When they arrived home, Sayuri and Ariel were waiting at the door.
Ariel was ecstatic and excited, having heard that they were getting a new pet. She was practically jumping about next to her mother who stood there with a soft smile on her face.
But Kyle froze and gulped upon seeing that.
He knew that smile.
It wasn't a 'welcome home' smile but a 'you're going to get it from me' smile.
The kids were oblivious to the way their father had gone on full alert as Alex and Aurora showed off their pets with Ariel cooing over them.
"Wooooowwwww," Ariel was gushing as she looked at Alex holding the curious Max in his arms. Max looked at the little one, its head tilted to one side and its tongue was out.
"Can I pet him?" Ariel asked Alex, stars in her eyes.
Alex shook his head, "No, not yet Rie. He's still wary. Let him get to know you first."
Ariel nodded obediently, and then rushed to Aurora, asking, "Why is she still asleep?"
"She's not well," Aurora explained, "So she's very tired."
"Oh," Ariel replied, disappointment evident on her face.
"Alex, Rory," Sayuri called out, "This is Gordon. He will teach you how to train your pets. Well, Max that is."
The large man behind Sayuri stepped forward, a bit hesitant as he was worried he would scare them.
He was the type of person that children were naturally afraid of, due to his physique and face. Standing at 6'7" (204cm), he towered over the children. He was muscular, his face was square, eyebrows thick and bushy - which made him look fierce.
Especially since his eyes were almost black and he tended to stare at people.
When he got the call to take up this job, he had been happy until he found out it was to train the children's pets - not the parents. Wouldn't he just scare them to death first?
To his surprise, the children did not seem to react at all.
He had already been surprised at the youngest one who was just chattering away with him earlier, but he thought that was more because she was with the mother.
Seeing that the other two older children didn't even flinch upon him coming into view, his heart settled down and he gave a small smile … which looked more like a grimace, really.
The children greeted him politely, then Aurora asked her mother, "But what about Iori?"
"She's still not well," Kyle said, stepping forward, "Once she recovers…"
"IF she recovers," Sayuri said firmly, looking at him and Kyle closed his mouth immediately.
Sayuri looked at Aurora and said, firmly but with a gentle voice, "You know Iori is still recovering. There is a possibility that she won't make it. You have to be prepared for that."
Aurora's bottom lips quivered but she nodded nonetheless.
"Gordon will teach Alex on how to train Max," Sayuri continued, "So listen to him well, Alex."
"I will," Alex promised and followed Gordon.
"Aurora," Sayuri said, putting her hand on her head and stroking it gently, "I've already set up the treatment room for Iori. Dr. Yana will take care of her but you must be there to learn as well."
"Okay, Mummy," Aurora replied.
"Rie, go bring your sister to Iori's room," Sayuri told her.
"Okay Mummy!" Ariel replied, "Come on Sis! Come come! I chose the colours! You'll like it!!"
"Okay, Rie," Aurora replied, holding onto Iori tightly. The sadness in her face was still there though she was trying to be strong.
Once the kids were out of sight, Sayuri turned to Kyle.
He stepped forward but she put up a hand, her eyes practically shooting lasers at him.
"Babe," Kyle began, "Sweetheart, the love of my life..."
"Save it," Sayuri hissed, "It was ONE pet. ONE. Not only did you bring back two, that one is sick!!"
"Well…"
Sayuri put her finger horizontally on his lips, shook her head, and gave a smile that sent shivers down Kyle's spine.
She went closer to him, ran a finger along his jawline, and whispered, her lips brushing against his, "My love…"
Kyle gulped.
She kissed his chin, then his Adam's apple, and stepped back, smiling at him.
"Tonight, I am Queen," she said as she turned on her heel and walked inside.
Kyle groaned as he watched his extremely sexy wife's ass sway upon her movements.
Just from that little bit of his wife's moves had made him hard. She knew all his sensitive spots and she knew how to arouse him quickly with hardly any effort.
Queen.
