Chapter 1

As I flipped through the nearly worn-out "Companion Wolf Care Manual", rubbing my temples, Liam Holden eyed me warily from the bed.

I'd had him for a week.

Liam wasn't at all like the companion wolf advertisements claimed, trying to please their owners or doing whatever they asked.

He wouldn't even let me touch him, even though he had grown so weak from going so long without a companion's scent and looked like he could collapse at any moment.

I watched as his gray tail thumped loudly against the bed.

The manual said that a tail wagging fast, with fur puffed out, was a sign that Liam's heat was approaching. During this period, wolves needed their owner's comfort the most.

My throat tightened, and I moved closer to him, my left hand brushing lightly over the wolf marking.

I coaxed him in a low voice, "Doesn't it hurt? Do you want me to help you?"

A flash of confusion passed through Liam's dark pupils, and a muffled growl escaped his throat. At some point, his tail had wrapped itself around my waist, the heat leaving my skin flushed.

While looking at his perfect profile flushed with desire, I couldn't help but sigh softly.

As expected of a high-quality companion wolf worth a million dollars. I couldn't take my eyes off him.

I smiled as I rubbed his burning wolf ears, waiting for him to come closer. But just before Liam's lips touched mine, he suddenly shoved me away.

Caught off guard, I crashed hard to the floor.

My shoulder slammed into the nightstand, and a dull, sharp pain shot through my body.

"No… Don't touch me…"

Liam crouched at the foot of the bed, his tall frame curled into a tight ball. Even though he was so uncomfortable that he had sweat beading on his forehead, he still resisted my touch.

I quietly stood up, gave him one last look, then brought the energy potion I'd prepared for him out with me.

Something was very wrong with Liam. He wasn't anything like what the seller had promised.

I took photos of Liam's strange behavior and sent them to the company's customer service.

The customer service agent quickly apologized. "We're so sorry, dear customer. The wolf you received might be defective.

"To make up for your loss, we can replace him with a top-tier companion wolf for free. Just please don't leave us a bad review."

"If I exchange him, will the wolf I send back be sold again?" I asked.

The reply came quickly. "No. We never sell secondhand companion wolves. All returned wolves will be sent back to the breeding center."

"Is it for their retraining?"

"To euthanize them. A wolf that doesn't obey cannot be allowed to live."

My fingertips paused for a second as I typed.

The warehouse was filled with custom food and supplies I'd ordered for Liam. Without him, I'd have to throw it all away.

Just then, Liam's glistening eyes suddenly came to mind. He had stunning eyes, and his voice was captivating too…

Perhaps I could give him one more chance.

Before I could type the words "no need", the wolf care forum I'd joined pushed a new post to me.

"I'm a companion wolf. I really hate the she-wolf who bought me, and I just want to be with her sister, Lilian. My heat is about to hit. What should I do?"

Without thinking, I tapped into the post.

Coincidentally, I had a half-sister named Lilian Gould.