After spending a month in the snow-capped mountains, the family of three returned to the human world.
During their time in the snowy mountains, Roderick often transformed into his full wolf form, carrying Catriona to see the snow rivers, the ice-covered peaks, and the countless wildflowers scattered across the hills—flowers whose names could not be spoken, yet their beauty was beyond words.
It was only later that Catriona learned that werewolves with mates would come here to enjoy the flowers.
Little Cedric also had a group of wolf cub friends in the mountains. The day he left, more than a dozen cubs came to see him off, crying and howling, so cute yet pitiful.
Back in the human world,
Roderick began dealing with his accumulated work, while Catriona focused on her flower shop, hotel, and restaurant. But the couple always made time to take Cedric to school and spent weekends taking him out to play.
Two months later,
On an ordinary day, Catriona went to her third flower shop to handle some issues.
The shop was doing fairly well. A few ladies were browsing inside, occasionally asking questions.
Catriona was at the cash register, discussing matters with the staff.
Then, a surprised and hesitant voice came from the side. "Catriona?... Is that you?"
Catriona lifted her gaze. Before her stood a woman dressed in a loose black V-neck sweater and white casual pants, glasses perched delicately on her nose. Her hair, styled in soft curls, framed a face that could not be more than thirty.
Catriona was stunned for a moment. The woman in front of her seemed to overlap with the memory of her college roommate, who wore glasses, plain clothes, and no makeup.
"Are you... Marry?"
Her college classmate and roommate.
Marry nodded quickly. "Yes! It's me! You... " She hesitated, looking at Catriona. "You suddenly dropped out in your sophomore year, and we haven't seen each other since."
Catriona hummed in acknowledgment, giving a slight smile. "What about you? How have you been these years? Come, sit down, don't stand."
After they sat down, a clever staff member quickly brought over some hot water.
"What can we do with this major?" Marry shrugged. "Just like I thought back then, I became a high school history teacher. It's a job with no surprises, really."
Catriona took a sip of water. "That's good."
Marry, holding her cup, had a slight change in expression. Yes, how could she say such things in front of Catriona!
Catriona had once said that she wanted to become a history teacher. Her grandmother had thought it was a wonderful choice. In the old woman's eyes, it was a job that would ensure a lifetime of comfort, one that carried with it a quiet dignity and respectability.
Later, Catriona's grandmother passed away, and she dropped out of school. She lost contact with everyone.
The things they had talked about in school, Marry had now accomplished, though perhaps not with the same happiness or satisfaction as before.
But Catriona had never graduated...
She quickly changed the subject, surveying the flower shop. "Is this your shop? It's really nice. Running a flower shop is such a romantic job!"
Catriona smiled faintly. "It's okay."
Marry was mesmerized by her smile, then suddenly said, "Honestly, you're getting more beautiful. My skin can't compare to how it used to be. How do you take care of yourself? You look better than first-tier celebrities."
Catriona gave her a glance. "You're making me embarrassed with all these compliments."
"I'm serious," Marry said, relieved the topic had shifted. "Are you married?"
At her words, a soft glow of happiness appeared in Catriona's eyes as she gently nodded. "Yes, I'm married. My child is already five."
"Wow! I didn't expect that! I'm still single." Marry seemed to take a sudden interest. "Where's your husband from? Is he also from Capital?"
Catriona thought for a moment, then nodded.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Marry left.
The rest of the day, Catriona felt a bit dazed.
Marry's appearance had pulled her back to her university days.
Back then, her grandmother had always watched her leave for school with a beaming smile, overjoyed. "Our Caddy, she doesn't seek great wealth, just a steady life. One day, she'll become a good teacher!"
"Grandma, during the holidays, I'll take you traveling, to taste all the delicious food."
But unfortunately, her grandmother had passed away first, and Catriona never graduated.
Her life had taken an entirely different path.
Looking at the beautiful flowers in the shop, Catriona thought her current life wasn't so bad. If her grandmother were still here, she would surely be happy for her.
Not long after Marry left, the time to pick up Cedric from school was approaching.
At the entrance of the flower shop, a tall figure appeared, dressed in a black suit. His handsome features were framed by a dark expression, and his voice was low. "Honey, it's time to pick up Cedric."
Catriona snapped back to her senses, stood up with a soft "oh," put on her coat, and took Roderick's hand as he led her into the car parked by the roadside.
In the car, on the back seat.
Roderick held Catriona in his arms, kissing her forehead, her cheeks, then her lips, before burying his head in her neck. "It's been so long."
Catriona twitched her lips.
She thought, this werewolf is getting clingier by the day.
She said nothing. After a moment, Roderick lifted his head, pinched her chin, and stared into her eyes. "What's wrong? Are you upset?"
Catriona froze for a moment. "I'm not..."
Roderick smirked. "Don't say you're not. You didn't even touch my ears!"
Usually, when he revealed his wolf ears and leaned against her, Catriona would always touch his ears and hair.
Catriona:...
Catriona was speechless.
"It's not that I'm unhappy..." Catriona thought for a moment. She wasn't truly upset; encountering a college classmate wasn't enough to shake her mood. She was content with her current life. She simply found herself reminiscing about the past.
She hadn't expected Roderick to notice such a small thing.
"Go on," Roderick urged, waiting for her to speak.
Catriona, who now shared everything with him, spoke softly, "A college classmate came to the flower shop to buy flowers. We chatted for a bit."
"...It's not that I particularly want to be a teacher. It's just that grandma's words made sense. It doesn't matter what job you do, and I did like history back then."
Catriona paused for a second, biting her lip. "I wish grandma were still here. She would definitely love Cedric..."
She rambled on, speaking a jumbled mix of thoughts, saying whatever came to mind, her tone soft and slow. Roderick listened quietly, and then, in a serious voice, he said, "Caddy, go to school. Whatever you want to do, I'll support you."
Seeing Catriona remain silent, he continued, "Now you have plenty of time, and the cub doesn't need you to bear all the burdens alone."
Catriona pressed her lips together, and Roderick, his narrow amber eyes fixed on her, said, "He'll never worry about food or clothing in this lifetime. What are you so anxious about? What are you unsettled about?"
"I'm not unsettled..."
"Then go. If you want to go, just go."
Catriona blinked, lowering her gaze. In truth, Roderick was right. She lacked nothing materially. She was financially free now, and could live any way she chose.
She remembered how happy grandma had been when she received her acceptance letter from Capital University. But now, she didn't even have a graduation certificate.
In the end, she nodded. "Okay."
"From now on, my time may not be as free, so you'll have to put more effort into our son."
"Leave the home matters to me," Roderick said, his tone growing serious. "But at school, keep your distance from those male classmates."
He glanced at the ring on Catriona's finger and added, "Take it to school with you."
The thought that Catriona would surely be well-liked at school made Roderick, in his wolf form, feel a bit anxious. Yet, he made sure that Catriona didn't see it.
Anyway, Catriona couldn't live on campus, so he'd keep an eye on everything else.
"If someone pursues you at school, what will you say?"
Catriona smiled, then teased, "I'll just say I'm single."
Roderick furrowed his brow, pressing his lips together, his wolf eyes narrowing slightly. "If Caddy want to stay in bed forever, you could always try that."
Catriona: "..."
And that was it.
Catriona had arranged her work and gone to the school to report in. As she met new classmates and worked on group assignments with some of the opposite sex...
Meanwhile, a certain werewolf began to quietly feel jealous, his mood turning sarcastic and irritable...
