The more Catriona thought about it, the more convinced she became that she was right.
Roderick wanted the son, but she wouldn't let him have the child, and the child wouldn't go with him, so now he was targeting her instead.
The two of them were now in a real "competitive relationship."
A "child-selling card"? Forget it.
From now on, she'd have to stay alert. That silly wolf had already started making moves in the shadows!
And so...
When Roderick entered with the cold spring water, he faintly felt Catriona shoot him a glare, though he wasn't sure if it was his imagination.
?
After feeding the cub the spring water, Catriona followed him out.
In the hallway.
Roderick's nerves involuntarily tensed; every time this woman followed him out, she had something to say, and it was usually not something good.
Sure enough.
With a serious expression, Catriona handed him the stack of cards.
Roderick, not entirely understanding the mind of a human woman, frowned thoughtfully before speaking. "Is it too much trouble? Are you upset I didn't just hand you the property deed to sign?"
After all, with the cards, she'd have to go back and forth to look at properties.
"What are you talking about?" Catriona frowned, feeling that every time this werewolf spoke, it was something unexpected.
Their gap in understanding was too large, so she decided to be direct, her expression uncharacteristically serious. "I'll be blunt, Mr. Nightblade: don't try to bribe me with material things. Forget about a house—even if you gave me the world, I wouldn't give you the child. That's my stance."
Roderick paused, momentarily stunned.
Then, his golden eyes narrowed as he gritted his teeth. "You think I gave you those cards to buy a house as a bribe, to get the cub?"
"Isn't that the case?" Catriona couldn't think of any other reason.
"Of course not!"
"I have plenty of houses. However many you want, I have them. Just don't run off with someone lacking independence the moment they send you a house or two."
Catriona was left baffled by his words.
Never mind that Lucian hadn't sent her any houses. But even if he did and she felt moved by it, how would that be some dangerous, terrible thing?
And besides.
"What does that have to do with you, Mr. Nightblade? By your logic, should I be accepting your houses instead of his?"
"I don't understand what you mean by 'lacking independence' and 'running off with someone.' I'm single right now; if I like him and end up with him, that's perfectly normal, right?"
She gazed at him calmly.
Meeting her clear, straightforward gaze, Roderick found himself momentarily at a loss for words. Slowly, the wolf in him began to regain clarity.
Ever since he learned of Lucian's existence that morning, he hadn't felt right, spiraling into anxiety and an intense dislike for Lucian, even seeing him as an enemy.
But did it even concern him?
Even if Catriona did feel something for Lucian and ended up with him, what did it have to do with him?
Catriona was currently single, not his mate; she had the right to date others or even marry them.
With this thought, Roderick stopped speaking and turned to leave.
He realized he'd been a bit out of line.
Who Catriona liked was none of his business.
Who she wanted to be with was her freedom.
Between the two of them, all that mattered was taking care of the cub.
This was what he told himself, yet he couldn't sleep all night.
As the morning sunlight poured into the room, he heard movement around the house. Pressing his temples, he freshened up and went downstairs.
On the living room sofa on the first floor.
Draven hadn't returned to his room to sleep all night, lying there with a strong smell of alcohol, a hint of despair on his face—no one knew how much he had drunk.
Roderick frowned. "Are you now permanently attached to alcohol?"
"Alpha Roderick, alcohol is a wonderful thing," Draven chuckled, saying.
Closing his eyes, he murmured softly, "Only with alcohol can I see her..."
The human woman who had named him—he had already lost her five years ago.
"I really envy you, Alpha Roderick. Your mate... hiccup, is still alive."
Roderick wanted to say that Catriona was not his mate.
In a way, he was gnawed by loneliness, just like Draven.
Draven once had a pure human mate; they loved each other deeply, but the woman passed away unexpectedly.
And himself? He had experienced the most intimate of connections with Catriona, yet they were not mates, nor was there any love between them.
The werewolf only has one mate for life, and Draven's long, painful journey was just beginning.
As for himself, he was a bit better off than Draven—he would merely spend his life in solitude.
But Draven had experienced the love of a mate.
This was something he might never have in his lifetime.
Yet, he was luckier than Draven, for he had a cub.
For instance, he now caught the scent of milk wafting from his cub at the stairwell.
And the unique scent on that woman, a faint floral fragrance.
She already had someone she liked—a pure human named Lucian.
He hadn't expected this fact to keep him awake all night, and now even his heart ached dully.
A wave of uncontrollable panic washed over him.
He cared.
He cared deeply.
When he saw Catriona appear at the stairwell in a light-colored dress, the sound of her heels striking his heart with each step, he confirmed a fact.
He was sick.
