"Don't be afraid; we're here to help you, we won't hurt you." Catriona gently stroked the little wolf dog's back. The little cub continued to stare at her, wide-eyed as if seeing a ghost, then lowered its gaze to look at its little paws.
He...
Was he dreaming?
Roderick rarely questioned himself; he had drunk last night, so now was he dreaming of becoming a cub and being taken by Catriona to the vet?
But soon he realized this was not a dream.
Everything around him was too real; Catriona's warmth and heartbeat were so close, and his body felt weak, as if it had suffered a severe blow.
Last night... he had wanted to find Catriona, but then intense pain had overtaken him, and he lost consciousness.
What was happening?
He had actually turned back into a cub!
"It looks like this little guy is quite spirited, so he shouldn't have any major issues. If you're worried, we can give him a bath and check him over?"
"It doesn't seem like it has any external injuries," Catriona said, extending her hand and gently feeling over the little one's body.
Roderick's eyes widened, too stunned to move.
If it weren't for his current form as a cub, he'd consider himself incredibly fortunate—Catriona had never been so affectionate towards him before.
"Use this to secure its mouth," the doctor said with a laugh. "I'm afraid it might bite me. I'll give it a bath and deworm it later."
The little creature, once docile in Catriona's arms, began to struggle and resist.
No way. He wasn't going to wear that thing. He certainly wasn't going to let some other woman give him a bath!
He didn't need a physical checkup at all!
Even if Catriona was speaking to him so gently, it didn't matter.
He needed to leave quickly and found a way to return to normal!
Something must have happened last night.
Why did something have to go wrong at this moment? Catriona had just moved out, and since they didn't see each other often, she would soon forget him...
Reluctantly, he broke free, and in the end, he licked Catriona's hand with his tongue before dropping to the ground and running away.
"Little pup!!" Catriona cried out.
The little pup almost slipped as he reached the door.
Ah, so familiar— little pup, again.
This woman...
She would never learn to recognize him.
Catriona hurriedly chased after him, and sure enough, the little cub started to slow down, as if his body was weak.
Roderick felt utterly weak; the more he ran, the less strength he had, and his vision began to blur.
The next second, Catriona scooped him up. "Got you!"
Breathing heavily, Catriona said, "Don't be afraid, don't be nervous. We're not here to hurt you."
The little cub who was fierce with the doctor was surprisingly docile with her, snuggling in her arms, looking extremely cute.
Thinking this, Catriona smiled and said, "You're not hurt, right? Do you want to come home with me?"
Roderick greedily inhaled the scent of the woman, almost losing himself in the warmth of her gentleness. As he lifted his head, he felt something soft press against it.
In an instant, he froze, stunned.
Catriona hadn't noticed anything; she held the little cub tight and hurried home with groceries. Suddenly, she remembered her son would be sad if he woke up and didn't see her. It was only the first day back, and she had already taken too long...
She didn't notice that the little one she was holding tightly had a hint of dazedness in his amber eyes.
When he was in his adult form, Catriona would only reject and avoid him.
But now, this treatment was simply different.
Following her home like this didn't seem so bad?
Catriona rushed home; it was already 7: 30, and her son hadn't woken up yet. She breathed a sigh of relief.
She set the little pup down in the living room. "Don't run around or make noise; there will be food soon, and after dinner, I'll get you a dog bed."
She busied herself in the kitchen.
Roderick looked around the tidy two-bedroom apartment, his little paws leaving traces of scent as he scampered through the living room. Eventually, he reached the bedroom.
Staring at the closed door, he leaped up, turned the handle, and easily nudged the door open with his head.
Cedric, rubbing his eyes, sat up in bed. He locked eyes with the small black wolf cub at the doorway, the two of them staring at each other in silent confusion.
The next second, he widened his eyes in surprise: "!!!!"
A trace of astonishment flickered in Roderick's eyes.
"Who are you?" Cedric suddenly scrambled out of bed, barefoot, and approached the door. "You're just like me! Why are you in my house? What do you want?"
He shouted as if facing a great enemy: "Mommy!"
