Chapter 3
Briar's POV
Over the next few days, I tried everything to bond with Dylan.
Playing the gentle caretaker. Staying patient. Showing kindness.
Online forums said beastmen were like puppies—loyal, eager to please, easy to win over.
But you can't exactly give a person dog treats.
So clever me went to the pet store and bought a leather collar with a tiny bone-shaped bell. Came with a silver leash, perfect for evening walks. Couldn't let my rebellious little wolf run off, right?
Dylan would love it. Had to.
No dog could resist a bone pendant.
That afternoon, I approached while he sulked on the couch. "Hey, Dylan? Got you something."
He looked up, ice-blue eyes instantly wary. "What."
"A gift!" I jingled the collar, making the bell chime. "Wanna try it tonight?"
I meant going outside for a walk. You know, fresh air, exercise, totally normal stuff.
Dylan's reaction... wasn't normal at all.
His face went from pale to crimson in two seconds flat. He shot off the couch so fast he nearly knocked over the lamp, ripped the collar from my hands, and threw it on the floor.
"I'm not playing your sick fucking games!"
"Sick—what?" I blinked. "It's just a collar. For walks. You know, exercise—"
But he'd already stormed into his room, slamming the door so hard the walls shook.
I stood there, staring at the collar on the floor.
What the hell did he think I was going to use it for?
Cain emerged from the kitchen, wiping his hands. Expression carefully neutral, but ears pointed toward Dylan's room.
"He's sensitive about certain things," Cain said quietly.
"Sensitive about collars?"
"It's complicated." His jaw tightened. "Something happened with our last owner. Maybe I'll explain someday."
I wanted to push, but the pain in his eyes made me stop.
"He'll warm up to you," Cain added, voice softer. "Just give him time. He's not used to kindness without strings attached."
Without strings attached. The phrase stuck in my brain like a thorn.
Days passed. Things got worse.
They barely ate anything.
When I pushed, Cain would at least try—forcing down bites, throat working hard to swallow.
Dylan? Flat refusal. His face grew gaunt, body weaker. He kept insisting he needed "something else," but whenever I asked what, he'd shut down.
I spent hours searching online. Found some beastman care forums, but the content was either too vague or bizarrely specific. Stuff about "physical intimacy," "skin contact frequency," and "special needs, wink wink." I skipped those sections because obviously they didn't apply to my situation.
One evening, I had a breakthrough.
Gentle persuasion wasn't working. Time for a different approach.
"Dylan," I said, carrying a bowl of soup into the living room. "Drink this."
He didn't even look up. "Not hungry."
"Didn't ask if you're hungry. Telling you to drink."
"No."
Fuck this. I was done.
"Fine." I sat down beside him. "Then I'll feed you myself."
That got his attention. His head snapped up, eyes wide. "You'll what?"
Before he could run, I took a large mouthful of soup, leaned forward, cupped his jaw, and pressed my lips against his.
His entire body locked up.
I parted his lips with mine, letting the warm liquid flow into his mouth, one hand steady on his face.
For one second, he didn't react. Then his hands flew up—not to push me away, but to grab my shoulders like a drowning man clutching a lifeline.
When I pulled back, his face was scarlet. Wolf ears pinned flat against his skull. Tail standing straight up, fur bristling.
"There," I cheerfully petted his fluffy ear. "Good boy. Want another sip?"
"I—you—what the actual fuck—" He couldn't form complete sentences. His pupils were blown wide.
"I can do it again if you want. Or you can finish the rest yourself."
He snatched the bowl, downed it in one go, shoved it back at me, and fled to his room.
Success.
I whirled around to find Cain braced in the doorway, and the sight froze me solid.
Red. He was red everywhere—face, neck, the broad expanse of his bare chest. Sweat made his skin slick and gleaming. His breathing tore out ragged.
"Jesus, Cain!" I rushed over. "You look like you're on fire—are you sick?"
"Not sick." He gritted out, then swayed.
I caught him, and holy shit, he was burning up.
"You must be running a fever. You need to lie down—"
"No." But he was trembling, eyes locked on me. "It's the bond. I feel everything Dylan feels—what you did to him? I felt it. Your lips. Your tongue. Every fucking second."
Heat flooded my face as understanding hit. "You felt me kiss him? Sorry, I forgot—"
"You have soup," his thumb suddenly pressed against my lower lip. "Right here."
I froze. "I can wipe it myself—"
"I know." But his thumb stayed, tracing slowly. "But I want to." His voice went rough. "Want to help. Want the kind of... care you gave him."
Too close. His heat overwhelming, that wild scent making me dizzy.
"Cain," I managed, voice unsteady.
His eyes bored into mine. Molten. Hungry.
"Can I?" Almost a whisper. "Please?"
"Can you what?"
He didn't answer. Just leaned in and licked the soup from the corner of my mouth.
The roughness of his tongue—like a cat's—made me gasp.
I inhaled sharply, fingers digging into his shoulders. Hard muscle, scorching, barely controlled.
His hands on my waist became vise-tight. His cock thick and insistent against my hip. His tail wrapped around my thigh, climbing higher, the tip brushing against—
"Briar," he groaned against my neck, rolling his hips, grinding. "I need—Master, I need—"
His hands dropped, splaying across my ass, pulling me tighter. His tail constricted, pressure building between my legs, heat flooding through my entire body.
"CAIN!" Dylan's shout cut like a blade.
We sprang apart. Dylan stood in the hallway, face flushed, jaw clenched tight. His cock equally straining against his sweatpants.
"What the fuck are you doing?"
Cain stumbled back, ears flat. "It wasn't—"
"Wasn't what?" Dylan closed in fast. "We agreed. No touching without permission. Remember?"
"Dylan, I didn't—"
"Save it." Dylan's hand clamped on his brother's arm. "Back to the room. Now."
As Cain let himself be dragged away, he looked back at me one last time.
The hunger in his eyes was unmistakable.
