Chapter 70

Sophia's POV

Before I could react, hands grabbed me from behind, yanking me backward. I thrashed around but they were too strong. A sharp sting burst across my skull as someone struck me, my vision blurring with pain.

"Dorian—" I barely managed before they forced me down.

I caught a glimpse of him fighting, moving like a blur—until a taser’s electric crackle filled the air. His body convulsed, muscles locking up as he collapsed.

“Dorian!”

A thick bag was shoved over my head, muffling my scream. Then—darkness.

When I came to, my head throbbed like I’d been hit by a freight train. My body was heavy, sluggish. I tried to move, but resistance met me—straps. Thick, unyielding. My wrists, my ankles, even my torso were pinned to a cold metal table.

Panic surged through me. My breath came in ragged gasps as my mind raced. Where was I? Where was Dorian?

Footsteps. Slow, deliberate.

A shadow passed over me, the dim overhead light shifting. Then, a voice—smooth, practiced, unsettling.

“Anna.”

My pulse spiked. I knew that voice.

Dr. Reinhardt.

He stepped into view, his face sharper than I remembered, older. He had the air of a man who had seen things no one else had, and perhaps worse—done things no one should.

“It’s been a long time,” he said, as if greeting an old friend.

I swallowed the bile rising in my throat. “Where’s Dorian?”

A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Your first concern is him? Interesting.” He adjusted the sleeve of his pristine lab coat, taking his time. “He’s alive. But you… you’re the priority.”

I jerked against the straps, my heart hammering. “What do you want from me?”

He sighed, stepping closer. His gaze softened, but it felt calculated, like a predator feigning patience. “Anna, you’ve always been special. You just don’t understand why yet.”

My stomach twisted. “Special?”

He clasped his hands behind his back. “You weren’t just saved from the attack at the compound. You were chosen. Do you really think your survival was a coincidence?”

I stilled. The pieces in my head—the whispers, the glances, the way they had always handled me differently—clicked into place, forming something terrible.

“They did something to me,” I murmured.

Reinhardt’s smile widened. “Now you’re starting to see.”

Cold terror flooded my veins.

***

Pain flickered in and out of my skull like static, my nerves still sparking from the taser’s voltage. My arms were wrenched behind me, zip ties biting into my wrists. I was seated in a chair, metal and bolted to the ground.

A single light illuminated the room.

A man stood in the shadows, his posture elegant yet predatory. A suit clung to his frame—sharp, expensive. When he finally stepped into the light, his expression was unreadable, his pale blue eyes like ice.

“Dorian.”

I didn’t answer.

He smiled, the kind that didn’t reach his eyes. “I see you’re awake. Good.”

I flexed my hands, testing the restraints. No give.

He clasped his hands in front of him. “Do you know who I am?”

“Not yet,” I said. “But I doubt I’ll like the answer.”

The man chuckled. “Ludwig Moser.”

The name sent a chill through me. I had heard it before. In whispers, in classified files. A ghost in the intelligence world.

“Congratulations,” I muttered. “You’re as terrifying as the rumors say.”

Moser tilted his head. “Flattery won’t help you.”

I clenched my jaw. “What do you want?”

“We don’t want to kill you, Dorian.” He stepped closer, his voice dropping. “We want your cooperation.”

I let out a sharp laugh. “That’s not happening.”

Moser sighed, as if he’d expected as much. “You’re a survivor, Dorian. You know when to fight and when to listen.” His eyes darkened. “Listen now.”

I didn’t respond.

“Anna is important. More than you realize. She’s not just a person anymore—she’s an asset. And she belongs to us.”

Something inside me snapped. I lurched forward, straining against the restraints. “She doesn’t belong to anyone.”

Moser studied me for a moment, then shook his head. “You’re still thinking small. You don’t even understand what she is, do you?”

I stayed silent.

Moser exhaled. “No matter. Soon, you will.” He turned to leave. “I suggest you start considering your options. Because by the time this ends, you’ll either be with us…” He paused at the door.

“Or you’ll be dead.”

***

The room was sterile. White walls. Bright lights. Cold air.

Reinhardt moved to a table, adjusting instruments with careful precision. “You’re remarkable, Anna. Truly.”

I swallowed hard. “What did you do to me?”

He picked up a syringe, inspecting it under the light. “Your body was enhanced. Not in the way you might think—not strength, not speed. Something deeper.”

I stiffened. “Enhanced how?”

Reinhardt met my gaze. “Your DNA was altered. You were designed to survive.”

The air left my lungs. “Designed?”

“You’ve recovered from injuries that should have killed you. You’ve adapted under pressure in ways no normal human should.” His voice was almost reverent. “You are a breakthrough.”

I shook my head, my pulse pounding. “No. No, I’m just—I’m just a person.”

Reinhardt leaned forward. “Not anymore.”

I struggled against the straps, panic rising like a tidal wave. “You’re lying.”

His expression remained calm. “You’ve felt it, haven’t you? The way your body reacts. The way your mind sharpens in danger. Tell me—have you bled recently?”

I froze.

Because he was right.

I had been injured escaping the compound. A deep gash along my arm. But when I checked later, the wound was already healing. Too fast.

A slow smile spread across Reinhardt’s face. “You understand now, don’t you?”

I clenched my jaw. “I don’t care what you did. I won’t be your experiment.”

He chuckled. “Oh, Anna. You were always an experiment.”

A door hissed open behind him. Heavy footsteps. A guard.

Reinhardt nodded. “Prepare her for transport.”

My heart slammed against my ribs. No.

I had to get out.

As the guard stepped closer, I took a deep breath. Focused. I was going to give them a hard time and wasn't going to let them win.