too terribly that she's kept so close in his territory though. It's a giant place and she hasn't actually finished exploring everywhere yet.
Her new Master is different. He's younger and stronger and he's not afraid of anybody. He is Alpha, big and powerful and nobody in their right mind would dare challenge him in order to get to her, so he takes her out of the apartment like it's not a big deal. He introduces her to his neighbors downstairs and upstairs, lets the security guard at the reception desk at the bottom floor know that she's living here now, so they should never let strangers close.
He shows her a world that she has only ever seen in the little phone that her old Master lets her play with for a few hours a day. There are rules, of course. She's not allowed to stray too far from her new Master and she's not allowed to talk to anyone. Not that the problem has ever occurred during any of their rare excursions. Everyone's too scared of Alpha to get close to her and then even if they are close, they are never brave enough to talk to her. She's too timid to stray very far from her Master too. She is under no delusion that people leave her alone because they want to. No. They're doing it purely out of fear of her Master.
It's because she smells like her Alpha's mate even though he hasn't yet mated her. He pets her and rubs his cheek against hers, leaving his scent all over her so that anyone looking at her would think she belongs to him.
They don't go out very often, though. She doesn't like it outside, where it smells like strangers and confusion, where people are trying to catch glimpses of her without getting caught by her Master. They smell like lust and envy, like anger too, like they think they can do better than her. Or maybe they're thinking of how much money she's worth if they get their hands on her. She stays close to her Master and makes sure the doors are locked when her Master leaves her alone.
She sees herself in the news sometimes, people saying that her old Master must've been crazy to leave so much money to her. But money doesn't mean anything to her at all. When she asked him if she should donate the money, he had smiled at her sadly and told him that his father hadn't let him money. He left her things that can't be dealt with so easily. There are lawyers who would want to talk to her and discuss matters. When she started to look panicked, he petted her head and told her he would take care of things.
Shadow's very good at taking care of things, she learns very quickly. Her new Master seems to enjoy solving problems and getting things to work the way he wants them to. Exactly the way he wants them to.
Sometimes, she worries he only keeps her because she's another puzzle for him, something else he could fix, but as time passes by and he doesn't seem to mind anything she does and just lets her continue scratching little holes into the sides of his couch, she begins to relax. He doesn't seem that keen on changing anything about her. She's not something else he intends to fix.
She wakes a few weeks after moving into her new place and luxuriates in her human form. It's nice to be able to stretch out her fingers and toes even though she has a wear a silly nightgown. Her tail unfurls from her body and she climbs out of the bed to get a comb so she can work on fluffing up her fur. Her new Master insists that she wear clothes even though there's nobody else in the apartment aside from them.
She thinks it has something to do with the way he smells like desire when he sees her, but that could just be wistful thinking. She doesn't mind if he wants her, though. Old Master wanted her for companionship and New Master wants her as something else. She thinks she'll be happy to be his mate if that's what he wants.
He's a good provider. She washes her face, brushes her teeth, and then tiptoes into the kitchen. He's already eating his breakfast. It looks healthy and gross.
"Good morning, love," he says, looking up at her and flashing her a bright grin that sends pleasant tingles all the way to the tips of her toes.
She blushes, unused to his easy smiles. "Morning, Master," she whispers and steps towards him shyly.
"Where do you want breakfast today?" he asks.
He always asks. It's nice. "Can I sit by your feet?" she asks in return.
"If that's what you want," he smiles, indulgent and kind.
She curls up at the base of his chair, purring happily as she rubs her cheek to his pants. It's probably really expensive. His clothes are always so soft.
"Here," he says and waits for her to tilt her head up before capturing her chin between his forefinger and thumb. "Open," he says and waits for her to part her lips before pressing in a serving if caviar on top of a lightly salted caviar.
She purrs happily as she chew and smiles at him.
"Good girl," he says, leaning down to lick up her lips.
She startles a little. She's still not used to how tactile her new Master is and how easily he grooms her. She wants to groom him back too, leaning up to lick his lips back, but he pulls away too quickly.
"Another?" he offers instead.
She pouts and nods, opening her mouth and letting him slide another piece in. She licks his fingers clean, tasting the slightly salty crumbs clinging to his fingertips, and then, she leans back to enjoy the second bite of the caviar. She can taste it better now that her taste buds are no longer tainted by toothpaste. The texture and taste explodes in her mouth and she curls up at his feet, tail wrapped around his ankles as she leans her cheek against his legs. She chews slowly and considers another nap. It's tasty, but not tasty enough to keep her awake.
"Open, darling," he says, curling a warm hand on the back of her neck and pulling her head back when she takes too long to respond. "Open," he repeats in a lower growl, one that makes her bones tremble. She flutters her lids when she glances up at him and opens her mouth dutifully. "Good girl," he says, swiping his thumb over her bottom lip deliberately as he places another bite on her tongue.
He manages to coax her into eating a few more mouthfuls as she sulks at his feet. "I have to go to work now, pet," he says and she sulks even more.
She knows she's utterly spoiled, but she hates it when he's not paying attention to her and when he leaves to do other things. He always comes back smelling like strange things and outside.
She unfurls from around his feet and glares pointedly away from him. "Come here, darling," he chuckles, hoisting her up with his hands underneath her armpit and depositing her neatly into his lap. He rubs his cheek against hers, and then does it to her other cheek, rumbling as he does so. "You be good, okay?" he says, eyeing the mostly ruined couch cushions that she had been scratching up over the past several weeks.
"I'm always good," she says and he leans forward so that their foreheads are touching. His eyes are very pretty. "I'll be good," she tells him softly and blushes when the corners of his lips tilt upwards to form a small smile.
"Good girl," he praises and she preens again, only to continue pouting a second later when he lifts her up completely and deposits her onto the couch.
The house is always so quiet after Master leaves her alone.