He wanted the cub.
But he had no right to ask.
Only if Catriona was willing to stay at Luna Palace could he get close to the cub.
Catriona's presence did indeed cause him some trouble to a certain extent; she wasn't wrong about that.
But for the cub's sake, those troubles could be ignored. What could he do to make her willing to stay at Luna Palace?
He could roughly guess what Grey had said to her.
If he acted in the opposite way of Grey's words, would she still want to leave with the cub in half a year?
The other werewolves in the mansion got along well with her; perhaps he could learn a thing or two.
First was the attitude.
He noticed that the wolves always spoke to Catriona in cheerful voices, smiling with visible friendliness.
This shouldn't be too hard to learn.
So...
Time quickly passed, and it was already afternoon.
Arden lowered his head and opened the car door, letting Roderick bend down to get in.
They arrived at the entrance of the flower shop.
Just then, a young girl came out carrying flowers, and Catriona stood at the door, smiling as she saw her off.
As she looked away, she noticed the familiar black car. Her smile disappeared instantly, and she went back inside.
Roderick saw it and pursed his lips.
Arden was also a bit confused. What was up with Miss Ashford?
Before long, Catriona reappeared, having changed into something more casual—a simple white dress that suited her perfectly.
And then...
When the sound of Miss Ashford's high heels approached the car...
Arden then heard his boss, usually deep-voiced, adopt an oddly cheerful tone, saying, "Good afternoon, Catriona!"
Arden shivered all over.
He widened his eyes, slowly turning his head in disbelief, unable to believe this was Mr. Nightblade's voice.
No matter how he listened, it sounded strange... terrifying, even.
It was like he was possessed.
But the one most stunned was Catriona.
With one hand on the car door, she froze in her position, half about to get in.
The man before her had his striking brows raised stiffly, his narrow golden eyes slightly curved. He tugged at the corner of his mouth,...a look of pure mockery on his face.
?
What was up with this guy?
Was he upset? Because of last night?
She didn't understand, but she was greatly shocked.
"Miss...Miss Ashford, please get in the car," Arden pinched himself hard, reminding himself to mind his own business and not look too much or overthink it.
Catriona got into the car, lowering her head as she slowly fastened her seatbelt. She glanced up at the man across from her and saw him gazing out the window, his side profile sharp and cold. It almost felt as if what had just happened was merely her imagination.
With a "click," her seatbelt was fastened.
It must have been an illusion, she thought.
Then, she saw his ears twitch, and he turned to look at her, his naturally deep voice now softly asking, "Does your wound still hurt? Is it feeling any better?"
"..."
Was this man really possessed?
"...No, it doesn't hurt." It was just a superficial wound; she'd only fainted last night from shock, hunger, and exhaustion.
The man frowned slightly, thinking.
She didn't know if it was her imagination, but she felt for a moment that Roderick was trying to think of what to talk about next.
No way, right?
It had to be her imagination.
Feeling a bit awkward, she took out her phone and randomly scrolled through it.
Then she heard him ask, with a strange, rigid cheerfulness, "...How's business today?"
Oh dear.
"Not bad."
Catriona opened the search bar.
"How many faces do werewolves have?"
"Do werewolves suddenly mutate?"
"Can werewolves be possessed?"
None of the answers were serious. After all, in the eyes of humans, there was no such thing as a werewolf...
Fortunately, after asking that question, Roderick didn't press further.
She thought Roderick was acting strangely today.
She couldn't help but touch the small bandage on her forehead, confirming that it was indeed she who had been injured last night.
Meanwhile, Roderick had returned to his usual indifferent expression, having momentarily allowed his emotions to show.
He had been imitating the way Black and the others usually interacted with Catriona.
He had deliberately used a friendly expression and a kind tone to show concern, and the woman had been stunned, which suggested he had done a good job.
