Catriona had no idea what had happened to her friend.
Today had left her drained, so she headed to her room early to freshen up.
Meanwhile, Roderick had fed their son cold spring water, and, under the cover of night, departed with five other werewolves.
Catriona stood quietly on the balcony, watching their retreating figures.
At the lead was Roderick, with five werewolves following behind him.
She knew what they were going to do.
They were off to hunt down those corrupted wolves.
It was like humans—there were good ones, and there were bad ones.
Among the five was Black. Noticing her gaze, he lifted a hand and waved, grinning, "Catriona! Enjoying the cool night breeze?"
His comment drew a chuckle from her. "I am. Stay safe, all of you."
The other werewolves turned back to wave, calling out, "No big deal—we'll be back soon!"
Only Roderick showed no interest, getting into the car without a backward glance.
Brownie waved, saying, "We're off! Sleep early, Catriona. Goodnight!"
Catriona waved back at them, fondly smiling at the group—aside from Roderick, she truly liked these werewolves. Each one was sincere, lovable, and so kind to her and her son.
She cherished this unusual chapter of her life.
With no work tomorrow, she and Roderick had planned to take Cedric out for some fun.
She was already envisioning a grand meal to cook for them all.
Little did she know that some things in life come out of nowhere, leaving one unprepared...
As the city sank into slumber...
A night owl, still clutching his phone, finally shut it off, planning a quick trip to the bathroom before bed. Yawning, he passed the window just as a shadow leaped past.
He froze mid-yawn.
Was that... a trick of the eye?
He lived on the top floor, not particularly high up—the ninth floor.
But what would be darting across his window at this hour, on the ninth floor?
Shivering, he muttered, Aren't ghosts supposed to be a myth?!
Three werewolves crouched on the building's rooftop.
One of them, unusually large, stood on two legs with massive ears and a tail visible. Even standing there silently, an overpowering aura radiated from him, compelling reverence from anyone who glimpsed him.
His sharp, narrow eyes glowed with a fierce, ghostly green light.
"Alpha, there's just one left."
"Alpha, it's a full degenerate; it reeks of having fed on one of its own."
The black werewolf's eyes flickered, brimming with pained disbelief. "It smells like... Grey..."
The menacing green eyes widened for a moment, and he fell silent, unable to speak.
With red-rimmed eyes, Black growled lowly, "Alpha, let me tear that scum to shreds! Forget about the Peace's rules! Why hand it over? It... it devoured Grey! I'll kill it myself!"
The one they called "Alpha"—Roderick—spoke with a strained, hoarse voice. "Grey was fifteen when he first came to Luna Palace, right?"
At his words, the wolves let out sorrowful howls, shifting into their pure wolf forms, digging their claws into the ground, pressing their heads against Roderick's legs, ears drooping as they mourned, howling again and again.
It was the werewolves' lament.
Roderick's voice tightened, "We follow the law. We capture it and hand it over to the Bureau."
The wolves pressed closer to his legs.
Roderick, steadfast as the ruler, did not waver. "If you cannot follow orders, the mission ends here. Return to Luna Palace."
In the end, though red-eyed, none of the wolves retreated.
They leaped across the human-built towers with ease, as if on level ground. Bathed in moonlight, each werewolf bore a quiet, bitter grief.
"Got it!" Black suddenly shouted. He hadn't even finished his sentence before a tall figure had already leapt after the scent, descending from the tenth floor to the ground in an instant. In a matter of seconds, a cry of pain broke out, signaling the capture.
Caught it.
Alpha Roderick had caught it.
All the werewolves rushed over.
The putrid-smelling, fallen lone wolf now lay on the ground like a heap of rotten meat, its exterior bloody and mangled, only the agonized groans confirming it was still alive.
Amidst the thick scent of blood, a familiar smell lingered from its mouth.
It was the scent of Grey's flesh.
Roderick closed his eyes tightly, remembering the dark gray werewolf who always followed him.
Thanks to the business empire he inherited due to his grandmother's endeavors in the human world, he thrived among humans.
There were always pack members coming down the mountain to seek refuge with him.
Human money could buy the freshest meat, and he had plenty of it. He accepted the pack members who sought him out and unintentionally saved some of them.
