Superstar 847

“The battle was brutal. It was worse because my father, the strongest werewolf in Rayfield, wasn’t there. They fought for two full days before they finally repelled the enemies, leaving behind countless casualties.”

It was a story Theo had been hearing since before he could even understand words.

The wolves had told young Theo every bloody detail of that day—severed limbs, blood spraying everywhere, the metallic stench filling the air, the groans of dying family members, and the cold chill of lifeless bodies.

Theo always had nightmares after hearing it.

Maybe that’s why he eventually felt like he had lived it himself.

But he didn’t want to share all those horrific details with Claire and Molly. So he kept it brief.

“My father, no—the head of Rayfield, didn’t come back even after the battle was over.”

Even Claire, who didn’t know much about werewolves, and Molly, who knew them well, let out solemn sighs.

“The Rayfield werewolves wondered where the head had gone. At the time, they thought he had been attacked by other enemies and hoped he was safe. His wife, injured and worried, asked a wizard she was connected with to find him.”

The Rayfield wolves had told Theo the story with faces full of betrayal.

“And that’s when they saw them. A man and a woman, holding a newborn baby and smiling happily. The head of Rayfield, completely unharmed.”

The sunset light filtering through the window looked like blood.

“All the Rayfield wolves were furious. Not only had he taken another mate while already bonded, he had abandoned his pack when they needed him most. The battle had cost them their parents, siblings, children… Their rage only grew.”

Theo was born into that bloodshed.

“The head’s wife, who had fought the hardest, declared herself the new head of Rayfield. The wolves accepted her. Then she made the decision to punish the traitor.”

Theo spoke about it calmly, even though it was his own story.

“But the Rayfield wolves were injured, and the traitor was unscathed. Attacking directly would’ve been dangerous. So the new head made a deal with someone and placed a curse on the traitor and his family.”

Claire and Molly, who had been listening in silence, widened their eyes.

“That curse… could it be…?”

“Maybe. I’m not sure. I don’t know if I was cursed along with my parents at that time, or if I was cursed separately later on. No one ever told me anything clearly.”

Maybe only the current head—my father’s wife—knows the full truth.

Theo added.

“The traitor was weakened by the curse, and then the Rayfield wolves attacked.”

The traitor, unaware of everything, realized the magnitude of the situation only when he saw the injured wolves.

“That’s when my mother and father died.”

Theo spoke in a soft, emotionless voice—no sorrow, no bitterness, no regret.

That calmness made Claire and Molly feel even sadder.

“I almost died too. But I was just a few days old, so they decided to let me live. One of them, who wanted to kill me, was told by the head to treat me kindly as repayment. But… I don’t know.”

Theo gave a crooked smile.

“I mean, sure, I lived. But I barely ate, was locked up in a broken-down hut, got beat up and bullied by others… Living like that until I turned adult, I’d say that’s more than enough repayment.”

Ah…

Claire and Molly, now understanding the origin of all of Theo’s scars, couldn’t say a word.

Under their gaze filled with worry—something he was experiencing for the first time—Theo looked away, visibly uncomfortable. Then he quickly tried to change the subject.

“There’s one more thing about the curse I haven’t mentioned. I think it might have to do with strength.”

“Strength?”

“Yeah. I’m weaker than other werewolves. Even if I grew up malnourished…”

Seeing the tears welling in Claire and Molly’s eyes, Theo quickly tried to backtrack.

“It’s not like I starved all the time! There was a hunting ground near the hut, so I hunted and ate!”

Though prey was scarce and hunger was more common…

Still, calming Claire and Molly was more important.

“Anyway, even if I grew up eating less, I’m way too weak. My wounds take longer to heal too.”

“Well, werewolf recovery is usually insanely fast.”

Molly nodded.

“And also…”

Theo, who had been speaking so calmly that it hurt to listen, suddenly hesitated. Claire and Molly blinked.

“And?”

Theo rubbed his face with both hands. He looked embarrassed.

“…I don’t have it.”

“What?”

“Don’t have what?”

Claire and Molly leaned toward Theo; his voice had been muffled by his palms. Theo bent over, face hidden.

“I don’t have a tail…”

…Huh? Tail?

Claire blinked. Did he just say tail? Like, the thing animals have?

Then Molly jumped up for confirmation.

“You don’t have a tail?!”

The black cat’s tail rippled like a wave.

“You don’t have a beautiful tail like this?!”

Molly cradled her soft tail in her two front paws, yellow eyes trembling with shock.

“Oh my goodness… No tail… no…”

“Is a tail that important?”

“Of course! Look how glorious it is!”

“Molly…”

Pouting.

“Well, she’s not wrong. It does look kind of off without one.”

As Molly cried out in dismay, Theo—who had bent forward almost in half—lifted his head. His cheeks were a little red, and he wore a wry smile.

“For us, it’s a really important part that helps with strength.”

