The days began to blur into a punishing rhythm. Sylara woke each morning to the same sterile lights and the weight of her collar. Every time she caught sight of her reflection, the rosettes on her fur, the vertical pupils, and the tail that moved with a mind of its own, a fresh wave of grief and anger crashed over her.

Today’s session focused on stealth and control. They dimmed the lights in the large arena and released mechanical drones that emitted heat signatures and scent trails. Sylara was expected to stalk them silently, using her enhanced senses without losing herself to the hunt.

She moved low on the ground, claws retracted, tail still. Her snow leopard instincts made her terrifyingly good at it. Her ears twitched, moving around, tracking the faint whir of the drone’s motors from across the room as she sniffed the air searching for the synthetic scent the drones left behind. She would jump high and take down one drone at a time with a slash of her claws.

This isn’t me. This isn’t me. This isn’t me.

Kaelor was present in the same training rotation, though they were kept on opposite sides of the arena. She sometimes caught glimpses of him. He was moving like liquid shadow, powerful and precise. He made the lethal work look effortless, and almost graceful.

When she destroyed all the drones, the handlers escorted her to the medical wing. The room was blindingly white and cold. She sneezed as the sharp smell of antiseptic burned her sensitive nose. They strapped her down to a tilted examination table, the leather restraints biting into her furred wrists and ankles. She tested the restraints, but they still wouldn’t budge. Bright overhead lights glared down at her as several researchers moved around the table like ghosts in white coats.

A middle-aged woman with a tablet approached her, expression unreadable with a white mask covering half of her face. “Vital signs are strong,” she noted. “Heart rate elevated, likely due to stress. Begin routine health check.”

Sylara tensed as cold-gloved hands pressed and probed her body as another researcher drew blood from her arm. She looked away as the needle felt thicker than usual, the pull of her blood leaving her body more noticeable with her heightened senses. Sounds of glass clinking together and machines whirring made her tail twitch nervously as her ears flattened.

“Your hormonal cycles are stabilizing faster than expected,” the lead researcher said, almost approvingly. She adjusted a monitor that displayed fluctuating lines and numbers. “Estrous indicators are rising. Compatibility with Kaelor-03 is exceptionally high with nearly optimal genetic alignment for snow leopard pairing. We’ll increase interaction sessions within the next few days.”

Sylara’s stomach twisted violently. A wave of heat flushed through her body, the same restless pull she had been trying to ignore.

“I won’t do it,” she growled, straining against the restraints. Her claws extended instinctively. “You can’t force me to—”

“We’re not forcing anything,” the woman interrupted calmly. “Eventually, your instincts will do most of the work. Your body already recognizes a strong potential match. Fighting it will only increase discomfort.”

Sylara bared her fangs, breathing hard. “This is sick. I’m not breeding stock. I’m a person!”

The researcher leaned closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. “You were a person, Sylara-01. Now you are one of our most promising assets. The Project is interested in viable second-generation hybrids. And your pairing with Kaelor-03 has the highest projected success rate we’ve seen in this batch.”

Were there others than Kaelor and me? How many people did they kidnap for this sick project?

Sylara hissed as another researcher approached with a syringe in his hand. He ignored her and added a sedative to the IV. Her limbs grew heavy as her eyelids seemed to glue together.

“Try to rest,” the woman said as she turned away.

As they wheeled her back toward her enclosure, Sylara’s vision blurred as her heartbeat quickened. Her growing instincts terrified her. She was afraid of becoming a beast as the leopard inside her grew louder. Suddenly, Kaelor’s calm face flashed in her memory. Sylara took a deep breath and another. The noise in her head grew fainter and further away as darkness enveloped her.