"Sweetie, you're awake?" Catriona's voice called from the kitchen. "Mommy found a little wolf pup. Don't be afraid."
Hearing that his mom was okay, Cedric sighed in relief.
Then he frowned, looking at the uninvited guest. "You might fool Mom, but you can't fool me. You're just like me."
Not purely human.
He sniffed the air, and a hint of confusion flickered in his big eyes. "But why do you smell like my dad?"
Roderick lowered his gaze, looking at her quietly.
Just moments ago, his mind had been foggy, following Catriona home and completely forgetting about the child's existence.
How could he answer that he was his father?
No way.
How could the cub look him in the eye after that?
"You can't be... Dad's cub too, can you?" Cedric suddenly pondered, speaking slowly.
Roderick:...
"Dad is pure black, I am pure black, and so are you." Cedric became more convinced of his theory.
Roderick:...
"You're not bigger than me. You're the child of Dad and someone else, right?" Cedric pursed his lips, his small face set in a serious expression. "What are you doing in my house? Did your mother send you here? Are you trying to hurt my mom?"
Roderick:...
"Why aren't you speaking? Can't you talk?"
Cedric squatted down, crossing his arms. "Hmph, you're just a little mute."
Catriona, as casually as if she were at Luna Palace, quickly boiled some lamb, cut it into small pieces, then fried two eggs and made a cup of wolf's milk formula. "Baby, finish washing up and then have breakfast."
"Mommy! Get rid of him, he's—" Cedric was about to finish his sentence but paused.
Roderick extended his paw and gently pressed it against his son's mouth.
He let out a few low howls, and Cedric understood.
"Your dad only has you as a cub."
"I belong to your pack."
"I was hurt, and your mother saved me."
Cedric noticed the blood at the corner of his mouth and the smell of blood, uncertainly asking, "Is that true?"
Roderick blinked and countered, "You must be very strong, right?"
Cedric immediately raised his chin, feeling good about himself, and replied, "Mm."
"If I really had bad intentions, you could take me on, right?"
Cedric thought about it and realized, yes.
"Can I stay at your place for a few days to recover?" Roderick saw the cub was intrigued, his amber eyes narrowing slightly.
Cedric frowned. "I can tell my mommy to take you home."
"I can't go home yet."
"Why not? Is someone hurting you?"
"Baby, do you really like this little wolf dog?" Catriona emerged from the kitchen with food, interrupting the two little ones' conversation.
"Mommy, where did you find him?"
"Right at the entrance of our building," Catriona set down the tray and crouched down. "How about letting him be your little buddy?"
Catriona had initially doubted whether this was a wolf cub, but her son's reaction made her feel she had overthought it; how often do you just stumble upon a wolf cub?
If it were a wolf cub, her son would have shouted it out long ago.
She went back to the kitchen, chopped up the remaining lamb into smaller pieces, mixed it with milk, and poured it into a bowl to feed the little wolf dog.
In the living room.
Cedric awkwardly asked, "You're also a Nightblade?"
Seeing him nod, he pouted his little lips. "I'm a Ashford, named Cedric. If you're a Nightblade, what's your name?"
Roderick didn't answer but said, "Help me keep it a secret from everyone. What do you want? I can get it for you."
"Do you have gold bars?"
Roderick: "...Yes."
Cedric boldly declared, "I want a box of gold bars."
Roderick looked at the cub's chubby face, his lips twitching. "Alright."
Catriona walked out of the kitchen with the meat. "Come here, little black, eat up."
Catriona patted the little black cub's head and smiled, "So cute, so fluffy and soft."
Hearing this, Cedric hurriedly got off his stool. "Mommy, you can pet me too; I'm fluffy too!"
"Mommy, am I the cutest?"
Roderick:...
His little cub is too eager for affection.
Catriona felt her fluffy-loving life was beginning: "Yes, you are the cutest, and the little black is the second cutest."
Moving out of Luna Palace was fantastic; now she had two fluffy ones.
"Little black, once you finish eating, I'll give you a bath. You have to be good, okay?"
Roderick's body stiffened.
A bath?
With her?
