Chapter 11

I found this amusing. Salem, despite being a well-trained service beastkin, had his primal instincts triggered by Clayton's calmness.Clayton didn't seem annoyed. He smiled faintly and said, "I just wanted to bring her a coat."He took a few steps closer, and Salem instinctively stepped back.Clayton gently draped the coat over me, then looked at Salem. "You two can continue."Salem didn't hesitate. "May I accompany you tonight, miss? I've studied those things systematically, too. I know how to make you feel good, and I'll definitely be better at it than he is."I arched a brow. "Is that so?"Salem wagged his tail wildly. "It's true. Let me make it up to you, miss. Alright?"Clayton's expression remained unchanged, but the hand hanging at his side seemed to be tightly clenched."Forget it, Salem. The thought of you having kissed Lisa has made me lose all desire for you. Good night."Clayton followed me back to the bedroom.I casually took off my coat and looked up at him. "

Chapter 12

"Millions? You don't look like you're worth the price." Clayton stood, eyeing Salem with interest. "Do you know where to bite down on your throat to make someone quiet?"Clayton took a step forward. "Or how to make a beastkin vanish without a trace? Only a lowly beastkin like me would know, right?"Salem sensed the warning bells. He took a nervous step back, his tail flicking anxiously. "What are you trying to do?""What can I do?" Clayton shrugged. "I'm just a lowly beastkin."No sooner had the words left his mouth than he lunged at Salem. Terrified, Salem instantly shifted into his beast form.The black wolfhound instinctively lunged at Clayton, its sharp teeth sinking viciously into his arm.Clayton was knocked into the coffee table, shattering it with a sharp crack as glass shards scattered across the floor.Salem was stunned. He wasn't expecting Clayton's move to be a feint.When Mom heard the commotion and rushed out, she saw Clayton pinned to the ground by Salem in his b

Chapter 13

I acted quickly, and Salem was sent away the next day.My friend was merely a middleman. I never inquired about Salem's destination.His next owner might use him for breeding, or perhaps he could find someone who cherished him more.But with me, he had fulfilled his purpose—giving me money.Clayton still lay in bed nursing his injuries, looking as frail as ever.I remember clearly that the first time I met Clayton, his wounds were far worse than this. Yet, he had stood up and held me with one arm for… activities. But, now…"Thank you, miss." He weakly accepted the chicken soup I offered. "Was Salem sent away?" I raised an eyebrow. "Yes.""What a shame." Clayton stared at the bowl in his hands. "I really wanted to get along with him.""Then should I bring him back so you two can be best friends?"Clayton's fingers stiffened. "But he's been bought. They probably won't want to return him." "It's fine. I'll just compensate them a little."Clayton resisted the urge to shatte

Chapter 14

Lisa screeched, "I told you she was just pretending to be good, but you wouldn't listen!"My parents mulled this over and tried to reason with me. "Layla, it's your sister's birthday today, so let's tone it down a bit. We can talk about other things tomorrow, okay?"I exploded. "Why didn't you say anything when she stole my gift and ruined my birthday? I was only missing for a year, and you were already rushing to find a replacement for me. Did you know how I fared?"I'd just escaped from human traffickers, and I was being passed around from one orphanage to another because nobody wanted me. I could only sleep in the police station!""Layla, please calm down." Dad gently squeezed my shoulder to comfort me. "You're right. Mom and I discussed it. It's our fault. We were afraid of bringing up past trauma, so we didn't dare ask about your past. We never thought you'd be hurt by this.""It's our fault that you're insecure and you can't be your true self around us." Dad's voice grew sol

Chapter 15

I continued, "The problem is, there's a large number of unadopted beastkin. If nobody steps in, they'll be euthanized." I pushed the documents to Clayton. "So I applied via the company, chipped in some of my own funds, and turned this into our own public welfare project. We've even got a dedicated rescue center. I'm handing over the management of the rescue center to you. What do you say?"I smiled smugly. "You already know that I used to have shady links. We shady folk stick together, and we're all about loyalty.He stared at me blankly for a long moment before finally snapping out of it. Suddenly, he leaned down, cupped the back of my neck, and kissed me.This kiss was different from before. There was no awkward probing, no tentative attempts to please. There was only a sincerity so intense, as if he wanted to offer himself to me completely.The afternoon sun fell on him at an angle, bathing the silvery-white fur on the tips of his ears in a warm, golden glow."Layla," he murm

Chapter 16

Clayton's POVI overheard the doctor talking to her. "I'll still advise against keeping such a lowly beastman, especially one with such a colorful past. Though his face and physique are pretty decent indeed."My heart clenched. I didn't want to return to my old life.I could eat less. Making myself hungry meant I wasn't a threat to her."I'll give him a chance," she said, shrugging. "I'm not exactly a high-class person anyway."The doctor smiled and asked her, "Feeling sorry for him, then? I thought you already had a show-quality beastkin?""I plan to sell that one. Could you help me find a buyer?" she replied.I touched my lips in surprise, unable to suppress the smile."Sure." The doctor nodded. "If it won't settle in, it's better to sell it."So she had other beastkin at home? I wasn't surprised.What surprised me was how ungrateful the beastkin was. So what if they were show-quality beastkin? Those were good for nothing but serving people.…I took the initiative for