Sable's POV
I kill the feral bear beastman with my claws through its throat.
It drops at Thea's feet, still twitching. She doesn't scream—she's past screaming now. Just stares at the body with wide, shocked eyes.
"That's seven," Corvus pants, blood dripping from a gash on his arm. "How many more?"
"Too many." I pull Thea away from the corpse. "We need to move. This room isn't defensible."
Another crash from the hallway. More feral beastmen are coming.
"The ventilation system," Marlowe says, already shifting to crow form. "I saw a shaft big enough for humans. If we can get Thea inside—"
"NO!" Thea backs against the wall. "I'm not crawling through vents while you all fight! We stay together!"
"Thea, be reasonable—" Russet starts.
"I am being reasonable! Separating is how people die in horror movies!" Her voice cracks with hysteria. "We. Stay. Together."
I look at my four pack mates. We're all thinking the same thing: she's right, but keeping her with us in combat is dangerous.
"Then we run," I decide. "There's an emergency exit three floors down. If we can reach it before—"
The ceiling collapses.
A massive lion beastman crashes down, roaring with mindless rage. Its eyes are completely black—full feral, no humanity left.
Flint breathes fire. The lion barely flinches, just charges straight at Thea.
I shift mid-leap, panther form exploding out. I hit the lion sideways, driving it away from our mate. We crash into the wall, claws and teeth tearing.
The lion is stronger. Older. Completely insane with bloodlust.
It's going to kill me.
Then Thea's hands slam onto my fur, and that rainbow light blazes again.
Power floods through me—strength, speed, healing. The bond mark on my chest burns bright green.
I tear the lion's throat out with one bite.
It falls. Dead.
I shift back to human form, staring at Thea. "How did you—"
"I don't know!" She's glowing brighter now, all five bond colors swirling around her. "I just thought about making you stronger and it happened!"
"She's channeling through the bonds," Corvus realizes. "Using our connection to amplify our abilities."
"That's..." Russet's eyes are wide. "That's incredible."
"That's a target on her back," I correct grimly. "If word gets out she can do this, every beastman alive will either want to kill her or control her."
"Then we make sure word doesn't get out," Flint growls. "We protect our treasure and we get out of this facility. Now."
I nod. "Agreed. Thea stays in the middle. Everyone else forms a perimeter. We fight our way to the exit."
"Wait." Thea grabs my arm as I start to move. "Before we go, I need to understand. What IS all this? The council, the bonds, why everyone wants me dead—I can't keep running blind."
She's right. Again. Our mate is smarter than we've given her credit for.
"Alright." I pull her down to sit on the floor, keeping my senses alert for more attacks. "Quick version: Beastmen are supernatural beings who can shift between human and animal forms. We've existed alongside humans for millennia, hidden in plain sight."
"Like werewolves?" she asks.
"Similar, but not cursed. We're born this way. Every beastman has an animal form based on their bloodline—wolves, foxes, panthers, dragons, crows, hundreds of species."
"And the council?"
"Governs our society. Makes laws. Keeps us hidden from humans. They're powerful, ancient, and terrified of change." I meet her eyes. "Which is why you scare them."
"Because I bonded with five of you."
"Yes. Fated mate bonds are supposed to be singular. One beastman, one mate, bound for life. The bond is sacred—it's a soul connection that transcends everything else." I touch the green mark on her chest gently. "But you have five. That's never happened before."
Thea processes this. "So either I'm using magic to fake the bonds, or I'm some kind of mutation."
"Exactly. And either option makes you dangerous in their eyes."
"What happens if they decide I'm too dangerous?"
I don't want to answer that. But she deserves the truth. "Execution. For you and anyone bonded to you."
She goes pale. "So by saving me, you all signed your own death warrants."
"We'd do it again," Corvus says fiercely. "You're our mate. Our everything."
"But I'm nobody!" Thea's voice breaks. "I'm just a girl who's bad at her job and has no friends and lives alone! Why would fate pick ME for something this important?"
My heart breaks for her. She has no idea how extraordinary she is.
"Maybe," I say gently, "fate knew you were strong enough to handle it. Strong enough to survive what's coming."
"I don't feel strong. I feel terrified."
