Seo-Yun's world shrank to a narrow corridor illuminated only by flickering torches. His muscles still throbbed from the branding, every movement sending fresh waves of fire across the raw skin on his back. The wound was wrapped loosely in bloodied cloth, but the pain was a constant whisper at the edge of his mind.
They led him into a small, windowless chamber, cold and sterile—nothing like the harsh stone halls outside. The air was thick with the scent of metal and oil.
On a low pedestal in the center of the room lay an object wrapped in black velvet.
Kaelith gestured for Seo-Yun to step forward.
Saren's voice cut through the silence. "This is the next step."
Seo-Yun's eyes flickered to the covered object, heart pounding in dread.
"Don't make this harder than it has to be," Kaelith said, his tone deceptively calm.
Slowly, Saren pulled back the cloth, revealing a thick collar made of black iron, studded with spikes and glowing faintly at the edges. Embedded in the front was a small device — a tracker, a transmitter — something that would keep him chained even when he thought he might be free.
Seo-Yun swallowed hard. He knew what was coming.
"Put it on," Saren commanded.
The guards pinned Seo-Yun's arms as he was forced to kneel on the cold floor. Kaelith lifted his chin, exposing the pale, vulnerable skin of his neck.
The collar was heavy. Cold. It slid around his throat, the spikes pressing cruelly into his skin. A small click echoed through the chamber as the lock engaged.
"From now on," Saren said, "this collar will monitor your vitals. If you try to escape, or worse, harm yourself…"
His voice dropped to a dark whisper. "Your heat will be forcibly triggered and broadcast to the other Alphas."
Seo-Yun's breath caught. The collar was not just a chain—it was a prison, a leash, a weapon against him.
Kaelith knelt beside him. "Break, or bend. Those are your choices."
Seo-Yun's lips trembled, but no tears fell.
The Alphas didn't want submission born of kindness. They wanted it forged through pain and fear.
And now, with the collar locked tight around his neck, Seo-Yun's cage was complete.