Page 111 of My Wild Pet

I answer his lips with equal fervor, my fingers twisting in his golden hair. Our kiss deepens, and a soft whimper escapes me, half-sob, half-laugh. We’re free, no collars, no leashes—just this raw, desperate need to confirm we’realive. I run my hands along his shoulders, feeling the sinew and strength that carried us both through the horrors of captivity.

He whispers in halting, emotional French,“Mon ange... tu es ma vie. Nous sommes libres maintenant. Je ferai tout pour toi.” Even though, I can’t piece together every word, the tenderness in his voice nearly brings me to tears.

I respond by pulling him closer, nails digging lightly into his skin, and he shivers. My body ignites at every point of contact, a primal wave of urgency for him to be as close as two humans can be to one another.

We topple onto the medical bed our bodies intertwined. The ship’s hum seems to fade, every one of my senses is focused on him—his hot breath against my ear, the way his heartbeat matches mine, the savage hunger in our lips. Each touch feels heightened, magnified by relief and adrenaline.

When our eyes lock, his beautiful amber eyes are teary. And I know why. I’m thinking and feeling the exact same thing,We did it.

I trail my hands across his muscular chest covered in golden hair, marveling at the absence of any device controlling us, any ring that might sting with a punishment. This isourchoice.

There’s something reverent in the way Gabriel kisses my neck, as if worshipping the fact that no collar remains. I hold him tighter, murmuring half-formed words of comfort and desire. The ghosts of our old cages hover at the edges ofmy mind, but I push them aside, letting the rush of euphoria carry me forward. Right now, we exist only for each other—no trainers, no illusions, and no threat of an electric jolt.

Gabriel positions his large penis at my entrance and I thrust my hips forward to impale myself on him before he can thrust. It’s not long before we are moving quickly and in time with each other. Our hearts pounding and our breaths mingling, as if we’re trying to become one.

Quickly our orgasms build and crash over both of us almost simultaneously in a wave of sensations, the warmth of his skin, the taste of his mouth, the muffled sounds of my own moans and his whispered, “Ma chérie… tu es libre…” The sweetness of those words collides with the fresh shock of escape. Everything I’ve craved, every moment of closeness I’ve been denied, all of it is bursting into reality now.

And nothing has ever felt so real.

There are no collars now, no manipulations, it’s just us alone in this room.

When the urgency has been fulfilled, we lie tangled in each other’s arms, and out of breath.

I trace a fingertip along the faint red ring that circles Gabriel’s neck.

He does the same for me, and says, “It’s gone.”

I can’t speak. I close my eyes, but I can’t stop the silent steady tears.

“Briar,” Gabriel says softly. “It’s okay.” He holds me close to him. The familiar feel of his body against mine helps me relax into full blown sobs. “You’re mine and we’re safe.”

When the doctor returns, she opens the door slowly, for politeness. A kindness we’ve not had in a long time.

“Doctor?” I say, stumbling over the Imperial words. “Can you… remove this?” I gesture to the tail. “And… these.” I point at the small silver studs piercing my nipples. “I want them gone. I want to be—” I hesitate, swallowing hard. “—like I was before, if that’s possible?”

She gives me a compassionate nod. “A proper facility is needed. The tail is attached to your spinal column. It will need more than a portable kit.” Her eyes shift between Gabriel and me. “On the colony, they have advanced equipment and they can easily remove those enhancements.”

Gabriel’s gaze flicks to the tail, then to my face. “Are you really going to remove it?” he asks quietly in English. “I kind of like it.”

I feel my throat tighten, uncertain if I should laugh or cry. A part of me wants to snap that he’s been twisted by Imperial standards of pet beauty, but I bite down on the words. He’s in such a fragile state and if he were in his right mind, he’d never suggest I keep my tail.

“Gabriel, I want my old body back. I hate that they gave me this tail to make me look more like a sexy human pet.”

He looks wounded, eyes drifting to the collar in his hands. I realize, too late, I might as well be insulting the entire life he’s been forced to live.

“I’m sorry,” I murmur, and I reach for his arm.

He lets me settle my hand against him, though he won’t quite meet my gaze. “It’s… fine,” he replies, even though it isn’t.

Silence weighs on us. The only sound is the hush of the ship’s engines and the distant murmur of Gael speaking with someone in the hallway. Freedom was supposed to be a relief, not this tangle of guilt and confusion.

The doctor touches my shoulder, as if reading my mind, she says, “It’s natural to feel confused.”

“I don’t know if I can be human,” Gabriel admits quietly in Imperial. “I don’t know if I’ll be accepted in a human colony like this.”

“Many have come to Haven feeling the same way as you, Gabriel. And some were even born in Imperial captivity and didn’t escape until they were adults. We all have our own stories,” the doctor says sympathetically.

It’s odd to hear his human name spoken in an Imperial sentence, and I see him react to it as well. “And they have all found their way to come to terms with what happened and live as free humans. I have no doubt, you’ll find your way too. I can read your mind. I know you worry Aefre and Kaelin might have changed your brain, but they didn’t really. They just conditioned you. And you have the power to uncondition yourself.”

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