NOT approved by the FDA

Cierzo's body trembled as she stood there by the lake, the beauty of the surroundings only serving to mock the terror within her. She watched in horror as Azrael approached Delaeni, the Wild Dog who had arrived just moments before her. Delaeni’s teal eyes were wide with fear, her body language submissive and trembling. The same as Cierzo.

Azrael's inspection was meticulous and uncomfortable, his giant paw lifting Delaeni's chin to meet his gaze. Cierzo could only watch out of her peripheral vision, heart racing, as he studied the other woman with a chilling intensity. Cierzo kept her eyes downcast, but her posture was neat as she was always taught. Beauty first. The silence was deafening, each second stretching into eternity. Cierzo could only feel a chill in her veins, or maybe that was the winter air.. When Azrael finally spoke, his questions were precise, his tone cold. She would have preferred if he were angry, anything but that tone he was using.

When Azrael turned his attention to Cierzo, her heart felt like it might burst from her chest. His massive paw caught her chin, lifting her head to meet his gaze. She dared not look away, even as her body screamed to flee. Her bright eyes were pinpoints of fear, her lips parted as her breath hitched. His touch was cold and clinical just as it was with Delaeni, his eyes searching hers with a predator's curiosity.

‘Tell me how old you are and what pack you belong to,’ He commanded. Cierzo's voice quivered as she answered, feeling his digits pressing into her flesh.

“I- I am five seasons... I belong to the Syndicate,” She managed to whisper, her voice barely audible. Her tone like the ringing of bells.

Azrael's mention of her heat cycle made her want to crawl into the earth itself. The way he lingered on the word, savoring her discomfort, was unbearable. When he finally released her, she felt a fleeting moment of relief, quickly shattered as he moved to his satchel.

The introduction of the injectors filled Cierzo with a fresh wave of dread. She watched helplessly as Azrael approached Delaeni again. Her stomach churned as he clasped Delaeni's throat, injecting her with the sharp utensil. The other girl whimpered, her fear palpable under Azrael’s grip. He smiled, a wicked gleam in his eyes, as he told her she would soon feel the effects.

Cierzo’s legs felt like they might give way. She wanted to run, to hide, but there was no escape. Azrael was upon her before she could even think to move. His paw wrapped around her throat, and she felt the cold sting of the injector piercing her skin. Her breath hitched, and for a moment, the world seemed to stop.

The drug coursed through her veins, a cold, invasive sensation spreading rapidly. Azrael patted her cheek with a mock tenderness, congratulating her as if she had done something remarkable. She was inclined to believed him.

Cierzo’s mind began to cloud, the drug taking effect. She felt a creeping numbness, a sense of detachment from her own body. Her thoughts became sluggish, and a strange, eerie calm settled over her. She recalled Azrael’s voice, distant and muffled, instructing them to report any sensations.

“I... I feel... strange… like I’m… dreaming..?” Cierzo managed to say, her voice sounding foreign to her own ears. The compliance drug made her thoughts slow, her will to resist fading. Her body swayed as she felt a compulsion to obey, to respond to Azrael’s commands without question. But had she ever really needed that? She would do whatever it took to stay alive, even as her body and mind were bent to Azrael’s will. Even as her delicate brows furrowed trying to comprehend the odd disconnect between her body and mind.

””