Serena’s POV

I was drunk.

I sat at the entrance of the bar, smoking to sober up.

A peddler timidly shuffled over.

"Miss, you look really stressed out. Need to let off some steam?

“I have a Stress-relief werebeast that can help you unwind."

"What?"

I waved my hand to clear the swirling smoke.

The peddler vigilantly scanned the area, and after confirming no one was around, he waved at the distance and called that werebeast over.

This was a werewolf, tall with broad shoulders and a narrow waist.

When he stood still, he blocked the bar's lights, casting a shadow over me.

Before I could react, the peddler yanked the crude collar around his neck, forcing him down on one knee.

He removed the rusty muzzle.

He grabbed his hair and pulled his head back, revealing his entire face.

Fair skin.

A high, straight nose bridge.

Thin, tightly pursed lips.

Bruises marked his brow bone and the corners of his mouth.

His narrow eyes stared at me relentlessly, just like a wild beast.

The peddler patted his face hard.

"Look here, Miss. With a pretty face like this, it'd feel great to hit him, wouldn't it?"

I swallowed hard, feeling a bit tempted.

He was exactly my type.

Plus, my doctor said I had a hormonal imbalance and really needed to de-stress.

However... I already had a Companion Werewolf named Julian Vance at home.

Julian would probably mind.

Seeing my hesitation, the peddler kicked the werewolf.

"Damian Black, get up. Show the lady your muscles."

The werewolf stood up rather slowly.

With chains wrapped around his body, he could only use one hand to strip off his black T-shirt, instantly revealing lean, fair, and well-defined muscles.

Except his body was covered in scars and bruises.

The peddler quickly put the muzzle back on him and slapped his strong arm muscles.

"Look at this, Miss. Great stamina, incredible recovery rate.

"Two thousand bucks for two hours of stress relief.

"You just let it all out. As long as you don't slit his throat and bleed him dry, he'll bounce back."

"Slit his throat and bleed him dry?" I was startled.

Have people's sexual fetishes really become this twisted nowadays?!

Absolutely terrifying!

Whatever, Julian wouldn't let me touch him anyway.

Since this one was cheap, I might as well buy an obedient one to take back.

"How much to buy him outright?" I stood up, asking in a slightly drunken daze.

"Heh, that won't be cheap," the peddler rubbed his hands together. "He's the best merchandise we have."

"Name your price."

"58,888!"

I froze for a second.

My parents had spent millions to buy Julian for me.

I couldn't believe this one was so cheap.

"Think it's too expensive? Then let's make it 58,000."

In the end, I bought Damian for 50,000.

Serena’s POV

I didn't really want to go home.

So I took him to a hotel instead.

Before we left, the peddler warned me over and over again.

Until he was completely tamed, I must never take off his muzzle.

And it was best to leave the chains on, too.

Inside the hotel suite.

Damian stood motionless in the entryway, his eyes cast downward.

Like a silent stone statue, quietly waiting for fate to descend.

I came out of the shower wrapped in a towel, not daring to take off his shackles.

"You should go take a shower too."

He stared at me for a few seconds, then turned and walked into the bathroom.

The patter of running water echoed.

A few minutes later, I knocked on the door.

"I left my phone inside."

He hadn't locked it.

So the door simply swung open.

Damian froze with his back to me.

His tall, imposing body was completely bare.

His skin was a bloodless white, making the scars look even more startling.

Water cascaded over the rusted chains, mixing dark grime with the bloodstains on his forearms, trailing down his spine and abdomen.

Finally gathering at his calves, it slowly trickled into the floor drain.

His tail hung low, trembling slightly.

His fur wasn't smooth and glossy like Julian's; it only had a dry, dull texture.

It made him look fragile yet feral.

Lust clouded my judgment.

I leaned in to hug him from behind, gently kissing the bruises on his back.

"What are you doing?"

Damian shuddered, his entire body going stiff.

It was the first time I had heard his voice.

Deep, hoarse, and magnetic.

"Relieving stress…" I answered him.

His hands, hanging by his sides, clenched tightly into fists.

"That's not..."

"Hmm?"

"That's not how you relieve stress."

He let out a few muffled groans.

"I don't have any experience, just bear with it."

I pushed him down onto the bed, carefully kissing every one of his scars.

Wearing a muzzle, his hands and feet bound by iron chains, he obediently let me have my way.

His body remained tense the whole time, as if he didn't know how to react.

At the most crucial moment, he suddenly reached out and gripped my waist.

"Are you sure?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm just a low-grade werewolf."

He looked at me, his voice growing even huskier.

My eager movements were his only answer.

He let out a muffled groan and closed his eyes, his long eyelashes fluttering gently.

Serena’s POV

Morning.

Sunlight spilled through the floor-to-ceiling windows onto my skin, warm and soft.

