The Stars Never Favor Me

I raised three wolf beastmen, and they never stopped wanting me in bed. I collapsed, too tired to even think. And through the fog, I caught pieces of what they were saying. "Tch. With that body and that stamina, she really thought she could handle all three of us." "Relax. Once she's worn out enough, she'll hand us over to her sister." "Her sister will treat us way better anyway." So I gave them exactly what they wanted. I swapped them for my sister's snake beastman—the one who seemed completely uninterested in sex. But strangely enough, they were now so upset that they were nearly in tears. "Carol, we're yours. Only yours!" Chapter 1 The conversation in the living room was still going. They thought I was still asleep. I lowered my gaze, letting the dim bedside lamp cast its glow over the red marks scattered across my wrists and legs—all of them intimate, all of them theirs. "She's not going to give all three of us to her sister." "Yeah. At least one of us is staying." "Tch. Carol's dull and boring. If you want to stay, go ahead. I'm not." "...Neither am I." "Whatever. Let fate decide. Is she awake yet?" "No way. She was crying so hard she nearly passed out. She's not waking up anytime soon." "So weak." "Let's just keep going for a few more days once she comes to. She'll give up eventually." My vision went black. Pale and shaking, I fumbled for my phone and called Melissa. She picked up right away. "What's up, sis?" My voice was hollow with desperation. "You said you were unsatisfied before, right? I'll give you all three of mine. Just give me your snake beastman instead." There was a pause on her end—not a refusal, just hesitation. "Are you sure? Are they okay with it?" I went quiet for a moment. "They really like you." She understood. And honestly? It was true. Everyone liked Melissa more. She thought for a second. "Fine. Your place is small anyway—it was never easy keeping all three of them there. But... my snake beastman is really cold, you know. Completely distant." "Good. That's perfect. I don't even want to do that with him. I'm so drained lately I can barely function. As long as he helps around the house, I'm fine. I'm just scared he'll be like these three wolves..." She laughed. "Don't worry about that. I haven't even fully tamed him yet. He won't be interested in you." Before I could respond, she sealed the deal. "I'll come pick them up in three days." --- I hung up and let my mind drift back to the day I first met the three wolves. It had been a damp, rainy afternoon when I found them. Three little wolf cubs, collapsed on the concrete, their fur matted together with blood. I almost walked away. Then one of them wagged its tail—just a little—and slowly hooked it around my ankle. I couldn't leave them after that. I dragged them home with everything I had. Under my care, they recovered quickly. Before long, they'd all shifted into their beastman forms. I should have sent them away. But the beastman shelter told me they'd already imprinted on me—they saw me as their owner. If I abandoned them now, it would cause them serious psychological damage. Looking into those three pairs of beautiful eyes, my heart softened. I kept them. They said they had no names, so I named them: Kevin. Brian. George. Young, hot-blooded wolf beastmen with more energy than they knew what to do with. Even in human form, they couldn't stop their ears and tails from twitching. They clung to me every day, needy and relentless. Then one day, Melissa called while I was trying to push George off my chest. "I picked up three injured wolf cubs a while back," I complained. "They shifted recently, and now they won't leave me alone. I can barely handle them." There was a beat of silence on the other end. "Lucky you. My snake beastman won't even let me touch him." I paused, then tried to comfort her. "He'll warm up to you eventually." Melissa didn't argue. Just gave a soft hum. The next day, she showed up at my door with bags full of gifts. She was wearing a pretty little white dress, beaming as she called out, "Surprise, sis!" I turned around instinctively. All three beastmen's eyes were fixed on her. I quietly turned back. Honestly? I was used to it. Everyone liked Melissa more. She was bright, charming, effortlessly drawing every eye in the room. Compared to her, I was dull and plain. I saw Kevin's usually indifferent gaze land on her. Brian's signature dazzling smile—now directed at Melissa. Even George, who was always in a bad mood, tilted his head to watch her, his wolf ears flicking frequently. Melissa acted like she didn't notice a thing. She sipped her water, all innocence. That was the moment I knew. My things were about to go to Melissa again. From that day on, the warmth and affection vanished from our bed. They grew rougher, crueler, like they wanted to break me. Until I overheard that conversation in the living room. I'd been right all along. They'd fallen for Melissa—just from that one glance. Chapter 2 Suddenly, the door swung open. "Awake?" A lazy voice drawled. I looked up and met a pair of cold, indifferent eyes. He walked over and reached for my blanket. My voice came out hoarse. "...Wait." He narrowed his eyes, leaning in close. "What's