The dark gray young werewolf, after being saved by him, seemed to hold boundless gratitude and admiration for him.
Roderick felt that it was just a matter of convenience for him.
There were many clan members following him, and there were many things that required his attention. Thus, he had little time to spare, so he didn't pay much attention to the dark gray young werewolf.
As long as they lived safely within the manor, causing no trouble and living peacefully, that was enough.
Whether they chose to stay or leave, it was their choice.
That night, the radical young werewolf attacked... No, scared the cub's mother in the middle of the night.
He said, "She probably doesn't want to see you anymore."
At that moment, he was indeed a bit angry.
When he saw the blood on the cub's mother's forehead, he didn't want to hear his explanation.
He didn't want to hear his self-defense, saying things like, "I didn't attack, I just wanted to scare her."
Black and Brownie had already gone berserk, biting the werewolf.
It seemed he was barely hanging on to life.
"Enough, take him to the Bureau," Roderick ordered.
"Alpha Roderick, please, let us avenge Grey!"
"Alpha Roderick! Don't you want to avenge Grey? He used to... worship you the most, loyal to you without question," Brownie choked out.
Roderick's face remained expressionless as he sternly said, "I said, take him to the Bureau."
The brown-eared werewolf had been silent, but suddenly spoke up, "If... Catriona hadn't come to Luna Palace..."
Black snarled, "William! What nonsense are you spouting!"
William's eyes turned red. "Isn't it true? If not for her, would Grey have tried to scare her for the Alpha Roderick's sake? He just wanted to scare her! Alpha Roderick had no choice but to drive him away, and that's why..."
"Although I don't want to think this way, I also feel... it's like this..."
"But it's not her fault..."
Brownie lowered his head, saying nothing.
Black snapped, "You're all wrong for thinking that way!"
William scoffed coldly. "What's with you, Black? Why are you defending her so much?" Glancing at Roderick, he let his sorrow drive him on, "Don't tell me... you have feelings for Catriona?"
"You!" Black was furious, "You're crazy! I treat her well because she's the cub's mother!!"
"I am crazy!! Grey is dead! Do you understand? He was eaten!" William roared, tears streaming down his face, "Aren't you sad? Grey... he died!! He was so pitiful, without wolf parents, abused by humans..."
For a moment, no werewolf spoke.
The heavy atmosphere of grief was suffocating.
After an unknown amount of time, Roderick, without uttering a word, left carrying the barely alive 'mess'.
The other werewolves, stunned for a moment, wiped their eyes, howling, and followed him.
They all forgot how they carried that damned murderer to the Bureau.
And how they silently followed their Alpha back to Luna Palace. As long as they followed their Alpha, they knew what to do, finding their anchor.
3: 00 a.m.
Draven sat on the sofa in the large living room on the first floor, eyes closed, pretending to sleep. Tonight, he was the werewolf on watch.
Hearing movement, he opened his eyes.
Seeing Roderick leading the way, he got up and walked over.
"Alpha Roderick, was it very troublesome this time since you returned so late?"
Then, he saw the werewolves behind Roderick, ears and tails drooping, emitting an aura of sorrow and grief.
Draven was stunned for a moment, "What... happened to you?"
"Grey is dead!"
William, head bowed, said softly.
Draven's usually indifferent, scarred face froze solidly, the expression etched in stone.
...
That night, none of the werewolves could sleep. Some climbed to the rooftop, others lay on the grass, while a few went to Grey's favorite spot. One by one, they raised their voices, releasing mournful howls into the night.
Awooo!
Awooo!
Catriona was too exhausted from work during the day and slept deeply, hearing nothing.
But the little cub beside her, curious, opened his eyes wide and sneaked out, only to encounter his father at the door.
His father stared at him with sadden eyes and said, "Go back to sleep. I'll play with you tomorrow."
"Oh." Cedric put aside his curiosity and silently returned to his room.
At six-thirty in the morning, Catriona woke up.
She didn't sleep well, plagued by several dreams, leaving her more tired than if she hadn't slept at all.
She got up quietly, dressed herself, washed up, and went to the kitchen, planning to make food for the werewolves.
When she went downstairs and opened the door, she met Brownie at the stairwell.
She greeted him with a smile, "Good morning, Brownie! Why are you up so early?"
