The Villainess's Pet Wolf

Start Reading

Step on his tail! Humiliate him!

Glitch shrieked the command in my head.

I obeyed. I rained blows on the wolf-shifter, my words a steady stream of insults. My heel dug into the thick fur of his tail. His most sensitive spot.

Killian burned. His body trembled, muscles locked in rigid restraint.

Look! Glitch cheered, voice dripping with triumph. He's shaking with rage! He can't even speak!

I nodded and ground my heel down harder.

But I missed the detail.

The wolf I was humiliating didn't look hateful.

He looked ravenous.

Like he wanted to devour me whole.

Chapter 1

Consciousness snapped back.

I was Sutton now.

Killian knelt before me. His large hands held my foot, sliding a shoe onto it with practiced ease. He rose to his full height. His gaze was glacial.

Anything else, Sutton?

What do I do now? I projected the panic to Glitch.

I could feel the system shuffling metaphorical pages in my brain.

Hold on. I haven't finished this book yet. I'll let you know when I get to this part.

My brain stalled.

Seriously? They say reality is just a giant, glitchy simulation, but even the AI was incompetent?

I'm new at this, Glitch whined. This script is a nightmare. The seniors were too scared to touch it. They dumped it on me. Just... improvise, Host. I'll catch up.

God help me. This was a total airhead system.

I scanned the room, desperate. I grabbed a glass of water from the table and splashed it right into Killian's face.

He ducked his head slightly. The temperature in the room seemed to drop below freezing.

Water beads traced a path down his dark, wet hair and over the sharp cut of his Adam's apple. My breath hitched. The white dress shirt clung to him instantly, translucent. The ridges of his chest definition pressed against the wet fabric. Defined abs carved through the cotton.

I swallowed hard.

Definitely a shifter. Built different.

Keep going! Glitch buzzed.

I snapped back to reality. Right. Don't get seduced.

I stood up and raised my hand to slap his face.

Miscalculated.

My palm slammed into his solid pectoral muscle.

Thwack.

Dead silence.

I swear I didn't mean to touch him there.

The man was a giant. Even at five-seven, I only reached his chest.

You're doing great, Sutton! Glitch cheered, sounding oblivious. Look, his ears are burning red!

I looked up. Killian's ears were flushed a deep, violent crimson. Like they were engorged with blood.

That's from anger?

Totally, Glitch confirmed. Hit him again. Humiliate him.

I raised my hand for a second strike.

Killian caught my wrist mid-air.

His grip was firm. Hot.

Stop it.

His voice was a low growl. Raspy. Rough like sandpaper.

Pearl is in the hospital. I need to go.

He didn't wait for a response. He turned and walked away.

Chapter 2

This was a first.

He didn't ask for permission. He just left.

His retreating figure radiated a desperate sort of dignity. Pearl was his tether. His only blood. Without her medical bills piling up, a predator like him wouldn't be leashed to a trust-fund brat like me. He wouldn't be my kept thing.

And my role?

The villainess. The toxic ex.

I had to break him down, treat him like a mongrel, and fuel his rage until it hardened into ambition. Three years from now, hed be the Titan of Industry holding a monopoly on the city.

Id be the bankrupt ex-fiance groveling at his feet. A perfect stepping stone for his epic romance with Clara.

It was a trashy script. Totally brain-dead. But I had to play the part to get back to reality.

Found it. Glitchs voice cut through the noise. Finally. The plot loaded. Okay, next scene: Slap him. Hard. Tell him hes your property. A dog that only obeys you.

Jesus. Thats heavy.

Glitch shrugged in my mind. Don't look at me. I didn't write this garbage.

I sighed. Time to go hunt down my victim and finish the humiliation conga line.

I found him cornered near the lockers. Hayes and his crew had him surrounded. The insults were flying. Filthy stray. Suttons little lapdog. Gigolo.

Killians fists were white-knuckled at his sides. A thick vein pulsed dangerously against the side of his neck. His jaw was set so hard I thought his teeth might shatter.

But he didn't strike.

He couldn't.

Hayess family sat on the board of the hospital treating Pearl. One phone call, and her insurance vanishes. She gets kicked out to the curb.

Dont worry, Glitch narrated. When he rises to power, he destroys them. He burns their legacies to the ground. Hes vindictive like that.

Do I have a line here? I asked.

Nope, Glitch said. The script is blank for you here. Youre off the clock.

Free will. Finally.

My body moved before my brain caught up. I had zero tolerance for bullies. It triggered a nasty, violent itch in my brain.

Hayes was tapping his hand against Killians cheek. Disrespectful. Degrading.

Pretty face. No wonder Sutton bought you. Shame about the

My boot connected with Hayess lower back.

Thud.

Hayes sprawled onto the linoleum, eating dirt.

The circle scattered. Shock replaced malice when they saw me.

Sutton? Thought you skipped today.

I stepped between them and Killian. My shield was up. I glared at Hayes.

Who gave you permission to touch him?

Silence.

Hayes groaned from the floor, rubbing his hip. He looked genuinely confused.

Uh... you did? Last week?

The others nodded in unison.

My heroic savior face cracked.

Awkward, Glitch whispered. Hes right. That was definitely your order.

Chapter 3

I turned to Killian.

His face was a mask of calm, but his eyes said it all. He knew. He knew I was the architect of his misery, even if I just played savior.

Panic.

No. Do not spiral. If I don't feel the cringe, the cringe doesn't exist.

I cleared my throat.

Killian belongs to me, I announced, voice steady. From now on, nobody touches him but me.

Hayes and his crew exchanged nervous glances. They were rich, sure. But my family? We were the kind of wealthy that could buy their fathers' companies and dissolve them for sport. They scrambled, dragging Hayes up and vanishing down the hall.

