Aria POV
"Run!" I screamed.
Marcus's unconscious body was heavy in my arms as I sprinted through the dark academy hallways. Behind me, footsteps echoed. Multiple people chasing us.
The woman's voice from the courtyard kept replaying in my head: The Emperor will pay a fortune for that.
They'd seen Marcus merge with Nero. Seen him think and fight like a human. Now they wanted to capture him and sell him like some rare prize.
Over my dead body.
I burst through my dorm room door and slammed it shut, shoving a chair under the handle. My hands shook as I activated the protection seal my father had taught me. Purple light flickered across the door. It wouldn't hold forever, but it might buy us time.
Marcus stirred in my arms. Through our bond, I felt his consciousness swimming up from darkness. Pain. Confusion. Fear.
It's okay, I sent to him gently. You're safe.
His gold eyes opened, then sharpened with intelligence. What happened? Why are we running?
"Someone saw you. Saw what you really are. A reincarnated human in beast form. That's mythical class, Marcus. People would kill to own you."
Own me? His mental voice turned sharp. I'm not a thing to be owned!
"I know. I'm sorry. This is my fault—"
A heavy knock on the door made us both freeze.
"Miss Winters." The woman's voice was smooth as poison. "We know you're in there. Open the door and surrender him peacefully."
My blood turned to ice. The academy council. This was official.
What do we do? Marcus asked.
Think, Aria. Think like Father taught you.
"Why would the council want my beast?" I called out, keeping my voice shaky. "He's just a weak cub."
"Don't play games." Another voice, deeper. Male. "We watched the battle. That thing fought like a trained warrior. That's not normal."
They think I'm an 'it,' Marcus growled. How flattering.
Despite everything, I almost smiled. Even scared, he could still be sarcastic.
"The Emperor collects rare beasts," the woman continued. "Your tiger would be treated well. Studied."
"You mean experimented on!" I clutched Marcus closer.
Silence outside. That was answer enough.
Aria, Marcus's voice was surprisingly calm. How long will your seal hold?
I checked the fading purple light. Maybe ten minutes.
Then we have ten minutes for you to explain how this insane world works. If we're going to survive, I need to understand the game.
He was right. I sat on the floor, one hand on his head.
"Beast tamers rule everything in the Valdris Empire. Your rank depends completely on your beast's strength. F-rank beasts like common wolves? You're a servant. A-rank beasts like war bears? You're nobility. S-rank beasts like Damian's Shadow Drake? You're royalty."
And you're supposed to be F-rank, Marcus said. But you're not.
"I was SSS-rank. The strongest possible. My family had beasts that could level cities. Dragons. Phoenixes. That's why they were killed. Too powerful. Too dangerous."
So you're pretending to be weak to survive.
"Yes. And tomorrow, the whole academy tests us. Combat trials. Everyone watches. They expect me to fail like always." I showed him my schedule. Beast cultivation at dawn. Combat training at noon. Survival skills at dusk. "We need to seem weak while secretly getting stronger."
So we're spies pretending to be losers?
His dry tone made me laugh. I couldn't remember the last time I'd actually laughed. Years maybe.
"Exactly," I said, feeling something warm bloom between us. Not just partnership. Friendship.
Aria, I have a question. Marcus's voice turned serious. The bond forces beasts to obey commands. But you've never actually commanded me. Why?
My hand stilled. "Because you're not really a beast. You're human. And even if you weren't, I hate the command system. It's slavery. My father taught me that real strength comes from choice, not force. So I'll never command you unless it's life or death. I promise."
Relief flooded through our bond. Partners then, Marcus said firmly. Not master and pet.
"Partners," I agreed.
A crack echoed through the room. My seal was breaking.
Time's up, Marcus said. So what's the plan?
"We bluff. Act confused. Pretend you're just a normal beast who got lucky. Make them think they imagined how smart you are."
And if they don't believe us?
"Then we run."
The door exploded inward.
Three academy guards poured in, followed by the woman. Behind her stood someone who made my blood freeze.
Damian Blackwood.
"Hello, Aria," my ex-fiancé said with a cold smile. "I told the council about your fascinating beast. Isn't it interesting how a supposed F-rank cub could defeat my Shadow Drake?"
The woman stepped forward. "Surrender the beast for examination or face expulsion and arrest."
Marcus tensed. Through the bond, I felt his rage building. He wanted to fight.
But we couldn't. Not here. Not now.
Trust me, I sent desperately. This is going to hurt.
Before he could answer, I did the one thing I'd sworn never to do.
I gave him a command through the bond.
"Act dumb," I ordered, putting all my will behind it. "Right now. Be a normal, stupid beast."
The command slammed through our connection like a knife. I felt Marcus's shock. His hurt. His fury at being forced.
And I hated myself for it.
But he obeyed because the bond gave him no choice. His intelligent eyes went blank and animal. He mewed like a scared kitten and buried his face against my chest.
The woman frowned. "That's not... it was talking before."
"He's terrified," I said quickly. "The merge with my father's dragon confused him temporarily. But look at him now. Just a frightened cub."
Damian stepped closer. "Test him."
A guard grabbed Marcus roughly from my arms. Through the bond, I felt Marcus's rage explode. But my command held him frozen.
The guard shook him. Dropped him. Poked him with a baton. Even slapped him.
Marcus just mewed pathetically and tried to hide.
"It's acting normal now," the guard said, confused. "Like a regular F-rank cub. Nothing special."
The woman's eyes narrowed. "I know what I saw—"
"You saw a desperate beast in a temporary merge state," I interrupted. "It happens sometimes. Temporary intelligence boost. But it fades. He's back to normal now."
The woman stared at Marcus for a long moment. Then at me.
Finally, she nodded. "Fine. But we'll be watching you closely. If that beast shows unusual intelligence again, we'll confiscate it immediately. Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am," I whispered.
They left. All of them. Even Damian, though he looked back with suspicion burning in his eyes.
The moment the door closed, I released the command.
Marcus's eyes cleared instantly, flooding with hurt and betrayal. You commanded me. You actually commanded me.
"I'm sorry," I choked out. "I had to—"
You promised you wouldn't unless it was life or death!
"It WAS life or death! They would have taken you! Experimented on you!"
You used the bond to control me like I'm some puppet! His mental voice cracked with pain. Just like everyone else. Just like I feared.
"No! Marcus, please—"
I understand perfectly. He wouldn't look at me. Just curled up on the far side of the bed, as far from my touch as possible. You're just like them. When it matters, you'll use the bond to make me obey. I'm not your partner. I'm your slave.
"That's not true!"
But he'd shut down the mental connection. I could still feel his emotions through the bond—hurt, betrayal, fear—but he wouldn't listen.
I wanted to explain. To make him understand. But what could I say? I'd broken my promise. Used the one power he feared most.
I pressed my face into my hands and cried silently.
Neither of us noticed the tiny magical bug crawling across the ceiling. The listening device recording every word.
Or the person at the other end, smiling as they heard everything.
"Perfect," they whispered into a communication crystal. "A reincarnated beast and a hidden SSS-rank tamer. Both pretending to be weak. Both lying to the entire academy." They chuckled darkly. "My lord will be very pleased with this information. The hunt begins tomorrow."