The young boy sat in the sterile white room, gazing at all of the beeping equipment, through one swollen eye. It was Tuesday. The boy would never admit it, but it was the worst day of the week. 

He knew what was coming. He knew what they were looking for. And he knew their methods of getting it.

He was different from the other kids; special (they told him). That's why they had to run so many tests, to see how special he really was.

But on Tuesday, it hurt more than usual. Tuesdays are when they tried to see how long he could endure pain and torture. Whether physically beaten with fists and whips, or mentally tortured with brain wave shocks. They tried all sorts of things and Lady Amanda watched. Her army of minions in white coats surrounded the child with blank looks and clipboards, taking diligent notes. 

They didn't care how the boy cried.

They didn't care how the boy bled.

Their only concern was the time it took for all his wounds to heal. Physically at least. Until the boy eventually stopped crying, stopped feeling, stopped wishing that there was somewhere better than this place. There wasn't.

Because the facility was a place for special people.

Chapter Two

"Asaiya."

I snapped my head toward the voice. Asher was looking at me with concerned blue eyes. His brow were furrowed. 

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" 

"You've been really distracted lately. Is everything alright?" 

I looked at my mate-to-be and wondered if I should taint him with the horrors of my captivity in the facility. Deciding against, I opted for a sheepish smile. I don't want to torture him any more than I already have. He still beats himself up with every nightmare, every scream, every flinch, because in his eyes, he should have been there to save me from it all. 

Alphas.

They think they can save the world, but they are just one Wolf. 

"I'm fine, baby. Now what were you saying?" 

"I have to go to an Alpha meeting. Will you be okay by yourself or do you want to go to Drew's?" 

"I'll be fine by myself."

Asher gave me a level look.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," I snorted, but inside I felt a little uneasy. 

If I said I wanted to go to Drew's, he was going to think I wasn't getting any better and I wanted him to think I was recovering. That facility hadn't scarred me permanently, even though it had. 

The facility is a horrible place created by the humans, where they capture Omega Wolves, experiment and breed them to create half-wolf half-human hybrids called Betas or Werewolves. It was all a political plot to gain the upper hand between the United Nations. All countries were fighting to create a powerful army and maintain control over the others. It was a race to see who could create the indestructible army first. 

Of course at the Wolves' expense. 

My family was murdered and I was taken two years ago. I spent two long years being beaten and raped, poked and prodded, injected and drugged. All of which had left a terrible stain on my spirit. 

But I escaped, with the help of my friend Drew Lyall-Hemming and his Alpha mate Kai. 

Drew was captured and taken a two weeks before our escape. While the humans tried to breed him, they discovered that he was already pregnant. And now Drew had three little pups.

They were the most adorable little creatures I've ever seen. Everyone dotes on them when they can. I can only hope that my own pups were just as cute. 

My pups...

Unfortunately, after being raped, I had become an Omega Wolf who bore a litter that did not belong to their Alpha. They called those Inproba. 

The cruel reality left a bitter taste on my tongue. My pups would have a hard life. I knew that from the beginning, but...I loved them. I will always love them, because despite how they came to be, they were a part of me. A very special part of me and I couldn't wait to greet them with a smile as they enter this world. 

I rubbed my stomach lovingly. 

"You didn't hear a word I said, did you?" Asher accused but had a smile on his face.

I looked up at him, startled. I forgot he was talking...whoopsies. 

"Guilty," I said sheepishly.

Asher rolled his eyes but kissed my forehead. "I shouldn't be gone long. If something happens, just call me, okay?"

I nodded and he left the room. 

I waddled over to kitchen to fix myself a quick snack. The pups were all jumping about inside me, eager for the next meal.

"Will you quit that? You're gonna make Daddy puke all his yummy food," I muttered to the pups, which they ignored. I rolled my eyes and but smiled, secretly enjoying the little quivers inside my tummy.

I made a large fruit salad and devoured it in record time. There wasn't much to do around the house. Cymon and Lyric were out for the day so it was a bit lonely, but I was used to being alone. 

Sort of. 

It reminded me of back in the facility. I would spend my days alone in the cell, wishing to be saved but knowing it wasn't going to happen. It was so lonely, so pitiful. Until that one day.

He came in.

With two humans, he hesitated at the door, looking at me with an expression that bordered wonder and childlike awe. The humans instructed him to watch me and beat me if I did anything, but stressed the importance of leaving my stomach unharmed. 

I was frightened beyond belief at first. Watching the intruders anxiously, until the humans left and it was just me and him.

He stared at me with eyes wide. They looked more afraid than mine. And that threw me off. What was he so afraid of? Me?

The strange man gulped. I watched the bob of his Adams apple beneath that creamy, dark brown skin. His dark braids were still long at the time, but not as long as they were now, and they still had those red beads intertwined in them, shining just as brightly as his ruby eyes. 

He smelled like an Alpha, but completely lacked the dominance of one. Immediately, that made me suspicious, but also less afraid of him. 

The Alpha shuffled away from me and sat in the corner of the cell. His eyes darted all around and strategically avoided mine. 

I moved toward him a little and immediately, he shuffled back, his back hitting the wall. He looked cornered and terrified. The reaction was unbelievable.

"Are you scared of me?" I asked incredulously.

The Alpha jumped at the sound of my voice. 

After hours of trying to get him to talk, he refused. Later on, I found out he was under some hardcore hallucinogens that amped his paranoia tenfold. When he came the next day and the day after that, he was a stoic statue. 

It wasn't until one day, after a particularly brutal beating, he spoke. 

"Lie on your side, it will help the nausea."

I flinched at the sound of his voice. It was deep, very masculine but rich, like honey. Just hearing it soothed my bleeding eardrums. And I found myself wanting to hear it again.

I struggled to roll to my side, but I couldn't quite manage. 

Without even hearing him move, he was there, gently easing me on to my side and immediately I felt better.

"Thank you," I whispered, not questioning why I wasn't afraid of him touching me. 

He didn't say a word, just retreated back to his spot. 

"Why are you doing this?" I asked him.

Those ruby red eyes slid over to me. His expression—or lack thereof—didn't change. It gave me time to admire those carefully sculpted cheekbones, sharp jawline, deliciously plump lips, and elegantly slanted eyes. 

I thought he wasn't going to answer, but after a very long silence, he spoke. 

"Because I was told to."

That was it?

That was his answer?

Because he was told to?

"And do you always do what you're told?"

His face scrunched in slight confusion as if he didn't quite understand the question. 

"Yes," he replied finally, but it was asked rather than stated, as if he wasn't sure that was the right answer. 

"Why?" I asked. 

His brow furrowed as his face twisted into full blown befuddlement.

"I do not understand what you are asking."

"Why do you always do what you're told? Surely there are things you don't want to do, do you do it anyway?"

"There are many things I do not want to do but I do them because I am ordered to. I must follow orders."

"Why?"

He didn't answer after that. That was the end of the conversation. I kept trying though, if not then, than the next day. Until eventually, he started replying back to me. And soon it became a routine. He'd come and we'd talk until his shift was over. 

It wasn't until a few weeks that I finally worked up the courage to say, "My name is Asaiya, Asa for short. What's yours?"

"Christos."