The volume of Silas Thornton's thoughts was so loud it stunned Holly Wyatt, leaving her frozen in place.
"There's no need." Silas Thornton's brow was tightly furrowed, his tone frigid. "Come back."
He turned his head to look at Quinn Zeller beside him. "Do you know how to cook?"
Quinn Zeller was stunned for a moment before answering instinctively, "A little."
"Good. Go help Master Thornton." Silas Thornton paused, then added a reminder, "Make something a human can eat. For Holly Wyatt."
"Yes."
*
「Noon. The dining hall.」
The food Quinn Zeller had brought that morning was on the table, simply cooked and served right in the pot it was boiled in.
Only the meal in front of Holly Wyatt was small and delicate, unlike the big pot of meat everyone else had.
Silas Thornton sat at the head of the table, his back ramrod straight and his expression as serious as ever, though the oppressive aura he usually projected was gone.
The other wolves were gathered around the table, staring curiously at the plate in front of Holly Wyatt.
"Go ahead and eat," Silas Thornton ordered softly.
The previously quiet pack of wolves erupted into a clamor.
"Holly Wyatt! Holly Wyatt! What is that in front of you?"
"Holly Wyatt! Holly Wyatt! Is that tiny bit going to be enough for you?"
"Holly Wyatt! Holly Wyatt! Can I try some of your food?"
The pack of wolves chattered all at once, craning their necks to get a look at Holly Wyatt's plate.
With only one pair of eyes, Holly Wyatt couldn't possibly look at everyone.
Their over-the-top enthusiasm was becoming a bit stressful.
Faced with the pack's demands, a flustered Holly Wyatt pushed her plate forward slightly.
Silas Thornton gave a cold command. "All of you, sit down!"
'Try it? What's there to try! It's not like any of you have never eaten outside the manor before. It's not like you don't know what human food is. I've never seen you boundary-ignoring wolves get this greedy when we're out!! You always complain that human food has too many seasonings that cover up the authentic, gamy flavor, so why the sudden interest in eating it now?!'
"Eat your own food!" The moment Silas Thornton's words fell, the pack at the table quieted down, returned to their spots, and buried their heads in their food.
'You all think just because my cub is quiet and agreeable, you can push her around, is that it?! A cub doesn't eat much to begin with. That little bit is just enough for her and her alone. And you want to try some? You'll make my cub go hungry! When she first came to the manor, she was so tired from the walk she didn't even mention it. She probably won't say a thing if she's not full, either. I was already worried it wouldn't be enough for her, so what are you thinking, asking for a bite?!'
Holly Wyatt blinked and let out a sigh of relief. Her heavy bangs were starting to poke her in the eyes, so she gently swept them aside, revealing her clear, smooth forehead.
As her lovely face was revealed, the pack at the table let out a soft, collective gasp.
They started whispering amongst themselves.
"Wow, the cub is actually really pretty."
"She must take after the Lord of the Wolves. The Lord of the Wolves is very handsome."
"You idiot! The cub is human! The Lord of the Wolves is a wolf. They're not actually related by blood!"
"But Holly Wyatt is the Lord of the Wolves' cub now! So what's wrong with saying she takes after him?"
"That... makes sense."
"Idiot!"
*
"President Thornton, the drawing boards are here." Quinn Zeller, who had been gone all afternoon, had reappeared.
Holly Wyatt was in the living room playing with Legos with a few wolf pups. When she saw Silas Thornton stand up, she instinctively got up to follow him.
Outside the villa, wolves were carefully unloading several truckloads of drawing boards.
Silas Thornton directed several wolves to place the drawing boards in every corner of the villa, with the rest being distributed throughout the manor grounds.
Holly Wyatt leaned against the doorframe, watching in confusion as the wolves moved in and out.
The drawing boards they were carrying were identical to the one she had used that morning.
It wasn't anything special, nor was it disposable.
'Why so many?'
「As evening approached.」
The trucks were finally empty.
