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They left, locking the door behind them. Maya collapsed against the bed, processing the revelation. Shifter genes confirmed. Her own blood carried the wolf within like Lena suspected.

Her grandmother's warning echoed in her mind.Never go into the deep woods. Her grandmother had known, or at least suspected, something lurked in their bloodline.

And Kieran... The electric connection between them made so much more sense now. Her body had recognized his at a cellular level almost immediately. The primal attraction and the instant bond—not just chemistry but biology like Kieran had told her.

"I should have known," Maya whispered to herself. "All those years feeling like wolves were a part of who I was. They were literally part of me."

That night, Maya tested her restraints, noting the slight give in the left cuff where her wrist had grown thickened with muscle during partial transformations. Her newfound strength surprised her, the leather stretching where it wouldn't have days ago.

"They'll keep increasing the doses until they break me," she whispered, testing the restraint again.

Her scientific mind assessed her changes from the past three days. Enhanced strength, accelerated healing, and heightened senses. Perfect tools for escape.

A guard passed by her door, his footsteps distinctive. A different guard would relieve him in twenty minutes based on the pattern she'd memorized.

Maya closed her eyes, focusing on the connection to Kieran that grew stronger each day. His presence filled her consciousness with protective fury and raw determination. Wherever he was, he was coming for her. But she couldn't wait around for him like some fairytale princess anymore.

If she couldn't reach Kieran through their connection, perhaps she could reach the wolf inside herself—on her terms, not through their drugs. Maybe that same wolf could help her break free.

If I'm going to become a wolf, she thought with grim determination,it'll be on my timeline, not theirs.

SEVENTEEN

MAYA

Early the next morning, Maya worked her wrists and ankles against the restraints, her enhanced senses picking up the distant beeping of monitors down the sterile hallway. The fluorescent lights flickered overhead, casting harsh shadows across the clinical white room that had been her prison for three endless days.

She'd spent most of the night methodically testing the thick padded cuffs on her wrists and ankles, finding that each forced partial shift had left her incrementally stronger. The restraints that had initially held her securely now had just enough give.

"Just a little more," she whispered, flexing her wrists and ankles. The leather stretched, then slackened. "There."

Maya carefully positioned her arms and legs to appear still restrained while listening to the approaching footsteps she now recognized as Dr. Sonya's. Her footsteps had shorter strides than the guards, with the distinctive tap of low heels against linoleum.

Maya's heart raced. She had exactly one chance at this.

The metal door buzzed open.

"Good morning, Ms. Collins." Dr. Sonya entered with clinical efficiency, a syringe of amber liquid prepared on her tray. "Ready for today's progression tests?"

Maya kept her eyes downcast, feigning resignation. "Do I have a choice?"

"I appreciate your cooperation today." Dr. Sonya turned to set her clipboard down, her back momentarily exposed.

In one fluid motion, Maya slipped her hands and feet free from the restraints and swung her legs off the bed. Before the doctor could turn around, she wedged the folding chair against the door, preventing it from closing completely.

Dr. Sonya spun around. "What do you think?—"

Maya pounced with a speed that surprised even herself, grabbing Dr. Sonya's wrist and twisting the syringe from her grasp.

"You've been so interested in studying transformations," Maya snarled, her canines slightly extended with adrenaline. "How about experiencing one firsthand?"

She plunged the needle into Dr. Sonya's arm, depressing the plunger fully.

The doctor's eyes widened in shock, her mouth opening in a silent scream as she crumpled to the floor. Whatever they'd been planning to inject Maya with today worked fast.

"Not so fun being on the receiving end, is it?" Maya muttered, stripping off Dr. Sonya's white lab coat and slipping it over her thin hospital gown.

Maya quickly checked Dr. Sonya's pulse—steady, if rapid. The scientist wasn't dead, just incapacitated. Pocketing Dr. Sonya's keycard and pulling her hair back into a tight bun to better mimic the doctor's appearance, Maya peered cautiously through the doorway crack. The hallway appeared momentarily clear.