I brought a wounded Alpha home.

I kept him around so he could help me do some chores and guard my home. But he would keep staring at me quietly and didn't like other men to come closer. He even got a fever and shivered without his usual spirit.

I anxiously asked the doctor if he was sick.

The doctor was quiet for a while before asking, "Is it possible that your werewolf friend isn't sick? And that he wants to mark you and make you his mate, but worried that you won't be happy about it?"

I picked up a werewolf and brought him home.

After finishing a hike last week, I had just opened my car door and got into the driver's seat. But before I could fasten my seat belt, a dark silhouette slammed open the passenger door and stumbled inside.

I froze in shock, and I turned my head.

It was a man.

I could see under the dim light inside the car. He leaned against the passenger seat, covered in blood and struggling to breathe.

"It hurts..."

I was stunned for a few seconds.

I did not see anyone else on the hiking trail earlier. But he did not look like he was trying some kind of scam with that condition of his. He looked more like someone who had run into some serious trouble and had no other choice but to get into my car.

"Don't move," I said with my voice softened subconsciously. "Should I take you to the hospital?"

He shook his head. "No... No hospital."

"Then where do you want to go?" I asked.

"I do not know... I can't remember anything..."

He closed his eyes, as if he didn't even have the strength to talk anymore. His brows were furrowed deeply, and a cold sweat formed on his forehead. I looked at his pale face and his wounds that kept bleeding. I could not bring myself to simply dump him in the empty parking lot in the middle of nowhere.

After hesitating for a few moments, I started the car and stared straight ahead. "I'll take you to my place first and clean your wounds. If you remember anything, or if you want to go somewhere else, we can talk about it later."

That night, I settled him on the living room couch and went to sleep in my own room.

Around midnight, I got up to use the bathroom. When I stepped out, I saw him curled up on the couch. His hood was off. Black wolf ears drooped on top of his head and his tail had slipped out and lay across his legs. He was staring at the window, the moonlight showering over him, making him look quite lonesome.

I moved quietly and took a blanket. As I touched his arm, his eyes suddenly opened, and a low growl rumbled out of his throat, as if it was a warning.

I stumbled back for about half a step. "Sorry. I just wanted to cover you with a blanket..."

The man paused. The tips of his ears sank a little. His voice was raspy like he was just woken up. "It's fine."

I handed him the blanket. When he took it, his fingertips accidentally touched my hand. His skin was as cold as ice.

-

The next morning, the man was already awake. He sat on the couch, frowning at the dirty clothes and takeout boxes piled around my living room.

When he heard me come out, he turned his head. His voice was low. "Clara? I heard someone call you that on the phone."

I paused for a second. "Yeah... Do you remember your own name?"

He nodded. "My name is Ethan."

He suddenly opened his hand. His palm was rough with his claws already retracted. "Thank you for saving me."

"Just saying thanks isn't enough." I crossed my arms in front of my chest. "I saved you and even took you in. You need to pay me back properly."

A playful idea popped into my head. "How about from now on, you call me... master?"

He was stunned for a moment, and then still said it. "Master..."

"Since I'm your master, does that mean you have to do whatever I ask you to do?" I asked.

His cheeks went red. His fingertips rubbed the seam of his pants, and his tail slipped out of sight again. "I guess..."

I pointed at the mess in the living room to Ethan. "Then do the chores for me. Wash these clothes. Remember not to mix clothes with dark and light colors together. The dishes in the sink have been soaking for three days, so they may be a little greasy..."

Here came the cheap part-time helper, right?

"..."

Ethan said nothing and just turned around to get a cloth.

I lay down on the couch and started scrolling through my phone. I did not notice that when Ethan was picking up the cloth, his nail accidentally scraped the corner of the table, leaving a shallow scratch.

He stared at the scratch for two seconds, then lowered his head and started wiping the table carefully.

For the next week, Ethan became my full-time housekeeper.

I relied on him more and more.

When I worked overtime until late at night, there was always a hot meal waiting when I got home. He could not cook anything complicated and could only get pasta or fried eggs right, but he handled the heat perfectly. The eggs were crisp on the outside and soft inside.

When I had period cramps, he somehow came back with a bundle of dried wormwood despite me not saying anything and put it beside my pillow. He said, "These will keep you warm."

When I casually said that the flowers on the balcony were dying, he moved them by the windowsill the next day and set a basin outside to catch the rainwater. He said, "There's chlorine in the tap water. It's not good."

But the things that were abnormal about him never stopped.

While his body temperature was about the same as a normal person's during the day, it would get cold at night to the point that touching his arm at night felt like touching a cold stone.

No matter where I was, he always watched me from the corner of his eye. If I went near another man, even the delivery man, his wolf ears would quietly perk up and his tail would stiffen, and he would whine very softly.

