I didn’t sleep.

  I lay in the dorm bed, arms crossed over my chest, staring into the dark. No sound but the hum of the vents and the occasional soft whir of surveillance behind the walls. The room was too quiet. Too clean. Like nothing bad had ever happened here.

  Except it had.

  The memory of Sam’s face—her startled eyes, the way her feathers flared—kept replaying in my mind. Over and over. I hadn’t meant to. I hadn’t wanted to.

  But I had leaned in. I’d sniffed her like she was a trail to follow. Like something I was meant to catch.

  My stomach twisted. I clenched my jaw until it hurt.

  A soft chime cut through the silence.

  I sat up slowly, rubbing the back of my neck. The room’s motion lights flicked on, painting everything in pale gold. My shadow stretched long across the floor—ears, tail, claws and all.

  I stared at the wall. The silence after the glitch was somehow louder than the words.

  I changed quickly, tugging on the standard-issue training gear. It felt tight across my shoulders. Too much fur, too much muscle. I didn’t feel like me anymore.

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  The hallway outside my room was dim and pulsing with soft floor lights, guiding me like a leash. The further I walked, the colder the air became.

  At first, I thought I was lost.

  The training room was massive. A forest stretched out before me—rolling fields, running brooks, even the illusion of wind in the trees. For a moment, I thought I’d accidentally wandered outside the school.

  But then I saw it.

  Cameras mounted on what looked like nothing. Clouds looping in repeating patterns. A sky that didn’t move quite right. The world above was a screen playing a video on loop.

  I didn’t see any other fox-fused students, but there were a few wolf-fused, some lion-fused, and even a bear-fused student. No prey-types—which made sense. This was Predatory Instincts Class.

  A few minutes later, a human woman stepped into the clearing. Her voice was sharp, businesslike.

  “Listen up, subjects. I’m your instructor. You can call me Mrs. Connie. Today, we’re focusing on basic instinct control—just enough to get you through the day without mauling anyone.”

  She gave us all a once-over before continuing.

  “Since you're in the first time slot, that means most of you are fused with animals that have a high predatory drive—wolves, lions, bears. Apex predators. Which also means you're more likely to snap.”

  I bristled at the word subjects, but the memory of Sam flinching—of her wings ruffling in fear—shut me up fast.

  “The reason your instincts feel so uncontrollable,” she continued, “is because you weren’t born with them. They’re new. Foreign. That’ll change with time. But for now, we’ll start with some small exercises to help keep you from ripping each other apart.”

  I nodded, hopeful.

  “The first ten minutes will focus on productive instinct release. Instead of suppressing, we’ll redirect. We’ll start with sparring. Pair up. No lethal hits.”

  We walked over and drew straws for our partners.

  I grimaced when I saw mine: the grizzly-fused kid, twice my size and built like a truck.

  “Tough luck, kiddo,” Mrs. Connie said flatly. “You’re probably gonna need the infirmary after this.”

  We faced each other in the center of the clearing. The moment Connie gave the signal, he hit me—hard.

  Pain exploded in my chest as his fist slammed into me, sending me flying backward into the underbrush.

  “Gaghh!” I barked as I hit the ground.

  He came charging after me, but I slipped into the shadows of the forest. Everything slowed down. I knew, somehow, exactly where not to step. Every branch, every patch of moss—I moved like I’d lived here my whole life.

  The bear-fused student barreled into the brush.

  Claws raked across my back.

  “Arghhh!!” I screamed, spinning and dragging my own claws across his face. He roared and hurled me into a tree. The impact knocked the wind from me, but I kept moving—instinct in overdrive.

  He lunged.

  I dodged.

  Time slowed again.

  I saw it—parts of his body glowing with a faint red hue, like a targeting system. Weak spots.

  I struck hard at one.

  He roared in pain, stumbled.

  I hit another.

  He collapsed.

  "Congratulations, Subject 9. You have defeated an opponent with superior enhancements. Ten evolution points." Mrs. Connie stated.

  “Thanks, Mrs. Connie,” I gasped, swaying on my feet. “Can I—go to the infirmary now?”

  Everything went black before she could answer.