Chapter 9

Lira pov

I woke up gasping.

Cold.

Sweaty.

Wrong.

Too bright. Too quiet. Too clean.

Not the cell.

Not the dark.

But still not safe.

My heart kicked into overdrive as my eyes snapped open. White walls. Machines. A soft beeping sound that made my stomach turn. The scent of strangers in the air—strong, dominant, male. My throat tightened like a noose.

Alphas.

They were close. I could feel them.

I pressed myself back into the corner of the bed, fists clutching the thin blanket like it could protect me from what I knew was coming.

Pain.

Obedience.

Silence.

I reached for my name—something to anchor me—but there was nothing. Just a number.

Three-Seven.

That's what they called me. What they screamed through the speakers. What they burned into my bones.

I didn't know how I got here. I didn't know if this was another test. Another lie.

But I could still hear them—outside the door. Their scents thick in the air. Their energy brushing against my skin like a live wire.

My body trembled.

I couldn't breathe.

Gods, don't let them in.

Don't let them see me.

Because if they do...

If they touch me again—

If they say my number—

I won't survive it.

Not this time.

I'd rather jump through the window. Tear the IVs from my arms. Rip my own throat out if I have to.

Anything but go back.

I'm not strong enough.

Not again.

I had to get out.

The thought slammed into me, sharp and loud and all-consuming.

I couldn't stay here. I couldn't let them find me again.

I didn't know where I was. I didn't know who was out there. But I knew what would happen if I stayed.

They'd lock me up again.

Use me again.

Call me that number like I wasn't even human.

Three-Seven. Property. Breeder. Omega.

My fingers fumbled at the IV in my arm. It burned when I yanked it free, blood dotting the sheets, but I didn't care. The beeping from the machines spiked, screaming like a warning bell.

I shoved the blanket off, legs wobbling as I swung them over the edge of the bed.

Too weak.

Too dizzy.

But I moved anyway.

I reached the door just as it started to open.

"Hey, hey—wait—!" a voice called.

No. No, no, no.

I shoved my body forward, shoulder slamming into the nurse's chest. She gasped, stumbling back as I bolted past her. The hallway lights were too bright, the floor too cold beneath my feet, but none of it mattered.

I ran.

As fast as my shaking legs would carry me.

Voices shouted behind me. Footsteps pounded after mine.

"Stop her—she's not stable!"

"Don't touch me!" I screamed hoarsely, shoving past another set of hands. "Don't—don't touch me!"

The walls tilted. My vision blurred. But I didn't stop.

I didn't stop because I couldn't.

Because if they caught me—

If they dragged me back—

I'd lose whatever pieces of myself I'd managed to keep.

Even if I didn't remember who I was.

Even if I only had that stupid number.

I was free for a breath, and I wasn't going back.

Not without a fight.