Chapter 3By Day, By Night

Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, my eldest hybrid was five, and my younger one was three. By carefully cultivating the image of a fragile woman recovering from a lingering injury, I had managed to keep our villa quiet and isolated for years. It was as if I’d fallen out of favor.

The good news was that my eldest could now maintain his human form almost perfectly, only changing during the full moon. My younger son was still a work in progress—he transformed every three days.

To ensure their physical and mental well-being, I lived a life of constant deception.

By day, we ate simple, bland meals. By night, we feasted on fish and meat.

More accurately, I was practically living on bread and water during the day, stretching the food budget for a CEO’s wife and two young masters just to afford a few extra fish for my boys at night.

Watching my two little cat-sons devour their meal, I would shed a silent, bitter tear for myself.

My darling hybrids’ father, who are you? Where are you?

On the outside, I was a doting mother. On the inside, a storm was raging. I was at my breaking point—my hybrids were now eating seven fish a night. Sob. The kitchen manager I’d bribed told me he couldn’t justify increasing our order any further.

Over the years, I’d learned their personalities. My eldest was stoic and serious, always trying to act more mature than his years. He was thoughtful, obedient, and had a small appetite. He doted on his younger brother, respected his mother, and only ate two fish a night.

My younger son, on the other hand, was a little terror and a bottomless pit. One day he was tearing up the matriarch’s prized orchids, the next he was scrapping with a society wife’s precious Persian cat. He was a constant source of anxiety. Thankfully, he only caused trouble in his cat form, or our secret would have been out long ago.

Lying in bed, I reflected on the challenges of raising two hybrids. It hadn’t been easy.

"Mom, Leo’s gone."

My eldest son’s grim face appeared at my door.

"What—" The scream died in my throat as he shot me a stern look.

"Mom, please wait quietly in his room. I’ll go find him."

"Be careful. Please, be careful."

"I will."

With that, he transformed into a sleek black cat and vaulted over the garden wall, disappearing into the night.

"That little rascal," I sighed, wringing my hands. "He never gives me a moment's peace. Oh, I hope no one catches him. My baby boy…"

I sat on a stool, my mind racing with terrible possibilities.

Just as the moon reached its zenith and I was about to sneak out to search for them myself, my two hybrids returned.

"Oh my god, what happened to you two?"

My eldest’s black fur couldn’t hide the blood matting the corner of his mouth. But my younger son was in worse shape—all four of his legs were limp, completely useless.

I quickly lifted the smaller cat from his brother’s back. As my fingers brushed against his soft, broken limbs, tears streamed down my face.

"Mom, Leo is badly hurt," my eldest said, shifting back into his human form. "His internal energy isn't stable enough to hold his human shape."

"Where did you find him? Where did that little devil run off to?" I asked, my voice choked with panic as I dabbed at the blood on his lip.

"Don’t worry, Mom. His injuries aren’t that serious. Our bodies can heal themselves. I found him in Dad's study. We’ll have to wait until he wakes up to find out who hurt him. You should get some rest. I’ll take him back to our room to recover."

His calm, methodical demeanor managed to soothe my frayed nerves.

"Okay, okay. Go quickly. Make sure you take good care of your brother. My poor little hybrid, you must have been in so much pain. Sob…"

I called after them, the image of that small, limp body burned into my mind. My heart ached, and I couldn't stop the tears.

What kind of monster would be so cruel to a helpless kitten?

Don't let me find out who hurt my baby boy. I swear, I’ll have my eldest scratch their eyes out.