Catriona looked at the invitation to dine in the text, then glanced up at Roderick, feeling an odd sense of curiosity and doubt.
Roderick, already holding hidden intentions, looked away awkwardly when he noticed her gaze, raising a hand to adjust the cub's tidy clothes.
With his eyes slightly lowered, his long lashes cast shadows, hiding the deep, bashful feelings in his eyes.
Catriona paused, feeling that something was strange.
She looked over at the main table not far away, where all of Roderick's friends were seated, the same ones she'd met before.
Back then, Roderick had also taken the trouble to text her.
But the message had been the complete opposite.
That time, he'd said, "When you see my friends, please try to say as little as possible. Thanks."
Now, he was saying, "May I invite you to sit by my side for the meal?"
The difference was quite significant. Back then, he clearly didn't want her to be part of his social circle.
Was it because he'd inexplicably started liking her that he'd changed so much?
Catriona's lips curved slightly, and she squinted her eyes a bit.
What should she do? She... kind of didn't want to agree.
Actually, it was Roderick's birthday, and they had a cub together. Normally, with a bit of maturity, she wouldn't make a fuss over something like this.
When she was young and bullied by her relatives' children, adults often told her not to make a fuss.
If she nodded, her relatives would pat her head and praise her for being understanding.
She'd grown up relying on others, never truly independent, so she'd learned to adapt. Over time, she became accustomed to outwardly showing tolerance, appearing gracious and gentle. But inside, her heart was often cold and laced with cynicism.
After all, these people weren't important to her; they weren't people she intended to keep in her life long-term. They didn't matter. As long as she maintained her control in the moment, that was enough. She handled them the way she always had, with practiced restraint.
Sometimes, she felt as if she were split in two. She wasn't gentle at all, nor generous. She held grudges; if anyone did even a little thing against her, she'd shut them out, unwilling to get close.
Since childhood, she hadn't had the luxury of getting angry and storming off. Living in her relatives' home, she couldn't throw a fit and storm out, expecting someone to come fetch her.
No one would come for her; she had tried that.
She envied those kids who could sulk and skip meals, those who could afford to throw fits with their parents.
If she skipped a meal, so be it; if she threw a fit, she'd be labeled an "ungrateful brat."
Roderick's invitation to dinner could have been taken lightly—agreeing would've smoothed things over and kept everyone happy.
But somehow, that long-buried, obedient string within her suddenly didn't feel like cooperating.
So, she started typing her reply.
"Better not. Isn't that table full of your close friends, Mr. Nightblade? I tend to talk a lot; I'd hate to accidentally get too cozy with them."
After sending the message, she stepped forward and joined the couple from earlier, naturally sitting down at their table.
Would Roderick be angry?
Few people would probably turn him down, right?
But, whether he was angry or not, she didn't care.
"You..." The little werewolf girl's mother was momentarily stunned, as if she hadn't expected Alpha's mate to sit with them.
Catriona smiled, "Let's eat together. I'm a bit hungry myself."
"Oh, yes, of course! But..." The mother glanced behind her at Alpha.
Roderick, holding the cub in one arm, was looking at the message on his phone.
The entire werewolf was a bit stunned.
She had turned him down.
He remembered the last gathering. He had wanted to bring the cub to meet his friends, but since the cub wasn't familiar with him and might not have wanted to go without Catriona, he reluctantly invited her—sending a rather silly message...
Now, her refusal was understandable, perfectly reasonable.
There was no reason everything he said should be her command.
She was the cub's mother, not his employee.
Roderick took a deep breath, suppressing the brief flicker of gloom in his eyes. Holding their little one, he walked straight toward Catriona.
If she wouldn't come to him, it didn't matter; he would go to her.
After all, he would always find his way to her.
After sitting down, Catriona smiled and greeted the werewolves at the table. They looked at her, flattered and surprised, and she thought, wasn't it perfectly fine to have a meal with them?
Why bother sitting with Roderick's friends?
The last time they'd had a gathering, she'd met his friends only once, but it wasn't her imagination—she sensed that some of them seemed to have an issue with her.
Just as she was thinking about it, she sensed someone standing next to her.
At the same time, she heard the quiet clinking of glasses and excited voices from the werewolves at the table. "Alpha!!"
"Wow, the Alpha Roderick is here!"
Catriona was slightly taken aback and slowly looked up.
She met Roderick's dark eyes as he pressed his thin lips together, his long gaze slightly downcast as he spoke, "Before, I was in the wrong. May I sit here?"
"..."
With all these werewolves and the cub present, could she even say no?
Even more shocking was when this silly wolf had become so willing to set aside his pride. To ask her if he could sit somewhere—wasn't this his own home?
Also, wasn't he going to sit with his friends?
All the werewolves at the table looked at her, nearly begging her to nod.
