After cleaning up the mess the wolf made, I realized much time had passed. Nestling into the couch where scattered feathers had just been cleared away, I clutched the only cushion that remained intact. The wolf, seated next to me, lifted its head onto my lap.

Perhaps feeling guilty for the mess it made, it tenderly licked my hand. The slick sensation of its tongue made me pull my hand away slightly, to which, seemingly displeased, the wolf playfully nipped at my fingers. The gentle pressure of its teeth tickled.

“Ouch!”

Feeling me wriggle from the ticklish sensation, the wolf released my hand, placing its chin upon it instead. I met its deep, inquisitive black eyes.

I knew what the wolf wanted, but worn out from the day’s events, I avoided its gaze, that seemed to want a pat, and turned to look out the window.

The sky was unusually dark as night approached. In the starless expanse, two moons hung, facing each other like twins.

Ever since I became aware of this world, I’ve had a deep affinity for the twin moons. Somehow, they calmed my restless heart. I had read in a book here that these twin moons exude a mystical power that tames the ferocity of monsters and demi-humans at night.

You might find my words strange. I was just as shocked when I first realized it, and even questioned my sanity.

Reality always has ways to f*ck you up. The incredible truth I stumbled upon was now my reality. I had to accept that I was reincarnated into a popular romance fantasy novel world that has two moons.

In my busy past life, my sole hobby was reading romance fantasy novels. Having read almost every book in the genre, one particularly memorable one was “The Queen’s Pet,” the very world I found myself in now.

By its title, you’d think it was a cute, light-hearted tale. But contrary to my expectations, it was a story filled with dark and intricate details.

First of all, this world was inhabited by monsters and demi-humans. It operated on a strict survival-of-the-fittest hierarchy. 

At the top were the demi-humans, followed by monsters, and humans at the very bottom. (The male protagonists of the novel belonged to the demi-human category.)

Having lived here for a while, I observed there were many more demi-human races than what the novel depicted, but they weren’t all particularly strong.

At the very top of this pyramid stood specific races: wolves, white tigers, crows, foxes, and the dragon clan, which surprisingly wasn’t mentioned in the novel. These five maintained a delicate balance of power.

These clans divided the world into five continents, each settling deep within the mountains of their respective lands. With their numbers being few and preferring to stay within their territories, they rarely showed themselves. They only emerged when the world’s balance was at risk.

The last time all the leaders of the five clans revealed themselves was nearly 60 years ago, during the time when human hunting was at its peak, which occurred before I was born.

I heard from my mother about the brutal and heinous nature of these hunts, which were barely mentioned in the book. My grandparents had fallen victim to these hunts. The atrocities were so unspeakable that not a single part of the remains could be properly retrieved.

As a result, the human population had drastically dwindled, rendering them an endangered species. It became especially hard to see human children, as there were rumors that their flesh was tender and delectable.

Understanding these circumstances made me realize why my mother lived in such a fortified home. I daresay that I was able to grow up safely thanks to her overprotectiveness. (It was still a dangerous world for humans, after all.)

Anyway, the main storyline of the novel set against this terrifying backdrop was as follows: One day, a woman who gets transported to this world ends up making the top-tier demi-humans her pets in a reverse-harem tale.

The place where the female protagonist landed was the central lake of Ordo, the continent I lived on. But the problem was, I didn’t know when this would happen. It was definitely during a full moon, though…

Thud.

I couldn’t continue my thoughts because a werewolf suddenly draped its arms over my shoulders.

The young wolf, who couldn’t fully transform into a human yet, still had twitching grey ears on its head and a swaying tail. But I had a bigger problem to deal with, so I tried my best to avoid looking down and focused solely on the werewolf’s face.

Its deep black eyes and increasingly handsome features filled my sight. It always struck me how insanely attractive he was. I couldn’t even imagine how breathtaking he’d be when he fully matures. But that wasn’t the issue at hand.

“Wolf, didn’t I tell you not to transform into a human? And if you must, you’re supposed to dress immediately. Did you forget our promise?”

My eyes kept trying to wander downward…

I struggled not to gaze at the more “natural” parts of him. Oblivious to my internal battle, the wolf looked sulky.

“But, Lily, you kept spacing out. I waited for you all day…”

The drooping ears poked at my weak heart. Surely, the purpose of wolf ears wasn’t for this.

“Um, okay, but put some clothes on first. It’s hard for you to maintain this form, isn’t it?”

Being a wolf still not stable in its power, turning human drained a lot of its energy. Misinterpreting my concern, its black eyes twinkled mischievously.

“All it would take is a kiss from Lily… It’s been a week already…”

The wolf’s tail swayed enticingly.

Yes, I knew. Detached from its pack, it needed human energy to replenish its own. And it hadn’t received that energy from me for a week. But that was because you went berserk and tried to take advantage of me. The mere thought was dizzying.

Pulling away from his grip on my shoulder, I handed him a torn piece of the cushion fabric.

“Cover yourself up with this for now. I’ll get your clothes.”

Ignoring the sulky pout of the werewolf, I rose from the sofa, determinedly looking forward as I walked. For a young wolf who hadn’t undergone the adulthood ceremony yet (though it’s over a hundred years old), why did he have such a mature body?

My eyes got caught on his impressive abs as he stood up, but I reminded myself, “He’s not *my* wolf.” From the closet, I fetched a set of men’s clothing I had previously bought and handed them over.

“Come on, get dressed, and go to sleep. I’m exhausted and need rest.”