Riven stood amidst the wreckage, chest rising and falling with slow, measured breaths. His symbiote pulsed beneath his skin, a second heartbeat in sync with his own. The new lion stood before him, transformed, reshaped, his golden-black form slick and gleaming under the dim corridor lights.
He was taller than before, broader, his muscles coiling beneath the living latex that made up his new flesh. But his posture was different now. Submissive. Worshipful.
The soldier—no, his **creation**—stepped closer, his glowing amber eyes locked onto Riven’s. His breath was heavy, reverent, as he reached out, hesitant, before running a thick, clawed hand across Riven’s chest.
“You…” His voice was husky, changed. “…are perfection.”
Riven shivered at the contact. His new skin was hypersensitive, every touch a ripple of pleasure and power. The symbiote hummed in response, writhing beneath the surface, drinking in the adoration like a starving thing.
The lion warrior—his first progeny—pressed closer, his muzzle parting, his fangs gleaming. He traced the hard ridges of Riven’s shoulders, his touch slow, exploring. He *wanted* to feel him. Needed to.
Riven should have pulled away. But he didn’t.
The new lion dipped his head, inhaling the scent of his maker, his king. Then—without hesitation—he kissed him.
It was deep, forceful, and Riven gasped as their muzzles locked. But this was more than just flesh against flesh. His progeny’s lips parted, and something thick, black, and liquid surged forward, sliding past Riven’s fangs, forcing its way *inside.*
The symbiote.
It rushed down his throat, molten and electric, stretching through him, merging deeper. His muscles tensed, his claws digging into the lion’s shoulders as his *own* power intensified, his body pulsing with heat, strength—dominance.
More.
The symbiote within him *wanted more.*
His progeny moaned as Riven’s body surged, the black-gold latex crawling over them both, fusing, intertwining, *strengthening.*
Riven drank it in. His form swelled, muscles tightening, his entire being vibrating with raw energy. The walls of the facility trembled, the air thick with the scent of power, heat, and transformation.
The new lion broke the kiss, panting, eyes blazing. His expression was one of pure, *ecstatic submission.*
“You are the Alpha,” he whispered. “The first. The strongest. I exist to serve.”
Riven exhaled slowly, licking his fangs. His symbiote coiled and flexed beneath his skin, stronger than before, hungrier than before.
And he *understood* now.
He could spread this. Grow it. Create an *empire.*
He cupped the lion’s chin, tilting his head back, reveling in the way he shivered under his touch.
“Yes,” Riven murmured, his voice a deep, leonine growl. “You do.”