Page 5 of My Wild Pet

The big man turns back to me, his face flushed with rage. “So you want to play hard to get? Others have tried that. They’re gone now. I’m going to do the same to you. I’m going to fuck you to death. We all are.”

I spit, a mix of saliva and blood hitting the floor between us. “You think that’s a win? Look around, genius. We’re in hell, and you think being king of this cell, population four, makes you something? Handing out death threats to the only woman in your little kingdom? You’re fucking pathetic.”

His expression shifts, the insult landing harder than I expected. He glances at the other men, as if looking for some solidarity. But they’re silent.

The fight drains out of me as the adrenaline fades. I let my eyes slowly close. And if death comes for me while I sleep, at least it will end the pain I feel now.

CHAPTER 2

Aefre

My console beeps sharply, and the holographic display comes to life. Ira’s name flashes across the screen—Commander Ira of the Imperial Fleet. I hesitate.

Ira’s a busy man—no personal communications are allowed while he’s away on a mission, so if he’s calling now, it means he’s back in Imperial space and expecting me to answer.

I stare at the blinking light. Fifi was a champion, one of the best I ever trained—a show pet who never hesitated to please. And now she’s gone.

The beep continues.

I brace myself, then reach out to press “Accept.”

The screen resolves into Ira’s stern face.

“Commander,” I say.

“Aefre, the goddesses have not been good to you. I’ve just seen your report. How could you let Fifi die?”

“It was an unfortunate accident.”

“Aefre, listen to me and listen well. You have eight months to find me a replacement for Fifi.” Ira says exasperated. “How did she die? Did another pet kill her?”

I take a measured breath and try to explain, “She died competing in the Bond Breaker Challenge.”

His gaze sharpens. “Who was meant to save her?”

“Ember.”

A flash of something—contempt, disappointment, or both—crosses Ira’s face. His tone drops, low. “Your favorite male pet chose UCs over his partner in the Bond Breaker Challenge? Explain how that happened?.”

“It was completely unexpected. Ember’s connection to Fifi was genuine. Their bond seemed strong enough to predict self-sacrifice. But, clearly I miscalculated. I made a mistake. I won’t make it again.”

“Tell me every detail of how something like this could have happened. She was a champion. She wasn’t supposed to die this way.”

The Grand Championships are never streamed for security purposes now that the IGC has made the human pet trade illegal. So, I recount the uncomfortable memory from the week before. “The simulated arena was set to level ten for difficulty. Ember and Fifi had just won their third Grand Championships. They were ready. Ember stood at the starting point and at the far end of the course was the artifact. And restrained on a sinking platform in the center, above a pit of toxic mist, was Fifi.”

I pause, the scene replaying vividly in my mind. “I told Ember, ‘Retrieve the artifact in the time allotted, and you win the prize UCs.’

“Ember navigated the course with expertise. All the while, Fifi panicked, struggling to break free from what she knew was certain death. She screamed for him, ‘Don’t leave me! Please!’ First, she used Imperial, and then when she knew death was near, she used her human language. Her desperation echoed through the arena and Ember wasn’t untouched by it.

“He froze in the last minutes, deciding her fate. His face was pale, his heartbeat and breathing registered on his collar as extremely high. He glanced back at her, his expression a mixture of pain and resignation. Then he said, ‘I’m so sorry, Fifi. I can’t.’

“He chose the artifact. And by the Bond Breaker rules we couldn’t save her even for a disqualification. The last we saw of Fifi were her small hands, reaching out, as the toxic mist consumed her,” I say, meeting Ira’s gaze through the transmission. “Ember saw the challenge for what it was—an impossible scenario. He didn’t know that he should have saved Fifi and they both would have lived. He chose to win the artifact and the UCs.”

Ira’s lips press into a thin line. “Humans value bonds. Loyalty. He severed his tie with Fifi without much hesitation. No one wants to seethatfrom human pets. You’ve not trained him as well as you think you have, Aefre.”

I keep my voice even while I defend my work, “Ember is adaptable. Resourceful. Unlike the other human pets, he sees the game for what it is. At the moment, he sees loyalty as a weakness in the long term. I just need to find him a partner that he values more than himself. Fifi was special, but she wasn’t extraordinary. It was Ember who made her so.”

“Well,” Ira says, “I suppose that’s what I’m paying you for, your so-called expertise.”

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