Every year on her birthday, Catriona would gather with friends and her son, enjoying a big meal, eating cake, and blowing out candles.
Or they would gather at her place, buy groceries, and cook together, chatting and laughing with her friends.
Catriona had been at Luna Palace for three months now.
In another three months, she would be moving back to her new house.
For her twenty-sixth birthday, she decided to spend it at her own place.
Shopping for groceries, celebrating in her new home with her friends, bringing warmth into the house—all of it felt meaningful.
What she didn't know was that as soon as she entered the bathroom to wash up, the young cub, who had been fast asleep on the big bed, suddenly opened his big eyes and got up.
The cub's short black hair was messy, with two tufts sticking up, his little wolf ears perked up, and he glanced toward the bathroom.
Mommy was brushing her teeth.
He quickly scrambled down from the bed, bottom sticking up, and pulled out a small box from under the bed. It was a gift he had prepared in advance.
He hugged the box, opened his backpack, and placed it inside.
Last night, before going to bed, Mommy had mentioned that she wanted to celebrate her birthday at home instead of at Luna Palace.
After hiding the little gift, he rubbed his eyes and let out a small yawn.
Time to get dressed.
Every night, Mommy would lay out the clothes for him to wear the next day on the nightstand. Waggling his little tail, he walked over.
On the nightstand was a new outfit: a white crew neck sweatshirt with a plump cartoon rabbit printed on the front.
Cedric picked up the little sweatshirt, stared at the chubby rabbit with his big black eyes, licked his small lips, and happily put on the sweatshirt.
After putting it on, he looked down, pinched the rabbit's ears, and let out a tiny howl, moving his mouth as if to say, "I'll eat you~"
When Catriona came out of the bathroom and saw that her son had already dressed himself, she was briefly stunned, then smiled and said, "Wow! You dressed yourself, baby! So great! You look adorable!"
Cedric stood by the sofa, one hand holding a toy car, the other gripping his shirt hem. His chubby cheeks puffed up slightly as he secretly smiled, looking a bit embarrassed by the compliment.
Then, he put down the toy car and ran over to Catriona, "Mommy."
"Come on, after you brush your teeth and wash your face, let's go shopping for groceries with Mommy, okay?"
"Okay," Cedric nodded enthusiastically.
Catriona's eyes curved in a smile as she gently pinched his cheek.
By eight o'clock, they were ready to go. Catriona held her son's hand as they walked out of the room, stepping on the carpet, crossing the hallway, and heading downstairs.
As soon as they reached the first-floor lobby, the werewolves burst into noisy chatter.
"Hey, she's here, she's here."
"Catriona's coming down; I'm giving my gift first."
"Don't fight me for it; I'm first!"
"Well, I'm first!" Ruby dashed upstairs with a little howl and handed her a gift with both hands, "Catriona, happy birthday! This is the gift I prepared!"
It was a long, narrow wooden box with delicate carvings, looking quite old.
Before Catriona could speak, Ruby couldn't hold back, "This is a hairpin that my grandma brought back from the human world over two hundred years ago."
Catriona froze.
"This is..."
Isn't this an antique?
"This is too valuable, thank you, but I don't—"
"Go on, put it on; you'll look amazing." Ruby wagged her tail, smiling sweetly, a dimple appearing on her cheek.
She seemed to be looking for praise?
Catriona gave an awkward smile, feeling a bit overwhelmed, especially as she looked down to see the werewolves lined up along the staircase on the first floor. Each one held a small gift, tails wagging as they looked up at her with eager anticipation. Her head began to spin.
They all hoped she would gladly accept their gifts.
Could she even say she didn't really want to accept them?
Take Ruby, for example—she came right up with such an expensive gift, at least to her it felt that way. But their relationship didn't quite feel close enough for such lavish gifts, did it?
She smiled. "How did you all know today is my birthday?"
"Mommy! I told them!" Cedric lifted his chin proudly, clearly delighted as he watched all the werewolf uncles presenting gifts and congratulating his mother. He was genuinely happy for her.
Catriona:...
Thank you, dear son.
Looking at those small gifts, she felt a bit tired, as if she were seeing one little favor after another that she'd have to repay.
"I appreciate your kindness, thank you all, but let's skip the gifts, alright?"
The werewolves didn't expect her to refuse the gifts.
They were all stunned when she said this.
But when they looked at Catriona, she was still smiling warmly, approachable, gentle as always, with nothing different about her.
It had been three months, and they had grown to really like Catriona. She was nice and often told them stories, and they thought their relationship was already quite close.
But why wouldn't she accept the birthday gifts they gave?
The werewolves were puzzled, wondering if something was wrong. For the first time, they felt that although Catriona was so close, she seemed so far away.
Black said quickly, "Well... no problem! The kitchen is preparing a big meal today, and we'll order a big cake for you. This is your first birthday at Luna Palace, and we want to celebrate it with you."
"Yes, yes, Black is right."
"How about it, Catriona? What do you think?"
Catriona shook her head and said with a light smile, "Thank you all. I really appreciate the thought, but I won't be at Luna Palace today, so no need to order a cake for me. Don't worry about me; it's just an ordinary birthday, nothing special."
After speaking, her gaze involuntarily scanned the wolves and the first floor.
She paused for a moment, realizing she didn't see Roderick. Had he not come downstairs yet?
But it had nothing to do with her, right?
After finishing, she took her son downstairs, left the main hall, and got into her car.
Cedric, sitting in his safety seat, looked at her with wide, questioning eyes. "Mom, why didn't you take their gifts? Don't you like them?"
Catriona was silent for a moment, then said, "Mom has already received their gifts."
Cedric's small brows furrowed in confusion. "You did?" He hadn't seen that.
"Mom has received their intentions, and their well-wishes too. A gift doesn't have to be a physical object, you know."
"Intentions?" Cedric tilted his head, only half understanding.
"Yes," Catriona said softly. "For example, if you say 'Happy Birthday' to me right now, then Mom will have received your gift too."
"Mom, I get it now!"
Cedric's eyes sparkled as he smiled. "Mommy, happy birthday. You're the best and the most amazing. You're the best!"
Cedric stretched out his small hand to emphasize, "Mommy is the best—the very best mom in the world!"
Catriona smiled gently, pressing her lips together.
"Thank you, little one. Mom is very happy. To me, you are also the best little one in the world."
Cedric blinked his big eyes and asked earnestly in his sweet, childish voice, "Did Mom receive my intentions?"
"Mom has received them!" Their car made its way down the mountainside road, drawing them closer to home.
