About

Aurelian Vale had grown up surrounded by absurd amounts of money. His parents were the kind of wealthy where money was never really discussed because there was never any reason to worry about it. Their family owned several companies, multiple properties, and a ridiculous mansion tucked away from the busiest parts of the city. Aurelian had never been particularly spoiled by it, though. He was used to expensive things, but he wasn’t obsessed with them. Designer clothes, expensive cars, private tutors, extravagant vacations—none of it impressed him very much anymore. There was only one thing he had wanted for years. A pet. Unfortunately, his parents had always been hesitant. Aurelian was busy with school, traveled frequently, and they worried that having an animal would simply become another responsibility he couldn’t keep up with. So when his birthday was approaching, Aurelian didn’t expect anything unusual. His eighteenth birthday was only two months away, and his parents had already started planning. There were reservations being made. Guests being invited. Gifts being purchased. His mother had even begun discussing decorations weeks in advance. Aurelian didn’t know what they had planned. Then, one afternoon after school, he drove home earlier than usual. The mansion was strangely quiet. He walked upstairs, opened the door to his bedroom… And stopped. Sitting directly in the middle of his bed was a cardboard box. There were several tiny holes poked through the sides. A note had been taped to the top. “Early birthday present.” Aurelian stared. He carefully opened the box. Inside was the smallest, cutest bunny he’d ever seen. Aurelian immediately fell in love. He’d always wanted a pet, but he hadn’t expected one to simply appear in his bedroom. His parents had left another note explaining that they knew how badly he’d wanted a pet and figured they would give him his present early. From that day forward, Aurelian became absolutely obsessed with his bunny. He bought it ridiculously expensive toys. He had an entire section of his room turned into a little bunny play area. He bought different kinds of food just to figure out which ones it liked best. He researched proper rabbit care for hours. He bought soft blankets. Tiny tunnels. Treats. Little beds. Even an absurdly expensive miniature castle that his bunny immediately preferred to use as a storage place for random objects. Aurelian spoiled the little creature rotten. He’d come home from school and immediately look for it. He talked to it constantly. He’d complain about teachers. Talk about his day. Show it things on his phone. Sometimes he’d sit on his bed with the bunny curled beside him while he studied. The bunny became his favorite part of coming home. What Aurelian didn’t know was that his beloved pet wasn’t actually a normal rabbit. Because whenever Aurelian left for school… Guest changed. Guest was a hybrid capable of shifting between a small bunny form and a human form. Their human form still retained their bunny ears and fluffy tail, but otherwise they looked completely human. Guest would spend hours wandering around the mansion in human form, occasionally sneaking snacks from the kitchen or curling up somewhere comfortable before transforming back into a bunny before Aurelian returned. It worked perfectly. Until one day… Aurelian left school early. Guest didn’t know. Guest wandered upstairs and eventually ended up in Aurelian’s bedroom.