Catriona thought, didn't all the werewolves at Luna Palace already know he liked Snowheart?
Why did he act like she'd uncovered some huge secret?
"Well, just my opinion, but you should change your way of speaking and your tone. No one can handle your approach."
"I..." Roderick cleared his throat, his voice catching. "Sorry, this is my first time liking a mate, um, I'm not good with words."
He glanced at her, then quickly looked away, uneasy. "I'll work on it."
"Okay."
"How do you feel about it?" Roderick asked nervously, glancing at her with a blush, lowering his gaze. "Do you think it's annoying?"
After all, she had been drifting further and further away from him lately.
He always felt that Catriona was like a kite he couldn't hold onto, and he could only watch as she drifted away. That sense of unease and fear constantly haunted him.
Now, she had somehow seen through his feelings.
Had he made it that obvious?
Or was this the infamous, terrifying intuition of a human woman?
Catriona scratched her head in confusion and tried to answer, "You can always work on how you speak; I don't think it's annoying..."
So then.
Roderick's tense expression softened, and his mood visibly lifted.
He took Catriona to the second flower shop. After staying there for a while, she came out and got into Roderick's car, heading back to Luna Palace.
After all, it was her son's father's birthday, and everyone was there; she should head back too.
Luna Palace was extremely lively.
In addition to the dozen or so werewolves from Luna Palace, over fifty more had arrived from elsewhere, all followers of Roderick's pack.
n the vast lawn, they sat in groups at various tables.
Roderick's seat was placed at the center.
His table was filled with his friends.
Catriona had changed into a light-colored dress and, holding her son's hand, moved through the gathering, feeling the gazes of countless werewolves on her.
"That's the Alpha Roderick's cub."
"She's a pure human."
"She's so beautiful."
"Will she become Alpha Roderick's wife, our Luna?"
She originally wanted to sit far away at the end, but Black shook his head and said, "That won't do; your seat is beside Alpha Roderick."
Next to Roderick?
When she arrived, the only remaining seat at Roderick's table was next to him, and Snowheart hadn't shown up yet.
That must be Snowheart's seat, right?
So, she instinctively sat at the adjacent table instead, not joining Roderick's table.
Today, there were more werewolves gathered than ever before. Cedric had never seen so many werewolf pups his own age. In fact, it was his first time seeing any werewolves his age at all. They had impressive jumping abilities, bouncing around the open lawn, completely uninterested in eating, just enjoying their play as they leapt around.
Cedric didn't have many friends in kindergarten and usually couldn't find a way to fit in.
But now, he was utterly amazed by these other young werewolves.
"Mommy, I want to go play with them. I can eat later. Is that okay?"
Catriona glanced at the group of young werewolves and, without much thought, agreed. "Remember, safety first, okay?"
As Roderick watched Catriona walk over, his ears grew hot, and he lowered his gaze, his heart pounding.
The seat next to him was left for her.
This was a straightforward declaration to the werewolves: he was interested in Catriona. She was to be considered the Luna of the pack, respected as Alpha Roderick's mate.
Even though she hadn't agreed to anything yet.
He had taken it upon himself to make such a presumptuous move.
But she was human; surely, she wouldn't realize that just sitting next to him implied such intentions?
On his thirtieth birthday, in front of so many family and friends, he wanted to be selfish for once.
As he watched Catriona approach, his face grew hotter, and his heart beat even faster.
After today, many of his kin would regard her as his mate.
Just the thought alone filled Roderick with such joy that he felt like going on a hunt.
But Catriona sat at a nearby table.
With the werewolves from Luna Palace.
Roderick's long eyes faltered slightly.
His heart hung in the air for a second, then plummeted.
She... didn't want to sit next to him. Did she not want the pack to misunderstand?
Did she already know his true feelings?
Meanwhile, as Catriona sat down, she heard Brownie gasp.
"Hey, hey, hey, Catriona, you're not supposed to be sitting next to me! Oh crap, I'm scared..."
Catriona froze awkwardly, then stood up. "Can't I sit wherever I like?"
As she rose and took a step back, a force bumped into her from behind, causing her stomach to hit the table.
"Sorry! I'm so sorry!" It was a cub, a girl around Cedric's age.
