Amkai was sprung from her cell, and the sub-dragon wanted her to wreak havoc on his brethren upstairs.

I used to be such a good hunter in my pack!

Eagerly, she followed the sub-dragon with the dragging tail. Amkai discovered that she could not stop laughing; she was about to have the time of her life and would die doing it.

Which thing made her giggle more: the impending fun or doom? Amkai had no idea because she was cackling too hard.

"I don't know what's going on," Josie said to her agent, "but thank you."

"I know Charlotte," the sub-dragon whispered. "It's a long story, but I'm here to save you, Mrs. Bouchard."

"Please. Call me Josie." She tried to introduce him to the others as if they mattered.

"I already scanned them," the sub-dragon snapped angrily. "I know their names. I'm eX-0281, by the way."

Wait. Is that a real sub-dragon? Amkai was astonished; she could almost not believe her eyes or ears, and she had very good senses even in human form. If he claimed to have a string of letters and numbers for his name, he must really be one of those corporate slaves.

Huh. Interesting. She never realized that sub-dragons retained enough of a functioning brain to think for themselves. They were some pathetically small fraction of a dragon like a thousandth or a millionth. The rest was just an empty shell of their former lineage.

At any rate, Amkai got into the elevator with everybody else. The numbers flicked lower as they ascended.

B5….

Buckling from her hyena-like laughter, Amkai clenched her arms around her midsection. "Oh, this is just spectacular." Her words sounded beautifully deep as they rumbled with the growl.

B4….

"I wanted to go to the protest," Amkai mumbled, "like a normal person. I didn't take my medication beforehand—you know, in case anything happened." The constant guffaws nearly made her tear up. She kept biting at her nails so that no bloody finger was safe. "If the GPC didn't arrest me, I could've gone home and taken my medicine. Everything would've been just fine!"

B3….

Miranda hovered close to her side, trying to soothe her. Josie did the same, but eX-0281 barred the way. He had a duty to protect his client from a dangerous monster like Amkai.

"Hey," eX-0281 offered. "I know it's really hard to resist our instincts to shift. Just hold off a little bit longer, until we get up there. You're doing a really good job." The thick talon of his thumb stuck into the air, as if a thumbs up would make her feel any better.

B2….

"Ha," Amkai huffed out heavily. "That's easy for you to say, sub-dragon."

"Yeah? I know," he moaned.

"Aw, man," Zeke said, "this is gonna be wicked. Do you have a berserker form, Amaya? Am I going to see a werewolf go berserk and a sub-dragon hit rage mode?"

Amkai scoffed quietly to herself. She had a berserker form no more than sub-dragons had a rage mode. A rare few lycan shifters could manage a berserker form, but even then, they could not control the sheer power of it. I was a good hunter in my tribe, but I was no legend, she thought wryly.

"Huh?" eX-0281 asked similarly.

That Zeke kid was downright outlandish.

B1….

There was no time to tell him off, as they would arrive to the ground level momentarily. Pulling the gun from his back, eX-0281 prepared for action. "Stick close to me, Josie. We're making a dash for the doors."

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Amkai would be faster. She kicked off her shoes and readied herself, eager to feel the claws dig into the tile.

As the ding resounded, Zeke jumped to the side and jabbed the close door button of the elevator. Per their programming, the doors began to open but shut quickly thereafter. "Shh. I sense a plant." Eyes fluttering closed, he leaned his back up against the doors and seemed to fall into a trance.

"What's he even doing?" eX-0281 asked.

"Shh," Cassius said. "He senses a plant. Zeke's our D-class nature mage!"

The sub-dragon snorted, and Amkai wanted to scream. They had a good dynamic, always on the same page when it came to the full-blooded humans. In this instance, she was more of the lone wolf sort.

It was a shame. The dragon clans and lycan packs had a long-standing alliance, historically. Maybe in another time and place, she could have been friends with eX-0281. He was a good guy, breaking free from the shackles of the Grandesia corporate world.

I sure hope I don't accidently kill him. He looks the same as all the others….

The partial wolf form was aptly named. Aside from its physical appearance, Amkai could only partially control herself.

The other shifter was still making nice with the silly lot of humans.

"Really?" eX-0281 asked. "What's he doing to a plant out there without even a spell to his name?"

"Shh!" Zeke snapped more harshly. "I'm trying to concentrate."

A few quiet moments passed before there were some harsh screams outside. A shrill woman's cry was followed by an angry guttural sound of a sub-dragon.

"I've distracted one of them," Zeke said proudly. "You're up, Amaya."

"Let's take out the rest!" Cassius cheered.

Their words faded away. The sensory input was blocked out which did not pertain to her instincts. At the same time, everything was heightened. She was snarling as she enjoyed letting go—enjoyed morphing into her true form.

Pointed ears popped up at the top of her head and grew a blonde-colored fur like the rest of her hair. A big, floofy tail unfurled from the top of her pants which contrasted with the massive claws which extended from her hands.

All the while, she ripped her head from side to side out of joy. Spittle came from her elongated snout, topped with a dog's nose and flashing eyes.

The elevator doors opened, and Amkai bolted out headlong.

Her eyes set on the first sub-dragon immediately in front of her. The poor sucker was unfortunate to be standing in the center of the room.

Amkai crashed into him before he could finish reaching for the gun on his back. Her claws dove straight for the neck, jabbing through the chink in his armor. The slick wetness on her hands thrilled her. A glimpse of the color red sent her deeper into her rage.

"Ah!" The pangs of hunger suddenly seized her belly. While Ankai had eaten raw meat in the city, she could not remember the last time she had gotten to gorge herself on a fresh kill. Better yet, meat was even yummier while it was still squirming.

I just want a taste!

With all her strength, Amkai ripped upward and tore off a section of his helmet in the process.

Streaks of red were flung into the air as the helmet pieces clattered to the side. The sub-dragon horns kept the rest of the helmet intact, and the back of the skull bounced limply against the ground.

The surprise attack made him sustain a great deal of damage, but the thick, scaly neck kept him alive—just the way she liked it. Alas, live prey seldom wanted to cooperate.

Instead of continuing to grab for his gun, the sub-dragon brought both his claws down on Amkai overhead.

A puppy's yelp curled from her lips as the draconic claws sank into her collarbones. The attack just narrowly missed her neck from the way that she lurched back. Luckily, she saved her throat but also had to endure damage to her shoulders in expense—a crucial part for her speedy attacks.

Worse yet, the fellow she had taken down was not the only sub-dragon in the immediate vicinity. Two more sub-dragons had entered the police station, and they opened fire on her.

Amkai arched her back and howled as severe pain ripped through her body. If regular bullets hurt this much, she could not imagine the agony of silver. It was too bad she did not have better control of herself in partial wolf form. She would have fought smarter, under control.

"Ah!" she screamed through her yowl.

Am I really going to die after taking down one pathetic sub-dragon?

The enhanced durability of her partial wolf form managed to take the bullets, no vitals punctured.

She kept hollering as her body began to expand again. The skeletal structure became bigger, as did more hair sprout all across her body. Larger and more fearsome than before, an unimaginably deep roar left her chest.

Through her reddened vision, Amkai saw the sub-dragon beneath her who she would tear to shreds. Ragged huffs came out of her mouth, savage and raspy with every single breath.

Her claws were unleashed in a flurry. One after another, she enjoyed the armor ripping away beneath her claws. A second, thunderous roar boomed from her chest. Amkai lifted her hulking form up and came down with all her weight on the squirming sub-dragon beneath her.

True power had awakened from within her: a lycan shifter's berserker form.