It was nighttime. Jacob was at home watching anime when his phone rang. It was Allison—and she sounded panicked.
"Jay, are you home? Come out... I'm outside." She said, her voice shaky.
Jacob sat up. "Alright, I'm coming."
He left his mansion, walked to the iron gate, and opened it. There stood Allison, soaked by the rain and crying.
He walked over to her, concerned. "What's wrong?"
"I was driving and... and I only took my eyes off the road for like two seconds..." She stammered. "and I hit... I hit..."
"You hit someone?" Jacob said calmly. "And you want me to help you get rid of the body? Alright. Wait here—I'll grab a shovel. We can bury it in the woods."
Allison froze, shocked. Her tears stopped. "What?! No! I hit a dog!"
"Oh." Jacob replied without missing a beat. "Then let's go bury it."
Allison's eyes narrowed. "It's still alive! It's in my trunk!"
Jacob raised an eyebrow. "Then why are you crying and panicking? You made me think you killed someone."
"I'm not crying." She said quickly. "It's the rain."
"The rain?" Jacob echoed.
"Yes! The rain wet my face." She insisted, clearly embarrassed.
Jacob smirked. "If you say so. Now show me the dog."
Allison walked to the back of her car and opened the trunk. "Here it is. It won't let me touch it."
Jacob looked inside. "Then how did you even get it in the car?"
She looked thoughtful. "I... I actually don't remember."
As Jacob approached, the dog whimpered and tried to back away.
Jacob frowned. 'The dog's scared of me. No... not just scared—terrified. System, what's going on? Can it sense what I am?'
[The host is a dragon, and dragons are the ultimate apex predators—animals will naturally fear your aura. The stronger you get, the stronger and more dangerous your aura will become. If the host wishes to restrain it, simply think of restraining it. The same applies for activating it, just like summoning your claws.]
Jacob thought about suppressing his aura. Instantly, the dog stopped whimpering.
'It worked.' He thought.
He gently reached out and patted the dog. "It's going to be okay. We just need to take it to an animal clinic."
"Okay." Allison said with relief. "Let's go then."
Jacob shook his head. "No. You need to change those wet clothes or you'll catch a cold. Go take a hot shower at my place and wear something dry—grab something from my closet. I'll take the dog to the clinic."
"But I need to come with you." Allison protested.
"What you need is warmth and dry clothes." Jacob said firmly, handing her the mansion key. "Here. Take it. And give me your car keys."
Reluctantly, she handed him her car keys and took his.
"Hurry up and go inside." Jacob said. "You're shaking from the cold."
He got into her car and began driving toward the nearest animal clinic. As he drove, he thought to himself. 'Well, I've completely blocked Scott from having any chance with Allison now.'
Then he asked. 'System, can you explain more about my charm ability?'
[Certainly, host. Your charm ability attracts potential mates. As your power grows, so will your charm. However, it's still weak at the moment, so you'll need to spend time with the girls you're interested in for the charm to take effect.]
'So I have to work hard to earn their love.' Jacob thought. 'Fair enough.'
---
After driving for a few minutes, Jacob arrived at the animal clinic where Scott worked. He carried the injured dog to the door and knocked.
Soon, Scott opened it. "Jacob? What's going on?"
"This dog was hit by a car." Jacob said. "So I brought it here."
"Come in." Scott replied quickly. "Let me take a look."
Jacob stepped inside and followed him. He placed the dog on a table while Scott examined it.
"I think it has a broken leg." Scott said as he gently checked the limb. He immediately began treating the injury.
Jacob glanced around the clinic. 'So this is Deaton's animal clinic.' He thought. Then he asked. "Scott, is this your family's clinic?"
"No." Scott said. "I just work part-time here. I love animals, and I think I want to be a veterinarian."
Jacob smirked. "You mean, like sticking your hand inside cows and stuff like that?"
Scott stared at him, wide-eyed. "No! I mean treating animals. I like helping and taking care of them."
Jacob chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm not judging."
Scott sighed. "Like I said, I love working with animals. And… never mind. Do you want to take the dog with you or leave it here?"
"Leave it here." Jacob replied.
There was a moment of hesitation before Scott asked. "By the way… do you really think that thing from yesterday was a bear?"
Jacob shrugged. "I'm not sure. It didn't look like any animal I've ever seen. The closest thing I could think of was a bear."
"But it was howling." Scott said, clearly unsettled.
"Maybe it was crazy." Jacob said. "Ate some bad mushrooms or something. Or maybe… we saw a Sasquatch."
Scott blinked. "A what?"
"You know—Bigfoot." Jacob said, half-joking.
