I Bought the Wrong Beastman, and He Begged Me to Keep Him Chapter 02

I Bought the Wrong Beastman, and He Begged Me to Keep Him Chapter 02

That afternoon, I was buried in work at the publishing house when my phone buzzed.

A message from the agency, the one I’d adopted Adrian from two years ago.

[Ms. Caldwell, we’re so sorry. We made a serious mistake!]

[The hybrid you bought was supposed to be intimacy-class, but we accidentally sent you a companion-class hybrid.]

My first instinct was to call bullshit.

[That can’t be right.]

[Other than his personality being a little cold, Adrian checks every box. He’s got everything an intimacy-class hybrid should have.]

The agency’s next message made me pause.

[Has your hybrid shown any signs of low libido? Reluctance around physical intimacy?]

I typed back fast.

[Yeah. He’s always been cold. Low drive. He turns me down a lot, especially when I try to push things further.]

The typing indicator blinked for a long time.

[Once a hybrid bonds with their owner, their owner’s needs become everything to them. Rejecting you shouldn’t even be possible.]

[Companion-class hybrids crave closeness and emotional connection. Intimacy-class hybrids are wired for physical intimacy. That’s how they’re built. That’s what gives them purpose.]

[From what you’re telling me… your hybrid resents you.]

I read the message three times. My chest went hollow.

Adrian… resented me?

The agency kept going.

[If a hybrid is forced into the wrong role, the psychological damage builds up. They start pulling away from their owner. In extreme cases, they snap. They can even become violent…]

[Ms. Caldwell, for your own safety, please let us arrange a swap!]

I sat there for a long time, not moving.

[Let me go home and think about it.]

I didn’t believe it. Adrian couldn’t resent me.

Cats were aloof. That was just how they were. A little coldness didn’t mean anything.

And after two and a half years together, I’d gotten attached. Trading him in, I couldn’t even finish the thought.

After work.

I stopped by the store and picked up a catnip pillow refill he liked and a new box of ultra-thin condoms.

When I got home, he was in an apron, flipping through a recipe book.

I wrapped my arms around him from behind.

“I got off early just for you. Miss me?”

Something in him responded before he could stop it. He nuzzled against me, and a low, rumbling purr slipped from his throat.

Then he went rigid.

He pulled out of my arms like the contact burned him.

“…Don’t. I need to cook.”

Any other day, I would’ve pinned him against the counter, kissed him breathless, and buried my fingers in those fluffy ears.

“You’re such a tease.”

“Walking around all day with those cute little tufted ears, trying to drive me crazy.”

“I’m gonna make you pay for it.”

But now I got it. He really was pushing me away. My hands dropped to my sides.

I forced a smile.

“Okay. Go ahead and cook. I’ll get out of your way.”

“I left the catnip refill for you in the bedroom. See if you like it.”

He went still.

I stepped back, and his ears went stiff. His tail sank low behind him.

“Okay.”

I was already turning to leave when his voice stopped me. “Wait.”

“What?”

His gaze dropped to my mouth. His voice was flat, almost accusatory. “You always kiss me when you get home. You didn’t today.”

Something twisted in my chest. I shook my head.

“You don’t like it, do you?”

“So you don’t have to anymore.”

He went completely still, and the recipe book slipped from his fingers.

He bent down and picked it up like it didn’t matter.

“Mm.”

“Good. Kissing’s annoying anyway.”

I was already at the door, but that still stung.

He really was tired of me.

Dinner.

Everything tasted like ash. For the first time, I couldn’t focus through a single bite.

I didn’t even notice Adrian watching me.

His knuckles went white around his fork.

That night, I kept my feet to myself, didn’t nudge the tail curled around his calf under the table, didn’t reach for his ears. When his hand grazed mine as he passed the salt, I let it go.

After dinner, he settled into the couch like always and put on a true-crime show.

But this time, I actually listened to it.

[An owner tortured their hybrid for three years. On the day they were finally brought to justice, something no one expected happened…]

My stomach dropped.

I grabbed the remote. “Watch something else.”

But he gripped it and wouldn’t let go.

“No. I want to watch this one.”

We were both holding on, neither of us giving an inch.

This was nothing new. We’d fight over the remote all the time, and it always ended the same way, with me pinning him into the cushions, both of us out of breath, and then…

Adrian was pulling so hard his ears had flushed pink.

Those wide, wet cat eyes glared up at me.

“What do you want from me, Maren?”

On the screen, a hybrid was suing their owner. The pain hit before I could brace for it.

It was like he was saying it right to my face.

He hated me. His cruel owner.

If I didn’t stop, he’d drag me to court next.

I let out a long breath and let go of the remote.

“If you like it… go ahead.”

“I’m going to bed.”

Adrian’s round eyes went wide. Without me holding on, he tumbled back into the couch, landing softly and belly-up with a startled little purr.

But I only glanced at him before walking away.

I didn’t throw myself onto him the way I always used to.

“Look at those little paw pads. And that belly, are you showing off on purpose? You want me to pet you that bad?”

“Aw, don’t be mad. Come here, let me get my hands on you.”

“Mmm, you’re so warm.”

From that day on, I stopped pushing Adrian.

He noticed.

For days after, he started showering earlier. And faster.

They used to last at least an hour.

Now the water shut off after barely ten minutes.

It made me restless.

Was he… was that an invitation?

After all, the bathroom was our second-favorite room in the house.

Oversized bathtub. Marble vanity. A mirror angled right at the action…

Even the floor was nonslip. Very practical.

Before I knew it, I was at the bathroom door. I opened it.

Adrian grabbed a towel so fast it was pure reflex. He stared at me through the steam, guarded, flushed, looking almost pitiful.

“Why do you always barge in when I’m in the shower!”

“What are you going to do this time?”

We both knew exactly how this always went.

But this time, the bravado wouldn’t come. My mouth went dry.

“What else would I do?”

“You said the last box sucked. I got a new brand. Fruit-flavored.”

Adrian pushed me off. Again.

He said, “Not this many times in one week. The doctor told me to cut back…”

Even he didn’t sound like he believed it. And that’s when it finally sank in.

Adrian resented me.

He’d been a companion-class hybrid the whole time. I’d been forcing him into a role that was never his. He must have hated every second of it.