He sighed and entered the house.
From the looks of it, and her annoyance at him for bringing home a pet that may not make it and cause their beloved daughter to be extremely sad … tonight was going to be a very long - and intense - edging session.
What's worse is that she would be able to - multiple times - but not him.
Well, it could have been worse, he supposed.
She could have said one week and not just tonight … then he stopped.
She didn't say it wasn't, did she?
Urgh.
Never. Ever. Piss off a Seduction Art Expert.
Their punishments are unique.
✿ Author posts on WN and neovel ✿
While Kyle was thinking of ways to appease his wife without being tortured too much, Alex was listening intently to Gordon's words.
A section of the backyard had been magically transformed into a fenced area for the wolfdog - er, wolfpup. Half of the area that they normally trained in was made to look like the natural habitat of a wolf.
Well, partly.
There was an artificial rock pile that was actually Max's home. Whilst dogs would have a doghouse, Max had his wolf den.
When Alex came closer to it, he found that there was a hole within that rock pile that was slightly deeper in. There was a blanket that covered the ground and two bowls in front of it.
Gordon had been amazed at the fact that this family made the wolfpup's house to look like a wolf den of the wild. The artificial rock pile would provide its basic shelter, but it was also under an awning - to make sure that when it rains, it would not enter the den.
Plus, there was a 'moat' around the den, which served as additional drainage should the ground be flooded due to heavy rain. It was meant to look as natural as possible as a wolfdog is still wild at heart.
"You cannot allow Max into the house until he's been potty trained," Gordon told him, "And disciplined. Wolfdogs are extremely active, so you must walk him everyday."
He took out a leash and harness, showing it to Alex, "Get him used to this so that you can control him."
"Why?" Alex asked, not pleased with the leash.
Max is supposed to be able to run free, not confined with a leash.
"Our garden is big enough for me to exercise him," Alex said, "He wouldn't need a leash."
"But wouldn't you want to be able to take him out?" Gordon asked, "As beautiful and as spacious as your backyard is, nothing beats going out."
He patted Max, and said, "Leashing a dog when you go out is just being a responsible pet owner. You may be close to Max, but it doesn't mean that he wouldn't scare other people."
"Plus, to a wolfdog, strangers are unpredictable and a constant threat," Gordon warned him, "He may attack if he feels threatened. He will growl and snarl to warn - with teeth showing and all, before attacking in self-defense."
"If he doesn't get used to the leash now, you won't be able to take him out," Gordon said, "Would that be fair on him?"
Alex looked at Max, who was now going around and sniffing things.
"Mealtimes must be at regular intervals," Gordon told him as he went and picked up a container, "You must feed him at the same time everyday."
He showed Alex what was in the container. It looked like chunks of raw meat but there was some colourful mush as well.
"Wolfdogs can't really eat dog kibble," Gordon told him, "Or rather, they should not. They eat what a wolf does: raw meat. Of course, they need proper nutrition but like kids, they don't like vegetables."
Gordon laughed at that, "You will need to learn how to make Max's food. It can be done once a week. Freeze them and defrost what you need everyday."
Gordon felt like he was being too heavy on the kid, but his employer, Kyle, had told him to treat him like an adult.
"Wolfdog diet should be 64% meat, 11% organs, and 25% fruits and veggies that you blend and hide in the meat," Gordon told him, "This is minced chicken and beef heart, with zucchini, celery, and apples pureed and mixed in. I've also added yogurt and coconut oil."
Alex blinked.
So fancy??
"Max looks like he's around 7 weeks old," Gordon said, "So he needs to be fed 4 times a day. At 8-12 weeks, it's 3 times a day and after that, 2 times a day."
"How much do I feed him?"
"Ah, how's your maths?" Gordon asked with a smile.
"Huh?"
"It's 2-3% of their body weight," Gordon told him, "So you'll have to weigh him often and adjust accordingly."
Alex turned to look at Max.
Such a troublesome pup … but he was worth it.
Alex smiled.