Under the moonlight.
Standing at the mountaintop, looking down toward the distance, she could see the countless lights of human homes.
One by one, wolves howled and rushed out of the forest.
Catriona lay on Roderick's back, curiously looking around for the entrance.
In the next moment, the giant wolf raised its massive paw and swiped through the dark air. To Catriona's astonishment, it tore open what appeared to be a door-like rift. With a swift motion, the wolf leapt through it.
In an instant, Catriona felt as if she had entered daylight.
She widened her eyes and looked around. There were no flowers, no trees, no sun, no moon, no wind—only endless white, stretching out like a vast, featureless desert.
To the right front of the entrance was something resembling a luxury cruise ship? Three stories high, with visible windows and a red flag.
Was that...
The vessel they were about to board?
She looked down at the white granules Roderick was stepping on, the size of bean, translucent and shimmering.
Just like white beans.
Roderick galloped forward a few steps, the ground beneath them crunching with each stride. Suddenly, howls echoed from behind, and one giant wolf after another leapt through the door.
Roderick lowered his body, and Catriona slid off, holding her son. She landed on the loose sand, squatting down and scooping a handful of it into her palm.
She examined it closely.
"Turns out it's just small stones."
The little cub, curious, turned his wolfish eyes and looked around. Then... his chubby, short paws sank into the sand. With a yelp, he jumped up in alarm, as if afraid the sand might swallow him whole.
He jumped two meters high, just as Roderick transformed back into his human form, and was collided with by the little cub.
He reached out, grabbing the cub's plump belly, bouncing it slightly in the air with an ambiguous smile.
The cub let out an unhappy yelp.
Catriona quickly interjected, "He just ate; don't bounce him around."
"Come to Grandma, little cub!" Madam Nightblade called out, her tone sweet.
As soon as Roderick let go, the cub dashed toward his grandmother's arms.
Madam Nightblade easily lifted the sixty-pound cub, her eyes soft and doting as she kissed him multiple times, "Come here, let's stay with Grandma. Your father is annoying, isn't he?"
The cub nodded vigorously, "Awoo, awoo, awoo!"
"Good cub, let's ignore him."
Catriona smiled as she turned her gaze away. Her son was becoming more familiar with his grandparents, and he clearly knew who truly cared for him.
It was a good thing. As a mother, she hoped her son would receive all the love from his family.
"Roderick, is that the vessel we're going to take?" Catriona asked, pointing at the ship-like object.
Roderick made a sound of acknowledgment, not really paying attention to what his mother and cub were saying. He held Catriona's hand and looked down at her. "Why aren't you calling me 'honey'? Isn't that what you pure humans call your mate?"
"It sounds quite nice," he said with a soft laugh, as if savoring the thought.
"Call me again? Hmm?"
"Actually... we mostly just call each other by name," Catriona said. Normally, it wasn't a big deal, but now, with him staring at her so intently, expecting her to say it, she felt her face flush.
She couldn't help but think—clearly...
It's a perfectly ordinary term, yet when he said it like that, it felt quite something...
She moved her lips.
Roderick's smile grew more mischievous. "Call me that, honey."
Catriona: "..."
She...
She wouldn't call him that!
He was teasing her.
She clicked her tongue and turned away. "I'm leaving."
Roderick followed her slowly, his tone lazy as he elongated the word, "Honey."
"Honey."
"Honey."
As he called out, the other wolves glanced over, whispering, "Wow, Alpha Roderick is bullying the single werewolves."
"Boohoo, having a mate is nothing special."
Catriona's ears flushed red as she turned sharply to glare at him, whispering, "What's the point of calling me that when there's nothing going on?"
Roderick laughed. "I'm calling my honey, legally my wife in human terms."
Ever since Catriona admitted she liked him and agreed to be with him, he hadn't had a single day without joy.
No matter how angry Catriona got, how she glared or scolded him, he found her adorable.
Adorable, so adorable.
Everything about her was cute.
His heart was melting for this woman.
The couple's room was on the third floor, furnished with a bed, a bathroom, a sofa, and a bookshelf.
The design of this place was strange; on the loose granules, they didn't sink in but moved forward smoothly and quickly, like a gust of wind.
They felt no bumps as they moved in the room.
Days passed by.
The weather grew colder.
Catriona stopped playing on the second floor, wishing she could stay in bed all day.
Roderick read stories to her, holding a storybook.
Cedric hugged his bunny doll, already asleep beside them, his chubby face rosy.
Finally...
After half a month, they arrived.
Catriona wore a fluffy hat and scarf, bundled up warmly as she gazed out at the pristine white snow.
Towering and pointed snow peaks rose up, seemingly endless, and the endless mountain ranges stretch endlessly, rolling and undulating as if they have no end, reaching into the sky.
Everything is buried beneath the snow, as if the world itself has been draped in a thick, silent blanket of winter.
Roderick spoke up, introducing, "This is Snow Peak Forest. Every peak is home to wolf packs."
Catriona's eyes widened. "So that's how it is."
"What about the snow mountains?"
Roderick replied, "Both left and right are snow mountains."
Catriona paused, looking up with a puzzled expression. "That white patch on the left? You can't even see the mountain's outline!"
At her words, Roderick couldn't help but chuckle, finding Catriona adorably clueless.
"Why can't you see the mountains?" he asked with a playful grin, gazing at her affectionately.
Cedric rubbed his eyes, staring at the snow mountains. He saw a sea of white, but no matter how he looked up, he couldn't see the top, frowning slightly. "So high."
Catriona gasped, suddenly understanding.
"So it's because we're too small."
The snow mountains on both sides loomed into the clouds, like white mist, overseeing and protecting the Snow Peak Forest, invoking an inexplicable sense of peace and emotion.
Catriona couldn't quite express what she felt—was it an illusion? Looking at the snow mountains, she felt incredibly relaxed and at ease.
Cedric gazed at the mountains, letting out a small "Awoo."
In the next moment, the snow mountains that looked like white mist revealed a faint layer of rainbow colors, stunningly beautiful.
"Woohoo! Mommy! Look!" Cedric exclaimed excitedly.
Catriona's eyes sparkled with wonder. "So beautiful!"
From below came the excited voices of the wolf pack.
"Awoo! So amazing!"
"Awoo! The last time I saw snow rainbow was back in my cub days!"
"How lucky we are to see the snow rainbow again this time!"
In the center of Snow Peak Forest stood the tallest peak.
Along the snow staircase, halfway up the peak, stood a woman dressed in white. She had black hair, long and straight, flowing behind her. Her snow-white face had slight wrinkles, and her gaze was like a silent sea.
She gazed at the snowy mountains and said lightly, "You're still the same, huh?"
A cub has returned.
A new member has come back.
The snowy mountains welcome new life.
