.
