Mage And Wolf
Chapter 288

Chapter 288: Chapter 288

By "wash the puppy," the Mayor meant to bring me in the shower with her. So we’re currently playing under the hot water, making shampoo Mohawks, and then washing them away. I can hear her brother getting more and more annoyed at the fact we’re ignoring his instructions to dry off and go to bed, but he’s been unwilling to do anything about it so far.

It’s her mother, who I have yet to hear called by her name, who puts a stop to the games, dragging us out and throwing a towel on my head while she takes her daughter to her room.

"Follow me, pup. You can take the towel in with you." Jacob instructs, and I gather my clothes to follow him to the cage. They’ve added a thick cushion and several blankets at some point, and it looks pretty comfy for a prison cell.

"Someone will come to get you in the morning. Father insists you are to travel with him and not stay at home. It’s a bit strange, nobody takes their pets to work, but he’s the Mayor; maybe it’s a publicity thing? You know, make him look caring and domestic?"

"Wouldn’t it be better to take one of you for that? I mean, families are the definition of domestic, and you seem to get along." I suggest attempting to gather information about my current situation.

"No, the hardliners are too big of a threat. They think his rules are too soft on the slaves. He’s only been mayor a few years since the Oracle predicted that the Death God would send someone to destroy the city. The change in leadership was supposed to mitigate the damage, but the old men still think they can prevent it entirely."

"Jacob. Bed, now. Let the puppy sleep." His mother calls from upstairs, and he stomps away with a sad look. Both of the kids I have gotten to talk to are sheltered and depressed. Maybe I was sent here to help out? Kill off a few of the hardliners and help the Mayor reform things? He doesn’t seem hostile towards the slaves. Just apathetic about the situation.

Once he’s gone, the maids come back in, wearing that ridiculously short uniform. "They let you play Soccer with Mila? That’s amazing. They never let her do anything physical; they’re preparing her for a chance at an Imperial marriage. If she has any flaws, she would be disqualified. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear you were using a compulsion Inscription."

"Do you know much about Lycans?" I ask her with a smile.

"I’ve heard of them, but they’re supposed to be terrifying and furry." The maid shrugs.

"I’m only half. The rest was human, at least when I was born. I had a minor mishap and ended up more Demon than human, but that’s not the point. The point is Lycan Omegas gives off a sort of Aura that makes it hard to stay mad at them. Because it’s hard to be angry with them, people tend to like them and not view them as a threat. I think that’s what’s happening here. The Mayor isn’t used to Lycan nature, and he’s just going with it."

"I think I understand. It’s the same with me; as soon as I saw you, I wanted to be your friend." She nods as if she’s solved a problem.

The butler ducks his head in and gestures for her to leave, giving me a short nod and rushing away just before the younger sons come in. "Well, look what we’ve got—a furless puppy."

They have an evil look, like they enjoy causing trouble, and have decided to bother me tonight. Unfortunately for them, the cage is locked, and the bars are too close together to get their arms through. One has a large glass of water, and the other has a poker from the fireplace, presumably their torture tools of choice.

"We heard how the centers train the pets. Will you cry for us? Scream and beg for mercy?" They’ve certainly got the supervillain talk down, but they haven’t figured out how to actually intimidate anyone yet.

The one with the metal poker has started using his cultivation energy to heat it until it’s glowing red, giving me the grin of a confident man who believes he has the upper hand. The little brat stabs the rod in my direction a few times, before he gets upset that I’m not begging him for mercy.

"Why aren’t you screaming? Are you stupid? Did you forget what this will do to you?" He sneers, sticking it in again, and I kick it sideways, bending the soft metal between the cage bars. It’s thoroughly stuck now, not coming out whether he pushes or pulls, and every attempt is making a tremendous amount of noise.

Someone starts coming down the hall, and they flee, leaving the rod and the glass of water behind. Mayor Johan steps through the doors looks at the poker bent around the cage bars, and storms back out, calling the entire family out of bed and to the living room.

What follows is a lengthy scolding on responsibility, the cost of Lycan Proof cages, and the potential danger of damaging it and letting me run free during the night while they’re sleeping. I’ll admit, it’s a compelling story. The bit about how I could sneak into their bedrooms and slit their throats while they slept was a masterpiece of theatrics.

The two boys he caught messing with the cage get grounded for a week and are forbidden to go into the room where I’m locked up, but the daughters still manage to convince him to let them take me shopping on the weekend. Not because they want to get anything, but because their friends have never seen a half Lycan before.

The conditions are that I must be on a leash, and it is to be held by the guards. They’ll have four of them along, and Mila isn’t allowed to go. They’re taking this marriage thing very seriously, and they’re afraid a competitor would attack and scar her if she was discovered.

I also learn that the selection is in one month from today, after which Mila will know her future, either as a Mayor’s daughter or as an Imperial Concubine.