She remembered that Brownie had gone out with Roderick last night and wondered what time they had returned.
Brownie's face stiffened, and he gave a forced smile, not saying anything else before hurrying back to his room.
Catriona found his behavior odd but didn't think too much of it. Watching his retreating figure, she called out, "Come down for breakfast later. I'm not working today and I'll be cooking."
She still wanted to ask if anyone was injured.
Forget it, she'd ask later.
The two old ladies in kitchen didn't know about last night's events and smiled upon seeing her.
"Madams, I want to make something."
"What do you want to make? Shall we help you wash the ingredients?"
Catriona smiled and said, "Thank you, then."
The three of them got busy in the kitchen.
Strangely, by eight o'clock, after Catriona had finished making the food, there were still no werewolves in the large living room.
"Counting Roderick, six of them went out last night, right? They should still be sleeping, but where are the others?" Catriona wondered.
She was closer to Ruby, so she sent a message, "I made something delicious. Are you awake? Come down and eat."
After a while, Ruby replied, "...I won't eat, I'm not very hungry."
Catriona typed, concerned, "Are you feeling unwell?"
While typing, she saw Roderick coming down the stairs in casual black clothing.
His pale face showed nothing; it seemed as if nothing had happened as he sat down at the main table.
Catriona glanced at him, hesitated for a second, and felt she should politely ask, "...Would you like to eat? I made it."
Roderick's gaze moved across the several bowls of food in front of him.
"Thanks, no."
"Oh... You're welcome."
Catriona frequently looked up at the staircase, hoping to see a werewolf come down.
Still, none appeared.
She had to look at Roderick, "Did everything go smoothly last night?"
"I remember Black, Brownie, and William went," she thought, "Oh, and Lightblaze and Bruce, right? None of them got hurt, did they?"
She remembered every single werewolf's name.
Could it be that someone was injured and that's why they didn't come down?
Otherwise, with werewolves' excellent sense of smell, she figured they would have smelled the food and rushed down, going "Aowu," based on her understanding of them.
Roderick stared at her fixedly and replied with a word, "No."
Catriona let out a sigh of relief, "That's good. I was worried they might be hurt."
Hearing her clear concern, Roderick paused.
However, Catriona noticed a red bloodstain seeping through Roderick's arm and was stunned, "Are you hurt?"
Only then did she notice that Roderick's lips were slightly pale.
Looking again, the redness extended from his arm to his back; the bandages hadn't been done properly, allowing blood to seep through.
It looked like quite a serious wound.
"Shouldn't you go to the hospital? Are you still going to Grassland today?"
Roderick nodded, "Yes."
Seeing him like this, Catriona suggested, "If it's like this, maybe you shouldn't go..."
"The promise made to the cub must be kept."
Catriona understood this principle too. Her son was very much looking forward to the trip to Grassland today. She always tried to keep her promises to her son.
But given Roderick's condition...
She pursed her lips, "Explain it well to him; he'll understand."
Roderick didn't say anything else.
Catriona stopped trying to persuade him.
She went upstairs and returned to her room.
Her son had already woken up and dressed himself.
Mother and son went downstairs, and finally, there was a werewolf at the dining table.
Draven.
"Hey, Draven, good morning." Catriona was happy finally seeing a werewolf.
"Are they still sleeping? Try the meat I made; you said it was delicious last time."
Draven looked a bit haggard but still nodded gently at her, "I'm lucky today."
Catriona smiled and pulled her son to sit opposite them.
Roderick was eating beef. Seeing his son, he actually stood up and reached out, "Want a hug?"
Cedric hesitated, looked at his mom, and after receiving an encouraging look from her, opened his hands to be picked up by his dad and sat on his lap.
Dad rarely did this; what was going on today?
He didn't understand, but being held by his dad made his lips curl up a bit.
Roderick didn't speak. He didn't eat much himself but started feeding the child.
He was even quieter than usual.
Then another werewolf arrived.
It was Black.
"Catriona, you made breakfast." He was pale-faced with red, swollen eyes.
"Come eat, I thought you were still asleep."
Black responded, "Then I'll start eating."
His words were few and far between today.
Catriona, looking at his red-rimmed eyes, finally sensed something was amiss.
