Linden's been thrown out
Linden had become accustomed to the food in the third-floor residential area, finding it hard to eat these raw fish, not to mention the need to cover his sister's tuition fees for the coming years. How was he to survive the days ahead?
He was frustrated, regretful, and wished Seraphina could forgive him and take him back. Now, his only options were fighting or selling himself, unsure when he would gather enough money.
But he had hurt her, and her not getting angry or immediately calling the police to kill him was already a mercy.
He wanted to tear off that damned collar, but it seemed locked, with every move making the spikes dig deeper. He felt resentful, wondering why Seraphina was sometimes kind and sometimes harsh, why she restrained him; he never planned to run away. Yet, he also felt that being of his race, living on human territory, perhaps deserved this treatment.
He couldn't understand.
Linden's mind was filled with thoughts of her; he submerged his head in the river, cooling down only when his body felt chilled.
·
Seraphina regretted kicking him out just two minutes after doing so.
She opened the door to look for him, but no one was outside. She could only activate the locator in his collar and saw he hadn't moved from the ground level, probably had gone home, which reassured her.
She was still sulking and too lazy to go find him, so she just slept on his bed.
Without him, the house felt empty. He obediently ate the nutrition powder he disliked, and even the water cups were neatly placed.
The weekend was approaching, and she planned to bring him back, but if he tried to rape her again, she would chop off his dick and throw it back to the second underground level with him.
·
The next day, Seraphina woke up early, turned on the monitor for a vision shared from Linden, and knew he was alive, listlessly chopping carrots. Then, she turned off the share feature and got ready for work.
This device was implanted in his eyeball during the physical examination, along with his collar. If he lost it, Seraphina could still find him.
Her mind wasn't on her work today, occasionally opening the vision share to see him masturbating, which infuriated her to nearly delete the app from her terminal.
What an idiot!
`
Seraphina's temper completely exploded when the team decided to have the gathering at a restaurant on the second underground level. She coldly stated she wouldn't attend, and the team leader jokingly said there would be a deduction from her salary, but Seraphina firmly refused.
Was there really any point in these so-called team bonding dinners? She didn't exchange more than three sentences a year with other team members. Who came up with the idea that dining together would foster social bonds?
Idiots! All idiots!
Seeing the mood was off, Ophelia comforted her, "It's okay, just a meal. You haven't tried that restaurant yet, the dishes are pretty good there."
And whispered, "Relax, I'll be with you."
Seraphina had no choice but to succumb to being a social creature at this moment. Not attending could lead to isolation, or worse, demotion or salary deduction.
Humans really haven't evolved much.
That's what she thought.
·
They saw a lot of scantily clad female orcs, mostly cats, in the restaurant, they heard that they were cheap and obedient, Seraphina as a woman was not blessed with that, she saw Ophelia had called two handsome men for company as well and let out a long sigh.
"I didn't realize you could sigh." Ophelia said, "What else is there to live for, let's live in time."
Seraphina was brainwashed by Ophelia's values.
A few of the leaders had chosen to come to a place like this just to get laid, and as she looked at the "cowboys" here, she had a vague feeling that Linden was still handsome.
She liked her wolf.
·
Ophelia could tell she wasn't too happy and asked her, "Is something wrong?"
Seraphina doesn't want to talk right now, so she sits here with her head down while a couple of the male leaders, with nothing better to do, flirt with the catgirls, and Seraphina finds their jokes cringe-worthy to listen to.
Seraphina had been sitting and waiting, standing up numbly when the gathering was over, her throat twitching slightly at the sight of people in the narrow alley selling cigarettes, which were contraband in the upper residential neighborhoods.
"Seraphina, aren't you leaving?"
Seraphina calmed down and professionally faked a smile, "No, I'll play some more."
Ophelia, who had wanted to stay and whore out the two dudes, was a little surprised to hear that Seraphina wasn't leaving and inquired if she wanted company.
·
In this era, the safety coefficient for human survival is very high, and even women do not have to worry about being harmed.
However, Ophelia still wanted to accompany her. Seraphina knew it was a kind gesture, but she declined, telling her to go have fun without worrying about her.
She exchanged some currency, bought two cigarettes, and after lighting them, leaned against a somewhat damp and cold wall to smoke.
When leaving the restaurant, amidst the hustle and bustle, her bag was lost, but she did not pursue it, as there was nothing too valuable inside. She watched the bustling traffic outside, lively and prosperous.
