As Roderick watched Catriona reach out to grab him for a bath, he widened his eyes and stepped back.
A bath?
He and Catriona together?
As Catriona picked him up and carried him toward the bathroom, his body tensed, not daring to move. When he heard the sound of running water, he immediately turned his face toward the wall and covered his eyes with his little paws.
Seeing Catriona's naked body was still too...
"The water's just right, I hope." As Catriona murmured, Roderick felt warm water flowing over him, accompanied by her gentle voice. "Little black, don't be afraid."
Roderick:...
What was he even thinking? What was he thinking! How could Catriona possibly bathe with a creature she saw as a dog cub?! Has shrinking also shrunk his intelligence?
Catriona skillfully squeezed out some shower gel and rubbed it on the little guy, gently massaging.
The little one might have been a bit scared, not daring to move, and was very obedient.
After drying his fur, Catriona hugged the little one and kissed him. "So cute!! But why are your ears so hot?"
Roderick didn't dare to look at her, staring at the wall. If he were in human form, his ears would definitely be burning red.
This woman... has stripped him bare once again.
If Catriona had known this was Roderick, she probably would have tossed the little cub aside and started dancing in surprise right there.
After giving the little cub a bath, she headed out with her son to buy a little doghouse.
"Little black, keep an eye on the house, okay?"
Not long after the mother and son left, two figures appeared on the balcony.
"Well, well, isn't that our Roderick? Quite the transformation!" Silas crossed his arms and looked down at the little black cub.
Rowan covered his mouth, his shoulders shaking, before bursting into laughter.
"The last time I saw you as a cub was the last time!"
The little werewolf cub standing in the living room shifted forms, transforming into a four-year-old boy. He was still wearing the clothes from last night's drinking, but now, those clothes were far too large for him.
The little boy frowned, sulked, and muttered something under his breath as he headed to his room.
Before long, he emerged wearing a black hoodie and black sweatpants.
He never thought there would come a day when he would have to wear his own cub clothes.
He walked to the balcony, staring at Silas with a serious expression on his chubby face, and asked in a childish voice, "What did you do? Why did I eat your snow crystal?"
This time, even Silas couldn't hold back his laughter.
Roderick pressed his lips together, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Try laughing again, I dare you."
Silas struggled to suppress his laughter. "Sorry."
"Who knows when you ate the snow crystal? I have to go back to the Snow Mountain to get another one."
Roderick frowned. "This is the snow crystal of an old werewolf. If a young werewolf eats it, they'll revert to their cub state. So maybe ten days or half a month before I can recover!"
Silas said with a grin, "Isn't that great? You can be right next to Catriona at her place. You seem to enjoy it. Haven't you always wanted to join this family?"
The boy shot him a cold glance with his icy eyes and remained silent.
He wanted to join this family, but not as a cub. What could he do now? He was even smaller than his own cub!
"Looking at it this way," Rowan bent down, "you and your cub look so alike. You could easily disguise yourself as your cub; Catriona probably wouldn't even recognize you. You should give it a try!"
The boy scoffed with a cute, chubby face. "Shut up! You brainless idiot."
Disguise as a cub? He was here to find his mate, not to look for a mother.
"I'll be staying here for half a month," the boy said, leaning against the door with a serious expression. "Catriona has a misunderstanding about my identity; you all need to explain."
"How do we explain? Tell her your real identity?" Silas laughed. "Sure, I'd love to."
"Do you want to die?" The boy's big eyes flashed with a hint of menace as he glared at him.
"Oh dear, little Nightblade, who asks for help with such an arrogant attitude?" Silas chuckled, shaking her head. "Honestly, your sweetie son is much cuter."
When Catriona returned with the doghouse, she unexpectedly found Silas and Rowan waiting at her door.
She frowned slightly and stopped at a distance.
"What's going on? Do you need something?"
Rowan looked at the little cub Catriona was holding and waved enthusiastically. "Cub! Hello!"
Cedric immediately looked away.
Rowan froze, shocked into silence.
Silas nudged the obstructing Roderick. "I told you not to come."
He turned to Catriona and smirked. "Catriona, cub." His gaze fell on the doghouse she was carrying, and his smile widened. Was this what Roderick meant by misunderstanding?
"You found a little puppy today, right?"
How did they know?
Catriona's eyes widened, and she bit her lip, realizing, "So, it really isn't a puppy?"
"Yes, that's a soon-to-be four-year-old wolf cub."
"So, you came to take him away?"
"Actually, haven't you noticed how similar this wolf cub looks to your own?" Silas said gently. "Catriona, this cub is also from the Nightblade. In fact, he's your cub's cousin."
He spoke, his eyes brimming with amusement.
Catriona was genuinely surprised. "Well, that's quite a coincidence. I'll contact Madam Nightblade; they must be very worried."
"No need." Silas said. "This cub ran off on his own. He probably saw a cousin around the same age and wanted to play with him. His parents want you to take care of him for half a month—that's their reward for you."
Silas pulled out a box from the wall and opened it, revealing a whole stack of gleaming gold bars. Catriona couldn't help but stare in astonishment.
She was just an ordinary person, and had absolutely no resistance to such things.
But she had to refuse, even if it pained her.
"If this is just for the little cousin of Cedric, there's no need for such formality. Just staying for half a month, that's all."
She forced a dry laugh, her eyes lingering on the gold bars.
This was Cedric's younger cousin—he would only be staying for half a month. If she accepted the box of gold, what kind of person would she be? Roderick had never been stingy with her and Cedric when it came to material things. No matter how much she loved gold, she couldn't bring herself to accept such a gift.
"We're just running an errand for them," Silas said, smiling as he closed the box and placed it against the wall. "Well, thank you, and goodbye."
With that, he quickly dragged the frozen Rowan out of the house.
"Hey, you guys..." Catriona thought the Nightblade must be ridiculously wealthy; was it normal for anyone here to be so extravagant?
At that moment, a clicking sound came from the door as it swung open from the inside.
A small boy with a serious face and tightly pressed lips stood in the doorway.