My cheek pressed against the firm muscles of Damian's arm as I fished my phone from under the pillow, seeing the messages from my best friend Cecilia Bennett.

"Where did you go? Did you sneak back home by yourself again?"

"No, I bought a new Stress-relief werewolf. I was busy relieving stress last night," I typed.

Immediately after, I received a barrage of messages from Cecilia.

"Serena, how could you be this kind of person!?

"I know Julian is disobedient and made you feel wronged, but you can't just find a Stress-relief werewolf to beat up.

"You can't bear to hit Julian at home, so you come out to hit a Stress-relief werewolf?

"If you weren't my friend, I'd call the cops right now.

“I really misjudged you!"

I was stunned by the scolding.

"No, I didn't hit him. Why would I ever hit him?"

Cecilia paused for a few seconds.

"Then how did you relieve your stress?"

"Exactly how you're thinking... sexual release."

We both fell silent.

Cecilia explained the facts:

Stress-relief werebeasts are part of an illegal industry chain.

They steal and abduct young werebeasts, or buy low-grade, inferior werebeasts on the cheap.

Then, through abuse, they screen for werebeasts with high physical endurance and recovery rates to serve as Stress-relief werebeasts.

Some of those who pass the screening become living punching bags for humans.

Offered up for people to beat and torture to relieve stress.

Others end up in underground arenas fighting death matches.

Although these werebeasts are pitiful, they are notoriously wild and untamable.

Once rescued by official agencies, they are made available to the public for free adoption.

Those left unclaimed are uniformly scheduled for humane euthanasia.

…

"If you regret it, I know where that peddler lives."

A deep voice came from behind me.

I jolted, hastily locking my phone screen, and rolled over to meet Damian's dim eyes.

He lowered his eyes, avoiding my gaze.

"It's just that he's part of a syndicate, so he most likely won't be willing to give your money back.

"While he's alone, I might be able to..."

"I don't regret it," I interrupted him. "As long as you are obedient! Only listen to me!"

"Mhm." He agreed softly.

His expression didn't change much, but his ears twitched.

There were a few shallow scars on his fluffy ears.

I couldn't help but reach out, wanting to touch his ears.

His ears immediately pinned back in alert, shrinking away to dodge my touch.

I pulled my hand back, a little disappointed.

Why won't this one let me touch him either?

"Sorry, it's a reflex."

He tried to slowly relax his ears, lowering his head slightly.

"You can touch them now,” he added. “If you still want to."

I didn't hold back.

Rolling over to straddle his waist, I rested my hands on his chest muscles and freely kneaded his ears.

Silvery-white, soft, and warm ears.

Damian's breathing grew heavier, and his body became increasingly hot.

He tilted his head up slightly, the corners of his narrow eyes flushing red, staring at me without blinking.

I swallowed hard.

"Can I relieve my stress one more time?"

...

After leaving the hotel, I didn't go straight home.

Instead, I took Damian to the werebeasts clinic.

The doctor said his healing ability was excellent.

There was no need to worry about the bruises on his body.

It was just severe malnutrition, requiring him to take various special supplements long-term.

The total cost of all the supplements combined was already higher than his own worth.

"I don't need them."

Damian's fingers clamped tightly over the back of my hand.

"I can eat whatever. There's no need to waste money on me. I won't die."

Truth be told, this amount of money was nothing more than Julian's monthly snack budget.

"It's okay."

I patted his head and held out the newly selected collar and muzzle to him.

"Do you like them?"

A slender black metal collar, paired with a custom-made black muzzle.

I hadn't wanted Damian to wear these things anymore.

But the doctor was adamant.

"Don't be fooled by a werebeast's appearance. He could snap your neck in a single bite."

I could only do my best to pick out the most comfortable designs.

"Were you a Stress-relief werebeast or an arena fighter before?" The doctor asked Damian as he removed the muzzle.

"I've done both."

Damian lowered his head a fraction more, his voice muffled.

"No wonder," the doctor handed the old muzzle over for me to see. "Look at this ring of bite marks. He must have bitten down when the pain became unbearable."

Damian fell silent for a moment.

"Those were from last night…"

I stiffened.

"In the arena?" The doctor asked casually.

"No… It was..." Damian lifted his gaze to look at my back. "When I was being used for stress relief."

Serena’s POV

It was already past midnight when I got home.

Mom and Dad were long fast asleep.

Julian was most likely sleeping in my stepsister Chloe's room.

The cold incandescent light in the entryway was the only thing welcoming me.

"Come in."

I kicked off my heels and turned to look at Damian.

The harsh light brushed past his prominent brow bone, falling onto his cold, hard profile.

He didn't move, his gaze fixed on the discarded collar on the floor.

"That's Julian's."

I picked it up.

Julian was the Companion Werebeast my parents gave me as compensation.

Compensation for the eighteen years they had lost me.

