Yes, Sanah's Mom!

She didn't wait for protest, just yanked me upright by the leash and marched toward the front door—only for the knob to twist *inward* before we reached it. Sanah's mother stood frozen in the threshold, grocery bags dangling from one hand as her gaze dropped to the leash, then the collar, then my burning face. For one heart-stopping second, I braced for outrage—until she sighed, shaking her head like she'd caught us sneaking cookies. "Sanah, beta," she chided, stepping around us to set the bags on the counter. "At least wait until after dinner to train him."

Sanah wiggled the leash like a victory flag, her grin impossibly wide. "Beg," she whispered, tapping the bell with her pinky—once, twice—until the sound hooked into my ribs like a fishhook. My pulse hammered as her mother's back remained turned, humming while unpacking lentils like this was normal. The leash tightened. "Or," Sanah mused, leaning in until her lips brushed my ear, "should I tell Mom about the video call?"

The threat dangled between us, sharp as the bell's next chime. I swallowed hard—once, twice—before dropping to my knees with a thud that finally made her mother glance over. "P-please," I croaked, fingers fisting in my own sleeves to keep them from clawing at the collar. "Let me—" The words tasted like bile. "—be your pet too."

Sanah's mother blinked slowly, then let out a delighted peal of laughter. "Beta, what nonsense is this?" she asked, stirring a pot of lentils like she hadn't just witnessed my surrender. "At least tell me he's useful."

Sanah yanked the leash taut, tipping my chin up with the motion. "Oh, he's very useful," she purred, hiking one leg over my shoulder to dangle her socked foot in front of my face—still damp from my earlier humiliation. "See? My personal footstool." She wiggled her toes, grinning when my nostrils flared involuntarily at the scent. "He worships them when I tell him to."

Her mother clicked her tongue, stirring the pot with one hand while the other reached out—not to stop this insanity, but to pat my head like I was some obedient golden retriever. "If he passes my test tonight, maybe I'll let him lick the plates clean," she mused, her sandal nudging my knee wider apart. "Good pets earn their keep." The casual cruelty in her voice sent a shiver down my spine—this wasn't just Sanah's game anymore. The whole household was in on it.

Sanah gasped like she'd been handed a winning lottery ticket, twisting the leash in her fist. "Mom! You're evil!" she crowed, yanking me forward until my forehead bumped her thigh. "Hear that, puppy?" Her fingers tangled in my hair, wrenching my head back to meet her glittering gaze. "Fail her test, and I'll let Aisha train you instead." The threat landed like a gut punch—Aisha's idea of "training" would involve the entire cheer squad and a TikTok livestream.

Her mother waved us off with a laugh, already texting someone—probably Sanah's terrifying aunties—while the lentils simmered. "Go, go," she shooed, kicking the front door wider open with her sandal. "But beta—" Her eyes locked onto the collar, glinting with something darker than amusement. "—bring him back hungry." The implication dripped from her smile like syrup, thick and suffocating.