Page 28 of My Wild Pet

I guide Ash down the corridor with her leash firmly in hand. Until she’s properly trained, she’ll be sleeping in my quarters—not in the communal pet area. It’s safer this way, especially with Ember’s unpredictability lately.Managing two wild cards is hardly ideal, I think as I tighten my grip on Ash’s leash.

Ash follows quietly, her little boots tapping against the floor and my thoughts drift to what she did to that other human male. It’s unsettling when humans refuse sex—they’re typically mindless creatures obsessed with it. They build entire technologies to chase that physical pleasure. Matriarchies across the galaxy call humanity an evolutionary dead-end, blaming the absence of female leadership for stunted development.

Personally, I think it’s simpler: humans are non-sentient by nature, driven by base instincts. Something went wrong in their evolution, and it has nothing to do with women being absent at the helm. Their brains just stopped progressing. Rumors crop up occasionally about meeting a fully sentient human from Earth, but it’s rare. Usually, if humans attain any real intelligence, it’s because they were raised in the galaxy and have Imperial DNAspliced in. That’s why I avoid mixed-heritage pets, no matter how human they may be in appearance.

Ember is the only exception I’ve ever encountered—he’s almost sentient. Or so I sometimes tell myself. More likely, he’s just perfected Imperial speech and body language enough to mimic my own thoughts. It’s easy to mistake a talented copycat for genuine intellect, but deep down, I know it’s just a polished reflection of me.

I guide Ash into my quarters and directly to the bathroom. So far, she’s proven more compliant than most new pets—she hasn’t urinated on herself, which is a common mishap in the beginning. I show her the toilet and demonstrate how to use it. Her green eyes track my every movement, and I can’t help but note they match my own Imperial shade. Perhaps that explains why she seems more attentive than the average human.

Once she’s finished, she presses the flush button.

I pat her head. “Good. Clever pet.” Then I lead her by the leash into my bedroom, removing the tether so I can inspect her more thoroughly. I tell her to stand with hands behind her head and legs apart. She doesn’t understand me so I have to guide her hands, and I tap the inside of her thighs to get her to stand with them open, but she doesn’t resist.

The cleansing attendants did a remarkably convincing job dyeing her body fur to match her hair—it appears almost natural, as though it grows that way on its own.

I run my fingers through the fur between her legs, purposely trying to see how many strokes it takes for her to become aroused. I make a mental note of about twenty full and strong strokes, which is average for a human woman in her prime. I bring my fingers up to my nose. Kaelin was right, she smells good. Better than I thought she would, given the state I bought her in.

Leaning in, I take in the scent of her underarms. There’s an earthy warmth there, laced with the faintest notes of salt and citrus. It lingers despite the soap used to scrub away any trace of Earth.

I move my hands to her breasts. I roll them and weigh them out. They’re larger than most females who compete in pet shows, but still quite firm. I bounce them up and down. I don’t think they will hinder her too much. Aesthetically, her nipples sit high and her areolas are large meaning the nipple piercings will even look more exquisite once fitted.

I absently rub one of her rosy nipples while I think about the jewelry I’ll put here to show her off. Long silver pieces that will connect through her legs, perhaps? I bet she’d like that, a little chain that rubbed her labia and pulled on her nipples simultaneously.

I make eye contact with Ash as I think about all these things. Her eyes show the unmistakable signs of desire. I check Ash’s collar readout and note the subtle spikes across her vital stats—elevated heart rate and a slight uptick in dopamine. Also, the flush in her cheeks is equally telling. She’s aroused, plain as the readouts and her own body language confirm.

I watch her as I pull on her nipple. She slightly opens her mouth as I do. “Good girl,” I say. Then, I run a finger across her bottom lip. “Open for me,” I say automatically even though I know she can’t understand me.

But she seems to know what I want and she opens her mouth. I look at her teeth which look clean and straight. I get her to show me the length of her tongue by tapping on it. I tentatively put my finger in her mouth to see if she’ll bite me.

She doesn’t. Not even a nibble.

My door chimes and I verbally allow the doctor in.

“Is that wise?” he asks upon viewing the scene.

“I don’t think she’s as feral as they made her out to be. I don’t think we know the whole story of what happened in that cage.”

The doctor shakes his head. “Aefre, I think you’re so anxious about replacing Fifi that you’ll believe anything that’ll give you hope right now.”

The doctor may be right. I am worried and I do need Ash to be the perfect human pet. If Ash doesn’t do what I need her to do, Ira might find another trainer to invest in. Then not only do I lose my ideal sponsor, I lose face in the pet circuit.

“We’ll see,” I reply positively as I watch the doctor remove his tools to pierce Ash’s pink nipples.

“Just the nipples,” he asks. “Not the labia?”

“Not the labia. Her fur speaks for itself. Look at it.” I run my fingers through the long fur between her legs causing the little bow to fall out.

“You don’t think it’s too much? With the color, I mean?” he asks absently as he readies his tools.

“No. All the other trainers will have heard I bought her. I might as well use her fierce reputation to my advantage. We’ve got no other options but to train her, unless you have a secret show pet you’ve been hiding at the medical center?”

The doctor smiles as he positions Ash to pierce her left nipple. But as soon as the needle begins to prick her sensitive skin, she pulls back with an adorable yelp.

“Ash, be a good girl.”

She doesn’t look at me as I say her name because she’s too busy glaring at the doctor.

“Perhaps you should punish her, Aefre.”

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