Part 2I Neutered My Dog Groom

The second we hit the lobby, I tried to set him down, but he turned into a thrashing blur of white fur and claws.

"Awoooo!!!"

[The agony in that voice... I’m literally crying.]

[Where is the Heroine?! If she doesn't show up in thirty seconds, it's over!]

I had to pin him against my chest, shouting for a technician. Hudson didn't hesitate; he lunged for my wrist, his teeth sinking into my skin.

I didn't flinch. I grabbed his head, forcing him to look me in the eye. My voice was a low, dangerous growl.

"Bite me one more time, and I’ll tell the surgeon to take an extra two inches off."

He froze. His jaws went slack.

[The 'extra two inches' comment, I’m dying! I feel bad but that’s hilarious.]

[IT IS NOT FUNNY!]

The girl at the front desk, a teenager with a messy ponytail, didn't even look up from her computer. "Sorry, we’re closing. Come back tomorrow at eight."

"I need an emergency neuter. Now."

She sighed, finally looking up. "Look, it's 10 PM. The doctor is literally walking out the—"

"I'll pay extra."

"How much extra?"

I pulled out my phone and scanned the QR code on her desk.

Ping.

Transaction successful: $15,000.

The girl’s jaw dropped so far I thought it might hit the linoleum.

I gave her a sharp, predatory smile. "Fifteen thousand dollars for a standard neuter. But I want it done now. Swiftly. I want him completely... decommissioned."

The girl practically vaulted over the counter. "Ma'am, for fifteen grand, I’ll sharpen the scalpel myself. One second!"

Hudson looked like he was about to faint.

The receptionist snatched him from my arms and sprinted toward the back, screaming at the top of her lungs, "Dr. Miller! Stop! Don't leave! We’ve got a fifteen-thousand-dollar balls-ectomy! We’re rich!"

The comments were stunned:

[She’s for real...]

[She dropped fifteen grand just to spite him. Honestly? Iconic.]

[The Villainess is giving 'Unhinged Queen' energy and I’m kind of obsessed.]

[Are you people crazy? Hudson is about to be castrated! My poor baby!]

[Heroine! Where are you?! Your future happiness is on the line!]

Dr. Miller, who had been halfway out the back door, didn't hesitate for a single second. For fifteen thousand dollars, ethics and office hours were merely suggestions.

Within minutes, he was back in his scrubs, snapping on latex gloves. "Jenny, prep the anesthesia and the tray."

As Hudson was hoisted onto the cold stainless steel of the operating table, his eyes were fixed on me. They were full of disbelief.

He probably never thought I—Paige—would do this. In his mind, my devotion was supposed to be hardcoded into my DNA.

That’s why he’d let his family bring him to me after he transformed. He hated our arranged marriage, hated that I was "forced" upon him, but he knew I loved him more than life itself. He figured he’d hide out as a pet, let me wait on him hand and foot, and watch me crumble in grief over his "disappearance."

He wanted a front-row seat to my misery.

Instead, he got a front-row seat to his own surgery.

The receptionist, Jenny, was moving with lightning speed, laying out the tools. Forceps, scalpels, sutures, antiseptic.

The sight of the blade triggered a primal fear in Hudson. He tried to bolt, his paws slipping on the steel table. He let out a piercing, soul-shattering howl.

Jenny pinned him down with practiced ease.

Then, Dr. Miller stepped forward with the sedative.

Hudson’s eyes stayed locked on mine, wide with betrayal, until the drug took hold and his head finally slumped over.

Just as the doctor raised the scalpel...

"STOP!"

The front door slammed open with a violent crash.

[SHE’S HERE! THE QUEEN IS HERE!]

[Hudson is saved! I knew she wouldn't let him down!]

I turned around, my eyes narrowing.

It was my sister. Daisy. The "True Daughter" who had been brought back to our family only six months ago.