At Luna Palace.
The werewolves lay sprawled listlessly around here—on the sofas, stairs, and stair railings—sighing with disappointment.
They hadn't managed to give their gifts, and Catriona wasn't celebrating her birthday at Luna Palace.
She had simply left, holding the cub's hand as she went.
This was an outcome they hadn't anticipated.
Yesterday, they had learned from the cub that today was Catriona's birthday, so they had all prepared small gifts, imagining how happy she would be to receive them.
They pictured her praising their thoughtfulness.
But reality hit them hard, and they were all left stunned.
They still felt dazed, unable to believe or accept the truth.
"Catriona is my first human friend... Awooo..." Ruby drooped her big ears, her tail no longer wagging.
"Aren't we close? Why wouldn't she even take our gifts? Sigh! Sigh! Sigh!"
"It's one thing not to celebrate at Luna Palace, but why wouldn't she accept the gifts... Does she not like them? Or... does she not like us?"
At these words, the werewolves grew even more dejected.
Lightblaze slid down the second-floor railing to the first floor, sighing, "But she still tells us stories... and always smiles at us."
"If she didn't like us, she wouldn't bother dealing with us."
"But just now, I felt like she was so far away from us. Catriona...she really doesn't seem to like us, sigh! Sigh! Sigh!"
"Why does she have to like you?" Draven leaned against the wall, holding a bottle of wine. He took a sip, having skipped the line to present gifts earlier.
He gave a slight smirk. "Just because you little wolves think she's nice, easy to get along with? So you expect her to like you back?"
"Have you ever thought about how she sees you? How easy you are to get along with? Are you good?"
Bruce lowered his eyes. "So, Draven, are you saying that, in Catriona's eyes, we're difficult to be around? Are we bad wolves?"
Draven took another sip and replied slowly, "Not bad wolves, no. But there's one thing you did wrong, something that doesn't sit right."
He looked at the downcast werewolves, his tone growing heavier: "Catriona is the mother of Alpha Roderick's cub. Whether or not Alpha Roderick acknowledged it back then, she's worthy of being called the Luna of Luna Palace!"
"Last time, she personally cooked for you all—how many of you showed up? You must think highly of yourselves! Why should she even like you?"
The werewolves fell silent.
Black murmured, "I went downstairs to eat."
Draven's scarred face looked a bit fiercer: "Anyone else?"
Brownie pursed his lips, his eyes dimming a bit. "She called me, but I didn't go. I couldn't eat that day."
Ruby's eyes turned red. "I couldn't eat either. I thought Grey was dead. No matter how careless or gluttonous I am, I couldn't eat. I'd cried until my throat hurt."
"I didn't sleep all night; I couldn't eat either..."
Draven sneered. "You couldn't eat, couldn't eat, but do you know what Catriona might have thought in that situation?"
"She would think: you're blaming her! You hate her because of Grey! You hold her responsible!"
Draven's words hit them like a heavy hammer, pounding hard on their hearts.
They all opened their eyes wide, filled with disbelief and shock.
"No..."
"I would never think that..."
Lightblaze muttered to himself, "I didn't... I didn't mean it like that!! I didn't blame her! I just couldn't eat; I was upset. Why would I blame her?"
"I swear, I didn't blame her."
Black pressed his lips together. "William fought with me that day... he really did think that way."
Bruce shook his head in disbelief, a flicker of hurt in his eyes. "But I didn't... I've always liked Catriona. If she could be our Luna, I'd be thrilled. That's always what I thought."
"So... because I couldn't eat breakfast that day, has Catriona hated me all this time?"
Thinking about how long he'd been around Catriona, Bruce kept shaking his head, eyes wide, as if unable to accept this outcome.
Because they hadn't come to eat the breakfast Catriona made that day, they felt guilty afterward and started treating her kindly, genuinely, not just because she was the mother of Alpha Roderick's cub, but because she was Catriona.
No matter her future relationship with Alpha Roderick, in their hearts, Catriona's place wouldn't change; she was a friend, and whenever she needed them, they would risk everything to help her.
At that moment, the werewolves who felt disliked by Catriona all felt deeply uncomfortable.
They hadn't realized they'd inadvertently hurt Catriona.
Ruby wiped his tears. "I'm going to tell her everything. I just couldn't eat then. She's my only human friend. I like her so much; she's my favorite."
Draven shook his head. "A bunch of little wolves! When she comes back tonight, don't go crazy. Talk less, make less fuss."
"Can't you tell what kind of atmosphere she wants? She doesn't want to stir things up too much; she has a cub. Go along with her wishes."
"You're not that young anymore. If you keep showing your emotions so openly in the human world, you'll get hurt one day." He took a sip of his drink, as if reminded of his past self.
He had once been like that too, acting recklessly in the human world, unafraid of anything, feeling he could jump, climb, and overpower the frail, powerless humans without fear.
Freshly descended from the snowy mountains, he had been arrogant and proud, thinking he could protect her completely. But reality struck him hard—he couldn't even protect his own mate. He was a failure.
Sapphire sat on the sofa in the corner, eyes downcast, looking at the small gift in her hand. Thinking about Catriona's feelings back then—how hurt she must have been, cooking large pots of food, only for none of them to eat.
Catriona, believing they hadn't come downstairs because they blamed her, must have felt so much pain.
She had actually hurt Catriona so deeply.
It was only natural that Catriona didn't like them.
They weren't close, so why should she accept their gifts? Her birthday had nothing to do with them.
Sapphire's tears kept falling, one drop after another, uncontrollable. She was always like this, helpless, crying at the slightest thing, crying here, crying there—she couldn't seem to do anything else.
She wasn't appealing to the werewolf she adored.
Nor was she liked by the humans she admired.
She was even weaker than a pure human.
Yet, with all this, she still wanted to be Magnus's mate. In both the werewolf pack and the human world, he was respected, successful, remarkable, shining so brightly. How could someone like him ever look at someone like her?
At that moment.
In an instant, the guilt toward Catriona, the pain of being disliked by her, the disregard from Magnus, and her unrequited love for him all flooded her heart, making her cough from the ache.
Her face was streaked with tears.
Finally, she understood: Magnus didn't think she was "too young to settle down."
He simply didn't like her.
Yes, he just didn't like her.
A truth that could have been answered with the words "not interested," yet he had given so many "excuses."
That's right—she saw them all as excuses.
No more hoping, no more waiting, no more caring.
She would stop liking him.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
In the Nightblade Corporation Headquarters Building.
Roderick held a high-level meeting. For Catriona's birthday, he wanted her to never have to worry about material needs again, so he decided to gift her a portion of his personal shares, which passed with unanimous approval.
In the future, she could live however she wished.
He would help her.
He would accompany her, from afar.
