Sapphire had been attacked by the fallen werewolves before. In the forest, those savage beasts had approached her, drooling with hunger, the stench wafting through the air.
She knew her fate would be dire, having heard tales of others who were humiliated, tortured, and then devoured.
Just as she was on the brink of despair, Magnus transformed into his pure wolf form, appearing like a god from nowhere. With his sharp claws and fangs, he fought fiercely against the pack of beasts.
The sight of the male werewolf battling, the terrifying roars of fury, frightened the naturally timid female werewolf, causing her to curl up tightly as tears streamed down her face.
She thought despairingly, there's no way he can win...
The pure gray werewolf was big, but how could he possibly take on a pack of fallen werewolves?
She had just come down from the mountain and didn't know he was the renowned ruler.
He never allowed himself a moment's rest; he was a diligent and responsible ruler. The number of werewolves and ordinary humans he had rescued was countless.
She would never forget that day.
Before the other werewolves arrived, the pure gray wolf had won. He howled toward the sky, calling out to the others.
Then he transformed into a tall, upright, half-wolf, half-human form.
He skillfully took out chains to bind the fallen werewolves. His leg was severely injured, yet he remained silent, as if feeling no pain.
The scent of blood was thick.
He glanced at the trembling female werewolf, her clothes torn. He took off his own shirt and threw it over to her, covering her completely.
The female wolf shook violently, as if frightened. Magnus, rarely encountering such a timid werewolf, felt a surge of compassion. As he prepared to leave, he spoke to reassure her, "Lady, it's over."
The blue-haired female werewolf carefully lifted his shirt, revealing a pale, delicate face.
In that moment, Magnus found himself inappropriately recalling a scene from a human drama, where a bride wrapped in a pristine white veil celebrated her wedding night.
"Soon, your pack members will arrive. Just follow them," he said, turning to walk away.
But behind him came a weak yet panicked voice, "Wait... don't go."
"Let me stay with you... please... don't leave me behind."
The female werewolf, draped in his oversized clothing, whimpered as she hurried after him, matching his pace step for step.
Having arrived in human city, she found herself in the manor known for its Alpha—filled with many pack member, most of whom had been rescued by Magnus.
There were numerous female werewolves there, all harboring affections for the Alpha, just like her.
In the manor, it was rare to see Magnus; he was always too busy.
Perhaps due to her timid and cowardly nature, the other female werewolves didn't take a liking to her.
So, she didn't want to stay there anymore.
But where could she go alone? She was very afraid of encountering the fallen lone werewolves again.
Magnus kindly took her to the neighboring city, to the home of Capital's ruler, Luna Palace.
Capital's Alpha generously accepted her, as did the werewolves in Luna Palace. There were no werewolves here who disliked her, and she saw him even less frequently.
Magnus was a very good Alpha, caring for his pack and maintaining peace. Even after sending her to Luna Palace, he would occasionally check if she was adjusting well or if she needed anything.
But that was the extent of their relationship.
She was merely one of the pack members he had rescued.
Sapphire hid in her room, her face full of disappointment as she thought, he's probably the same with other werewolves too.
She didn't feel like she was anything special.
Downstairs.
Magnus withdrew his gaze, along with some strange and unnecessary thoughts.
Roderick's gaze swept over the pack, his brows sharp, his expression stern. "Within half a month, capture all the fallen werewolves who descended the mountain. If your lives are threatened, don't bother taking them alive."
"Yes!"
"Yes! Alpha Roderick."
But Luna Palace only had a dozen or so werewolves.
Roderick needed to call on his scattered pack members across this city of millions.
Only he had the right to do so.
He was about to go to the highest rooftop of Luna Palace to howl when his gaze lingered on Catriona and her son.
He paused, as if he wanted to say a few comforting words, but in the end, he said nothing and turned, striding away.
Catriona felt that as a pure human, standing there was a bit out of place, so she took her son back to their room.
Just as she closed the door.
She suddenly heard a sound that seemed to come from afar, an ethereal and slightly mournful tone, like ancient and mysterious whispers. Before she could fully grasp what was happening, she saw her son transform right before her into his pure wolf form.
A chubby, solid little wolf cub.
The little wolf cub seemed very excited, ready to burst out the door and head toward the source of the sound.
Fortunately, Catriona reacted in time. "Cub, sweetie."
She scooped up the heavy cub and held him in her arms.
The little cub stuck out his tongue and licked his mom's hand, letting out a soft, babyish howl, "Awoo, awoo awooo—"
He seemed a bit eager.
"Sweetie, what are you saying? Mommy can't understand."
The cub's howling paused, and he scratched his ear with his short, chubby paw. In the next second, he transformed into a half-wolf, half-human form, with only his ears and tail marking the difference from a pure human.
"Mommy, Mommy, Daddy is calling me!"
Catriona hesitated. "It's probably... not you he's calling, right?"
Sure enough, before long, more and more werewolves started gathering on the lawn of Luna Palace.
"See? Your daddy is calling them."
So, tonight they're going to capture those fallen werewolves, right?
Roderick... he just got injured. Will he be alright?
Catriona stared at the increasing number of werewolves outside, not even realizing that her brow had furrowed.
He should be okay, right?
At eight o'clock, the night fully descended, and darkness covered the sky.
Roderick entered the room with cold spring water to feed his cub.
He looked at the innocent cub, smelling of milk, and the beautiful woman, feeling a tug in his heart. He had found his weakness.
There were plenty of fallen werewolves who hated him because he "interfered," ruining their plans.
"Take a leave from school," he said in a low voice. "And don't go to your shop for a while."
Catriona heard the note of danger in his voice and immediately nodded in agreement.
Her gaze dropped to his waist. "Take... care of yourself."
"Alright." A faint smile appeared in Roderick's eyes. At that moment, it felt as if they were truly in a partnership—she was concerned for him.
From that day on, Luna Palace became much quieter.
Roderick left ten werewolves to protect the mother and son, and human guards surrounded them in layers, armed.
Catriona stayed at Luna Palace with her son, not venturing elsewhere. Black and the others sometimes returned every couple of days, and their weary expressions, heavy dark circles under their eyes, made it clear just how hard they were working.
This time, even Roderick had been gone for three days.
Catriona held her phone, wanting to message Roderick to ask how he was doing.
But halfway through typing, she realized he might not have his phone with him.
Werewolves communicated through howls, and their hearing was exceptionally sharp.
Using a phone or not didn't matter.
Cedric also sensed that something was off; his dad had gone to catch the bad guys. He often kept his eyes on the main entrance, watching around like his mom's little bodyguard.
Sapphire didn't dare to step out of the house.
But one of them was the mate of Capital's Alpha.
And the other was the closest female werewolf to another Alpha.
The saying goes, "Hit them where it hurts." If they couldn't hit their hurts, they would target their mates.
The fallen lone werewolves had turned into beasts but were not foolish; their odds of a direct confrontation with the rulers were low, and soon, they would be wiped out entirely.
In a last-ditch, desperate move, they started gathering secretly, targeting Luna Palace with a reckless determination.
