Chapter 2

Kaylee's bare feet skidded to a halt at the edge of the tribal plaza, kicking up a cloud of dry, yellow dust.

She ducked behind the massive, gnarled trunk of an ancient tree, her chest heaving as she peered around the bark.

The plaza was packed with hundreds of Shifters. They were massive, muscular people wearing leather and bone armor, their faces twisted in feral excitement.

In the center, standing on a raised stone platform, was Chief Silas Wainwright. He held a long staff made of a polished spine, his face set in cold, ruthless lines.

Hanging upside down from the totem pole behind Silas was Elijah.

The sight of him made Kaylee's stomach violently contract. His torso was a canvas of shredded flesh and deep, weeping lacerations. The thorny vines binding his ankles were cutting straight to the bone. He wasn't moving.

Standing in the front row of the crowd was Brenda McCoy, a female wearing a pristine white fox fur. She was the original Kaylee's best friend and partner in cruelty.

"Burn the feral monster!" Brenda shrieked, her voice shrill and excited. "Burn him!"

"Chaos Index exceeding 90%," Alex's robotic voice echoed in Kaylee's skull. "Soul-detonation countdown: thirty seconds."

Kaylee bit down hard on the inside of her cheek. The sharp tang of copper flooded her mouth. The physical pain acted like an anchor, dragging her spiraling panic back to a point of cold, hard focus.

She couldn't act like a scared girl from Boston. She had to be the monster they all expected her to be.

Kaylee stepped out from behind the ancient tree. She squared her shoulders, lifted her chin, and pulled every ounce of arrogant entitlement she could muster from the original owner's memories.

"Stop!"

Kaylee screamed the word with such piercing authority that it cut straight through the roar of the crowd.

Hundreds of heads snapped in her direction. The moment they saw her, the crowd parted like the Red Sea. The Shifters lowered their eyes, their body language screaming a mixture of instinctual deference and genuine fear.

In this world, females were rare evolutionary catalysts. But Kaylee was known as the most vicious catalyst of them all.

Kaylee forced her shaking legs to walk smoothly down the cleared path.

Brenda rushed forward, a sycophantic smile stretching across her face. "Kaylee! You're finally awake! We were just about to execute this filthy dreg for you."

Kaylee didn't even break her stride. She shot Brenda a look of such absolute, freezing contempt that the other woman physically recoiled.

Brenda's smile shattered, replaced by a flash of dark humiliation.

Kaylee ignored her, marching straight up to the stone platform. Standing directly beneath Elijah, the metallic smell of his blood was overpowering. She wanted to vomit, but she kept her face locked in a mask of haughty boredom.

She tilted her head back, locking eyes with Chief Silas.

"Cut him down," Kaylee demanded, her voice dripping with venom. "Who gave you permission to touch my private property?"

Silas frowned, his grip tightening on his bone staff. "He injured you last night, Kaylee. By tribal law, a slave who goes feral against a female must be put to death."

Kaylee let out a harsh, mocking laugh. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Tribal law also dictates that a master's property is solely the master's to dispose of," Kaylee countered smoothly.

Whispers broke out among the crowd. They were confused. Why was the woman who beat him half to death suddenly protecting him?

"Chaos Index stabilizing at 91%," Alex reported. "Detonation paused. However, his vital signs are critically low. He may expire from blood loss."

Kaylee took a step closer to the platform, glaring up at Silas.

"I am not done torturing him yet," Kaylee said, her voice loud enough for the entire plaza to hear. "Letting him die a quick death on this pole is far too easy for him. I want him to suffer."

The words tasted like poison, but they worked perfectly. The suspicion vanished from Silas's eyes. This sadistic reasoning perfectly aligned with the Kaylee they all knew.

Silas remained silent for a long moment before slowly lowering his bone staff. "If you insist. But his blood is on your hands."

Kaylee turned to two massive, heavily muscled Shifter guards standing nearby. "Cut him down and drag him back to my hut."

One of the guards swung a crude iron blade, severing the thick vine.

Elijah's heavy body plummeted to the earth, hitting the hard dirt with a sickening, wet thud.

Kaylee's heart stuttered in her chest. She wanted to scream, to check his pulse, but she forced herself to stand perfectly still, looking down at him with feigned disgust.

The two guards grabbed Elijah by his arms, dragging his bleeding body across the dirt like a sack of garbage.

Kaylee turned and followed them, leaving the silent plaza behind.

"You'll regret this, Kaylee!" Brenda screamed from the crowd. "He's a monster!"

Kaylee didn't look back. She just kept walking, her spine rigid.

By the time they reached the muddy path leading to her hut, the back of Kaylee's animal skin dress was entirely soaked in cold sweat.