Ōkami crouched in the shadows of an alley, her heart racing as the distant wail of sirens echoed in her ears. The scent of smoke lingered, igniting memories of the laboratory's unforgiving sterile walls. Gritting her teeth, she pressed her palms against her temples, but the floodgates of recollection opened wide.

Flashes of cold steel enclosures, the unyielding clamps of experimentation, and the faces of scientists devoid of empathy consumed her. She felt the weight of their hands inside her mind, rearranging her very essence. Unable to breathe, she fought against the tightening grip of panic, her wolf ears twitching at every rustle, her instincts screaming to run.