The next day.
It was Saturday; Roderick had the day off, and Catriona wasn't going to her shop. They were taking the cub to the amusement park.
Catriona yawned as she woke up, relieved she didn't have to take Cedric to school, and she didn't bother dressing up.
She'd thrown her hair up into a casual bun, with just a hint of lipstick, dressed all in white. A cropped white T-shirt showing a glimpse of her waist, loose white wide-leg pants, and a pair of white canvas sneakers completed the look.
The whole look radiated youthful energy. With her height and long legs, everything she wore had style.
As for her son, she dressed him in white too, making it a matching parent-child outfit.
Cedric wore a white tracksuit, with white athletic shorts and a pair of white sneakers.
He had his little wolf ears exposed, his small tail swaying as he clutched a small ladies' bag in his hand, walking down each step one tiny stride at a time.
His little face was serious, his small chin tense with focus.
Normally, he would scurry down the steps with his little legs, but now he was on an "important mission" to carry his mom's bag. Now that his mom was asking him to help, he felt proud to be able to lend a hand.
When Roderick came downstairs, he saw the cub carefully carrying the bag, descending cautiously, so serious that anyone who didn't know might think he was carrying a live bomb instead of a bag.
The cub smelled a familiar scent, stopped, turned around, and with large, golden, dewy eyes, said, "Daddy."
Roderick gave a soft "Mm," took a few steps down, leaned over, and lifted the cub up, letting him sit in the crook of his arm.
He gazed at the cub's soft, fair cheeks and asked quietly, "Where's your mom?"
"Mommy told me to come downstairs for breakfast first; she had to take a call."
A phone call? Roderick frowned slightly. Roderick frowned slightly.
Who would call so early?
Was it Lucian?
He didn't extend his hearing; he didn't want to intrude on Catriona's privacy.
Father and son sat at the dining table, and after a while, Catriona came downstairs, looking refreshed, her eyes bright with a smile that showed her good mood.
Roderick watched her every move, his thin lips pressing downward a bit.
What did they talk about to make her this happy?
Of course, that human Lucian looked like he was skilled in sweet talk; Roderick had sensed it last time at the kindergarten.
As he brooded over it, he heard Catriona glance at her phone and suddenly burst into laughter, her feather-like eyelashes trembling, her smile blooming like a flower.
Roderick saw this, and his long eyes forgot to blink, as if momentarily entranced.
So, this is how she looked when she smiled at someone she liked. Just what had he been thinking before to assume she wanted to be his mate?
Roderick's gaze gradually lowered, realizing how ridiculous he'd been.
The next moment, he couldn't resist looking at Catriona again, finding himself yearning for that radiant smile that didn't belong to him.
After breakfast.
The family of three got into the car headed to the amusement park, with Arden as the driver.
On the way, Catriona spent most of the ride chatting on her phone, talking to her son occasionally. She had many friends and was usually too busy to chat, but today she was off and finally had some time.
A group of women in her chat was letting loose, sharing funny, cheeky comments, one after another.
[Eulalia]: "Hey ladies, how about we go out for some drinks later and do some adult thrill things? Well..."
[Catriona]: "You're an eternal single; what do you want to do? Chat bravado."
[Sylvaine]: "My flight lands in Capital this afternoon. Catriona, do you have time tonight? Let's catch up and have a drink, and let Cedric's cheap dad take care of him."
Catriona thought it over and agreed. Sylvaine was a benefactor to her and had helped her a lot the year her son was born.
Now that she was back in the country, there was no way Catriona wouldn't go see her.
[Catriona]: "Sylvaine, tonight, let's have an adult evening. Tomorrow, I'll bring Cedric over to see you and treat you to a meal."
[Sylvaine]: "OK."
They set a time.
Meanwhile, Eulalia, having replied to the group chat, lazily climbed out of bed. After staying up late last night, she'd slept in until 10: 30.
With her hair loose and a yawn on her lips, she opened her door and came face-to-face with a lean werewolf in the living room. Unbothered by her disheveled look, she walked over casually.
"What are you doing?"
Grey, who seemed to have just returned from outside, was holding a burlap sack, its weight pulling his arm down.
Eulalia froze, suddenly wide awake.
"What's... in there?"
A bad feeling crept into her mind.
Then she noticed a faint trace of blood on the bag.
Eulalia:!!!
Werewolves weren't pure humans and are naturally associated with brutality. She widened her eyes, recalling her last encounter with thugs and their conversation...
"I remember, you don't eat people, right?" Eulalia's eyes went wide. "Have you become one of those... fallen lone werewolves?"
Could she still make a run for it?
"Grey, snap out of it!!" Eulalia began inching slowly toward the door.
Grey pulled open the burlap sack, and the smell of blood wafted out. Eulalia, who was very nearsighted, couldn't see clearly.
She screamed in fright, shutting her eyes. "Ah!! Don't show me! W-What is it? What kind of meat is it?!"
Grey looked at her, puzzled by her reaction, and answered flatly, "Wild boar meat."
"What? Oh, it's wild boar meat." Eulalia coughed lightly, straightening up to regain her composure.
"Do they sell wild boar meat at the market now?" She'd read in the news recently that wild boars were overpopulated locally and no longer protected, and people were encouraged to hunt them.
"Not bought." Grey carried the sack into the kitchen. "I went up the mountain."
"Huh??"
Eulalia was stunned, quickly following him. "You caught it yourself? When did you go? I didn't even know."
"Three in the morning."
"Wow! That's amazing! Is this really wild boar meat?" Eulalia, no longer afraid, watched as Grey unloaded a black pig.
"There's nothing impressive about it."
Grey didn't understand; it was just hunting a wild boar. Yet, the woman's praise made his lips curl into a slight smile.
It was indeed a wild boar.
It was thoroughly dead.
There were two bite marks on its neck, deep enough to reveal bone and torn flesh, making Eulalia shudder involuntarily.
She silently lit a candle in her mind for praying the poor boar.
Eulalia had seen Grey in his full wolf form for about half a month now; when on all fours, his back reached above her waist, and his tail, when wagging, could reach her face.
In her eyes, Grey was a very large wolf.
"You've got a piece of grass here, don't move." Eulalia stood on her tiptoes, approaching Grey and picking a dry blade of grass off the back of his neck.
She didn't notice Grey's body stiffen.
"Are you hurt?" she asked with concern.
Grey, still facing away, shook his head. "No."
He squatted down to start handling the wild boar, his head lowered, so Eulalia didn't see the young werewolf's flushed face.
