It’S A Cat, Adopted By A Wolf Family? [EN]: Chapter 83

Kitty’s eyes widened as if someone had stepped on her tail. The winter wind that had been chilling her neck suddenly felt warm and ticklish.

‘Eden is jealous.’

In context, it seemed he was saying he was jealous of Cleed. Kitty wasn’t so clueless that she didn’t know what he was jealous of now.

‘Could it be that the teacher… likes me?’

It was surprising that this ill-tempered wolf was capable of having feelings for someone. Well, as a student, she always received special treatment.

Like getting extra homework, or being thrown a thick book as a special reference material and told to read it in a day…

Even though only such things came to mind, the assumption that Eden might like her wasn’t unpleasant.

The problem was that she couldn’t tell if Eden was serious. Like the ill-tempered wolf he was, Eden often played mischievous pranks.

Maybe he was playing one now.

But that didn’t mean she could just ignore this stuffy atmosphere.

The strange heat she had felt even before Eden headed to the central training ground. The feeling that time was strangely slowing down.

Eden was trying to make her feel this strange and then disappear to a faraway place, just like before.

If she didn’t ask now, she would spend months wondering why Eden had said those words back then. Kitty mustered her courage and asked.

Fortunately, she had learned a lot about the secret love language of wolves from Elliot.

“Teacher.”

“Yeah.”

Kitty took a deep breath and looked into his eyes, asking clearly.

The word ‘like’ was definitely—

“…Do you want to just hold hands and sleep with me?”

Eden’s expression hardened at those words. Even without knowing, it wasn’t a positive answer.

“No.”

At the firm answer, Kitty’s heart crumbled like the cookie she had eaten last night.

‘Elliot clearly said that wanting to hold hands and sleep together meant liking someone….’

Large emerald eyes began to well up, but Eden slowly released Kitty from his coat, where he had been holding her, and answered concisely.

“I’m not that kind of guy. I wouldn’t have thoughts like that about you, who isn’t an adult.”

Kitty’s face turned sulky.

Right, there would be plenty of tall, sensual female wolves who caught Eden’s eye at the central training ground. She had known that fact even before Theo and Deon headed to the central training ground.

‘But why do I feel upset?’

Kitty asked again, as if protesting.

“What if I grow up more than I am now? Won’t you want to just hold hands and sleep with me then?”

Eden furrowed his brow as if he didn’t understand why Kitty was asking such a question. Kitty’s eyes blazed at that reaction.

“Even then… I wouldn’t want to just hold hands and sleep with you.”

Thud.

Kitty suddenly felt dizzy. It felt like the ground beneath her feet was as wobbly as jelly. Eden was firm, as if he wouldn’t leave even a sliver of possibility.

‘After saying things like jealousy first!’

Kitty’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment for asking a pointless question as she faced Eden’s tilting head.

She scurried away from Eden. The pleasant scent that had wafted from him faded.

“You should get going soon, Teacher. Sixty laps of bunny hops are waiting for you.”

Eden stared intently at Kitty’s sulky face. Kitty was definitely a cat, but her face was puffed up like an angry pufferfish.

Only now, seeing that face, did he think he knew what Kitty meant by her question. Elliot must have taught her something strange.

He suppressed a laugh and bent down. He could see clearly what Kitty was misunderstanding and sulking about, but he had no intention of explaining it to her step by step.

That way, she would imagine his non-existent wolf lover and be jealous. When you’re blinded by jealousy, you don’t have time to worry about foxes or anything else.

Focus on my work all day long. Don’t even think about other guys. Eden held back the urge to grab Kitty’s shoulders and insist on that.

“Then I’ll see you next vacation.”

“I’m going to be busy. I don’t know when your vacation is, though.”

Kitty crossed her arms and turned her head away. Eden finally chuckled and carefully grabbed Kitty’s shoulder.

“Kitty.”

She tried to walk into the room with a haughty air, but Kitty’s body was conditioned to react to Eden’s voice. It was the result of Eden gradually training her since she was young.

“You have to say goodbye.”

He bent down slightly and lightly kissed her reddish cheek. Exactly like the surprise farewell she had given him before.

The moment Eden’s lips touched her, Kitty froze. His delicate eyelashes softly brushed against her peach-like cheek, and the breath he exhaled spread like a flame.

Eden’s soft lips lightly touched and fell away from her already flushed and heated cheeks.

It felt like a brand was being imprinted on her skin, which had become limp with heat. A brand that would not disappear for a very long time.

“Then, take care.”

Eden ruffled Kitty’s hair and disappeared over the balcony. Kitty couldn’t grab him or chase after him.

It wasn’t because Eden had used magic to move. The moment he turned his back, all the strength drained from her body.

Kitty slumped to the floor like a marshmallow roasted over a campfire. She was so surprised by Eden’s actions that she hiccuped.

To kiss her on the cheek and disappear, saying he didn’t like her. Kitty muttered in a listless voice.

“As expected of a wolf, he’s acting like a wolf….”

Elliot and twenty wolf squadron members, who had noticed something suspicious and were heading to Kitty’s balcony, were startled by those words and increased their search speed.

* * *

Eden landed in the garden a little away from Kitty’s balcony. His subordinate, Cale, was waiting there.

