Chapter 634

When the boy followed Gracie home, Shermaine smiled. She hadn’t expected her daughter to bring him back.

“Mom, can we keep him?” Gracie asked.

Taking someone in was no burden for their family, but the boy’s origins were unclear, and those heterochromatic eyes hinted at something even stranger.

Shermaine glanced at him, then raised a brow. “Why would we? What could he possibly offer?”

Gracie looked up, a trace of compassion in her eyes as she turned to the slender boy. “Tell her yourself.”

The boy’s gaze held steady, quiet yet firm. His voice carried the weight of something more than just a promise. “One day, I’ll protect your daughter.”

Shermaine considered him for a moment, then nodded. “Then remember what you’ve said.”

In Ustrana, Roy had a nightmare. In it, Molly was pregnant, but what she gave birth to were wolf cubs.

They yelped and howled, swarming around him. He woke with a start, heart racing, and turned to the woman sleeping beside him. Carefully, he shifted away.

The image of pups clung to him. Leaning down, he kissed Molly and silently warned himself to be more careful.

Part of him couldn’t help but wonder if the dream was a sign, a cruel hint from God that he was about to become a father to something wild.

“No,” he muttered to himself. “That’s ridiculous.”

He rose early, determined to make breakfast for Molly.

The house staff exchanged helpless looks. Roy’s efforts in the kitchen had been ongoing for two years now, with little to show for it.

Molly woke to find the bed empty. Wrapping herself in a robe, she walked to the bathroom.

Spring had come again. For Roy, that meant the start of mating season.

She reached for the essential oils, letting a floral scent rise with the bathwater.

Just as she began to undress, Roy entered, arms already around her. “Momo, I’m injured,” he whispered. He loved to play up his pain with her.

“Where?” she asked.

He held up a finger, red and swollen from a fresh burn. He tried to fry some eggs, and oil splashed.

Molly took his hand gently. “Back in the kitchen again?”

He nodded. “Yeah.”

She smiled and blew softly on the burn. “Next time, don’t. If you still can’t cook, don’t force it.”

Roy’s throat bobbed. He kissed her cheek. “Momo… are you hurting anywhere?”

“No.”

Still, he seemed unconvinced. He drew her closer, lifting her and placing her on the bathroom counter. “I’ll clean you up,” he said quietly.

She thought he was teasing again, but this time, he didn’t make a move. He simply washed her gently, then left.

He was holding back. He had made a decision – no matter what, he wouldn’t father a pack of wolf cubs. For now, restraint was his only option.

Later that morning, the Loang Morning News featured a grim headline.

A local resident walking their dog had stumbled across a body buried in the woods.

Time had reduced it to little more than a skeleton, and no identity could be confirmed.

But the experts agreed on one thing. It was the work of a calculating, extremely violent offender. The victim’s skull had been shattered so thoroughly, even the braincase was in pieces.

In the days that followed, Roy was unusually quiet at night, and Molly began to wonder if something was wrong.

One night, Molly sat in a chair, watching as Roy stepped through the door. “Come here,” she said quietly.

He walked over and pressed a kiss to her brow. “Momo, I’ll shower first.”

“Together,” she said.

Roy paused, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes, something unspoken pulling at him. “Just give me a minute. I’ll be quick.”

But before he could move, Molly tugged the collar of his shirt, pulling him down onto the bed. She straddled his waist, her expression calm but unwavering. “Let’s talk. What’s going on with you lately?”

Wearing only an oversized white shirt, the top buttons undone, Molly leaned over him. Roy’s gaze dropped, his lips parted slightly as he swallowed.

She noticed the change in him, the tension building, and lifted an eyebrow. “Careful,” she said, voice low. “Think this through, alright?”

Roy shifted beneath her, clearly conflicted. “I had a dream a few nights ago,” he murmured. “You were pregnant… but what came out was a whole litter of wolf cubs. I think it was a sign. From God.”

Molly blinked, then laughed softly.

She tilted his chin toward her. “Well then. If that’s how you feel… I won’t stop you.”

He hadn’t expected forgiveness to come so easily. Watching her walk away, though, his restraint quickly began to fray. The moment lingered, charged, and he realized he wasn’t going to last much longer.

Roy stood up and went after her. “Momo… I was wrong. I… Momo, wait…”

In the Kingdom of Xyperia, Henry had held back for over two weeks before finally traveling to Norham City.

At dawn, the city’s alarm rang out as mutants had launched a surprise assault.

Amid the chaos, word spread that Vivianus had been injured. Without hesitation, Henry ran toward the combat zone.

Inside a medical tent, Shirley sat with her hand to her head. She’d hit it on a rock while shielding Sean. The impact worried her. Memory loss wasn’t something she wanted to experience again.

Fortunately, the injury wasn’t serious.

Sean sat nearby, guilt etched across his face. “I’m sorry, Your Highness. It was my fault. I acted without thinking.”

“Next time,” Shirley said calmly, “don’t be reckless.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She stood, and as Sean reached to help her, another figure stepped in. It was Henry. A faint scent of smoke clung to him.

“You’re here,” she said, tone cool. “Why?”

“I heard you were hurt,” he replied carefully.

“So if I wasn’t, you wouldn’t have come?”

“That’s not it.” He swallowed, drawing her into his arms. “I’ve just been… sorting things out.”

“And?”

“Still working on it.”

Shirley’s expression remained unreadable. “I see.”

Henry’s voice softened. “Let me take you back.”

He brought her to her quarters, and she still looked unsettled. Henry knelt down, unfastening her shoes, then reached to help remove her coat.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she said.

“You’ll sleep better without it.”

Shirley let out a quiet laugh. “You undress me like it’s nothing. You sure don’t seem opposed to getting involved.” She nudged his knee with her foot. “So? Want to try it with me?”

Henry hesitated, then took a step back, confused by the rush of heat in his chest. He looked at her, serious, hot… nothing.

His silence made her more annoyed than amused. “Forget it. I’m not interested anymore.”

She tossed her coat aside and lay down. Her head throbbed. Even after the medicine, the pain lingered. Only with her eyes closed did the dizziness begin to fade.

What she didn’t know was that, the moment she’d asked, Henry’s first instinct had been to say yes.