Roderick successfully intercepted the werewolf attempting to take Catriona away.
Meanwhile, Magnus was rushing non-stop towards Luna Palace.
The two werewolves took separate paths, each trying to reach the one they cared about.
When he heard Draven's call for support from Luna Palace, Magnus didn't know why, but his mind immediately turned to that female werewolf there.
She was so timid and prone to crying, just like when he first saved her. She had been so shattered and hopeless.
He didn't want her to go through that again.
With this thought weighing on him, he ran back to Luna Palace.
Roderick's mate, Catriona, surely had many who sought to protect her, yet that blue female wolf, despite being in Luna Palace, held no special status. Unlike Catriona's noble standing, she merely resided there. In the chaos, who would take the time to look after her, to shield her?
Was she... still alive?
The pure gray werewolf ran desperately down the mountain, panting heavily, and the thought of whether that female was still alive seemed almost unbearable.
His foot slipped, unable to dodge in time, and he ended up crashing headlong into a big tree.
"Grrr..."
He shook his dazed head vigorously, panting with his tongue lolling out, and continued to run, while behind him, his wolf pack struggled with all their might, yet still lagged far behind.
He actually... feared that the female werewolf might die.
The delicate female who always looked at him with such dependent eyes... would she die?
His heart ached fiercely.
In Luna Palace.
Draven leapt onto the rooftop with the cub on his back. After shedding a few tears at first, the cub remained silent, clinging tightly to his fur. The once bright and expressive black-and-white eyes now appeared hollow and indifferent, devoid of the spark they had when gazing at his mother.
"Cub?" Draven called out to him.
"Dad will save Mom, right?"
"Awoo, yes, I'm sure he will."
Cedric's little face was tense, his young voice showing no emotion, "Why?"
Draven let out a low growl.
"Because your dad is very strong. You haven't seen his pure wolf form, have you?"
Cedric blinked slowly, a dim light flickering in his moist eyes, "Mr. Draven, if I were strong too, then... Mom wouldn't have been taken."
He really wanted to become strong.
The pure brown wolf shook the cub on his back and let out a low growl, "You're still just a milk-drinking cub; why blame yourself? Your cold spring water is hidden in my fur. Take it and drink it."
"Oh, thank you." Cedric climbed up the furry back, reached into the fur, found a small bottle, and opened it to drink.
Downstairs, all around, there were sounds of werewolves biting and fighting.
He lifted his gaze to the cold, clear moonlight, and in his damp eyes, memories began to surface. He recalled lying on the soft, comfortable bed, where his father would feed him with cool spring water and stay to chat with him, filling the room with warmth and laughter.
And Mom would be there, standing where he could see her.
Looking at things now, Dad hadn't come back for days.
And Mom had been taken away.
He had to drink the cold spring water by himself now.
It was all... all those bad people's fault!
His gaze moved downward, staring at the ugly fallen werewolves, "Mr. Draven, go bite them."
He understood that Draven had to remain on the rooftop to protect him, unable to join the battle below.
"I will hold on tight; let's go," he whispered.
Indeed, Draven was uneasy about leaving the cub alone on the roof. Wherever he went, he would carry the little one, feeling assured only that way. Alpha Roderick was just this one cub, and he had to safeguard him at all costs.
At that moment, hearing the little one's words surprised him.
The cub was the most vulnerable and helpless stage in a werewolf's life, needing the protection of adult wolves to grow up safely. Timid and frail, the cub would tremble at the slightest hint of danger, tucking its little tail between its legs and whimpering softly with plaintive cries.
After all, they're small enough to be swallowed in one bite.
Yet, this little one was telling him to go down and fight.
"Aren't you afraid?"
Cedric furrowed his small brows, a glint of determination in his eyes. "No, I'm not afraid. I'll become as strong as Daddy."
Draven agreed, "Then hold on tight and pay attention!"
With that, he leapt from the rooftop to a lower one nearby and then down to the ground, joining the fray.
Cedric clung tightly to the fur in his hand, seeing clearly as a fallen werewolf opened its mouth, foul saliva dripping down.
Then, the creature bit into Lightblaze's back, blood dripping down from its mouth, satisfaction and madness gleaming in its eyes.
Cedric's eyes widened, and a spark of anger flared up within him.
At that moment, Draven let out a sharp growl, "Cub, watch closely!"
Before his roar could fade, Cedric felt the Draven leap forward like lightning, his head turning sharply as he clamped his massive jaws around the throat of the fallen werewolf. With a powerful twist of his wolfish head, crimson blood splattered across the cub's delicate, pale face.
The fallen werewolf fell to the ground, and the yellow-and-black werewolf was saved.
"Draven, the cub..." Lightblaze howled.
The next second, a fierce, authoritative howl sounded from Luna Palace. Lightblaze's eyes widened. That was... the leader from another city!
The real reinforcements had arrived!
The fallen werewolves also faltered.
A giant, pure-gray wolf appeared on top of the wall, leaping down with a fierce growl, launching into the fray.
After a while, more werewolves climbed over the walls, joining the support.
After killing two fallen werewolves, the large gray wolf started sniffing around, searching for something.
He dashed into the main house, following the scent into a room filled with Sapphire's scent, only to find it empty.
He froze for a moment.
Then, he frantically began searching every corner of Luna Palace, checking each fallen werewolf's corpse carefully.
In the distance, a slightly smaller wolf floated in the lake of Luna Palace, motionless, as if it were dead.
The large gray wolf let out a sharp, despairing howl and, using all his strength, charged forward, diving into the lake with a splash.
No...
It couldn't be...
He let out fierce howls of rage interspersed with pained whimpers, panting heavily as he swam to the side of the werewolf, gripping it firmly in his jaws and dragging it toward the shore.
Reaching the shore, dripping wet, he took a closer look and saw it was an ugly fallen werewolf that had been dead for a while.
He had mistaken it—thankfully... he had mistaken it.
Relieved, the large gray wolf swayed slightly, the intense highs and lows of life condensed into this moment.
He strained to relax, releasing all tension from his senses, enduring the sharp sting of the cacophony around him, as he focused intently on the sound of Sapphire's voice.
The next second, he moved, turned, and scaled the wall.
At the same time, every fallen lone werewolf in Luna Palace had been killed.
Roderick scooped up Catriona and leaped over the high wall, returning to Luna Palace. From a distance, he spotted the remains of the fallen werewolves, their shredded flesh scattered like pale pink confetti.
He frowned, shielding Catriona's view as he climbed through the window into his own room.
His room was untouched.
"Stay here for now."
"Don't go downstairs."
Honestly, this was Catriona's first time in Roderick's room.
