Tharon

THARON

C old metal bit into my wrists where the restraints held me. The priests’ drugs burned through my veins, but I breathed slowly, let my muscles go slack. Let them think their chemicals had me subdued. Every detail mattered now - guard rotations, the subtle tremors that ran through the Temple’s living walls.

Three guards at the door. Always three, wearing the black robes of the inner circle. Their firewhips crackled softly, a constant reminder of how they’d brought me down. But beneath their practiced indifference, I caught the acrid scent of fear.

Good. Fear made people sloppy.

The younger priest - Merek, I'd heard them call him - approached with another syringe of cloudy liquid. His hands shook slightly as he fed it into the tubes running into my arm. The beast beneath my skin snarled at the fresh wave of burning, but my eyes stayed unfocused, posture loose, mind spinning to put together the fragments of Terran I knew into conversation.

“Increasing the dosage again?” The older guard shifted his weight. “Is that wise?”

“Father Aronn’s orders.” Merek’s voice held forced confidence. “The creature requires stronger suppression than expected.”

I let my head loll, as if the new dose had hit hard. Through slitted eyes, I watched them relax slightly. Their firewhips lowered a fraction. Another small tell to file away.

Footsteps approached - the distinctive rustle of priest’s robes. “The Oracle’s integration progresses well.” The voice belonged to Zarak, one of the high priests. “Soon we’ll understand how these creatures maintain their dual nature.”

“And the girl?” Merek asked. “Will she survive the final protocols?”

“The vessel’s survival is irrelevant. She can be replaced easily enough.” A new voice, colder than the others. “The knowledge gained will serve the Temple’s needs.”

The beast surged against my control, but I kept it tightly leashed. Not yet. Not until I knew where they held Niam.

A whisper emerged from hidden speakers, so faint I almost missed it. “They think they know what she plans. They understand nothing.”

My muscles stayed relaxed, but my senses sharpened. That voice...

“I am Branna.” The whisper came again. “Your mate tries to shield you from what comes. But you deserve to know.”

Through our bond, I felt Niam’s fierce determination, her absolute acceptance. Beneath it ran currents of love, of regret, of desperate hope that I would understand.

“...final calibration of the reset protocols...” Fragments of conversation drifted through the speakers.

“...complete neural transfer required...”

“...vessel’s consciousness will not survive the transfer...”

No.

The word emerged as a growl. The guards tensed, firewhips rising. But I was already moving.

Metal screamed as I tore free, drugs burning away under a tide of rage. The nearest guard’s whip cracked toward my face. I caught it with my transformed hand, ignoring how the energy seared my palm, and yanked. He stumbled forward, straight into my other fist. Bones crunched. He dropped.

The second guard’s attack came low, trying to tangle my legs. I leaped, twisting in a way my usual fighting style never would have attempted. Pure beast instinct. My claws raked across his chest as I landed behind him. His scream cut off as I slammed him into the wall hard enough to crack the strange living stone.

The third guard managed to land a strike across my back. Pain blazed, but the beast welcomed it, used it. I spun, faster than their human eyes could track. My claws closed around his throat. One squeeze. One less threat between me and my mate.

The priests scrambled back, shouting for reinforcements. The cold one - Aronn - reached for something on his belt. I moved before he could grasp it, primitive hunger overtaking tactical sense. His neck snapped with a sound like breaking branches. The younger priest tried to run. My claws ended that attempt.

More guards poured through the doorway. Firewhips crackled. The air filled with ozone and the copper tang of blood.

I lost myself to the beast’s fury. The first wave of reinforcements died without landing a blow - bodies torn apart by strength they hadn’t known I possessed. The second wave hesitated in the doorway. Smart, but not smart enough. I ripped the metal door from its frame and threw it, scattering the guards where it struck.

“Contain the beast!” Someone shouted. They tried to circle me, tried to coordinate their attacks. Under normal circumstances, their technique might have worked.

These were not normal circumstances.

I moved through their formation like water through sand, striking without thought or mercy. Claws raked through armor. Fangs found throats. Each drop of blood fed the beast’s frenzy. Their weapons scored hits - shallow cuts, burning welts - but pain was distant, meaningless.

One guard actually landed a solid blow, his firewhip wrapping around my arm. I pulled him into reach before he could retract it. Used his body as a shield against his companions. Threw his broken form aside.

The next group tried falling back, laying down covering fire with their whips to slow me. I burst through their attacks, accepting the damage to close the distance. Grabbed the nearest guard and used him as a weapon against the others. Bodies flew. Blood painted the walls.

A familiar voice cut through the speakers: “You cannot save her this way.” Branna’s tone held warning. “The priests will trigger final protocols if they feel threatened. Let me guide you to her.”

The beast wanted to ignore the voice, to continue its rampage until nothing stood between us and our mate.

“Show me.” The words came out more growl than speech.

“Follow my voice. Hurry. She begins the sequence soon.”

I ran through hallways that twisted in impossible ways, letting Branna’s whispers guide my steps. Guards tried to bar my path. None survived the attempt. The beast’s strength felt limitless now, enhanced by desperate need.

A squad of guards set up a defensive line at a crucial intersection. Firewhips created a web of burning energy across the corridor. Behind them, more guards readied backup weapons.

I didn’t slow down.

My charge hit their line like a storm breaking on rocks. Bodies scattered. Their formation dissolved into chaos. I barely registered individual opponents anymore - just obstacles to remove. Claws struck. Fangs tore. The beast painted its rage across their flesh in broad strokes of red.

I felt Niam’s determination sharpen to a deadly point. The Temple’s power built higher.

More guards died. More corridors fell behind me. But time was running out.

Hold on, my mate. I’m coming.

The fear that I might already be too late drove me faster through blood-streaked hallways, following a dead girl’s whispers toward the heart of this cursed place.