“Cale, did you deliver what I brought safely?”

“Yes, tomorrow a maid named Vaniel will deliver Eden’s gift to the young lady.”

“Good.”

Eden moved, hoping Kitty would like his gift. It was now really time to leave Gridwolf Manor.

But then, a familiar voice came from behind.

“Young Master Eden.”

“…….”

“No, I should call you Head of Wyvis now.”

Eden turned around with a reluctant expression. There were wolf knights and Elliot who seemed to have been dispatched to catch a shameless robber.

“It’s been a while, Lord Elliot.”

“Eden, you’ve become much more brazen since I last saw you.”

“…….”

“Lord Jackal says he wants to see you since you’re out.”

Cale’s face turned pale. But Eden didn’t seem very affected and followed Elliot.

He had seen Kitty, as red as a sausage, hiccuping in surprise at his kiss, so it was okay even if Jackal held a knife to his throat.

Rather, he was thinking of making a good impression on his future father-in-law.

Cale and Elliot sighed as they watched Eden straighten his clothes as if heading to a formal meeting with the parents.

‘He didn’t seem this proactive when he was younger….’

‘Young Master… he’s always been serious about the young lady’s affairs.’

Eden soon reached Gridwolf’s office. It seemed that not only Jackal but also Karis and Hogwood were inside.

Why did he have to leave during the New Year’s festival? Cale sighed once again, but Eden confidently walked inside.

“It’s been a while.”

That was a polite greeting for someone who had slipped out of the central training ground without permission and was flirting with a small, delicate cat. Jackal and Karis glared and roughly accepted the greeting.

To the Gridwolf couple, Kitty was still a baby cat with soft fur. They couldn’t just let a dark wolf sneak up on her.

“Eden. Shouldn’t you be at the training ground?”

Jackal asked in a heavy voice. Karis continued in a stern voice.

“Unauthorized departure from the central training ground is a bit surprising. I think there’s only one wolf in the history of the training ground who has done such a bold thing.”

“I’m sorry to disappoint you.”

Instead of being prickly, Eden answered politely. It was an attitude of treating his friend’s parents as if they were his in-laws.

Jackal and Karis felt a sense of crisis at Eden’s maturity.

Meanwhile, Hogwood, who was happy to see his son again, quickly took his side.

“Haha! Don’t be too hard on him, you two. Jackal, weren’t you the only one who left the central training ground without permission?”

“…….”

Jackal couldn’t say anything. Karis was surprised because it was the first time she had heard this and asked.

“You left the training ground without permission? You were the head of the family when you were at the training ground, too.”

“…Because you, who graduated before me, sent me a letter with the story of the flower shop guy written on it.”

“…….”

Hogwood nodded with satisfaction. After all, wolves were animals that went a little crazy when they fell in love. The heads of the families were even more so.

The Gridwolf couple, who couldn’t yell at Eden because of Hogwood’s revelation, were silent for a moment.

Eden presented something to them. It was long blue hair.

“I ran into a leopard pack while moving to Gridwolf Square.”

Leopard. The atmosphere that had been relaxed tightened at once with just those two words. Even now that Delta had appeared in Gridwolf territory, a plan to go on an expedition to the leopard territory was being discussed.

Eden recalled the moment as he placed the hair on the desk.

The leopards seemed to be moving along several paths, worried about being ambushed during their retreat.

Eden only encountered two or three low-ranking leopards. But the conversation they were having was unusual.

“What is Sigma going to do with this hair? He pulled out a lot of it.”

“I don’t know. But it must be important, so he told us to transport some of the hair.”

“Delta and Sigma were said to have appeared in the square, but I only encountered two or three low-ranking leopards. It seems the leopards have secured Miss Polly’s hair.”

“…Was Katrina’s hair the goal from the beginning?”

Karis smiled bitterly. She thought it was strange that the cunning leopards had carried out a surprise attack in the heavily guarded square.

But if the goal from the beginning wasn’t to kidnap Katrina, but to secure her hair.

“They’re probably trying to study the power of the bear. Because the bears also have sacred objects.”

Karis stared at the hair on the desk for a long time. Jackal shifted his gaze to Eden.

He had found out an important fact while making an unauthorized departure, so there was no choice but to spare him the punishment.

Even if Eden was wearing a scarf that smelled strongly of cats.

“…Go back for now. Say hello to my sons, too. I’ll write a letter to Commander Forward.”

Hogwood laughed heartily.

“Yes, Jackal. If you, who made an unauthorized departure first, write it, Commander Forward will understand.”

“…….”

Jackal decided to remain silent and wrote a simple letter. Meanwhile, Hogwood patted his son on the shoulder and said goodbye.

“Eden, take care of yourself. I’ll be in charge of the vanguard of the unit that will attack the leopard’s territory soon, so keep that in mind.”

Hogwood said it casually, but it meant he was going at the risk of his life.

“Please be safe, Father.”

“I will. Aren’t they the ones who killed my wife? I’m going to root them out this time.”

The day when the smell of blood would be mixed in with every breath was not far off.

Hogwood felt a strange throbbing and burning revenge as he patted his son’s shoulder once more.

“I’ll be alive at least until your wedding.”

At those words, the Gridwolf couple was startled and glared at the Wyvis father and son.