“Exactly! And it looks awesome too!”

Claire ignored that last bit from Molly.

“Really?”

Seeing Claire’s confusion, Theo thought for a moment, then said,

“Let’s say using our strength is like baking cookies. What would the tail be?”

“Hmm. If it’s that important… butter? Flour? Baking soda?”

“Fire.”

Claire’s eyes widened.

“Fire?”

As in, the thing you can’t cook without?

Seeing her surprise, Theo nodded.

“Yeah. You can substitute other ingredients, but not fire. It’s essential to finishing cookies. That’s how important a tail is for us.”

“Totally! Super important!”

Molly nodded, still hugging her precious tail.

Theo glanced at her—there was a hint of envy in his eyes.

“Then, Theo, can you transform into a wolf? I thought maybe you couldn’t because of the curse, since you’re always in human form.”

Molly asked him.

“Oh. I’m just used to being human. I don’t really like my wolf form because I don’t have a tail. In Rayfield…”

“Got it. You don’t have to say it.”

Claire cut him off, noticing the slight frown on his face.

Seeing how much Molly adored her tail, Claire could easily imagine what Theo must’ve endured among other tailed wolves.

Haha.

Theo smiled warmly at Claire.

“Want me to show you?”

“Are you sure?”

Claire, who was honestly very curious, asked cautiously.

“It’s fine. And if you see my current form, it might help figure out the curse.”

Hearing that, Claire realized—since Theo had opened up to her, she had something to share too.

“I have something to tell you.”

“Huh?”

Theo, who had been trying to find a good spot in the living room to transform, looked at her. Molly, who had been playing with her tail, also looked up.

“You see… I am a witch, but…”

Claire spoke nervously.

“I’ve been a witch for less than ten days. I’m a total beginner!”

Gasp!

Molly inhaled sharply and froze.

Well… Theo did share his secret, so they had to tell him too. But was now really the right time? Still, not saying anything wasn’t an option either.

The rookie witch and veteran cat watched the tailless werewolf with anxious eyes.

Would he be mad? Disappointed?

“Ah.”

A pause—short for Theo, but long for Claire and Molly—ended as he opened his mouth.

“I knew.”

“What?”

“You knew?!”

As Claire and Molly stared in disbelief, Theo chuckled.

“I thought something was off from day one. Claire, you looked like you didn’t know anything, and Molly seemed to be teaching you. And the magic on this house was too amazing for a witch who just moved out on her own.”

“From day one?!”

Their jaws dropped.

“I wasn’t certain, just suspected. You just seemed like an inexperienced witch.”

“Well… we did talk about a lot of things in front of you…”

They had trusted the string bracelet and the safety of the witch’s house too much.

Claire nodded at Molly’s words, then asked Theo,

“Then why didn’t you look for another witch?”

“Finding witches is really hard. There aren’t many of them, and they all hide their identities and live alone. It’s actually easier to wait for a beginner witch to level up.”

And—

I’m glad I didn’t leave.

Theo held back the rest of his sentence and simply smiled at the rookie witch and the veteran cat.

---

While warming up before his game, his phone rang.

It was Seojun—video call.

“What’s up?”

Jack Smith, LA Dodgers hitter, stepped outside to take the call during a break.

He tapped the screen.

“What’s going…?”

He started to ask, but what appeared wasn’t the always-handsome superstar friend of his—it was something else entirely.

A pair of golden eyes, a moist black nose, long whiskers, and shiny black fur.

A cat.

‘…Is Jun playing a cat in a role this time?’

Jack Smith briefly thought that without meaning to.

–Nice to meet you. Jack.

The black cat, wearing a disinterested expression, spoke.

Obviously, a real cat couldn’t talk—this had to be Seojun dubbing. The voice was different, but still.

Wow, my friend. Even does voice acting now.

–I’m Jack too.

“What?”

–Same name, but clearly I’m cuter!

The cat’s words didn’t match its deadpan face—but somehow, that smug look did suit it.

‘Wait, no. That’s not the point.’

“What are you doing, Jun?”

–Jun? Oh, you mean that human who makes those delicious fish-shaped cookies?

The cat’s two front paws were being moved around by Seojun’s hands in the background.

–He’s already my loyal servant now!

The cat Jack didn’t even flinch. And human Jack Smith was speechless.

–He’s handsome, a great cook, very capable!

–Meow.

–Want a cookie?

–Nyaa!

A fish-shaped cookie appeared from the side, and cat Jack happily chomped away.

–See, Jack? Look how much Jack loves it! He’s basically crying with joy. Isn’t Jack the cutest? Huh, Jack?

Watching Seojun gush, Jack Smith pressed his hand to his forehead.

“…Enough with the ‘Jack’ thing, Jun.”

–Ahahaha!

Seojun, who had been dying to pull this stunt since meeting the cat, burst into laughter.