The second underground level, a den of human hedonism, a haven of tenderness, a place for venting. Here, many beastmen work, many in the sex industry, and most of the humans here come for pleasure.
·
Seraphina looks at the endless splash of lights, the buildings in the distance are very blurry and she can't see much further than that anymore, turning on a high tech screen here is out of place in her surroundings, so she just wants to be a normal person using coins.
Her entire being was buried back in the darkness, and as she was about to smoke her second cigarette, two ghostly lights flashed faintly in the narrow alley, and Seraphina squinted over to see him holding out his hand with her shoulder bag in it. Inside the bag was only a lipstick and a tube of potion, somewhat expensive, but lost is lost, and Seraphina knew they were lost but had no desire to retrieve them.
Linden, however, sniffs her scent on the bag and snatches it back.
`
There was a bit of blood on him, and she wondered if it was his. He stood beside her with his ears drooping and his head bowed, Seraphina took the bag and for some reason, her anger surged through her and she threw the bag into the trash can with all her might, not even looking at it.
Linden realizes that she doesn't want him anymore, he thought it was fate that he would still meet her, but now it seems like a joke.
She was wearing a red dress today with a white fur coat over it, she looked as cute and pretty as ever, much like a snow wolf.
"Miss Seraphina..." he said, "I'm sorry."
Seraphina couldn't help but get mad at him when she saw him in his waiter's clothes, she hadn't even said she didn't want him and he was going to sell his ass? She wanted to throw up in her mouth at the thought that he might have been groped by someone else.
·
But Linden didn't sell his ass, he was just a plate carrier. He asked several stores before he found a temporary job with daily pay.
He wanted to tell her she was beautiful, what should he say, that he missed her or begged for forgiveness or something, Linden didn't know, he'd like Seraphina to touch his ear even if it tickled too much, and he wouldn't let his tail get stuck with dirt now for fear that she'd touch it again, and he had his nails clipped every day... but she didn't want him anymore, and Linden just had to leave, he just drooped and left with his funny bow tie.
Seraphina can't help but turn back after two steps and follow him, smoking hot with anger... this is the biggest emotional up and down she's ever had in her life, isn't it? She was really angry, her chest was heaving, she wanted to see him sell his ass!
But he just calmly carried the plates all night. He was doing so well. So well that he almost turned himself into air. It was as if no one saw him, even if...one of the customers poured a drink on him, and he didn't make a sound or duck, and the humans didn't see him.
·
Seraphina's chest was slowly calming down.
He came out of his job and went through the trash again, pouting his tail as he pulled her pack out, wiping it carefully clean with his hands, still wrapped comically around his arm, and just walked back.
Seraphina followed him, the smells drinking in the sounds of the place were so mixed that he didn't notice her until he was out of the downtown area and into the territory of the wolves that were located on the surface flats, Seraphina's human scent was extraordinarily clear, Linden turned back to her and Seraphina subconsciously got goosebumps when she heard the occasional howl of a wolf.
Linden gestured hesitantly to their territory, as if asking if she wanted to go in.
Seraphina walked so close to him that he had to accompany her forward, at this time of day there were still the occasional males tormented by the heat wandering around outside with their ears hanging down and drooling, they wouldn't hurt their own kind and didn't have the money to settle for it, if they could run into a female who was also in heat it was fine, a two-night fling was in order, if not they had to walk around under the moon like this.
His companion looked enviously at the human female behind him, waved to him and left.
.
Occasionally the wolves would bring humans back, all females, the alpha didn't allow human males into the territory but human females who wanted to live with them could.
They had their own code of living, Seraphina saw homemade houses of all sizes, their territory was too big for them, there were a dozen or so floors of apartments in the distance, surrounded by supermarkets, pharmacies, butchers, and restaurants, it was a complete community, and she saw two young wolf cubs running amok, Linden kindly pinched the back of the cubs necks, and gave it back to their mother, who was chasing them on two legs behind her.
Everyone got to know each other here, and the she-wolf asked Linden, "Did you get a human mate?"
Linden touched her collar, and the she-wolf was a bit surprised, it was not often that an "owner" would come around here, but she was considerate enough not to ask what was going on.
As the two of them walked around, Seraphina finally reached his "home". When he opened the wooden door, a pair of gray and black ears stood up, and Linden closed the door in fear.