Page 20 of My Wild Pet

Kaelin’s gaze goes beyond me and Wild One. “Where’s the other one? The good one.”

“We only have Wild One and not enough UCs or time to buy another at another auction.”

“This one?” Kaelin says pointing at her. “We can’t take her on as a show pet. She’ll be disqualified for biting the other pets.”

“We have no choice, Kaelin. We will have to trainher, but just imagine if we can pull this off, it’ll be our greatest achievement yet.”

Kaelin looks at me in disbelief. “You think she’ll rise from the bloody ashes?”

“I think,” I stress my words, “If we can train her, she’ll be the best pet we’ve ever had. She’s beautiful, clever, strong, and brave.”

“All I see are those nice white teeth,” he says, not convinced. “She’s dangerous.”

“Only when provoked.”

Kaelin shakes his head. “One male lost his penis and a good female went out an airlock. This one’s lethal.”

“I don’t know what happened with the other female pet. She might not have been right in the head.” I pat Wild One. “This one on the other hand might have just been unlucky in her captivity with the Octopods.”

Kaelin sighs, resigned. “Well, we can start by making her hair all one color. She won’t win any competitions looking like this.” He spreads her legs apart and, surprisingly, Wild One obeys and he rubs a hand over her fur and parts her nether lips. “At least she’s attractive. Her labia is even,” he says as he runs a finger over her. “Good lubrication.” He brings his finger to his lips and sucks. “Not bad, but has a tinge of Octopod filth. She must have been on their ship for at least a month if not more.”

“They reported two weeks so we can double that,” I say, evaluating her hair. “We shouldn’t hide her. We should let her reputation precede her. Dye all of her fur to match the ombre violet and pink of her hair.” I run my fingers through the vibrant ends, as soft as silk. “We should indulge her wildness. Then we can say we tamed Wild One from the Abyssal Nexus.”

“If that’s how you want to play it...”

“It is,” I say decisively. As I remove the muzzle from her face, I notice it’s partially undone. Someone from the Abyssal Nexus human play area must have tampered with it—perhaps a pet who could read enough Octopod to meddle. A mistake on my part; I should’ve been more vigilant.What damage could she have done if it had been removed entirely?

“Get the collar,” I order.

While Kaelin retrieves her pet collar, I grip Wild One tightly. When he returns, I steady her head with both hands, my thumbs pressing gently against her ears as Kaelin attaches the smooth, metallic collar.

The moment the collar connects to her neck, Wild One screams—a raw, piercing sound. She claws at her throat, her panic unmistakable as the collar syncs with her nerves and brain stem.

“Good human,” I murmur in Imperial, trying to infuse my tone with reassurance, though it does little to calm her.

She thrashes, desperation written across her face.

I tighten my grip as Kaelin begins the synchronization of her collar to our rings. The device lights up, displaying her vital signs in a shifting metallic purple.

Kaelin finalizes the connection, and our rings glow in unison. Then, without warning, he administers a full-body punishment.

Wild One convulses in my arms, her muscles contracting violently as she screams silently.

“You will learn, human,” Kaelin says coldly. “Obedience is survival here.”

“That’s enough,” I say sharply after a few seconds.

Kaelin reluctantly ends the punishment.

We hold eye contact. I don’t need to tell him I thought that punishment was unnecessary. So I let the feeling hang between us for a few seconds.

He breaks the silence by asking, “What are we going to call her? Wild One? It’s a bit of a mouthful, and 427-B is uninspired.”

I study her. “Tell me, Wild One, what do you call yourself?”

Her green eyes meet mine, but she’s silent. Clearly she doesn’t understand, how could she?

I point to Kaelin and say his name. Then, I point to myself and say my own name. Finally, I point to her and ask her her name. I’ve done this a thousand times with a thousand humans. Most of them understand on the first try.

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