In Eulalia's house.
Eulalia finished changing and gently opened a crack in the neighboring room's door, whispering, "If you're hungry, the food is in the usual spot. You can get it yourself now. I'm off."
On the bed in the guest room, a large gray-black tail was faintly visible.
The large gray-black wolf appeared to be asleep, not moving an inch.
Eulalia was already used to it; she closed the room door after speaking.
After hearing the front door close, the large wolf on the guest room bed moved slightly, slowly opening his eyes.
He had been in this woman's house for seven or eight days now. He could move around on his own, but each day he told himself he'd leave the next day... and now, he'd delayed it until today.
He still couldn't return to his human form.
"I'll pick up some beef for you when I get back from shopping with my friend. Get some rest," her parting words echoed once more in Grey's mind.
He thought to himself, he'll eat the beef before he leave.
——
Meanwhile.
Catriona met up with Eulalia, and the two had arranged to meet at a cafe.
"So, how's business these days?"
Catriona set her bag down and took a seat. "Not bad."
Eulalia asked again, "How is it, living at his place? He hasn't made things difficult for you, has he?"
Catriona paused, then shook her head. "It's fine. We're pretty courteous with each other now."
"You said he took Cedric to his friend's birthday? Didn't he invite you?"
Catriona chuckled. "Why would he? With the way things are between us, there's really no need, right? If it were your birthday, I wouldn't bring him along either."
"You're right..." Eulalia nodded thoughtfully. "But still, I feel like he's on guard around you."
Catriona thought, it's normal to be guarded.
Aside from having a child together, they were practically strangers—and not even the same species.
If anything, she should be more wary of Roderick.
Eulalia eyed her teasingly, "Hey, weren't you once the department beauty or campus queen or something? With those looks, think he might be interested in you? It's got that comic storyline vibe."
"No way." Catriona replied without hesitation.
That man doesn't even like humans.
"You're a comic artist yourself; maybe a bit less fantasy, a bit more reality?"
"True enough," Eulalia laughed. She was, after all, a comic artist who created beautiful, dream-like love stories—she knew better than anyone they were all fake.
"Enough jokes," she continued, her expression turning serious. "But really, don't do anything foolish. A guy that wealthy isn't someone we can handle. Giving your heart to him would only be a mistake."
Catriona gave a slight smirk, lifting her gaze to her friend with a touch of arrogance. "I—what kind of man haven't I seen? The last thing I'm short of is men."
The words had barely left her mouth before she amused herself.
She was the type who appeared mature, gentle, and proper in front of others, but with her close friends, she enjoyed playing a character.
She saw her friend glaring at her.
With a straight face, she said, "Alright, don't worry. It's not like I haven't seen rich, handsome guys before. I have no feelings for him at all."
She was beautiful, and even with a child, she still had plenty of admirers.
Last year, a mature man six years her senior, someone well-known, pursued her for a long time. He also had a child and was respectful throughout, never crossing boundaries.
When she declined him formally, he didn't persist and exited gracefully.
Earlier this year, a nineteen-year-old about to study abroad confessed his feelings to her and nearly canceled his plans. She had to talk him into it, and he left for overseas with tearful eyes.
At the time, she'd feared his parents would show up at her shop, accusing her of being a seductress.
Eulalia snorted, eyeing her pretty face. "As long as you know."
"And you? Tell me about what's going on with you," Catriona asked, taking a sip of her coffee.
Eulalia fell silent.
After a moment, she hesitated, "I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry, but something happened last week."
As expected, Catriona frowned. "What happened?"
"I'm warning you, no laughing. You have to believe me, one hundred percent," Eulalia insisted, pretending to be stern.
"Alright, go on."
"So, last week... I lost some weight, was feeling good, and wore a nice dress out shopping. On my way back, I took a shortcut and ran into a thug." Her voice grew quieter, and she looked more unsure as she spoke.
Sure enough, Catriona was furious.
She frowned, glaring at her friend. "If I remember correctly, you promised me you wouldn't take that route."
"I know, I know. It was my fault; I'll never do it again." Eulalia lowered her voice, "And don't laugh, but... I was saved by a wolf. I'm sure of it—the one in my house is the one who saved me!"
When she finished speaking, she saw Catriona frozen in surprise.
Eulalia blinked. "Hey, bestie, you don't have to go speechless just because you don't believe me."
Eulalia scoffed, "Fine, go ahead and laugh."
Catriona finally found her voice, swallowing hard. "Are you sure... it was a wolf?"
...
Meanwhile.
Roderick had taken the cub to his friend's birthday party.
It was Rowan's birthday; he was turning twenty-eight.
His human brother, Silas, had thrown him a lively birthday celebration.
Held at the most luxurious hotel estate in Capital, the moment one entered, a chill filled the air. The venue was draped in white, with snowflakes swirling in the air—Silas had recreated a corner of the snowy mountains just for his wolf brother.
When Roderick arrived with the young pup, Rowan's face lit up. He ruffled the cub's hair, "Hello there, little cub."
His gaze shifted behind Roderick, noticing there was no one else.
Satisfied, he took a sip of his drink, letting loose with a remark. "Good that she didn't come. I don't want to see her."
Roderick pressed his lips together in silence.
Silas quickly pulled Rowan aside, holding his head down in apology. "Apologies. Just ignore him."
The little cub is still here!
Roderick replied softly, "It's fine."