Killian stared at me. Dumbfounded. He clearly hadn't expected me to stand up for him.

Host! Glitch buzzed urgently. The plot! Fix it!

Right. Back to being a monster.

I needed leverage. I gestured for him to lower himself. He was too tall to intimidate properly. He crouched slightly.

I swung.

My palm connected with his jaw. Hard.

You are my dog, Killian, I spat, trying to inject venom into the words. You only listen to me.

But the venom evaporated instantly.

Pain.

God, his face was made of granite. The impact vibrated up my arm, shattering my composure. My hand throbbed violently. Tears sprang to my eyes. Instant, physiological betrayal. My voice cracked on the last word, turning my threat into a pathetic whimper.

Killian froze.

He wasn't looking at my anger. He was staring at my wet lashes. His throat worked. I watched his Adam's apple boba slow, heavy swallow.

He reached out.

His thumb, rough and calloused, brushed against my cheek. The friction sent a weird jolt through my nerves. He caught a tear before it could fall.

I get it, he murmured, his voice low and inexplicably gentle. Don't cry.

...What?

Wait, Glitch whispered. That felt wrong. That felt very wrong.

Before we could analyze the glitch in the matrix, his phone buzzed. He answered. His face drained of color.

Pearl.

Her condition had tanked. She needed surgery. Now. The cost was astronomical. A number that would bury the current Killian alive.

Glitch started panic-flipping through the digital script.

Found it! Okay, here's the play: You lend him the money. But there's a price. You demand he spends the night with you at the hotel. The script says... Glitch paused. Oh, wow. Bondage. Whips. heavy humiliation. You use him and then toss him out like trash. Are we sure the timeline isn't accelerating? Glitch muttered.

I ignored the commentary. I pulled out a checkbook.

I walked up to Killian. He was vibrating with tension, ready to bolt to the hospital but paralyzed by the lack of funds.

I can save Pearl, I said, holding the check between two fingers. But you have to come to the hotel with me. Tonight.

I braced myself. I waited for the loathing. The humiliation. The look that said hed kill me the moment he had the power.

Killian didn't glare.

A flush crept up his neck, staining his ears that dark crimson again. He coughed, looking away, shifting his weight.

Um, he mumbled, his voice thick. Tonight isn't... great. Can we do tomorrow?

My brain short-circuited.

Excuse me? That wasn't in the script.

No, I snapped, trying to regain control. It has to be tonight.

He hesitated. Then, he looked at me with an expression that looked painfully like... resolve?

Okay.

The money cleared. Pearl was prepped and wheeled in. The surgery was a success. She was stable.

Killian let out a breath he seemed to have been holding for hours. He looked at me. It wasn't hate. It was gratitude. And something else. Something warm and sticky that made my skin prickle.

I stood there, checkbook in hand, totally confused.

Glitch... are you absolutely sure we're in the right genre?

Chapter 4

I texted Killian the room number.

The trap was set.

Inside the suite, four hired goonsthick-necked, suit-wearing walls of musclewaited in the shadows.

9:00 PM sharp. A knock.

Killian stepped across the threshold.

Chaos.

The bodyguards swarmed. A rag soaked in chloroform pressed against his face. He slumped instantly. I caught him before he hit the floor. To make it easier for the muscle to bind him, I had to hold his weight.

Strange.

He was unconscious, yet his body felt like a furnace. Heat radiated through his clothes, soaking into my skin.

We dragged him to the bed.

Click.

Handcuffs locked his wrists behind his back. The metal snapped shut, and Killians eyes flew open.

No confusion. No panic.

Just an eerie, abyssal calm.

Impressive, Glitch noted, voice filled with admiration. Total alpha composure. Even in crisis, he doesnt flinch. Thats winner energy.

I had to agree. The man was built for stress.

Killian looked up at me. His face flushed a dark, feverish red.

You like this?

His voice was a low rumble. Husky. Intimate.

Ignore the chatter, Host! Glitch commanded. Strip him. Push him down. Step on those abs. Assert dominance!

I obeyed.

I gripped his dress shirt.

Rip.

Buttons scattered across the carpet. The fabric tore open. His breath hitched. Hot air hit my face.

I stared. The man was sculpted. Ridges of muscle, defined and taut.

Clara is going to be very well-fed.

I shoved him back onto the mattress. He landed heavy. I lifted my leg and planted my heel squarely on his chest.

The flush on his skin deepened. It spread down his neck, consuming him.

Poof.

Two furry wolf ears twitched on top of his head. A large, thick tail materialized, thumping against the sheets.

Jackpot! Glitch squealed. Ears and tail! Those are the most vulnerable spots for a shifter. They only show them to their matesor when they lose total control! He's mortified, Host! Look at that reaction! Crush the tail!

I hesitated. My foot hovered.

Are you... sure?

A vague memory surfaced. Shifter lore. Something about the tail being connected to... specific nerve endings. A second d*ck.

Just do it! Glitch insisted. Look at him! Hes hyperventilating from the indignity! Hes about to explode from rage!

I looked down. Killians chest heaved. His jaw worked, teeth grinding together. He looked like he was in agony. Or holding back a scream.

Fine.

I shifted my weight. My heel dug into the base of his tail. I pressed down. Hard.

A sound tore from his throat.

Not a scream.

A guttural, strangled groan.

His entire body arched off the mattress. A violent shudder ripped through him.

Panic spiked in my chest. Too hard? Did I break it?

I tried to pull my foot back.

Snap.

A hand clamped around my ankle. It was an iron grip. Immovable. Burning hot.

I froze.

Killian stared up at me. His eyes were dilated, black pools of hunger.

Behind him, the handcuffs lay on the bed.

Shattered.

Chapter 5

He forced my foot back down. Crushing it against the fur.

His face was a ruin of flushed desire. Sweat slicked his hairline