"Being brave doesn't mean not being scared. It means being scared and doing it anyway." I stand, offering her my hand. "And you've been brave since the moment we met."
She takes my hand, standing. "What's coming, Sable? What else do I need to know?"
Before I can answer, the emergency lights flicker.
Then a voice crackles over the intercom—Elder Crag's voice:
"Attention, facility personnel. The breach was not an accident. It was a test."
We all freeze.
"A test to see how the human girl and her mates would respond to extreme danger. To see if the bonds truly grant her power." A pause. "The results are... fascinating."
Thea's face goes white. "He's been watching us this whole time?"
"This entire facility is monitored," Elder Crag continues. "Every room, every fight, every moment of Miss Vex channeling power through her bonds. We have all the data we need now."
"You KILLED people for data?!" I roar at the nearest camera.
"Acceptable losses. The feral subjects had no quality of life anyway." His voice is completely calm. "But now we know the truth: Thea Vex is not just bonded to five alphas. She's a conduit. A living amplifier who can make beastmen exponentially more powerful."
"No," Thea whispers. "No, no, no..."
"Imagine an army of beastmen, all amplified by her power. Unstoppable. Invincible." Elder Crag sounds excited now. "The council could use her to conquer human territories, expand our influence, ensure our species' dominance for millennia."
"Over my dead body," Corvus snarls.
"That can be arranged." The intercom clicks off.
Gas starts hissing from the vents.
"Cover your mouths!" I shout, but it's too late.
The gas is heavy, sweet-smelling. Sedative.
Thea drops first. I catch her before she hits the ground.
My vision blurs. I see my pack mates falling one by one—Flint, then Marlowe, then Russet.
Corvus fights it longest, stumbling toward me and Thea. "Protect... her..."
Then he collapses too.
I'm the last one standing, cradling Thea against my chest. My panther is screaming at me to run, fight, escape.
But there's nowhere to go.
"I'm sorry," I whisper to her unconscious form. "I'm so sorry."
The darkness takes me.
I wake up in a cage.
Not a cell—an actual cage with bars, like something you'd put an animal in.
Corvus is in the cage next to mine. Russet across from us. Flint and Marlowe in cages on either side.
And in the center of the room, strapped to a medical table with dozens of machines attached to her, is Thea.
She's awake. Crying silently.
"Thea!" I grab the bars. They shock me—electric current designed to keep beastmen contained. I ignore the pain. "THEA!"
"I'm sorry," she sobs. "I'm so sorry. I should have run when you told me to."
"This isn't your fault," I tell her fiercely.
Elder Crag enters the room with a team of scientists. "Ah, you're all awake. Excellent. We can begin the conditioning."
"Conditioning?" Thea's voice shakes.
"We're going to train you to channel power on command," he explains pleasantly. "And your mates will provide motivation. Every time you refuse to cooperate, we hurt one of them. Systematically. Until you learn to obey."
"NO!" Thea screams. "Don't hurt them! I'll do whatever you want!"
"I know you will." Elder Crag nods to a scientist, who approaches my cage with a cattle prod. "Let's start with the panther. He seems closest to breaking already."
The prod touches the bars. Electricity floods through me.
I don't scream. Won't give them the satisfaction.
But Thea does. She screams for me, pulling against her restraints.
"Stop!" she begs. "Please stop! I'll cooperate! I promise!"
"Good girl." Elder Crag signals the scientist to stop. "Now then. Let's see how much power you can channel when properly motivated."
He presses a button.
All five of our cages electrify at once.
My pack mates roar in pain. I bite through my tongue to keep from screaming.
And Thea's bond marks explode with light—so bright it's blinding, so powerful the machines attached to her start sparking and smoking.
"YES!" Elder Crag shouts over the chaos. "THAT'S IT! CHANNEL MORE!"
But something's wrong.
The power isn't stopping.
Thea's screaming now, rainbow light pouring from her in waves. The restraints holding her crack. Then shatter.
She sits up, eyes glowing with all five bond colors at once.
When she speaks, her voice echoes with power that makes the room shake:
"YOU. WILL. NOT. HURT. THEM."
The cages explode outward.
All five at once.
Freeing us.