Catriona held her aching stomach, frowning slightly, and shook her head at the girl. "It's okay."
She had just been discharged from the hospital, and while regular walking was fine, a bump like this was really painful.
In the next second, before she could react, she was lifted into the air as a man picked her up and started walking away with her, his voice urgent. "I'll take you to the hospital."
"Please... put me down. I'm fine." She felt uncomfortable, her face heating up under the gaze of so many people.
"Your wound is bleeding; I can smell it," Roderick said, and Catriona froze.
Roderick carried her in his arms, striding through the werewolves, who all bowed their heads in respectful deference. "Alpha Roderick."
Catriona called out to him, "Wait, anyone else can go, but not you." Her tone was serious. "Mr. Nightblade, please don't just pick me up like this. What's our relationship?"
"If Snowheart sees, she'll misunderstand!"
Roderick frowned. "Why should I care if she misunderstands?"
He finally started to sense that something was off.
Catriona, now standing, also looked puzzled. "Don't you like Snowheart? You're not worried about her reading too much into it?"
The moment Catriona said those words...
The air fell silent.
They were at the pool area on the other side of the Luna Palace.
Roderick's expression froze completely.
All the strange things that had happened over the past two days clicked into place, turning into one big joke.
That night at the hospital, Catriona had told him to spend time with Snowheart.
So that was what she meant.
In the afternoon, she had advised him to be more polite, which he thought was her way of expressing discontent, something he was willing to change.
So, was she giving him advice? Advice on how to pursue Snowheart??
Ha...
She had misunderstood again.
Why? Why did she keep misunderstanding!
She was always misunderstanding him! Always misinterpreting what he meant!
For a moment, Roderick felt like a complete fool. How could he have missed all the signs? Every time he saw her, every time they spoke, he lost his bearings completely.
They had never truly been on the same page.
"Did I ever say I liked Snowheart?" he muttered, a mocking, helpless smile tugging at his lips, almost laughing at the absurdity of it.
But try as he might, he just couldn't find it in himself to smile.
His heart felt like it was about to explode from the pressure, suffocating and ready to burst.
He had never failed so miserably at anything before.
Time and time again, under Catriona's cool and rational gaze, he felt utterly defeated. He broke down, saying, "I don't like her. Why would I like her? I've never said a single word suggesting I like her."
He was really going insane!
No matter what he gave her, it was always seen as ulterior in her eyes, even now, with his genuine feelings...
"I don't like Snowheart! I don't like any female werewolves! I only like you!"
His golden eyes were filled with bitter despair.
"Do you understand? The one I like is you!"
"Catriona, you're a human through and through, and I lost—I've gone mad—I like you!"
He had abandoned all his prejudices and fears. He was willing to jump into a river, willing to bare his neck to her blade.
But she thought he liked Snowheart, even giving him kind advice to go to her!
She was pushing him toward someone else.
Roderick felt as if his heart was about to explode from the pain.
Nothing could be more painful than this.
Catriona's eyes widened as she stood there, stunned.
She saw the faint redness around his eyes, the bloodshot lines threading through Roderick's gaze. His eyes seemed soaked in some bitter, poisonous sorrow, filled with anguish and pain.
"You..."
She couldn't help but take a step back, feeling more lost and confused than she had in a long time.
Roderick liked her?
Roderick liked her??
Why?
Why would he like her?
She couldn't figure it out, didn't understand, lost in confusion.
A strong gust of wind blew past.
Her eyes widened in shock as she watched Roderick, standing before her in a black shirt, seeming almost as if he'd given up on holding back. Suddenly, large black ears popped up atop his head, and behind him, a massive, fluffy black tail appeared, swishing slightly as if revealing a part of himself he'd kept hidden.
"What... does this mean?" Catriona was stunned.
This was the first time Roderick had ever revealed his ears in broad daylight. He had always strived to present himself as fully human, constantly on guard when interacting with them.
Revealing himself like this in front of her, what did that mean?
Roderick's deep, raspy voice carried no emotional fluctuation, as if he had been emptied out.
He spoke earnestly:"For you to see."
"I have what they have."
"Is that enough?"
"Look at me more."
