Chapter 3
Leah's POV
That night, I found out exactly what "wild" means.
I wake up the next morning sore all over, like I got run over by a truck. He's already dressed, back to that cold, obedient golem look, standing by the bed with breakfast.
"Good morning, Mistress."
"Are you even a real golem? Since when do you come with this kind of mode..." I mutter under my breath, feeling weirdly guilty about it.
Whatever. Eighty million gold coins well spent.
I look at Fluffy holding out my ice water, those pink ears still perched on his head, and take the glass with a satisfied little smile.
After that night, we crossed a line we couldn't uncross.
During the day, he's still the perfect servant. Tell him to go left, he doesn't dare go right. Make him bark like a dog, and even though he grits his teeth through it, he'll still choke out a humiliated woof or two in the end.
But once night falls, once we're in bed, it's like something in him snaps loose, and I can't keep up with him.
There's just one real problem.
Fluffy's "intimate mode" seems to have some kind of serious glitch. Once it turns on, it stops listening to me completely.
Like right now. I'm gripping the sheets, my voice shaking from exhaustion. "Stop... Fluffy, I'm ordering you to stop."
He pins my hands above my head, sweat dripping off his jaw onto my collarbone. His eyes glow a faint green in the dark.
I figure it's just some effect the workshop built in for atmosphere.
"Command rejected, Mistress." He's breathing hard, his voice low and dangerous, leaving no room for argument.
"You piece of junk. I'm taking you apart." I curse at him, furious.
"And who's going to take care of you if you do that?" He laughs under his breath and leans down, kissing me until I stop talking.
The next morning.
I drag myself out of bed, my back feeling like it's about to snap in half. I'm holding my lower back, watching Fluffy calmly straightening the closet, and I get mad all over again.
What is this thing even made of? Why does it have this much stamina?
No. I can't keep doing this. At this rate, I'm a rich woman who's going to end up dead, done in by a golem.
I grab the crystal off the nightstand and message the workshop.
[Hello, Miss Leah. Thank you for contacting the Midnight Alchemy Workshop. What issue are you having with your golem?]
My fingers fly across the crystal, typing out my complaint.
[Your golem has a serious bug! His intimate mode doesn't respond to commands at all! I tell him to stop, he doesn't stop. I tell him to go easier, he goes harder. This is a total violation of my rights as the owner. I want this fixed. Now.]
After I send it, there's a long silence on the other end.
A full five minutes pass before someone finally replies.
[Our sincerest apologies for the poor experience, Miss Leah. Since you ordered our Feral Wolf Premium model, that unit is designed to automatically simulate raw werewolf instincts once intimate mode activates, which can result in brief periods of what we call "command override." This is normal and intended behavior, not a bug.]
Me: ???
When did I order the Feral Wolf Premium model? I specifically picked the Devoted Loyal Hound.
I fire back another message, furious.
[I don't care! Change the settings! Lower his stamina and max out his obedience! If you don't send someone to fix this today, I'm reporting you to the Arcane Council for false advertising. I want a refund!]
Silence again. This time it drags on even longer.
Finally, the crystal lights up.
[We're very sorry, Miss Leah, but custom orders are final and cannot be refunded. We can, however, send someone out for repairs.]
"Get someone here now. I want him out of my house today." I toss the crystal onto the bed, still fuming.
What kind of workshop is this?
"Mistress, is something wrong?" Fluffy turns around, his expression a picture of perfect concern, just the right amount of it.
I look at that face, identical to Ryan's, completely unbothered, and then think about the state I'm in, and it makes me even angrier.
"Come here." My voice comes out cold.
He walks over obediently.
"Kneel."
He drops to one knee without hesitation.
I reach out and grab his face, squeezing his cheeks between my fingers. "You hear me? You're about to get taken apart."
His face is squished out of shape, but his amber eyes stay locked on mine, something complicated flickering through them. Panic. Hurt. And underneath it, something that almost looks like anger, teeth gritted and barely held back.
"Mistress..." His voice comes out tight. "You don't want me anymore?"