Scott shook his head. "That thing definitely wasn't Bigfoot. It was walking on all fours."
"I saw it standing." Jacob said. "It was at least eight feet tall."
Scott finished bandaging the dog, and said. "I don't know what that thing was, but I know I never want to see it again."
'Good luck with that.' Jacob thought. 'You may not want to see him again, but Peter's obsessed with you… and I don't even know why. He could just make more betas.'
"I'm done treating the dog." Scott said. "She'll be fine."
Jacob patted the dog gently. "Thanks."
He pulled a hundred-dollar bill from his pocket and handed it to Scott.
"What's this for?" Scott asked.
"For treating the dog." Jacob said.
"You don't need to pay." Scott replied, shaking his head.
"Just take it." Jacob insisted. "You work here because you love animals, sure—but also because you need the extra money, right?"
Scott opened his mouth to protest, but Jacob cut him off. "Don't worry, I'm not judging you. I actually respect you for it. Now take the money. It's not charity—it's for the dog. But just so you know, next time I need your help, I'm not paying."
Scott hesitated for a moment, then nodded and took the money. "Then if you ever need help treating an animal, come to me. I'll do my best."
Jacob gave the dog one last pat. "Alright. I need to head home. See you tomorrow at school."
"Yeah, man. See you." Scott said with a smile.
Jacob left the clinic and drove back to his mansion. When he stepped inside, he found Allison sitting on a chair next to the fireplace, wearing his clothes—a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie.
She looked at Jacob and asked. "How's the dog?"
Jacob pulled up a chair and sat next to her. "She's fine. Her leg was broken, but she'll recover. It was actually Scott who treated her."
"Scott from school?" She asked.
Jacob nodded. "Yeah. Turns out he works at an animal clinic."
"Well… thank you." Allison said softly. "I panicked. I didn't know what to do, so I just drove here and brought the dog to you."
Jacob grinned and teased. "You didn't just panic—you were crying, and I'm pretty sure there was snot coming out of your nose. It was kinda ugly."
Allison pouted. "Hey! That's rude! I cried, sure, but there was no snot!"
"If you say so." Jacob said with a smirk.
Allison snorted. "You're an idiot. I thought I killed a dog—I was scared. And instead of comforting me, you're making fun of me."
Jacob raised an eyebrow. "Allison, you almost killed that poor dog. Instead of comforting you, I think you need a spanking—so next time, you'll actually pay attention while driving."
"I'm not a kid." She huffed. "Besides, it was the stupid dog's fault."
"How noble of you." Jacob said. "Blaming the victim."
"I'm not talking to you anymore." She said, turning her head away.
Jacob chuckled, stood up, and headed toward the kitchen.
"Where are you going?" Allison asked.
"I'm hungry." Jacob said. "I want to eat something and keep watching my anime."
Allison followed him. "Anime? Are you a little kid?"
"Anime aren't for kids." Jacob said. "Wanna watch one with me? But I don't recommend a romance anime, though."
"Why not?"
As he started making hot chocolate, he replied. "Because they're kind of gross. Either the main character is too shy, or he's secretly in love with a girl but can't confess, or he is dense. Also, the Japanese have this weird thing about touching hands—I mean, it takes a full season or even a few seasons for them to just hold hands."
Allison laughed. "Well, I don't know anything about anime, but I could watch a movie with you. Not tonight, though—it's getting late."
"You should try watching anime. Maybe you'll like it." Jacob said.
"I'll give it a try." She said with a smile.
Jacob handed her a cup of hot chocolate. "Here. Drink this."
Then he opened a cabinet filled with snacks. "What do you want? Oreos, Snickers, or chocolate chip cookies?"
"Chocolate chip cookies, please."
They went back to the fireplace and chatted while eating snacks. After a while, Allison said. "I should probably head home. If I stay out too long, my mom will ground me."
"Okay." Jacob said, getting up. He walked her out to her car.
As she was about to drive off, she looked at him and said. "Good night. And… thanks for the dog thing."
"You're welcome." Jacob said. "And please make sure you pay attention on the way home. Don't hit another dog."
Allison snorted. "Idiot." Then she drove away.
Jacob smiled, closed the iron gate, and headed back inside to continue watching anime.
---
Later that night, after dealing with her mom's endless questions, Allison went up to her room. She opened her laptop, put on her headphones, and searched: "popular anime to watch."
'I'm only doing this to see what that idiot likes so much about it.' She told herself. 'Yes, this is for research.'
But before she knew it, she was hooked—and kept watching until she fell asleep.
To be continued… 😊