Page 34 of My Wild Pet

“Faster, Ember. Or is your fixation on that female pet draining all your strength?” Kaelin taunts.

I don’t answer. I focus on the course. Another series of spinning pillars awaits, glistening with that awful blue substance. I jump to the first one, gripping it desperately. A sudden jolt of pain hits my groin—Kaelin’s little setup, no doubt. I let out a strangled curse in Imperial, letting him know I see through this.

“Ah,” he says, voice full of fake sympathy. “We wouldn’t want you to become a eunuch, would we?”

My mind flashes to the human eunuchs I’ve seen before—the memory forced, possibly by Kaelin’s ring. I almost lose my hold on the pillar, my body shaking with the effort.

“Remember those eunuchs,” Kaelin purrs, stepping closer. His ring twinkles, and I realize he’s planting these thoughts and images in my mind.

All at once the obstacle course vanishes and I fall to the ground. The forced memories still running at full-blast through my mind. Men without penises forced to urinate through machines. Their purpose to serve the poorest men in the Imperial fleet. I’ll never forget the horror. A fate worse than death.

“Get your injuries checked, then report to the attendants for cleaning, before I reconsider and send you to solitary,” Kaelin barks.

Every muscle in my body quivers as I stand and limp off the platform. I ignore the curious stares of the other pets. I’ve never been so furious, but at the same time,I haven’t felt this alive in years.

I pause at the exit, the door already open, but I can’t leave without checking on Briar. My eyes sweep across the busy gymnasium until I spot her at the far side—chasing a shifting platform, sweat drenching her skin, that damned tail plastered to her legs. She’s almost lost her footing twice in the last minute.

Normally, I wouldn’t risk another punishment for stepping in. But watching her struggle like this, I refuse to stand by and say nothing.

Aefre stands at a central console, tweaking the course.

Briar stumbles again, nearly falling off the platform, something that could be fatal if she was unlucky with how she fell. I’ve seen more than a few pets die on their first day of endurance training.

“She’s had enough,” I call out in Imperial, my voice echoing through the gymnasium bringing everyone to a halt. Pets and trainers stare. Not good for me, but for some reason I don’t care.

Aefre glances up at me. “Ember, you may speak my language, mimic my mannerisms, but don’t forget you’re a only pet. Return to your training, unless you want further punishment.”

“She’s exhausted!”

A faint trace of curiosity crosses his face. “She’s stronger than you think. We did the same to you once. Maybe you’ve forgotten.”

“She’s not some animal you can push until she drops dead,” I say.

Kaelin starts to shout something at me, but Aefre lifts a hand to silence him. “What would you have me do, Ember? Coddle her? Stop challenging her? Do you think Ira would accept second place at the Grand Championship? Ash can do this.”

“Let her at least breathe. You’re pushing her too hard.”

Right then, Briar collapses, knees hitting the platform hard. I rush forward instinctively, but Aefre’s voice cuts me off.

“Don’t you dare touch her. We wouldn’t be in this mess if you hadn’t let Fifi die during the Bond Breaker.”

The ring on his hand glows, and suddenly I can’t speak. My throat locks. He’s silenced me by my collar.

“Ash will learn to be a champion pet,” he continues. “She’ll thrive under my hand, just like you did. Look—she hasn’t cried once. She’s stronger than most human females who would have been sobbing in a corner by now. And not once has she fallen off the platform. Trust my methods.”

Aefre forces my head toward her with that cursed ring, and I see the raw defiance in Briar’s green eyes—tired, but still burning.

“If you want to protect her,” Aefre says, “then leave her alone. She doesn’t need a crutch. She needs to be pushed to rise.”

I clench my fists but step back.

Briar pushes herself upright. I can’t read the expression on her face. She sees me but says nothing, just goes on, stumbling yet determined.

Against my body’s instincts, I can’t help thinkingmaybeAefre’s right.

I look at Kaelin then, we make eye contact.Is he planting thoughts in my head?Did Aefre sense it too, and that’s why he hasn’t punished me more for this? I’ve never openly questioned his training methods even when other pets died.

CHAPTER 14

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