They seemed very eager to share a table with Roderick.
Meanwhile, murmurs began to rise around them.
"Did Alpha make his mate angry?"
"Sounds like it, he's trying to make peace."
"So Alpha is really with this human, huh?"
"Of course! They even have a cub together—why wouldn't they be together?"
"Turns out, even Alpha is just like us at times. I'm terrified when my mate gets angry—she bites hard!"
"Alpha's mate is human, so she probably doesn't bite that hard, huh? Lucky him."
...
Catriona didn't hear the murmuring, but Roderick certainly did, and his lips quirked up almost imperceptibly as he saw her nod. She said, "You can sit wherever you want; it's your home, after all."
Roderick's thin lips parted, and he replied almost without thinking, "But I only want to sit beside you."
As soon as he said this, a few werewolves let out playful howls.
Catriona, caught off guard by this somewhat suggestive statement, frowned slightly and glanced at Roderick.
What was up with this wolf?
She saw that after he'd said those words, he was embarrassed himself, his short black hair framing ears tinged with red.
With his gaze lowered, he looked at her briefly before looking away again.
A trace of regret flashed in his eyes—would Catriona think he was being too frivolous?
Catriona suddenly leaned toward him, causing Roderick's body to tense slightly.
She extended her hand.
Roderick didn't dare move a muscle.
Then he heard Catriona say, "...When did he fall asleep? It's time to eat, and he's dozed off again."
She was looking at the cub. She was talking about the cub.
Roderick felt a slight relief, yet strangely, a hint of disappointment lingered. Disappointment? What was he even thinking...
The little one was indeed fast asleep, nestled comfortably in his father's arms, his long lashes fanning out like tiny brushes, one small hand clutching the edge of his shirt, sleeping peacefully.
Roderick had said that since this was a crucial period for bone development, more sleep was beneficial, so Catriona decided not to wake her son.
He could eat after he woke up.
Aside from her, all the werewolves were eating meat.
At Luna Palace, they were serving beef, lamb, pork, horse meat, snow rabbit, snow bird...
Basically, it was an endless supply of meat.
Catriona thought this must be heaven for meat lovers.
At the main table in the center.
Silas spread his hands and laughed, shaking his head. "Alright, let's just eat our food."
"It's different when he has a mate he care about, huh?"
"Isn't Snowheart coming down?"
"She has too many suitors. She's already hiding."
Magnus looked away from Roderick, silently thinking he hadn't expected Roderick to become one of those werewolves trailing after his mate.
Settling on a mate this early—didn't it seem a bit troublesome?
As he was thinking, he sensed a gaze watching him from the side.
It was Sapphire.
Sitting with the Black and others, she had almost forgotten to eat, her beautiful eyes fixed on Magnus, filled with emotions—love, longing, sadness, and a touch of hurt.
Magnus paused briefly, then looked away.
The last time he came to Capital, he hadn't gone to see her.
With so many werewolves around, she didn't dare approach him. She was too timid; she clearly wanted to talk to him but was afraid to come over.
He sighed and, after finishing his meal, went to the quiet lakeside.
Sure enough, the female werewolf in a blue dress ran over, stopping two meters away.
"When are you leaving this time?"
"Tonight."
"Don't you want to see me? Am I causing you trouble?" Sapphire's voice grew increasingly pained. "I know you were in Capital last time... but you didn't come to see me. I kept hoping, waiting for you to reach out." Her voice trembled, and tears began to fall. "Do you... hate me now? Do you think I'm useless?"
Magnus turned around, sighing. "No, I don't hate you."
Sapphire was wearing a blue off-shoulder dress, her exposed skin fair and glowing. She had dressed up today, even putting on lipstick.
"Do you like using things that human women use?" Magnus asked.
Sapphire immediately covered her face, but feeling the gesture was too abrupt, she awkwardly lowered her hands and her gaze. "Yes, Catriona taught me." She lowered her head even more, embarrassed. "...Is it not nice?"
Magnus gave her a deep look, neither nodding nor denying, and said, "Use whatever you like. Whether I think it looks good or not doesn't matter."
He wasn't her mate; she didn't need his opinion. The words reached his lips, but somehow, he didn't say them.
He sniffed the air slightly.
There was still a faint scent of that male werewolf on her, the brown one, called William.
Magnus's mood grew irritable.
"In the flower shop, how old is that male werewolf?"
He blurted out the question.
The change in topic was too sudden, and Sapphire hesitated before replying honestly, "He'll be twenty in a month."
Magnus pressed his lips together, his tone more severe than he intended. "You know this much about him?"
He seemed even more annoyed.
"No, he just said it himself." Sapphire, sensitive to his emotions, asked cautiously, "Are you upset?"
"No." Magnus steadied his breathing.
