Chapter 1

Nichole gulped down the rest of the cheap canned beer in her hand, letting the bitter liquid burn her throat.

She looked up, gazing at the full moon shining brightly in the night sky. Its light was so beautiful and perfect, as if intentionally mocking her love life, which had officially been ruined tonight.

Nichole's eyes stung terribly. Her nose was severely stuffed and throbbing with pain. Of course, that wasn't surprising; she had been sitting curled up, hugging her knees, and sobbing for about two hours on the roof of the King Industries Building.

This skyscraper's roof was usually forbidden to regular employees. It solely functioned as a private helipad for that arrogant man.

However, as the secretary who had dealt with the boss's temper for years, Nichole had a VIP access card. Tonight, she used that exclusive privilege very wisely: turning it into a place to mourn her fate without looking pathetic in public.

Three hours ago, she had intended to be the best girlfriend in the world. She went to her boyfriend's apartment, bringing a box of his favorite pizza, ready to surprise him after work.

But the surprise ended up slapping her right in the face. In his apartment, right on the bed with the bedsheets she had picked out herself, she caught her boyfriend wrestling naked.

To make matters worse, the woman underneath her boyfriend was the co-worker he always referred to as "just a confidante."

Nichole didn't even scream. The pizza in her hand didn't drop. She just froze for five seconds, slowly closed the bedroom door as if afraid of waking a demon, and walked away.

She hadn't told either of them that she knew. She couldn't bear to. She needed to gather the remnants of her sanity first before exploding and destroying her own pride.

Remembering the betrayal, Nichole's chest tightened again as if hit by a concrete block. Her tears broke out once more. She screamed her heartbreak to the night wind, letting the tears ruin her expensive mascara, smudging and staining her cheeks.

Then, suddenly...

Awooo!

A very deep, hoarse howl that vibrated in her chest cavity abruptly cut her crying short.

Nichole fell silent instantly. Her sobs caught in her throat. The hair on the back of her neck stood up immediately. The night wind caressing her skin suddenly felt much colder and more terrifying.

She hugged her knees tighter, her eyes darting wildly to the dark corners of the roof, searching for the source of the sound.

However, thanks to the three cans of high-alcohol beer now dominating her bloodstream, that fear didn't last long. Slowly but surely, her common sense was muffled, replaced by the stupid courage typical of a drunkard.

Nichole snorted harshly. She wiped her runny nose with the back of her hand. A wolf? On the roof of a skyscraper in the middle of a metropolis? Give me a break.

"Who's there?!" she called out with a hoarse voice, breaking the silence. "This must be an intern from the marketing division trying to prank me, right?! Come out! I guarantee a warning letter will be on your desks tomorrow!"

No answer. Nichole stood up, though swaying slightly and having to hold onto the parapet.

The high heels of her stilettos echoed sharply as she staggered forward, approaching a large shadow right behind the air conditioning unit.

There, in the pitch-black darkness, was a massive silhouette curled up.

Nichole squinted her swollen eyes. Her vision was a bit blurry due to the mix of tears and alcohol, but she could see the silhouette was covered in thick fur.

The beast stared at her. A pair of sharp, glowing golden eyes under the moonlight stared right into Nichole's eyes.

Normally, human instinct would tell her to run for her life. The beast was almost the size of a calf, with bulging muscles beneath its pitch-black fur and a snout full of fangs that could rip a human's throat out in seconds.

However, instead of running away, Nichole's shattered heart melted instantly at that gaze. In her drunken eyes, the deadly monster was just a giant, lonely ball of fluff.

"Oh my..." Nichole whispered, her lips curving into a wide, foolish smile. "Whose puppy got lost all the way up here?"

The giant beast growled low. Grrrrr. The sound made the concrete floor beneath them seem to vibrate.

But Nichole really didn't care. She jogged toward it, dropping to the dirty roof floor without caring about her pencil skirt, and immediately wrapped both arms around the deadly beast's neck.

The beast's ferocious growl was instantly cut off. Its large body tensed rigidly, replaced by a startled snort as Nichole's tear-soaked face, reeking of cheap beer, buried itself into the thick fur of its neck.

"You must be cold, huh? Me too..." Nichole babbled while affectionately petting the beast's head and ears.

Its fur was very warm, and its scent was truly soothing.

"Come home with me. From now on, we'll take care of each other. My bastard of an ex can't protect me, you know? So you'll keep me company instead."

Nichole let go of her embrace, then grabbed the beast's scruff and tried to pull it up. "Come on, doggy, stand up."

The beast didn't budge. It was rooted to the floor as if its legs were made of lead. Annoyed, Nichole then moved behind it and tried to push the beast with all her might. It was useless. Nichole only made herself exhausted and panting.

Frustration suddenly hit her. Her unstable emotions took over again. Nichole fell to her knees and started crying again, this time wailing loudly.

"Why are you so mean?!" she sobbed, pounding her fists on the roof floor. "All men are the same! You're all stubborn, selfish, and you love to hurt my feelings! You're just as much of a bastard as my ex!"

The giant beast's golden eyes widened. For a moment, its furry face seemed to display an expression of disbelief. Then came a long snort that sounded incredibly exhausted and very... human.

Miraculously, the monster slowly stood up. It looked at Nichole from top to bottom, as if resigned to its fate tonight.

"There we go. Good boy." Nichole immediately smiled brightly, her tears stopping in an instant.

She led the giant "dog" toward the VIP elevator. Inside the narrow red-carpeted space, the beast's size looked even more absurd, taking up almost half the elevator car.

Upon reaching the deserted ground-floor lobby, Nichole strolled out to the taxi stand in front of the building. She opened the back door of a parked taxi.

"Evening, sir," Nichole greeted casually.

The taxi driver turned his head. His initially sleepy face instantly turned as pale as a sheet of paper. His eyes bulged in horror as he saw the black shadow with glowing eyes right behind Nichole.

The driver let out a stifled scream, frantically stepped on the gas pedal, and sped off, his tires squealing loudly on the asphalt. The taxi door even slammed shut on its own because the car moved so fast.

"What the hell? People are so weird tonight," Nichole muttered in annoyance, placing her hands on her hips as she watched the taxi speed away. She looked down at her dog. "Let's just walk. Besides, the night air is nice."

For a moment, Nichole felt that the face of the beast beside her turned sullen and annoyed, almost like the expression on Mr. King's face when she scheduled a meeting wrong.

But that was impossible, right? It was just a dog.

Nichole's eyes then caught sight of a long red velvet rope usually used for queue barriers in the lobby.

Without hesitation, she unhooked the rope, looped it around the furry giant's neck as a makeshift collar, and started walking down the sidewalk.

Nichole walked unsteadily, occasionally humming an out-of-tune heartbreak song, pulling the velvet rope as if she were walking a small dog.

She was completely oblivious to the people along the street that night scattering out of the way, pressing themselves against the walls, and staring at her in horror.