"Do you hear me?" The words echoed in my head like the words of a god. "If you can hear me, think of the answer and keep your mind on the ring."

It was so... strange. Like hearing someone sitting right across the table from you. Yet what actually reached my ears was the ragged breathing and heartbeat of the two females caged beside me and the rattling of the wagon on the cobblestones as the thugs sped it down the street - no voice. Or rather, it felt like I was listening to my own thoughts, my inner voice.

'Why did it sound male, though?'

Males were usually stronger, meant to protect the pack or the herd.

'Was the beast in me male, then?'

Weird as that might be, it would make sense. That deranged bastard would use the strongest beasts he could get his hands on for his vile concoctions, and most of the time, the strongest beasts were male.

"Hey, say something!"

If I didn't know any better, I'd think I'd developed a split personality. Frightening, yes, but not entirely surprising. In a way, that's exactly how it felt when I battled my inner beast. When I shifted, another side of me took control.

"Tits! You totally lost it, huh?"

This was different, though. When the beast took over, I could still feel my urges, my desires - twisted, yes, but still mine, warped to suit the beast within. Now, there was only the irritation in that voice, no overwhelming drive. ‘But was it the voice of a god?’ If it was, it sounded eerily similar to the fire-wielding male - the one who was trying to talk to me through a piece of metal on my finger.

"Traiana’s tits! Fine, have it your way..."

Panic gripped my chest, my mind scrambling for something to say.

"I-I hear you. Is it... working? Please work," I thought to the ring, just as Elira had instructed.

"Oh, so you still have your wits. Good."

"Y-Yeah," I replied, feeling stupid for my lack of words. Wasn't that exactly how the stupid beast would react? "I just... can't talk, Standard, the shift shifts my vocal cords."

"Whatever. Look, I need to know... is that woman, that mind mage, really of the Cognizant rank?"

'Was that such a big deal?' Rayden raised an eyebrow when I mentioned that I'd managed to escape that mind-bitch. She didn't elaborate on why she had so many doubts about my claim, though. It was my own fault for not asking, not hers. Still, didn't the number of sigils matter more than some rank? After all, it wasn't the rank of captain that made Rayden strong - or the title of Master Guard that made him a good candidate for a mate.

'Oh, shut up!' I grumbled, revolted by my bestial cravings. "Y-Yes, the bitch is."

"How do you know?"

"My... My former master worked for mind mages. That was how he addressed her."

"I see. That doesn't mean it's her."

No, it did not. But did it truly matter? Like the flower-scented man said, even if it wasn't her, she was still a mind mage. Unfortunately...

"It is her, I'm sure."

"And why is that so?" the former city protector asked. Despite everything, there was still a hint of that in the male. He wanted to protect the city, or rather, he didn't want to see it destroyed. So, instead of calling me a liar, he wanted to know where my certainty came from.

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"I met her. In the city."

"You did? Then why the hell all this fuss? If she is what you say she is, you should be drooling at her feet like that Ward's man."

"Yeah, I should." Even now, I couldn’t shake the thought. If back then she had put the urge to go into that alley in my head and not Timmy’s, it might have ended long ago. 'Would it, though?' Lieutenant Blaine had been keeping an eye on my tail. Maybe... "I think - I think she was being cautious."

"Of what? You?"

'Yes!' Although I thought there was something to it, thinking that out loud would sound too cocky. Besides, he used to be a Master Guard. 'Surely he will understand...'

"Captain Rayden, she knew they would come after me, and had Lieutenant Blaine keep an eye on me."

"Blaine, huh? Tits, so he was the one they..." the voice in my head belonging to the fire-wielding man trailed off just as my ears perked up.

"Halt!" a man's voice boomed from somewhere in front, and the young workhand stopped the wagon. "Where are you heading at this hour?"

"That's Zarth," Elira blurted out, the name dragging back the memory of the man I'd met out of uniform on my first day here. Her disappointment at not hearing her brother's voice was clear, but what stood out even more was the absence of the gate guard's disgusting devotion to his mistress.

"Don't even think about it!" rang out in my head as soon as I realized that these gate guards weren't completely under the influence of that mind-bitch. "The moment they notice something is wrong, they are dead. So if you don't want to be responsible for their deaths... fuck. Give the ring back to Elira."

'Huh? What did he mean...? Shit!' Whatever reason they had to bother with this charade, the gate guards were lucky they did. It wasn't hard to imagine bastards like the flower-scented male and his shadow pack slaughtering them all.

»Killing's a lot easier,« the beast growled as I promptly handed the Union Ring to Elira.

"What's… What’s going on?" Vara demanded, pain lacing her voice. Unable to answer her in the Standard, it was up to Elira to fill her in, and she did. "Those motherfuckers! They're basically holding them hostage!"

"I don't like it either, but... but Harcon is right, Vara."

"Tits, I know," she muttered, her helplessness simmering into anger. And she wasn't the only one. Another growl escaped my throat as I wrestled with the urge to find a way out of this, without killing anyone in the process - anyone who wasn't involved.

"Beyond Reach Inn? That's almost half a day's journey," said the gate guard outside, whose voice I didn't know, his tone doubtful as my so-called master elaborated on the purpose of their journey. "You'll get there just a few hours before sunrise."

"I know, but like I said, I'm in a hurry. Business, you know."

"To sell slaves in... Wagon'brei?"

"Yes, Imperial City, sir. Exclusive offer. Surely you can understand that for a small trader like myself, this is an opportunity I can't let slip through my fingers."

The lies dripping from that bastard's lips made my skin crawl, but what was more unsettling was the way he handled himself with the guards. Was it the eerie calm around the gate, despite the chaos in the city, that gave him this newfound confidence? Or was it just knowing that the guards were under that mind-bitch's control? If they were, then why all this show? Why not just ride through the gate?

"Harcon says they're not thralls," Elira said, echoing my thoughts. "Probably just nudges planted in their minds."

'Oh, like Timmy.' I thought. That young wolfkin wasn't entirely controlled either; the mind-bitch only nudged him into leading me somewhere. On the one hand, relieving, on the other, his eagerness to comply was... unsettling.

"Makes sense," Vara muttered, ears perked to what was going on outside, just like me. "The gates are layered with enchantments, dozens of them."

'What kind of enchantments?' I wondered, but the answer had to wait as the guards outside turned their attention to us - to me and my pack.

"So, according to your papers, a mercenary escort - nine strong. A bit excessive, don't you think?"

"I hear the roads are dangerous, lately."

“I only see seven, Zarth.”

“There are only seven. As you said, sir. Nine was a bit excessive.”

"You could do with three," remarked the gate guard, turning the page. “Goods transported: three slaves, women? Is that right?"

"Yes, sir."

I held my breath, my body tense with anticipation. Would the guards demand a closer look under the tarp? Would they check if the number of slaves matched the documents, if the women listed were truly slaves?

"Well, it looks all good to me," the gate guard, Zarth, said after what seemed like an eternity, shattering my hopes. "You are free to go. Good luck with your business in Wagon'brei."