Page 58 of My Wild Pet

“Briar,” he says—an immediate transgression. I send a minor shock through his collar for using her human name. “It’s not real,” he tells her in pristine Imperial. “You can handle this.”

She wavers, but ultimately takes a shaky breath and steps closer to the spider. It mirrors her movements, forcing her to pass directly under its form. She hesitates again, uttering something in her human language. Another spider appears behind her, and she screams.

“I can’t! It’s too scary!” she shouts in accented Imperial.

My fingers hover over the console, prepared to cut the simulation short, but I’ll give Ember one more chance to calm her.

“It can’t hurt us,” he insists, voice gentler than I expected. “I promise. I won’t let anything hurt you, Briar.” Another jolt for him—for repeating her human name.

Amazingly, Ash pushes forward, taking halting steps until she crosses the edge of the hologram. The spider dissolves into light, leaving her trembling, but triumphant. That’s progress.

Ember faces his own trial next, in an instant, the holographic arena shifts into a savage battleground. Towering spires of rock jut skyward, and the floor beneath him rumbles with hidden machinery. Emerging from the darkness is a massive, four-legged beast—snarling, muscled, and bristling with bony spines. An artifact is tucked behind the creature, perched on a ledge. It’s clear that retrieving it will be Ember’s task.

“Retrieve the artifact,” I command. “Prove your strength.”

I watch the readings on his collar—initial spikes of adrenaline, surging cortisol, and traces of fear despite him knowing it’s not real. But it can still kill him, hologram or not, if he loses and I choose not to stop the program.

The beast roars, pounding the ground with its forelimbs.

Ember hesitates, scanning for weak points as his breath tightens. He tells Ash to stay safe in a corner and she obeys him.

Then lunges forward for the beast.

The creature swipes with razor-sharp claws, but Ember dodges them effortlessly, rolling to the side. He counters with a sharp kick at its hind leg. Pain flares in his collar readout—he’s gotten too close and taken a hit.

Driven by the urgency of my command, he feints left, then scrambles behind the beast toward the artifact’s ledge. The creature roars again, furious, but Ember ducks and with another burst of speed, he jumps, snatching the artifact before the beast can react.

As soon as the prize is in his hands, the holographic beast dissolves.

Ember collapses to his knees with the object clutched tightly to his chest.

Ash and Ember regroup near the final obstacle, both breathing hard, their coordination still intact, and they manage to finish together—just as required.

It’s adequate, but far from flawless. The Grand Championships will present far harsher challenges and exploit much deeper vulnerabilities. These were elementary.

I watch them from my elevated platform. I sense complacency lurking beneath their exhaustion.

“Ash, Ember. Today was acceptable,” I say, voice echoing through the gymnasium, “but hardly worthy of Grand Champions. You’re capable of more—far more. And I expect it. Tomorrow we will train harder.”

I let those words settle before motioning for the attendants to take them to the cleansing room.

CHAPTER 30

Briar

In the dim light of the cages in the shower room, I lean as close to the bars of my cage as I can. Gabriel is in the cage next to mine, his face barely visible in the half-light. His voice is low, barely more than a breath, but in his words, I can hear the trance of something I can’t quite articulate.Hope?

“I’m telling you, he’s real,” Gabriel whispers, his words slipping through the tiny gaps between us. “Gael the Returner. Half-Imperial, half-human. Il existe. He’s rescued human pets before.”

“You don’t really believe that?” I whisper back. “It sounds like something other pets would make up to keep from losing our minds.”

“It’s not just a story,” he insists, his voice firm but still soft enough that no one else can hear. “I’ve heard about him from others. During the competitions, all the pets are put in one area, le centre des animaux, and that’s when we have free time to talk. He’s out there, Briar.”

I want to believe him, but I can’t. I’ve not been here long, but I don’t think the galaxy is a place where miracles happen. We’re property, nothing more. And even if someone like Gael doesexist, the idea that he’d swoop in and save us from a ship like this... impossible.

And as much as I don’t like certain aspects of this life, there are others I do. To my shame. I enjoy Aefre touching me. I enjoy performing for him. I enjoy my talks with Gabriel. And maybe this is the best that I can hope for for the rest of my life. I know what it’s like to lose, I lost my parents and then I lost Earth and now I’m afraid to lose what little I have here.

“How would he even know we’re here and want to be rescued?” I ask, my voice sharp despite my attempt to keep it quiet. “We’re on one of the most secure Imperial ships in the galaxy according to you. Aefre isn’t going to send him an invitation.”

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