Cedric, with a pout, returned to his father's office.
With him was the fainted little bunny.
As he entered, Roderick's amber eyes fixed on him, his expression indifferent, his tone casual: "So you're not pretending anymore in front of me?"
Cedric sat in the pile of toys, pulled out the bunny, and said, "I'll return it back later."
He raised his similarly amber wolf-like eyes and looked at Roderick, asking, "Are you going to tell Mommy?"
Roderick curled his lips slightly, "Not interested."
Werewolves often lack many conventional moral beliefs. Deep down, they are driven by their own desires, doing as they please, living by their own rules. Their pursuit of happiness and satisfaction is ruthless, and they take what they want without hesitation.
Of course, having interacted with pure humans for a long time, they have also been learning from them.
Cedric, raised by Catriona, appeared to be a good child, but his werewolf genes were also influencing him.
Often, he refrained from certain actions simply because he thought his mother wouldn't want him to.
He could certainly be the good boy his mother saw him as and enjoyed doing so because he loved her and wanted her approval.
However, expecting him to be a perfect, virtuous, and kind-hearted pure human was unrealistic—not even most pure humans could achieve that.
Roderick didn't want to impose all the standards of pure humans on the cub; what Catriona had provided is already plenty.
In fact, he didn't really want to manage the cub, who had been raised in the human world since birth, never encountering another werewolf.
With a kind, pure human mother like Catriona, he already resembled a pure human quite a bit.
However, if the cub truly thought of itself as a pure human, that would be a problem.
A werewolf cub that became a pure human is a pitiful sight, for he will ultimately realize he could not fit into the human world, nor could he blend in with the wolf pack.
This was something Roderick had experienced himself.
Eventually, he made himself act like a pure human.
At present, the cub would not become a second version of him.
Because with Catriona's gentle reassurance, the cub had come to accept his identity well.
He could play with humans, yet also feasted on raw flesh with blood dripping from his mouth.
Cedric stretched out his small hand and poked at the little rabbit, saying, "Such a timid thing."
Roderick reminded lightly, "Don't play it to death."
"Okay."
Ironically, Roderick found werewolves more noble than the unintelligent beasts of the wild, yet their habit of tormenting prey was quite the same.
Especially among felines, there are plenty of examples of catching prey, playing with it, and only eating it after they're done.
Didn't Roderick notice how similar this was? If Catriona were here, she would certainly tease him about it.
Cedric, however, was quite gentle, treating the rabbit like a pet, occasionally pinching its ears or stroking its fur.
He even took out his little camera and snapped a picture of Roderick.
This person he had known for half a year... he didn't dislike him; he was here to treat himself, yet his mother didn't like this man, so they couldn't live together.
His father already had many family members.
His mother had only him.
It seemed that all along, there had only been him.
So, no matter what happened, he had to be with his mother wherever they went.
So, it was time to say goodbye.
—
After returning the trembling little bunny to its place, Cedric followed his father home from work.
His father probably missed his mother too; he could sense that his mood wasn't great.
In the car.
Cedric asked, "Do you still like Mommy?"
"Yes."
"What do you like about Mommy?"
Roderick replied, "Everything."
Cedric sighed like a little adult, "What a pity, Mommy doesn't like you."
Roderick's expression darkened slightly, "What do you know?"
"Are you angry?" Cedric asked, turning to look at him with his big, watery eyes.
Roderick said expressionlessly, "No."
"I'm taking you to the old mansion now."
Cedric exclaimed, eyes wide, "Do you want to see Mommy alone? Do you want to keep her? You miss her, don't you?"
As soon as he finished speaking, his face was pinched by his father, who growled through clenched teeth, "Why are you so chatty today? Close your eyes and sleep; I'll wake you when we arrive."
"No, I'm not sleeping." Cedric fell silent for a moment before saying earnestly, "You can go find Mommy, but don't bully her, or I will hate you."
Roderick released his grip, and the car fell silent.
The scenery outside the window kept rushing past. He pursed his lips, silent. The words his mother had said, and the little cub had echoed it—each one a deliberate reminder. What, was he some kind of villain?
He let out a scoff and ruffled the cub's hair forcefully.
After dropping off the cub at the old mansion, Roderick drove straight to the flower shop.
Catriona went to the flower shop after watching a movie; she had hired someone to manage it, so it could run without her.
Roderick parked outside, pressed his lips together, and strode over.
His tall, shadow-like figure appeared at the door of the store.
Catriona was preparing to wrap a few pink roses when she saw Roderick; before she could react, her arm was tightened, and Roderick silently pulled her outside.
"...What are you doing? Where are we going? What happened?" Catriona's eyes widened. "Is the cub in the car? I haven't taken my bag."