Holly Wyatt stood in the living room, looking at the small drawing boards tucked into every corner of the villa. Her eye began to twitch.
'Yes! I'm very pleased! Now there are drawing boards all over the manor. The cub can grab one whenever she wants. She won't have to lug a board around everywhere just to communicate, which could tire out her little frame! HAHAHAHA! I'm a genius! I'm the best cub-raiser in the entire world!! HAHAHAHA.'
Holly Wyatt was rendered speechless.
She glanced at Silas Thornton's proudly raised tail, fidgeted with her fingers, and was sorely tempted to say something.
'The drawing board... isn't actually heavy...'
*
「Nighttime.」
Holly Wyatt lay in the room Silas Thornton had prepared for her, staring blankly at the pink ceiling.
The room was huge—at least twice the size of the bedroom in Silas Thornton's former penthouse apartment.
The room seemed to be designed according to human conventions, it was just... a little too childish and pink.
A pink bed, pink curtains, a pink carpet, a pink walk-in closet, and even a pink bathroom...
Toddler's toys were scattered on the floor, and the bookshelf was filled with children's books for ages three and up.
It was very strange...
And yet, in this nursery-like bedroom, there was also a vanity table completely covered in all sorts of cosmetics.
All of them were from top-tier luxury brands.
Holly Wyatt pursed her lips as an indescribable sense of mortification crept over her.
'She had a feeling Silas Thornton didn't see her as just a cub.'
'Would a cub's room... really have makeup in it?'
Her slender fingertips clutched the blanket tightly as she slowly buried her bare, makeup-free face in the covers.
'Man, what an exhausting day!'
Holly Wyatt shot up in bed, throwing off the covers and looking around in a panic.
'How can I be hearing Silas Thornton's voice?!'
'Don't I have to be within three meters to hear his thoughts?'
'Is Silas Thornton in my room?!'
Holly Wyatt lost her cool. She immediately threw off the covers, wrapped herself in a robe, and frantically slipped on her shoes to search the room.
「A moment later.」
Nothing!
She couldn't find so much as a single wolf hair!
She even looked under the bed. No wolf.
'Ah, I wonder if the cub will be able to sleep well tonight. Is she the type to have trouble sleeping in a strange bed? I remember humans are like that. Tsk, I should've just had Quinn Zeller move her bed from the penthouse.'
As Silas Thornton's thoughts started up again, Holly Wyatt was lifting her head from under the bed.
THUD.
Holly had just smacked her head on the bedframe.
Pain radiated through her head instantly.
Her mouth fell open in a silent scream. She raised a hand to rub the sore spot, her little face scrunching up in pain.
She looked around, horrified.
Silas Thornton's inner monologue continued, unabated.
'No, no, that's not right. The cub starts school in a few days. The manor is too far from campus; it'll be a hassle for her to get to class. She'll have to stay at the penthouse.'
Holly Wyatt stood up and took a few steps back. The voice disappeared.
She froze, looking hesitantly toward the wall behind her headboard.
Silas Thornton's bedroom was right next door.
'It couldn't... could it?'
'His thoughts... can travel through walls???'
Holly Wyatt took two hesitant steps forward, and Silas Thornton's troubled voice once again filled her head.
'But... will the cub want to live at the school? I heard human dorms are horribly crowded, with several people crammed into a space the size of a dog kennel. What if she insists on living in the dorms? Ugh, so frustrating. I don't want the cub to live somewhere so cramped and miserable, but I also don't want to make her unhappy... This is so tricky... AWOOO...'
Holly Wyatt's jaw dropped. She blinked.
'So I really can hear him...'
'So... am I going to get any sleep tonight?'
Silas Thornton's mental voice sounded quite excited, and he'd even howled a moment ago. He probably wasn't going to sleep anytime soon.
Now that she understood where the voice was coming from, Holly Wyatt calmed down.
She took off her robe, slipped back under the covers, and lay flat on her back with her hands resting on her stomach.
She looked perfectly at peace.
In fact, after hearing Silas Thornton's thoughts, she felt even more at peace.