Chapter 5

Trevor nodded. “I went to great lengths to catch the pet. He’s rumored to be a hellhound, but he has quite the temper. It took a while to tame him.”

I fell into contemplation. “But he seems decent enough to me. Yes, he has a big appetite, but I can afford the grocery bill.”

Trevor looked at me in surprise. “There’s no way you could have housebroken him in just a few days. I suffered quite a few bites just to teach him to go potty.”

So the great Vampire Lord bit and couldn’t use the bathroom?

How did he relieve himself before?

Yuck.

As I pulled a face of disgust, Trevor kept trash-talking Ryker.

“Though he shares ancestry with the wolves, his kind hasn’t evolved. His intelligence is far below that of a wolf. To put it bluntly, he’s an idiot.”

I had no idea that the werewolves and vampires were related.

Besides, it was pretty of Trevor to talk smack about someone else.

“Here is a restraining collar. You can keep him out at night to watch the door.

…

I was about to open the door and show Trevor how dedicated Ryker was to his books.

“Alpha Beaumont, can’t this human let you alone?”

A she-wolf in red emerged in a hurry. Apparently, she was Trevor’s Beta.

She looked at me with hostility.

“With the recent turmoil within the pack, the Alpha’s busy handling the uprising. Yet, you’re distracting him with all the trivial flirting. Have you no shame?

“A mere animal is insignificant next to the welfare of an entire pack.”

Trevor withdrew his arm and kept his distance from me.

“Rhea, I have important matters to attend to. I can’t waste any more time here.

“You don’t have to use the pet as an excuse to keep me here.

“He’s like any other dog. Just feed him and pet him when necessary.”

So Ryker was like any other dog?

Well, I could do that.

I bade my ex-husband farewell with a smile.

“Thank you, Alpha. I should get out of your hair.”

Trevor paused from walking away, my form of address catching him off guard.

I was focused on putting a leash on my pet to notice Trevor on a distant hill, staring at the farm we once shared for a long time.

As I stepped into the house, Ryker huddled on the ground, deeply immersed in the 101 Rules of a Perfect Husband.

The cardinal rule was to put his ego aside and volunteer for every bit of housework.

Next, it was important to be accountable and prioritize the wife’s well-being.

If necessary, the perfect husband would meet the wife’s physical needs.

The guide came with illustrations.

It had been my intention to throw away the book bought by Trevor. I scratched that thought since the book came in handy for my pet.

I crouched behind Ryker, thinking that he would study each pose diligently.

That was until my attention was drawn to the drool forming at his lips.

The illustrations of bare humans wrestling looked like a food channel to him.

I was lost for words.

“Are you hungry?”

Ryker tucked the book away in a panic before wiping the drool off his face.

“How barbaric of you humans. I can’t believe you feed on your own kind!”

Stifling a laugh, I hooked a finger into his collar and said with a grin, “There’s a lot that you don’t know about us, and Trevor’s an expert in that department.”