Page 51 of My Wild Pet

I knew something was wrong the moment the attendants returned earlier than expected. Their excuses were flimsy and their behavior uncharacteristically fidgety. They didn’t need to explain—there was no way they could have completed both Ash’s and Ember’s evening routines in the time allotted. Whatever they had done, whatever deal had been struck, I would find out soon enough.

It didn’t take long.

When I arrived at the cleansing room, the answer was already waiting for me. Ember’s head bent toward Ash, his lips on hers. The scene was almost absurd in its simplicity—two humans finding solace in each other amidst the chaos of their existence. Solace, or perhaps rebellion. Either way, it didn’t matter.

I separated them with a slight punishment. Both were compliant.

And now I’m here, standing in the silence of my quarters, considering my next move.

I activate the communication console, the glowing blue screen pulsing faintly as it connects to Kaelin. His face appears a second later.

"Kaelin," I begin, briefly startled he would answer while a slave artist is riding him. I can see the curve of her hip and ends of her silver nipple jewelry on his naked chest. “We have a situation. Ash and Ember —there’s been a physical incident."

Kaelin raises an eyebrow, reluctantly sitting up and I hear the Imperial woman move off of him somewhat annoyed. "What happened?"

"Ember kissed Ash in the cleansing room. I intervened before it went further."

"How do you want to deal with this?"

"I told Ember to bathe himself and then to bed," I say. "As for Ash, her training will proceed as planned. I’ll begin tonight to strengthen the intimacy between trainer and pet."

"And Ember? Do you want me to discipline him?"

"Yes, but carefully," I warn. “Lay off the harsher physical punishments. He’s teetering too close to the edge of pure infatuation. We can’t risk them trying to escape—or worse, dying in the attempt. It would be disastrous for them and for us."

"Understood. What if he?—"

"Trust me in this," I interrupt, cutting him off. "For now, Ash’s progress is paramount. She must be tied to me before Ember interrupts the natural bond between trainer and pet."

"Fine. Anything else?"

"Not at the moment," I say. "I’ll inform you if anything changes."

"Aefre," Kaelin says while he motions his Imperial woman back to him, “remember she bit off another man’s penis while at the Abyssal Nexus. Don’t assume that she’s not going to try it again. I don’t need to tell you that even the best trained humans can be unpredictable.”

“I’ll be vigilant,” I say with a small smile.

The screen dims, and I exhale slowly, turning my attention to the holographic schedule still open on my desk. Training regimens, performance assessments, dietary adjustments—it’s all there in meticulous detail, a roadmap to what I hope will be success.

But the weight of the situation lingers. Pushing the bond between Ash and Ember has proved more difficult than I first imagined. Humans are so emotional, so irrational, and so prone to acts of rebellion that defy all logic, I must be careful now. I remember Yellow One going out the airlock. Managing Ash and Ember must be done delicately.

Tomorrow, the training will intensify. The challenges will grow more complex, more demanding. And Ash and Ember will face them together, under my guidance and under my control. Because in the end, it is not only about their bond. It is also about mine to them.

I stand, already aroused, thinking about the next phase with Ash.

She’s on her little bed in my bedroom. No doubt aroused as well. She was naked and Ember was holding her close, kissing her. His hands running through her tail.

In some ways, his actions and my interruption came at the perfect time.

CHAPTER 27

Briar

As I wait for Aefre in my little bed, I can’t get my mind to settle down.

I keep replaying the kiss in my head, over and over. Gabriel’s warm hand on my back, the way his lips felt against mine, soft and sure, like he’d been waiting to kiss me his whole life.

I have never been kissed like that. Like I mattered.

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