Amkai cowered in the corner of the jail cell, biting at her nails and lapping at the blood that she drew. It helped calm her.

I don't want to hurt anybody.

She had four other people in this cell with her: Miranda, Cassius, Zeke, and Jodie.

Though Miranda had been one of the organizers for this whole mess, she was still a friend. It was not her fault the environmental protest had turned violent. Cassius was an important friend to Miranda, though Amkai had just met him today. Then, Zeke was… well, Zeke. That emo teen got on Amkai's nerves, but she wished nobody harm.

Except the men who had put her in here.

I only want to hurt those corporate bastards!

Speak of the devil. One of them stood immediately in front of the cell, regurgitating his orders. The curved horns of the sub-dragon rose above his helmet like two devil horns, indeed. The leathery bat wings and barb at the end of the tail only added to the appearance.

"Josephine Bouchard, we have received new directions regarding your confinement," he said. The sub-dragon's voice was deep per the thick throat and harsh per his armored appearance.

Insufferable bastard. Amkai bit harder at her thumb, having to watch Josie get up and give an undeserved bow.

The sub-dragon soldier unlocked the door and sealed them back within their cage. The rest of the prisoners said their regards and farewells to their recent acquaintance.

"Josie," Cassius said, "if you ever need assistance down the line, you know who to ask."

"Shut up," Zeke snapped. "You're just going to incriminate her."

"I'm just offering to repay the debt—"

"We would have to get out of here first. The rigged legal system and pricy corporate lawyers are gonna make sure that never happens. Ha."

The racket was too much, and the truth that Zeke had just uttered made Amkai panic more. One hand, fingers contorted like claws, raked over her hair. The pointed ears had not yet sprouted from her head.

Control…. I need to stay under control.

"Nonsense!" Cassius laughed with his false bravado. "This is not the end of us, just like how this ain't the end of the environment!"

The group must have deemed that a good speech because some snapping fingers circled around him.

"Ha," Amkai breathed heavily.

These mana rats must have never seen the outside world for themselves. The environment was already dead. The tribal lands of Amkai's people had mutants cropping up left and right, worse than the involuntary shifting to their wolf forms.

"Oh no," Josie said with a timid wave of her hands. "There was never any debt. I would heal anybody who was injured. It's simply the right thing to do."

"The offer still stands. Good luck," Cassius said in a final farewell.

At last, there would be some peace and quiet. Before Amkai could enjoy it for long, the sub-dragon said insidiously, "Actually, maybe there is a way you can repay her right now."

A bad feeling twisted around in her gut. Anything associated with the megacorporations was bad news, especially the sub-dragons.

Amkai lifted her bleary eyes and saw the Grandesia Power Company logo painted across his chestplate. The light blue wings marked him as an ice elemental. Briefly, she wondered if the original dragon had been bred here in Grandesia or from which clan he had been captured.

It did not matter. Black magic, or so-called technology, had already destroyed its host. The dragon clans were disappearing just like the lycan packs.

The least I could do is put as many sub-dragons out of their misery as possible.

Amkai could feel her eyes alight with a fire that had long been missing in her life. Hunkered over, she tried to suppress the growl that begged to curl from her throat.

If she shifted and lunged for that sub-dragon through the bars, what were the odds that she could kill him? The cameras in his helmet would give away her guise, and Amkai wanted to avoid that at all costs.

A single shred of reason restrained her bloodlust and kept her from turning feral. It was the need to keep her identity as a lycan shifter hidden.

The evil computer system would probably flag her family and old pack members, given all the time that she had spent around them. Amkai had to resist the urge to growl again; she did not trust technology.

While his head was turned towards her, eyes invisible beneath the black visor, the sub-dragon breathed, "What?"

Her chest lurched, a new wave of fear seizing her.

He's gonna find out about me! But what about my family?

Amkai started to shake all over. She was ready to scream and let loose a howl. Thinking back to the few in her pack who had remained behind, she wondered why everyone could not have stayed. As much as her heart longed for her old home, Amkai knew all too well why she left.

Life was better here in Grandesia—simple as that. At least it was, up until she had ruined it.

Amkai tasted a fresh flow of blood. Her sharp teeth had crushed through her nail and made the tip of her thumb crack.

"Dang it," the sub-dragon spit.

My existence inconveniences you, doesn't it? I'm sorry you'll have to spend five minutes moving me to a cell with silver bars.

Since there was a full moon out tonight, Amkai wondered if she should howl to rattle him. Her mind had slipped too far away to take joy in messing with him; she just wanted to kill him.

The sub-dragon asked an entirely unexpected question over his headset. "Disco, would eco-terrorists make for a good diversion for us to get out of here?"

Nice disguise, she thought.

When Amkai narrowed her eyes, she could not discern any obvious signs of the fake wings, tail, horns, and claws. Whoever made his props certainly did a good job. Either that, or illusory magic made him look like a replica of a subdragon. This Josie lady must be a powerful person to have those sorts to back her up.

City folk, Amkai grumbled to herself. She still wanted to kill the fake sub-dragon, just to make her statement against everything they stood for.

Next, he said the one thing that made her world come crashing down. "Do you still approve if I tell you one of them's a werewolf?"

Everyone's eyes flicked between each other before they all stared at Amkai in the corner.

"You're still one of us, Amaya," Cassius said at once.

"Can you give me your blood?" Zeke asked, the closest thing to joy creeping into the emo boy's voice.

"Oh, honey," Josie said, the only one who actually moved closer to her. "There's no reason to refuse a [Cure] spell because of that. You might feel better at your full health—"

"Please stop!" Amkai cried. "Just leave me alone." Her fingers tugged down at her human ears, and her eyes squeezed shut to the world. "Everything's… too much right now. I just don't… wanna hurt you guys."

I can't help but feel like I'm gonna snap!

When that happened, she only wanted to kill the enemy.

The man in the sub-dragon disguise announced, "Well, you heard me. Today is your lucky day!" The door reopened with a creak on its metal hinges. "Follow me out calmly, and let me do the talking. The elevator is activated by my keycard, so there's no sense in getting hasty."

The other three all marched out of the cell, but Amkai remained unmoving in the corner.

"Come on, Amaya," Miranda's kindly voice called. "You won't feel any better sitting in that cage alone."

She was absolutely right. Amkai would feel a whole lot better if she slayed some lizards. It had been too long since she felt the ooze of blood between her claws and the savory taste of a fresh kill on her tongue.

Humans without lycanthropy thought that she was driven mad by disease, but Amkai had been born into her pack like this. She hoped that city life did not make her go soft.

Slowly, she staggered up. Relishing in her bloodlust for the foes that looked like him, Amkai stared straight at the disguised sub-dragon. "Do you want me to come with you? I'm either the biggest asset or the biggest burden, depending on what you're going for here." A string of giggles slipped past her clenched teeth.

"Of course. Come with us." The sub-dragon waved her out in evident annoyance.

"I understand," she jeered. Amkai bounded past the bars and joined the others, glad that he wanted her to do what she did best. It had been too long since she had killed in the flesh.