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I moved silently through the darkness, my enhanced vision cutting through the gloom. The air grew fresher as I approached the exit, carrying scents of the jungle beyond—rich soil, exotic flora, the musk of creatures I would soon hunt for sustenance.

And somewhere, carried on that same breeze, her scent. Faint but unmistakable. The human female who had been chosen by fate to bond with a Rodinian warrior—and who had, unknowingly, awakened a forgotten weapon designed to find her.

I would reach her before the others came. I would warn them of the danger. I would protect her, even from myself if necessary.

The tunnel ended at a concealed hatch, overgrown with vegetation. I pushed through, emerging into violet twilight. The jungle stretched before me, vast and wild. Behind me, buried in the earth, the countdown continued. Soon, the evidence of my creation would be rubble and ash.

But not all of it. Never all of it. Because I still existed.

I lifted my head, testing the air, searching for her scent trail. It was there—subtle but distinct. Leading north, away from the facility.

Away from the past that had created me.

Toward a future I couldn’t predict but was determined to safeguard.

I moved into the jungle, my body adapting to its freedom, my senses sharpening with each step. The hunter awakened fully now, instincts honed by both nature and deliberate design guiding my path.

I would find her.

I would protect her.

Even if it meant watching from the shadows while she found happiness with another.

7 /ZEHN

The jungle held secrets.I felt them stir against my senses as I moved silently between the violet-tinged trees, my claws barely disturbing the undergrowth. My fur bristled along my spine, instincts sharpening as I tracked the disturbance through the alien forest.

I paused, ears flicking forward to catch the subtle sounds of night predators retreating from my path. My tail lashed behind me, betraying the tension I worked to contain. I had left Everly behind the protective barrier I’d established. Safe, for now. But safety on this world was an illusion that could shatter in an instant.

The unity dream still lingered in my blood—her body beneath mine, her scent filling my lungs, her voice calling my name as pleasure claimed us both. But there had been something else. A witness. An observer. Not just the jungle’s dangers bleeding into my consciousness as I’d initially believed, but something more deliberate. More aware.

I had felt eyes on us, watching from shadows that shouldn’t exist in the private sanctuary of a unity dream.

Impossible.

Unity dreams were sacred, shared only between fated mates—a connection so rare and precious no one could intrude on that bond. No one should have been able to.

Yet something had.

I inhaled deeply, sorting through the complex tapestry of scents that filled the alien jungle. Decaying vegetation. The musk of nocturnal creatures. The lingering trace of my own passage. And something else—something that didn’t belong. Something engineered.

My muscles tensed as a new sound registered—a faint, rhythmic hum that vibrated just at the edge of hearing. Not natural. Not biological. Mechanical.

I melted into the shadows of a massive fern, my Reaper suit camouflaging me to my surroundings. The sound grew closer, more defined. Not one source, but two, moving in a coordinated pattern that spoke of programmed efficiency rather than organic curiosity.

They appeared above the treeline—sentinel drones, their sleek hulls absorbing rather than reflecting light, designed for stealth reconnaissance. Military grade. Their movements were precise, methodical, scanning patterns that covered maximum terrain with minimum energy expenditure.

I recognized the design—similar to Legion recon units, but with subtle differences that marked them as non-standard. Black market. Retrofitted with sensors that could penetrate natural cover, detect heat signatures, analyze atmospheric composition for traces of exhaled breath.

Hunting drones.

But hunting what? Or whom?

My hand moved to the blade at my hip, weighing options as the drones swept closer to my position. If I engaged, I would reveal my location. If I ignore them, perhaps they will stumble upon my camp with Everly.

The decision crystallized in my mind. I would need to eliminate them, quickly and quietly, before they could transmit her location to whoever controlled them. I tensed, preparing to launch upward, calculating the precise angle needed to disable both drones before either could send an alert.

But I never got the chance.

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