So then.
The family of three got into the car heading to the hospital.
Roderick sat in the driver's seat, glancing now and then at the woman in the back seat through the rearview mirror.
The sound in the car was of mother and son talking.
"Mommy, she said she wanted to come see you. I should have stopped her. I'm sorry, mom. Does it hurt?"
Catriona patted her son's head and pinched his chubby cheeks. "Mom doesn't hurt anymore, it's okay. You don't need to apologize; it wasn't your fault."
Cedric hugged his mom's arm, pressing his chubby face against her and blinking his big eyes earnestly. "Mom, I'll stay with you from now on, and be your eyes."
Roderick glanced in the rearview mirror at the little one who was whining for attention, a slight frown creasing his brow.
Following Catriona all the time?
With the little cub around, it was inconvenient for him to do or say anything to Catriona.
For the first time, he felt that the cub should give them adults a bit of private space.
Also, he was almost five—wasn't it time for him to have his own room?
But the next second, he remembered he had to go to the mother and son's room every night to give the cold spring water, which was an extra opportunity to spend time with Catriona.
So...
Maybe they'd wait to separate rooms until he had won her over.
Thinking this, he met his son's big eyes.
"Dad! Happy Birthday!"
"Mm."
Catriona reminded him, "Didn't you prepare a gift for Dad?"
Cedric lowered his gaze and pulled a small box from his pocket.
"Dad, here, it's my little treasure collection."
Just then, they reached a red light, and Roderick stopped the car.
He turned and reached out to take it. "Thank you, cub."
He opened it and froze for a moment.
Inside was a box of buttons, in all sorts of colors and shapes.
They were all from Cedric's collection; some were his, and some were his mom's.
When some clothes became too worn to wear, he would sit on the sofa holding them, his gaze focused as he extended his small hands, twisting off each button one by one. With his surprising strength, each tug was precise and effortless.
What others might find boring, he loved dearly.
He really liked his dad, so he decided to give some of his precious treasures to him.
Roderick was very fond of the little gift from his son.
He picked up a small button and stared at it.
There was a faint scent of milk on it, clearly from a button near the top of the shirt, close to his neck and chin.
The next button was pure white, noticeably larger.
It carried a faint floral scent—that one was from Catriona.
The scent was so strong.
That must have been from a piece she wore directly, like a blouse close to her skin.
Werewolves liked to smell scents, which were important to them, as they determined many things through smell.
Sitting in the driver's seat, Roderick pressed his lips together, his throat involuntarily moving as he picked up the button, instinctively bringing it to his nose...
"These are all from Cedric's own collection. He loves fiddling with these," Catriona suddenly spoke from the back seat.
Roderick's body stiffened, his actions paused as he snapped back to reality, holding the button tightly in his palm.
He cleared his throat lightly. "Mm, it's nice..."
He was going crazy!
He had almost sniffed that button deeply, right there in the car.
His face began to flush.
If Catriona knew his thoughts... she'd be mad, right?
She was a pure human; she probably wouldn't understand a werewolf's attachment to scent or his desire for the scent of a mate's clothing.
But what was he to do?
Catriona, was a pure human.
If they ended up together someday, would he be able to stop himself from clinging to her clothes, breathing in her scent deeply? Would she be startled, unable to accept it, maybe even disgusted, and leave him?
Things that seemed perfectly normal among werewolves suddenly felt uncertain with Catriona. He found himself panicking, tense, and deeply insecure, realizing he had no guarantee of how she might react.
She was a pure human.
He had fallen in love with a pure human, someone he had avoided as a child.
The family of three arrived at the hospital.
The nurse was taken aback. "Didn't you all just get discharged?"
Holding his mom's hand, Cedric looked up seriously and explained, "My mom was bumped by another kid. Can you please check on her?"
The nurse said, "You just got discharged. Be careful!"
After an examination, there was nothing serious, just a little bleeding from the wound, so they reapplied medication and replaced the bandage.
The family of three set off on their way back.
The little wolf girl who had bumped into Catriona was reprimanded, crying softly, while her parents apologized to Catriona.
Having a child of her own, Catriona was more understanding and forgiving of mistakes made by young children.
Expecting a child to act like a perfectly programmed robot was too harsh and unrealistic, especially since even adults made mistakes.
"Alpha Roderick, we're sorry." The couple had closed their store in a remote part of Capital and hurried over, but now that their daughter had caused trouble, they felt embarrassed to stay.
Luna was gracious, saying it was fine.
But they were preparing to leave.
"Have you eaten yet?" Catriona asked politely as she watched them turn to leave.
"No, it's fine. We're not hungry right now..."
"Let's talk after you've eaten."
"Really... we're very sorry. Thank you for your understanding."
After Alpha Roderick took the human lady to the hospital, the werewolves with children had all hurried to pull their cubs close.
The werewolves overheard this conversation.
Watching the graceful human woman, poised and gentle in her every action, he couldn't tell if she truly forgave him in her heart or was simply choosing a higher path.
But outwardly, she displayed remarkable emotional intelligence. She had every right to be angry, to yell and curse—she was, after all, the mother of Alpha's cub. She had every right, and there was an undeniable nobility about her.
But such a scene would be quite unpleasant.
With so many werewolves here for Alpha Roderick's birthday, she kept the situation calm, leaving most of them with a positive impression of this human woman.
Roderick held the cub, watching Catriona, and for some reason, his ears reddened slightly.
He said, "Thank you."
Catriona didn't understand what he was thanking her for, but she saw him typing a message on his phone.
The next moment, Catriona's phone chimed.
Roderick glanced at her, slightly awkward. "Check your phone."
Catriona paused, then opened her phone.
She saw the message from Roderick.
[Silly Wolf]: "May I invite you to sit by my side for the meal?"
???
If anyone else had said that, she wouldn't think much of it.
But since Roderick had gone to the trouble of texting it, she felt... that this meal might not be so simple?