He would stand on the balcony for half an hour every night before dawn and face the moon, letting out low howls. It wasn't loud, but the windows didn't exactly block the howling either. When I asked him why, he only said, "Habit."

Once, I invited my colleague Lisa over. When Ethan brought out some fruits, he did not hide his tail well, and half of it came out.

Lisa's eyes went wide. She tugged on the hem of my shirt and whispered, "Why does this werewolf you brought home keep staring at you? And a normal werewolf wouldn't get stuck mid-transformation. He even put your plate right in front of you and his off to the side. That is territorial behavior. He has marked you as 'his!'"

I did not take it seriously. "The doctor who treated him said he is a rogue. The reason he's stuck half-transformation is because there's some kind of toxin in his system that hasn't been cleared yet. He has just been exiled too and doesn't understand the rules of human societies. That being said, he's very capable. Look at how shiny he cleaned the floor."

Lisa hesitated. Before she left, she said, "You should at least read 'Werewolf 101'. Rogues are not like pets. When they obey someone as their master, they act like you're their only hope. Those who have just been expelled become even more attached especially."

I gave it a thought. Other than howling at night and staring at people, Ethan did not seem to have any real problems. Not to mention he was so capable too, so I did not think much of it.

But one night, when I got up to go to the toilet, I saw him on the balcony. He was howling softly at the moon with his wolf ears and tail fully exposed. Moonlight poured over him, and he looked like a wolf trapped in the human world all alone.

I did not disturb him and went back to my room quietly. Then, I suddenly felt that he might be far lonelier than I had imagined.

I was working late into the night this time. As soon as I turned into an alley, a drunk man staggered into my path.

"Hey… Hey, young lady… Why don't you have a drink with me?" He reached out and grabbed my wrist. His fingers were so sticky that it was disgusting.

I immediately darted backward and held my phone tightly. "Don't touch me! I already called the cops!"

"Cops? Who are you trying to scare?" The drunkard let out a cold laugh and grabbed my collar with his other hand. I squeezed my eyes shut, but the groping I was expecting never came.

A dark figure dropped in front of me with a heavy thud, carrying a familiar scent.

It was Ethan.

His hood slipped down onto his shoulders and his wolf ears stood straight up. His dark brown eyes locked on the drunk like he was prey. "Let go."

The man froze for a second, then roared at him. "Who the hell are you?! Get lost!"

He shoved Ethan's shoulders.

Ethan did not budge, and instead his nails extended with a clack. Those nails were reflecting a pale gray light, as he let out a low growl. "Just try and touch her again."

The drunk man's hand froze in midair and his face turned white as he was crushed by Ethan's primal presence. His eyes fixed on Ethan's wolf ears, and he felt his knees go weak. He immediately spun around and bolted, yelling, "Monster!"

Only my heavy panting could still be heard in the alley.

Ethan turned to me right away, his hands closing around my arms. I could hear his voice getting tight. "Did he touch you? Did you get hurt anywhere?"

I shook my head, still rattled. "What are you doing here?"

The tips of his ears drooped a little and his fingers brushed the red marks on my wrist. "I follow you every day and only leave after I see you go into your office. I was afraid something would happen because you're working so late tonight, so I came to look for you."

I could feel warmth blooming in my heart. I had just opened my mouth when he suddenly crouched down and looked at my ankle. "Did you twist your ankle? You hesitated when you were dodging him."

"A little. It doesn't hu..." Before I could even finish, he had already slipped off my high heels. His fingertips held gently along my ankle carefully. "Does it hurt here?"

"A… A little," I said.

He did not answer and took out a small cloth pouch from his pocket. He poured out some crushed herbs into his palm and pressed them over my ankle. Then, he tore off a strip from his shirt and wrapped it up properly. "Herbs from the pack. It will quickly bring the swelling down."

Watching him lower his head, I suddenly asked, "You follow me every day. How did I never notice?"

He looked up. The tips of his ears were red. "I was afraid you would think I was annoying. But I can't let anything happen to you. You're my... Master. You're also the person I have to protect."

I couldn't say anything except to reach out and touch one of his ears. It was soft and warm.

He stiffened for a moment, but he did not pull away. His voice lowered. "I'll take you to work and pick you up from now on. I won't let you experience this again."

After that night, Ethan and I became even closer.

He stopped sleeping on the couch. Instead, he slept on the floor next to my bed, sometimes with his tail brushing against my hand. I got used to his body temperature and his quiet company. I even felt that this rented apartment only felt like home when he was there.

One night, I could not help ruffling his hair as I asked with a smile, "Ethan, do you like me a lot?"

He looked up at me with his bright eyes and nodded. "Yes."