Marcus POV
I woke up hating her.
The anger from last night still burned in my chest. Aria had commanded me. Used the bond to control me like a puppet. Everything she'd promised about partnership had been a lie.
Through the bond, I felt her wake up too. Felt her guilt pressing against my mind.
Marcus, please. We need to talk—
I slammed the mental connection shut. If she wanted to treat me like a mindless pet, fine. I'd act like one.
"Marcus." Her voice was small. "I know you're angry. But we still have to go to class. If we skip, they'll get suspicious."
I didn't answer. Just jumped off the bed and walked to the door, my tail swishing with irritation.
Aria picked me up to carry me across campus. I stayed stiff in her arms, refusing to relax.
The moment we stepped outside, I understood what real humiliation felt like.
Other students walked past with their beasts. A girl led a massive wolf with silver fur and teeth like knives. A boy rode on a bear that stood eight feet tall. Another student had a serpent coiled around her shoulders.
And then there was me. A tiger cub small enough to fit in Aria's arms.
Students pointed and whispered. Some laughed openly.
"Is that the Failure's new beast?"
"It's so tiny!"
"I give it three days before it dies."
Through the bond, I felt Aria's shame burning. But she kept her head up and kept walking.
Then a handsome boy with cruel green eyes stepped directly into our path. Behind him prowled a massive drake covered in shadow, its red eyes fixed on me like I was prey.
"Still trying, Aria?" The boy's voice was mocking. "That thing won't last the week."
Damian Blackwood. The ex-fiancé. The one who'd tried to kill us last night.
Through the bond, I felt Aria's fear spike. But she forced herself to speak. "Excuse me, Damian. We're going to be late."
She tried to walk around him. Damian blocked her again.
"I'm talking to you. It's rude to walk away."
Something inside me snapped.
I hissed at Damian, baring my tiny fangs, my fur standing on end.
The Shadow Drake growled back, a sound that shook the ground.
"Marcus, no," Aria whispered. "Don't—"
But I was done being quiet. Done being treated like garbage. I hissed louder, meeting the drake's red eyes directly.
The drake hesitated. Something in my gaze reminded it of last night, when I'd hurt it badly.
Damian's smile faltered. "Control your beast, Aria."
"He's protecting me," Aria said quietly. "Something you never did."
Damian's face flushed with anger. "We'll settle this properly. In the arena. During combat class. Your pathetic cub against real beasts."
He walked away. The moment he was gone, Aria's legs nearly gave out.
Why did you do that? she asked through the bond.
I'm already hurt, I shot back bitterly. You made sure of that last night.
Her pain through the bond was sharp. But I refused to feel sorry for her.
We made it to class. The training hall was huge, filled with forty students and their beasts. Wolves. Bears. Hawks. Things with fangs and claws and power.
The instructor—a stern woman with gray hair—stood at the front with her beast, a massive lion.
"I am Instructor Vale. This is Beast Combat Training. Those who fail will be expelled." Her eyes landed on Aria. "Some of you are already behind."
The other students snickered.
"We'll start with bond strength assessment. Each pair will test on this crystal. The stronger your bond, the brighter it glows."
Students stepped forward one by one. The crystal lit up brilliantly for each. Gold. Silver. Bright blue.
Then: "Aria Winters."
The room went silent. Then whispers started.
Aria walked forward, carrying me. She placed her hand on the crystal. I pressed my paw against it.
The crystal flickered. A tiny, pathetic glow. F-rank.
The class erupted in laughter.
Through the bond, I felt Aria's shame crash over her. Five years of this. Five years of being mocked. And she'd endured it all to survive.
My anger at her started to crack.
Before we could return to our place, Damian's voice rang out. "Instructor Vale, I'd like to challenge Miss Winters to a practice bout. Right now."
Excitement rippled through the class.
Instructor Vale hesitated. "That's irregular—"
"I insist. As class representative."
The instructor sighed. "Miss Winters, do you accept?"
Through the bond, I felt Aria calculating. If she refused, she'd look weaker. If she accepted, we'd be destroyed.
We can't win, she thought desperately.
Then we lose on our terms, I interrupted. Trust me.
"I accept," Aria said quietly.
We took position in the center. Damian and his drake stood opposite us.
"Begin when ready," Instructor Vale announced.
Damian didn't wait. "Drake, Shadow Bind!"
Black chains shot from the drake's mouth, racing toward me. They wrapped around me, squeezing tight. Pain exploded through my ribs.
Marcus! Aria screamed through the bond.
Don't forfeit! I snarled back. Trust me!
The chains squeezed tighter. My vision blurred. This wasn't a practice match. This was an execution.
Damian smiled. "Give up, Aria. Or watch your beast die."
Through my fading consciousness, I felt the bond humming with suppressed power. Aria's sealed strength. My echoes of Nero's dragon energy.
We couldn't use it here.
But maybe we didn't need to.
Aria, I sent weakly. Remember my old life? About business?
This isn't the time—
The best way to win isn't always to be strongest. Sometimes you win by making the other person lose themselves.
I forced my eyes open, staring at Damian. Then I smiled.
With my last bit of strength, I spoke out loud. One word that changed everything.
"Pathetic."
The training hall went silent.
Beasts didn't talk. Not like this.
Damian's face went white. "You... you can SPEAK?"
The chains loosened in shock. I dropped to the ground, gasping.
"He spoke!" A student shouted.
The room exploded with voices.
And I felt it—the spy from last night. Watching. Recording.
I'd revealed my secret to save our lives.
But I'd painted an even bigger target on our backs.
The training hall doors slammed open.
Academy guards poured in, led by the woman from last night.
"Seize that beast," she commanded. "By order of the Emperor. That creature is being confiscated for study."
Aria grabbed me protectively. "No!"
"He spoke, Miss Winters. He demonstrated intelligence beyond any known beast. That makes him imperial property. Your bond is void."
Guards advanced, weapons drawn.
Through the bond, I felt Aria making a terrible choice.
I'm sorry, Marcus.
Then she released our bond.
The connection between us snapped like a breaking chain. I felt it tear through my soul. Felt the emptiness where her emotions used to be.
"There," Aria said, tears streaming. "The bond is broken. He's free. He's not my beast anymore. You can't confiscate him because he doesn't belong to anyone."
The guards hesitated.
"According to Imperial Law section forty-seven," Aria continued, voice shaking, "an unbonded beast with demonstrated intelligence is granted citizen status and cannot be claimed without consent."
The woman's face twisted with rage. But she couldn't argue with imperial law.
"Fine. But that creature will be monitored every moment. One wrong move and we'll find a way to claim him."
The guards left slowly, eyes on me the whole time.
When they were gone, I looked at Aria. She'd saved me by setting me free.
The bond was gone. I wasn't her beast anymore.
I should have felt relieved. Free.
Instead, I felt empty. Lost. Terrified.
Because without the bond, I realized something horrible.
I had no idea if what I felt for her was real... or if it had only ever been the magic forcing me to care.
And now I'd never know.