I went missing at five and was only found by my parents at twenty-three.

When I returned home, I found out they had long ago adopted a little girl from the orphanage—Chloe.

She was adopted by them as a baby and was now seventeen.

Chloe was extremely agitated by my appearance.

She couldn't accept the fact that she was adopted.

Screaming and crying hysterically, she threw everything she could reach at me.

"Get out!

“I'm Mom and Dad's real daughter!

"Why are you here to steal my parents away from me!

"This is my home, you filthy beggar, get out!"

Mom rushed forward to hug her, comforting her in a soft, gentle voice.

"Don't cry, you will always be our daughter.

"Serena coming back doesn't mean we don't love you anymore.

“We will still love you just as much as before, we love you both."

Dad stood protectively in front of me with a helpless sigh.

"Chloe has been spoiled by your mother, she has a bit of a princess temper.

You are six years older than her, after all, so please be more tolerant of her in the future."

I should have been heartbroken.

But I was already twenty-three.

I had already survived the age of desperately craving parental affection all on my own.

Now, I had entered the age of desperately craving money.

I lowered my eyes, letting a tear of hurt perfectly slide down my cheek.

"I understand, Dad."

Playing weak was very effective.

The living expenses wired to my bank account increased every month.

For my first birthday in my new home.

My parents gifted me a million-dollar Companion Werebeast, Julian.

"You're too introverted, so we got you a Companion Werebeast, hoping he can make you a bit more lively and active."

At that time, Julian was just a little wolf who hadn't reached his Human-shifting phase yet.

Chloe burst into tears.

"Why does only Serena get one?

"Mom, Dad, you promised you wouldn't play favorites!

"He is mine!"

She snatched Julian up in her arms, ran out the door, and disappeared.

The birthday party was ruined.

The birthday present was gone too.

My parents were frantic, crying their eyes out every day.

I cried along with them.

"I'm sorry, Mom and Dad. It's all my fault, I drove my sister away."

Until an afternoon more than ten days later.

One person and one wolf appeared at the front door, covered in dirt and dust.

"Mom, Dad, I'm so hungry.

"I was wrong, I'll never run away again."

My parents rushed up to hug Chloe, the three of them sobbing uncontrollably.

After crying, Mom turned around, suddenly remembering that there was still an out-of-place me in the house.

Her face suddenly filled with guilt, and she turned around and slapped Chloe hard across the face.

"Mom, you hit me."

Chloe's eyes brimmed with tears.

"Do you know how I survived these past ten days? I finally made it back, and you actually hit me."

"Well, have you ever thought about how Serena survived the past eighteen years?"

Mom pulled Dad back as he tried to comfort Chloe.

"If you can't tolerate Serena from now on, stop calling yourself my daughter!"

From then on, Chloe stopped openly making things difficult for me.

Not long after she returned Julian to me, he entered his Human-shifting phase.

He had curly black hair and almond eyes that drooped slightly at the corners.

His fur was pitch-black and glossy.

He tilted his head at me and called out the very first name since his Human-shifting phase, "Chloe?"

"I'm the real Chloe!"

Chloe rushed out from behind me and threw herself into his arms.

"Julian, you actually remember me!

“Do you still remember the days we wandered the streets and roamed the outlaw trails together?"

"I remember!" Julian caught her securely, his tail wagging with joy. "I've remembered absolutely everything about you."

My parents sighed, wrapping their arms around my shoulders in comfort.

When Julian realized I was his actual owner, he sulked for a long time.

I tried every trick in the book to coax him each day before he reluctantly accepted it.

Yet he stubbornly refused to wag his tail for me, or let me touch his ears.

Nor would he wait for me to come home like other werebeasts.

He only ever reacted to Chloe's footsteps.

He would only wait for her to come home.

Every time, I watched their interactions with a hollow ache in my chest.

But deep down, I didn't actually mind that much.

Because the massive monthly allowance for Julian's living expenses was deposited straight into my bank account.

My parents' silent guilt was also continuously wired into my account.

It was just that recently, I started breaking out in acne.

A medical checkup revealed that I had developed physical needs.

Julian refused to let me touch him.

Damian showed up at just the right time.

I had no reason to refuse him.

"Why don't you sleep in my room tonight?"

I took Damian by the hand and led him toward the bedroom.

"I'll take you clothes shopping tomorrow."

"Won't he mind?"

"Who?" I glanced back at him.

"Julian," he lowered his gaze to meet mine. "Companion Werebeasts are highly territorial."

"No, he doesn't like sleeping in my bed."

Damian seemed to think of something, his grip on my hand tightening slightly.

"Then do you still need it tonight?"

"Need what?"

"Stress relief."

A faint blush crept up the tips of his ears.

"I do, but my legs are so sore."

"I have great stamina. You can just lie there."

"Then I'll leave it to you."