wrong, owner?" "I'm too tired. I need to rest." I said softly. "Can't do that." His tone was light, almost dismissive. "Owner, you took us in, so you're responsible for us. We haven't been fed at all. If you rest, what are we supposed to do?" With that, he grabbed my chin and leaned in—right before his lips touched mine, I shoved him away with all my strength. "Melissa's coming to pick you up this afternoon!" The man in front of me froze. Even the two leaning against the doorframe went still. George tilted his head. "Which one?" I shook my head. "All of you." "Don't joke like that, owner."George said. I wasn't joking. If they didn't want me, I'd give them exactly what they wanted. But to my surprise, they didn't look happy at all—their faces just darkened. Over the next two days, the three wolves barely spoke to me, and they stopped coming to me for anything intimate. Then I got a call from Melissa. "Sis, my snake beastman's having some issues today. I'm swamped—could you check on him for me?" I agreed. I was curious to see what this snake beastman was like, anyway. I drove back to the villa and slipped into my sister's room. That was when the man inside stepped out—tall, lean, his back stiff with cold tension. The next second, my eyes met his dark, shadowed gaze. I pressed my lips together and said, "Hey." His stare was heavy—that uniquely serpentine mix of slimy and oppressive. It sent chills down my spine. Then, without warning, his pupils contracted into razor-sharp vertical slits. A slick serpentine tail coiled around my waist in an instant. A strange, heady scent exploded in the air, flooding the room in seconds. I shoved at him in panic, but it was useless. "You're... you're in heat!" He pressed me hard against the door—a dull thud echoed through the room. His tail cushioned the impact, so it didn't hurt. I felt his breath ghost over my neck, sending goosebumps across my skin. My fingers twitched. When I looked up, those pale gold vertical pupils seemed even darker, more predatory. The tail around my waist tightened. I reached up with difficulty and touched his cool cheek. "Does it hurt? Let me get you some suppressants, okay?" The suffocating pressure around me eased—just slightly. Even the cloying scent in the air stopped intensifying. I thought I'd calmed him down. I let out a small breath of relief. Then I felt it—cold against my neck. He bit me. Not gently. Like he was sinking his fangs into prey—but with something almost teasing in the way his tongue followed. I let out a muffled sound and bit my lower lip. After the bite came a cold, wet tongue, lapping at the spot. I shoved the snake beastman off, not daring to look at his tail again, and scrambled for the suppressants. I tossed them at him, then ran to the bathroom to splash cold water on my face. Oh my god. Wasn't he supposed to be cold and distant? Chapter 3 Back in the living room, his tail had already vanished. The man was sprawled on the couch, long legs crossed, his expression back to that cold, shadowed indifference from before. He lifted his gaze and gave me a look. I was confused. "Aren't you... supposed to be asexual?" His voice came out low and rough. "No. I'm not. My heats just come far apart. And it's been too long since my last suppressant." "Oh. Right." Honestly, knowing Melissa's personality, if she'd actually wanted to sleep with him, she never would've given him suppressants in the first place. And judging by how he'd been just now, he didn't seem like the type who could hold back easily. So how had he handled it before? But if he didn't want to talk about it, I wasn't going to push. I poured him a glass of warm water and handed it over. "Hey. I'm Carol Martin. My sister probably mentioned me." A long silence. "I'm Andrew Howard." His voice was low, flat. I broke into a smile. "Well, we'll be living together from now on. I'll come pick you up for your new place tomorrow." Andrew gave a small nod. After making sure he was fine, I left the villa. After everything was done, I didn't get home until the next morning. But the moment I walked through my own door, Kevin had me pinned against the wall. "So," he said, his gaze sharp and predatory, after two days of silence, "you're really giving all three of us to her?" I hummed in confirmation. Brian smiled, but there was an edge to it. "Not keeping even one for yourself?" I turned the question back on him. "Anyone here actually want to stay with me?" The tension in the room thickened. No one answered. Then— "Why do you smell like another beastman?" Brian's hand shot out, gripping my chin with more force than necessary. His eyes locked onto the spot on my neck—where Andrew had bitten me. His voice dropped, slow and deliberate. "What's this? A hickey?" That one word set everything off. George pushed himself up from the couch and stalked over. "Huh? What the hell?" He stopped right in front of me, his gaze drilling into the red mark on the side of my neck. His Adam's apple bobbed as he spoke, his voice barely above a growl. "You went and found a new beastman?" "When did that happen?" Kevin's voice came from behind me, cold as ice. "Three of us weren't enough for you?" I opened my mouth to respond— The doorbell rang.