Kiara's POV
The first strap snapped shut around my wrist.
I flinched and twisted instinctively,just a little,but another pair of hands caught my arm and forced it flat instantly against a chair.
"Hold her," someone muttered.
Oh! So we are doing 'this'.
Another strap. Then another. Chest. Waist. Thighs. Ankles. Each click secured my body a little more against what looked like an electrocution chair-like an unwanted countdown.
I looked down at myself and a hilarious laugh scraped out of my throat.
"Wow," I muttered, rolling my eyes.
Then lifted my head slowly, breathing through my nose, forcing my wolf to stay quiet while I took stock.
At first glance, the place looked like an infirmary.
White walls. Clean floors. Bright lights.
But then my eyes adjusted.
And something felt… off.
This was in no way the old SilverTooth healing pad. No stone slabs. No claw marks etched into walls. No familiar stink of blood, or rotting herbs.
This place smelled sterile.
Too clean.
It smelled of antiseptics and phenyl.
My gaze drifted.
There were glass panels instead of walls. There were long metal counters lined with machines I had never seen before. Not even on the other side of the veil when I was living with the humans.
There were big screens which displayed moving graphs and symbols that meant absolutely nothing to me.
Too many cables,sensors,monitors.
This did not at all look like a place to heal wolves.
It looked like a fucking dystopian lab from a future world.
My stomach dropped.
"Shit…" I whispered.What was this David upto? What was he planning to do with me?!
I gritted through my teeth.He could do whatever with me at the moment, but if he even touched my Mat, if he even thought about doing something like this with my baby…
Then I saw him.
David stood near one of the consoles, hands clasped behind his back.Beside him were two people in white coats—a man and a woman.
They had no scent. Besides, they didn't even look local.
Humans, that too foreigners. Interesting!
What was this David really up to?
I watched them talk. Words slipped back and forth in a language I didn't even recognize.
David replied easily, like this was routine.He had definitely been doing this for years.
My fingers curled uselessly against the restraints.The ones strapping me down, didn't look pleased.
They were about to manhandle me when the woman in the white coat turned first.
She noticed me watching.
And smiled.
Then when my pulse spiked she walked towards me with calm, measured steps, heels clicking softly against the floor. Not a trace of fear. Not even curiosity. Just professional nonchalance.
She stopped beside me, glanced at a tablet, then finally met my eyes.
Up close, she looked… normal. Soft features. Neat hair. Almost a kind smile.
That somehow terrified me more than claws ever could.
She switched to English smoothly.
"Hi, Kiara," she said gently, like we were in for a regular hospital visit and I wasn't strapped down. "I know this must be overwhelming."
My breath caught.
"What?" I rasped. "What the hell is this place?"
She didn't answer that.
Instead, she gestured towards the massive circular machine behind her…the one I'd been trying very hard not to look at.
"We are going to run you through the scanner first," she explained casually. "Just to make sure everything is alright before we proceed."
Proceed?!!!
My eyes widened despite myself.
"Proceed with what?"
She smiled again, polite and calm…absolutely fucking terrifying.
"The implant," she said. "Alright?"
Silence!!!
Her words hit me late.
Like my brain refused to accept it on first contact.
Implant?!!!
I actually barked out a laugh.Almost disbelieving.
"You've got to be shitting me," I said, staring at her. "Implant? Like…what…tracking chip? Shock collar? "
The woman didn't react. Not even a blink.
She just tapped something on her tablet and the screen on the scanner lit up.
"It's a regulatory device," she said mildly. "Designed to stabilize aggressive biological anomalies."
"Biological anomaly?!!" I felt my blood go cold.
David chuckled from behind her.
I strained against the straps. This time harder. The chair hummed faintly, responding, like it enjoyed the pressure.
"David," I growled, keeping my eyes locked on him, "you put anything inside me and I swear on the Moon, I will rip you apart cell by cell."
He tilted his head, considering me. "See? That right there is exactly why we need it."
The doctor leaned in slightly, lowering her voice as if we were sharing a secret. "The implant will suppress certain… responses. Emotional spikes. Shifter instincts. You will still be conscious and fully functional."
My heart started hammering.
"You mean neutered," I snapped.
She smiled apologetically. "That's an oversimplification."
The machine behind her powered up.
A deep, resonant hum filled the room, vibrating through the chair, through my spine, straight into my skull. Lights along the scanner ring blinked to life…soft blues and bright reds.
Every sound stretched.
Panic clawed at my ribs.
"Hey," I said, louder now, pulse racing. "Hey…no…stop. You don't get to do this. I agreed to your terms. I fucking said I would do what you need me to do. I will leave with my son after that. David…" I looked straight into his eyes. " I will do whatever you want me to do! I swear. I will do it for my son. Please!" I chewed out the words. "Don't do this shit with me! I beg you! "
The woman hesitated—just a second. A flicker of something human crossed her eyes as she looked back at David. .
David spoke without even looking at her.
"Proceed."
That flicker vanished.
She pressed a control.
The chair began to slide…towards the scanner's open mouth.
"No," I breathed. "No, no, no…"
My wolf slammed against my skin, raging, trapped, tearing at the inside of my bones.
I locked my jaw, staring straight ahead as the white ring loomed closer, swallowing my vision.
Hold it together, Kiara!!!
The hum deepened.