Chapter 1

After getting clawed by Taylor again,I finally drove myself to the ER.

The nurse peeled the towel away and sucked air through her teeth.

"Honey.Honey."

Four claw marks from my shoulder damn near to my wrist.Deep enough to see pink.

"Your beastman ever been through socialization training?"

"Graduated top of his class."

Taylor Jones.Pureblood silver fox.Rank-S compatibility.Five hundred thousand dollars—my entire savings.Every overtime shift.Every packed lunch.Every dollar I didn't spend on myself for three years.

Twelve months ago,he begged me to choose him.Before anyone found out he was infertile.

Now my phone was buzzing.

"It's just a scratch.Did you seriously go to the hospital?"

"Dramatic much?"

"I'm hungry.Come home and cook."

Then a fourth message.A screenshot sent to the wrong thread.Dinner reservation.Eleven Madison.Two seats.Tonight.

That would be Ava.

Ava.Grade-A human.Family money.She wanted Taylor for her bloodline program.Taylor played along.She didn't know he was infertile.Nobody did except me and the Bureau.

I paid dollars to save him from being discarded.Now he was helping another woman build a family.

I locked the phone.Set it facedown on the exam table.

One hour later I walked into the Beastman Bonding&Registration Center.

"I'd like to replace my beastman."

The receptionist pulled up my file.Eleven months and three weeks of cohabitation.Ten days from permanent bonding.

"Can I ask why you've decided to request a replacement?"

"He doesn't like me.”

“…Excuse me?”

“I think your training program failed.I've met strays that behaved better than him.If this is what a certified companion beastman looks like...then I think dogs deserve an apology."

Walking into the Center brought back the memory of how pitiful Taylor had looked that day.Before Taylor was diagnosed infertile,his auction price had once made financial headlines.He begged me to pick him up.