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"You don't—" she gasped between ragged breaths, "—own me."

The guards lay groaning on the floor, wounded but alive. Maya stood over them, her chest heaving, the scent of their blood filling her nostrils with copper and salt. Looking down, she barely recognized her own hands—half-human, half-wolf, powerful enough to rend flesh yet still possessing opposable thumbs.

What am I becoming?

The rush of power ebbed as quickly as it had come, leaving her dizzy and disoriented. The world tilted sideways as fatiguecrashed through her system. Maya staggered toward the exit door, her vision blurring at the edges.

Kieran,she thought desperately, reaching out with that strange new sense that connected them.I'm coming.

Her legs buckled beneath her, unable to support her weight any longer. Her body totally spent from the raw power she just exerted to transform naturally. Maya collapsed in a heap on the cold floor, the lab coat pooling around her. Her last coherent thought before she passed out from exhaustion was of silver-blue eyes and strong arms.

Find me.

Strong arms slipped beneath Maya's limp body, lifting her from the cold tile floor. For one delirious moment, her heart soared with hope.

"Kieran?" she mumbled, her eyelids fluttering as consciousness teased her.

"Not quite," came a low voice, unfamiliar yet somehow reassuring. "I'm with Lena. Name's Eli."

Maya forced her heavy eyelids open, disappointment washing through her as she met dark green eyes instead of the silver-blue ones she craved. The man's face was lean and weathered, his dark beard neatly trimmed. Not Kieran. Not her wolf.

Kieran, where are you?she called silently through their connection, feeling the tether between them pull taut with longing.

"More guards will be here any second," Eli whispered, adjusting her against his chest. "Can you walk?"

Maya tried to nod, but her body betrayed her. The natural partial shift had drained every ounce of her energy, leaving her muscles quivering.

"Apparently not," she muttered dryly.

Eli's mouth twitched with reluctant amusement. "Lena said you were tough."

"Tough doesn't mean functional."

He carried her swiftly down a service corridor, his footsteps nearly silent despite their pace. Maya's head lolled against his shoulder, her copper hair spilling from the tight bun she'd fashioned earlier.

"Where are we going?" she asked, her voice a ragged whisper.

"Safe room on the east wing. Old supply closet they converted for medical storage." He paused at an intersection, scenting the air. "Don't worry, I've got clearance to be here. Supply manager by day, rebellion operative by... well, also day."

An alarm blared overhead, the shrill sound piercing through Maya's sensitive ears. She winced.

"Looks like they found your handiwork," Eli remarked, picking up speed. "Nice job on those guards, by the way. Two male wolf shifters with a single partial shift? Lena will be thrilled her theories about your genetics were right."

Maya would have preened if she wasn't halfway to unconsciousness. "Just discovered my claws naturally today. Still workshopping my technique."

Eli ducked into a narrow stairwell, taking the steps two at a time. Maya's stomach lurched with each jostling movement, but the nausea was preferable to being strapped back onto that examination bed.

Kieran, I need you,she projected through their bond.Please hurry.

Something vibrated through her chest in response—a distant growl of acknowledgment and a promise of violence to come. He was close. She could feel him like fire on the horizon.

"He's coming," she murmured. "I can feel him."

Eli glanced down at her, his eyebrows raised. "You've got a mate bond? With Kieran Silvercrest? Lena didn't mention that part."

"Is that what this is?" Maya asked, her hand pressing against her sternum where the connection burned brightest. "This... pull?"

"If you have to ask, then yes." Eli reached a heavy metal door marked with faded red lettering. "The mate bond is unmistakable once it takes hold. Makes Kieran even more dangerous right now—he'll tear this place apart brick by brick to get to you."