Did that young male werewolf not realize he was leaving his scent around, or was it on purpose...
No, it wasn't his business.
Sapphire had the freedom to choose a mate. If he couldn't offer her a commitment, he shouldn't hold her back.
Sapphire needed protection, and it was probably good for her to find a mate soon.
Thinking this, he said a few more words and left without looking back, though there was a nagging discomfort in his heart that he couldn't ignore.
Roderick's thirtieth birthday passed peacefully and harmoniously, with the pack eating, drinking, and chatting at Luna Palace. By sunset, they had left with their families.
Only familiar faces remained at Luna Palace.
Snowheart had gone into hiding somewhere, and Catriona, who had wanted to see her again, hadn't managed to catch a glimpse.
Night fell.
At Luna Palace, the Black and others were busy carrying in the gifts sent by the pack. Word had spread among the werewolves that Alpha had a young heir now, and they'd brought little presents for Cedric.
There were snow hare bones, perfect for the little cub's teething.
A necklace crafted from clear, pure snowstones.
And blue stones gathered from the mountain streams.
The werewolves helped unpack the beautifully wrapped box and took out the little gifts to hand to the cub.
Cedric loved these strange little gifts. Holding them in the front of his shirt, he took each step carefully, hugging them as he made his way to his room.
After her shower, Catriona came out to find her son spreading out a layer of various trinkets on the room's rug.
"Mommy, this is the prettiest necklace, and it's for you."
It was a string of snow stones.
"What is this? Jade?" Catriona picked it up and examined it carefully. "It's actually quite pretty."
It was white, transparent, and emitted a faint, soft glow.
Mother and son looked at it curiously for a while until Roderick came in with the cold spring water.
Dressed in white pajamas, Catriona got up instinctively to go to the balcony when she saw him enter.
Roderick's gaze followed her the whole time, but unfortunately, Catriona was busy on her phone and didn't look back at him.
Roderick pressed his lips together and returned to his room.
He lay in bed, unable to sleep, his mind full of thoughts of Catriona and the progress of their relationship.
Holding that button, he stared at it in the darkness for a long while, his ears turning red. But without hesitation, he brought it to his nose and took a deep sniff.
It was filled with her scent.
His ears and tail immediately popped out.
He sat up in bed, grabbed the small box, and found all the buttons that belonged to Catriona.
He held a small handful of them.
No one would know that late at night, a tall werewolf was in his room, shyly and excitedly shaking his big tail, clutching a handful of buttons.
He had no idea how to get closer to Catriona.
Only in the quiet of the night could he be alone, obsessing like a madman.
He even dug up his chat history with Draven and listened to the recording Draven had made when Catriona was first telling her story.
Hearing her soft and beautiful voice, it felt like she was right beside him, yet there was no one next to him.
Roderick was restless, his thoughts wandering. He felt shy at times, crazy at others, sometimes low, and then suddenly elated.
When he woke up in the morning.
Recalling some rather improper scenes from his dreams, Roderick took a cold shower before going downstairs.
He knew he couldn't go on like this. It wasn't even mating season, yet his heart was so unsettled. How was he any different from the younger, inexperienced werewolves who had never been in love—like Black and the others?
But then, he'd never really been in a relationship.
Roderick admitted defeat—he was no different from the Blacks and others.
Or maybe he'd underestimated Black—he had already found someone he liked.
At that moment, Black was bashfully surrounded by his pack members, who were pressing him with questions.
"Come on, Black, where did you meet her?"
"A human woman, not a female werewolf?"
"Black, you lucky dog! You're the only one with a girlfriend. Tell us more."
Black held his phone tightly, unable to suppress his grin. "We're just chatting online right now—it's called an online romance. I haven't met her yet. But she has a voice I really like."
Catriona quietly took a bite of her food, thinking to herself that even werewolves were getting into online dating these days.
Did the other person know she was talking to a werewolf?
Black looked completely blissful. "We've known each other for six months. She calls me 'darling' and plays games with me. It would be perfect if she became my mate."
The other werewolves were green with envy.
"Wow, this traitor went and got a girlfriend on the sly! Kick him out!"
"Ugh! I feel sick!"
"I really do like her. She says she's not that pretty, but I'm not the kind of wolf who only cares about looks. I really like her," Black said, practically radiating happiness.
Listening to this, Catriona felt something was off.
"We're meeting this Saturday, Catriona. Can you help me pick an outfit?"
"Oh, sure."
Roderick ate silently, watching Black's lovesick expression with growing irritation.
Even Black had someone!!
He glanced at Catriona, and his heart skipped a beat, pounding like thunder.
Ahem...
"Cedric, do you want to go swimming today?" He looked at Catriona again and asked.
His face showed nothing, but his mind was going in circles.
