Catriona circled the car looking for her cub, and by the ninth round, a tall figure blocked her way. She squinted, looked up, and recognized him, saying bluntly, "It's you. Move."
Roderick looked down at the woman lying on the floor and crouched beside her.
He had long noticed that Catriona's attitude changed significantly after she drank. Normally, she was polite and distant, addressing him as Mr. Nightblade.
But now, just seeing him seemed to irritate her.
It was almost as if... as if this was the real her, the alcohol tearing away her usual facade to reveal her true self.
He stared at Catriona, his golden eyes shifting as if confirming something, and asked, "Do you know who I am?"
Perhaps she hadn't recognized him.
That might be why her attitude was so different from usual.
His question left Catriona momentarily bewildered. "Aren't you Roderick?"
Roderick:...
So, she had recognized him.
Then, did she dislike him?
His thin lips tightened slightly. "The young one is at Luna Palace. Let's go back."
She had every reason to dislike him.
Over the past two months, his behavior in front of her had been poor. Miss Nightwood was right; the young one was four, and she had raised him alone. He had been absent for so many years, not sharing in her struggles. She was justified in holding resentment toward him.
And yet, he couldn't even manage to give her a bank card—twice.
Their relationship was quite strained.
In an instant, the joy he'd felt upon confirming she hadn't been on a date with Lucian began to waver uncontrollably.
He was shocked at the shift in his emotions.
Seeing Catriona immediately climb into the driver's seat after hearing, "The young one is asleep at Luna Palace," ready to drive back without a second thought for him.
Roderick pressed his hand to his brow, then walked silently to the driver's side door to stop her from driving.
"I'll drive. Get down."
"Why can't I drive? I have a license."
"You've been drinking," Roderick replied quietly, looking at her.
Catriona made an "oh" sound of sudden realization, then clumsily climbed over to the passenger seat. "Oh, I drank, right? Then I shouldn't be driving."
As she turned and wobbled her way into the passenger seat, a large portion of her lower back was exposed with her movements.
Roderick, caught off guard by the sight, felt his pupils contract, his breath hitching.
Quickly, he turned his face away.
His side profile was chiseled, his jawline sharp, his throat bobbing slightly.
In his mind, memories he had intentionally suppressed, memories he forbade himself from recalling...
The tall figure stood by the car door, his black hair shifting, and in the next second, two long, large ears popped out.
Behind him, a shiny black tail appeared.
At the bustling entrance of the bar, where people were passing by.
Once again, he had lost control.
This was insane!
The man's breathing was unsteady as he quickly jumped into the driver's seat, closing the car door.
He let out a slow breath, relieved that no one had seen him. Then, the familiar scent of the woman reached him. "Wow! Aren't these big ears?"
In the next moment, his tail was firmly grabbed by her hands, and her voice was full of surprise and amazement. "What a big tail!"
In that instant, Roderick felt his mind go blank with a thunderous "boom."
Catriona hadn't let go; her eyes widened in surprise, her cheeks flushed from the alcohol as she grasped his tail with both hands, unable to hold it all. Her hands slid from the middle down to the very tip.
"Catriona!!"
Whether it was five years ago or now, no one had ever dared to touch his tail—no one but Catriona.
If it were anyone else, they would've been thrown off long ago. But this was Catriona. He swallowed hard, extending his hands to gently pry hers away.
Catriona gazed at him with a wistful expression.
Roderick paused, his voice low and slightly uncomfortable as he spoke, "You... like my tail?"
If she truly did, then maybe... he wouldn't mind...
Catriona frowned and said, "I'm just thinking, with a tail that big, what size of a dog would even have it?"
Roderick:?
Again! With! The dog!!
"For such a big dog, how much would it cost each month to keep it fed?"
"..."
"Just by looking at it, I can tell it eats a lot. I can't even hold the whole tail with both hands."
"..."
Roderick gritted his teeth. "Catriona, I'm not..."
"But I don't have any pocket money; my uncle doesn't give me any. If I had pocket money, I'd keep you."
Roderick frowned slightly. "Uncle? The human who raised you?"
When he was a cub, he, too, had a human friend who lived with her uncle. The title of "uncle" likely referred to her father's younger brother, a common figure in many human families.
"When I can earn my own money, I'll take care of it myself," Catriona murmured, lowering her gaze in slight sadness.
Roderick felt a pang in his chest. "I have money. I'll give it to you." His tone held an urgency he himself hadn't realized.
After speaking, Roderick took out his wallet and opened it. Inside was a stack of cards, but only thirty bills. For a moment, he chided himself for not carrying more cash.
He handed her the wallet, his voice low and serious. "There's not much cash, but there's some money on the cards."
His "some money" was certainly quite a lot.
The woman's slender, fair fingers took hold of his black wallet.
Roderick unconsciously clenched his hands, his golden eyes dimming slightly, oddly pleased by the sight.
She was touching something that belonged to him.
It even had his scent on it.
Werewolves had a strong sense of possessiveness toward their partners, often transferring scents to each other until it was as if they'd exchanged smells. Wherever one went, they'd carry the other's scent.
It was a bold, unmistakable declaration to the pack that they had a mate.
They valued their personal items and wouldn't easily give them to others.
Allowing another to take their scent was, in fact, a suggestive gesture.
So, in the werewolf community, shy wolves would sometimes leave heavily scented items behind as hints when they were interested in someone.
Otherwise, most wolves were straightforward and undisguised in expressing affection. Once they sensed the other didn't mind, they'd begin to please and endear themselves.
The most obvious way was licking.
Roderick stared at the woman's fair fingers as they held his black wallet, looking even whiter against it.
Let her absorb more of his scent, let there be more scent—just the little on the wallet wasn't enough...
Catriona had no idea what bizarre things the werewolf beside her was thinking. Holding the wallet, she looked around the car before finally saying in disappointment, "It's gone. The big dog has already run off."
"I can't even keep it now. It didn't wait for me; it's gone."
In that moment, hearing the sadness in Catriona's voice, Roderick felt a tug at his heart and, before he knew it, said, "I'll let you keep me."
He'd admitted to being... a dog.
He'd offered to let her keep him.
Roderick came back to his senses, took a deep breath, and pressed his temples. He felt he must have gone insane!
Catriona likely hadn't heard his words because she'd closed her eyes and fallen asleep.
Her seatbelt wasn't even fastened.
Roderick looked at her face for a moment, and somehow, the ears and tail he'd retracted popped out again.
Thankfully, Catriona was asleep. He breathed a slight sigh of relief.
His face grew hot as he held his breath, leaning down and reaching out with his slender, pale hands to buckle Catriona's seatbelt.
As the belt slid past her, Roderick glanced briefly, quickly averting his gaze before silently fastening it. Behind him, his large, unrestrained tail remained stiff, frozen in place.
He started the car and stopped in front of a bank.
